“That is not how you talk to your Queen.” Nat was by my side in an instant.
“She’s not my Queen.” Althea whispered, lowering her eyes. “Forgive me for my rudeness but I believe I need some time by myself.”
Dimitri looked at me with an apologetic look before he looked at his mate, “come, I’ll show you our room.”
“I would like to be shown to my room,” she whispered, another tear leaking from her eye.
A look of pure hurt crossed Dimitri’s face before he gulped, “as you wish.” And then the two walked down the hallway, maintaining a good two feet of distance between them.
“Poor Dimitri.” My heart went out for him. He didn’t deserve this. If there was a pure soul among us, who truly wished everyone’s happiness, then it was Dimitri. And seeing him like this, so sad and so heartbroken broke my heart.
“They will get over it,” Max commented. “She wasn’t treated very well by her father. It won’t take her too much time to fall for that romantic fucktard.”
“I hope so.” I murmured.
“At least he is with his beloved, you on the other hand are stuck with phone sex.” Max grinned teasingly.
Suddenly, I could very vividly feel the wet panty I had stuffed inside my bra and heat rose up on my cheeks. “Nikolai is coming home soon.”
“I can guess who else will be cuming soon too,” he laughed louder and I slapped his arm as he made me blush harder.
Nat rolled her eyes before looking at me, “ignore him. And didn’t Nikolai say you had to go to the doctor? I’ll come with you.”
“Perfect,” I said, knowing that if I didn’t leave, Max wouldn’t leave me alone. But I needed to shower to wash off the scent. I’d hate for anyone else to smell me too. “I -I’ll just go shower first.” I muttered and left as Max’s rambunctious laugh rang in my ears.
I took a quick shower and walked into the closet to find Tessa standing besides a rack inside which a few clothes hung. She hung clothes for me every morning and every time I went out. She made sure that there were at least three outfits so I had a say in what I wore too.
She hadn’t been doing it since the… incident. In fact, I hadn’t even seen her in the last two days. So seeing her now was a surprise.
She came and kneeled in front of me, lowering her head. “I’m sorry, Mistress.”
“Stand up, Tess.” I said and she rose to her feet, a tremble passing through her whole body.
And then suddenly, she started crying, “I’m so sorry, Mistress! I -I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t mean to insult you. I didn’t mean to be rude. B-but I was so scared and you-you are a vampire now,” she sobbed. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.
I put a finger under her chin and made her look at me. “It’s fine. I’m giving you a few options, you can do whatever you wish. You can either find someone else to serve or I can find someone else who would be a good owner. Or you can become a house slave and become a part of the staff taking care of the palace.”
For some reason, this made her cry harder. She threw her arms around me and hugged me, crying in the crook of my neck, “I only want you! Please forgive me! You are the best Mistress I could have ever wished for, I didn’t mean to behave otherwise. I don’t want anyone else, only you! You can punish me for my behaviour if you wish so but please do not disown me.” She begged.
I smiled softly, caressing her back, “there is nothing to forgive you for, Tessa. I suggested it simply because I thought you’d be more comfortable serving a werewolf.”
“I’m the most comfortable serving you, Mistress.” She whispered and took a step back.
“Are you sure that me being a vampire doesn’t bother you?”
“I -no. I mean yes. It does. A little bit. But I also know you. And I know you have a good heart. You are a good person. And your race doesn’t define that.” She said softly. “I was scared last time because you lost control an-”
“I’m extremely sorry about that.”
“-it’s okay, Mistress. I know you weren’t in your senses. I don’t fully understand everything but I know you would never knowingly hurt me.”
“I would never.” I agreed. “And I know you won’t like it so I won’t ever ask to drink your blood either.”
She let out a soft breath. “I would like that, Mistress. At least for now.”
“I’m not going to touch you without your permission. Everything is going to be the way it was, okay?”
“Yes, thank you so much, Mistress. You are the greatest.” She let out a shy smile and I smiled back.
We spent the next fifteen minutes by following our daily routine during which she helped me get ready.
After I was done, I went to the living room and saw Max engaged in a conversation with Vanessa. The little girl was animatedly telling him a story and she had his undivided attention.
“Perfect, both of us are ready,” Natalia joined me.
Max and Vanessa’s heads snapped towards us.
And then all of a sudden, a wide grin filled Vanessa’s face. “You’re pregnant!”
Already? Her heat got over barely twenty four days ago.
I turned to Nat with a grin wide enough to hurt my cheeks, “congratulations!”
“No. Not her. You.” Vanessa corrected and dread filled my entire body.
“What?” Max and Nat exclaimed.
Me? Pregnant?
It’s impossible.
I haven’t even gotten my heat yet.
But I’m not a werewolf. I won’t get my heat anymore.
But then again, I mated with Nikolai before Max and Natalia mated. Technically, I should have gotten my heat before her. But my wolf was sick. She wasn’t strong enough to have her heat.
And now that I think about it, she was on the verge of dying ever since I was sick. Or maybe the sickness was the symptom of her impending death. The white fruit from the bonsai tree probably just delayed what was inevitable.
But in the end, I can’t be pregnant.
Vanessa couldn’t be trusted with this. She’s just a kid.
But she was right about Sofiya…
Even the thought of her made me choke up.
“… isn’t possible. Are you sure?” Natalia was freaking out.
I barely heard her. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move.
I was in shock.
“Yes!” Vanessa bobbled her head with the ever present grin on her face. And then she skipped till she reached me and put her ear against my belly, “Heartbeats. You’re pregnant, Avalyn!”
And then she sniffed the air, as if smelling something before turning towards Natalia. And then placed her head against her belly too. “Oh! You’re pregnant too!” She clapped her hands.
What?
“What?” Max and Nat exclaimed again.
“You’re both pregnant?” Max asked but he was looking at me, his eyes full of pity.
“No.” I whispered, finally finding my voice. A tremble shot down my spine at the thought of dying and being separated from Nikolai. “I can’t be. I can’t die. I can’t leave Nikolai.”
It was Natalia who spoke next. “We need to go to the hospital. Now.”