I didn't say anything else. I turned around and walked out, numb. My hand instinctively cradled my belly, feeling the faint flutter of life inside me. My wolf curled protectively around that small warmth, the only thing left that still felt real.
"Don't worry, little one. We don't need that room. I'll make you a better one."
Behind me, Alaric stood frozen, watching me walk away. That same flicker of guilt from the Moon-Healers' Hall flashed across his face again, sharp and quick, then buried.
But as Ravenna called out to him from the nursery, he turned and walked back to her.
Later, when I was back in the master chamber, my communicator buzzed. I got a string of voice messages from Ravenna.
I opened them one by one, and hearing Alaric's doting tone in the recordings, I realized all their past affection was just practice for Alaric. He was practicing on me and our pup, all for the sake of Ravenna's child.
Every nourishing bone broth I drank, every gift I received for the pup, every rearing tip Alaric shared with me. It was all just practice for Ravenna's pup.
Even the nursery itself was prepared by Alaric for the child in Ravenna's womb.