Chapter 25 Chapter 25. A Child as a Chain
Zephyr knew exactly how cruel his words were, but once they left his mouth, he could not take them back. To him, Zoria was his female. Sleeping with her, getting her pregnant, having her bear his baby, all of that felt only natural. He did not want to let her go, and even more so, he did not want to lose the female who had loved him for five whole years. Keeping Zoria by making her pregnant and having her give birth to his baby seemed, to him, the best solution.
The image of Zoria clutching her belly, her face pale and twisted in pain, was something he still remembered with painful clarity.
When Zoria stayed silent, Zephyr tightened his grip and called softly, "Zoria?"
To Zoria, it felt as though a bucket of icy water had been poured straight onto her heart in the dead of winter. Her whole body trembled, her heart freezing solid, aching as if it were bleeding. "You want me to give you a baby? Then what about Faye? Don’t you love her? Why don’t you ask her to give you a baby instead?"
"Faye…" Zephyr frowned, as if he had backed himself into a corner.
In the past, if it had been between Zoria and Faye, he would have chosen Faye without a second thought. But at this moment, he hesitated.
The dim light in the bathroom cast shadows across his face, hiding every trace of emotion. After a long while, he took a deep breath and finally spoke what he truly thought. "You give birth to the baby, and let her raise it."
His voice was low, his eyes closed to conceal the turmoil inside him. What he did not realize was that the female in his arms had gone completely stiff.
Zoria clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her skin, leaving painful scratches behind.
He wanted her to give birth, then hand her baby over to Faye to raise? On what grounds?
A bitter taste rose in her throat. Zoria let out a laugh so full of misery it hurt. "Zephyr, what are you even thinking? How can you be so cold?"
Forcing her to give birth, then giving her baby to someone else to raise, how could he say something so heartless so casually?
Zephyr knew he was selfish. But to him, Zoria was his mate, and Faye was the female he wanted to protect for the rest of his life. He could not give up either of them.
Maybe this was unfair to Faye, but he still wanted to keep Zoria by his side, under the title of Luna of Hawthorne, at least so he could see her whenever he wanted.
Zephyr lifted Zoria’s chin, his hand stroking her face flushed with anger. "Zoria, as long as you stay by my side and behave, I will take care of you."
Zoria slapped his hand away and snapped angrily, "I am not some useless thing that needs you to take care of me. Go take care of Faye properly. Why keep dragging me into this? Or am I nothing more than a tool for you to have cubs?"
Every word she spoke burned with resentment. Inside her, there was nothing left but sorrow. Why had she ever agreed to be with someone like Zephyr back then?
She lowered her head and looked at her belly. Tears spilled out without her noticing as her hands clenched tightly.
The baby was hers. It was her only family, her last bit of hope. All she wanted now was to take her baby and leave this place, to leave Zephyr far behind.
Zephyr did not answer her question. He thought he had made himself perfectly clear. He was willing to provide for her, willing to let her give birth to his baby. Everything she had once wanted, he could give her now. So what exactly was she still dissatisfied with?
His brows drew together, impatience clear in his eyes. Zephyr suddenly lifted Zoria out of the bathtub and set her on the edge. Then he pressed her hard against the icy wall, pinning her so she could not move.
Losing her balance, Zoria cried out. Her legs, still in the water, flailed in panic.
Her whole body felt frozen. Zoria grabbed Zephyr’s hair like she had lost her mind, using all her strength as if she wanted to rip it out.
"Let me go! Zephyr, you bastard!" she screamed, her voice hoarse, on the verge of tearing her throat apart.
She absolutely did not want to be forced by him in a situation like this. The thought filled her with humiliation and disgust.
But Zephyr paid no attention to her curses, nor did he care about the pain in his scalp. He reached back, grabbed the hand tangled in his hair, and forced it down, leaving Zoria unable to move.
He clenched his teeth, his pale violet eyes locking onto her, the oppressive dominance of an Alpha crashing down on her.
This was the first time he had ever seen Zoria resist so fiercely. It felt unfamiliar, and it made him angry.
Zoria’s face was deathly pale, sweat beading on her forehead. Her lips parted as she gasped for breath, her mind in chaos.
She pushed against his solid chest with all her strength, lifted her head to meet his bloodshot gaze, her voice trembling with despair and warning. "Zephyr, you cannot treat me like this. You cannot force me to have a baby. That is illegal. That is rape…"
The last word was cut off by Zephyr’s cold lips.
At that moment, hurried knocking sounded from outside, sharp and urgent, as if the female would not leave unless the door was opened.
Interrupted, Zephyr frowned in irritation and shot a cold glance at the tightly shut bathroom door.
After a moment, the knocking stopped, replaced by Faye’s voice from outside.
"Zephyr, are you in there?"
He adjusted his expression. "Yes."
"Zephyr, I feel awful… I think I have a fever. I am really tired."