Chapter 69 Danger

Chapter 69 Danger
Ava POV
I had been running around all morning again. Checking on Raven. Checking on her newborn. Making sure she ate, slept, and wasn’t stressing herself. Everyone kept telling me to slow down but I didn’t listen. I didn’t even notice how tired I was until my hands shook while carrying a basket of herbs.
And then it hit me, the sharp reminder in my lower stomach, the light nausea that came and went. The small life inside me.
I kept forgetting I was pregnant too.
Cain had warned me so many times. “Ava, you’re carrying my child. You must look after yourself.” He said it almost every day now. Sometimes with frustration, sometimes with fear, and sometimes with that soft tone that made my chest warm.
But I didn’t know how to stop. The thought of something going wrong frightened me so much that I forgot my own condition.
By midday, a guard approached me.
“Luna… His Majesty requests you in the throne room.”
My heart skipped. Cain never sent for me formally unless something serious was going on. I wiped my hands on my dress and hurried through the long halls. When I reached the throne room, Cain was waiting, standing, not sitting on his throne. That alone told me it was important.
He looked powerful, calm, and completely focused on me as I walked in.
“Ava,” he said, voice low. “Come closer.”
I obeyed, feeling a sudden nervousness in my chest. He stopped only a breath away from me. His eyes, stormy and deep, searched my face, as if checking every detail.
“You look tired,” he murmured. “Too tired.”
“I’m fine—”
“You are not fine,” he cut in firmly. “And that is why I called you here.”
My stomach twisted. “Did I do something wrong?”
His expression softened in a way that always caught me off guard. “No. You did nothing wrong.” He took a slow breath. “I called you here because… I wish to announce you as Luna.”
I froze.
The words didn’t make sense at first. Then they did, and my knees almost gave out. “Announce… me?”
Cain nodded once. “Yes. Publicly. Officially. You deserve that respect. You deserve your place at my side.”
My heartbeat went wild. My palms turned cold. I felt excitement, fear, pride, and shock all at once. I had never imagined becoming Luna, not truly. It felt too big, too heavy, like a crown made of fire.
I swallowed hard. “Cain… I…”
I had to breathe twice before the words could come. “I can’t be announced yet.”
His brows pulled together. “Why?”
I lifted my hand to my stomach. His eyes followed the movement instantly. “I want to be announced after I give birth,” I whispered. “I want to stand strong beside you, not… pale. Not shaking. Not weak.” My voice broke before I could stop it. “Please. Let me earn that moment.”
Cain stared at me for a long time. I could almost hear his thoughts racing. Then he nodded slowly. “If that is what you want, I will wait.”
Relief flooded me so fast my eyes stung.
“But,” he continued, his voice dropping lower, “you will take better care of yourself from now on.”
Before I could answer, he stepped closer and tilted my chin up. “Come. We will dine together.”
He led me to the small private table near the windows. Servants brought food, warm soup, roasted vegetables, fresh bread, fruits. But Cain kept watching me instead of eating.
“Eat,” he ordered gently.
I picked up my spoon.
“No, Ava.” His voice tightened. “Eat more than that.”
I forced myself to take several bites. My appetite had been strange lately. Sometimes I wanted everything, sometimes nothing. Today I felt hollow.
Cain’s jaw tightened. “You look paler than yesterday.”
“I’m just tired.”
“That is exactly what worries me.” His eyes scanned my face again like he expected to find bruises or hidden wounds. “After tonight, you will sleep in my bedchamber.”
I blinked. “What? Cain, no—I’m comfortable in mine.”
“I did not ask for your comfort,” he said simply. “I want you safe. Protected. Watched over.”
“But I—”
“Ava.” His tone left no room for argument. “You are carrying my child. You will sleep where I know you are safe.”
I let out a slow breath, knowing I had no chance of winning this fight. “Fine. I’ll move my things later.”
His shoulders loosened slightly. “Good.”
We ate in silence for a moment but I caught him watching me again and again, as if expecting me to faint. I hated worrying him, yet at the same time, a warm feeling spread in my chest. Someone cared. Someone wanted me safe.
After we finished, he brushed his thumb against my cheek and whispered, “Rest this evening. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
He nodded and let me go.
—
Later, when the sun was beginning to set, I went to my bedchamber to pack my clothes. I planned to call my maid but then I stopped. She had been busy since morning and I didn’t want to disturb her with something I could do myself.
Besides… Cain would probably follow me soon anyway, checking to see if I was lifting anything too heavy.
I took one of my small bags and started folding my dresses carefully. My hands trembled a little, but I tried to ignore it. I was just tired. That was all.
I was reaching for another dress when the door opened behind me.
I turned.
Emma stood there with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. It looked stretched, almost forced, like she had practiced it and still couldn’t get it right.
“Ava,” she said softly, walking in. “You’re packing?”
“Yes,” I said, trying to sound normal. “I’m moving to Cain’s chamber.”
Her smile tightened. “How… wonderful.”
She held something in her hand, a small cup.
“I brought you a drink,” she said, stepping closer. “I thought you might be tired.”
I didn’t think much of it. Why would I? Emma had been acting strange for days but I assumed it was because of the new baby in the castle and the changes happening everywhere.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the cup from her.
Her eyes didn’t blink. They watched me too closely, too intensely.
I lifted the cup.
And without thinking twice…
I gulped the drink down.