Athena’s POV
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my hand hovered above my stomach, barely grazing the fabric of the soft cream dress I wore.
I wasn’t showing yet—not really. But I could feel the life inside me more and more each day. Specially when he’s near.
Little flutters, like the baby recognized something my mind still couldn’t fully accept. Something my heart already knew. That the child growing in me knew its father.
I had been avoiding him. As much as possible.
Varianth was a storm I couldn’t survive again—not after the night I saw him announce Emily as his Luna. Not after the lies, the hurt, the confusion.
But fate had a cruel sense of humor. And today, it pushed us together again.
The palace was preparing for another feast—some diplomatic event I wasn’t invited to. Still, the halls were bustling with activity, and I had been told to stay in my room.
But I couldn’t. The walls were suffocating. So I slipped into the garden for air. And that’s where I saw him.
Varianth.
He stood near the roses, deep in thought, a paper in hand. His black cloak shifted with the breeze, and the gold emblem on his chest gleamed under the sunlight.
I froze.
I meant to turn back. But then—he turned. And our eyes locked. Golden fire.
I sucked in a breath, too late to pretend I hadn’t seen him. He stepped forward slowly, hesitation in his movements. And I—like a fool—stood frozen, as always.
“Are you avoiding me?” he asked gently.
I didn’t answer right away. “Would you blame me if I said yes?”
His lips twitched, but not in amusement. More like pain. “No.”
Silence stretched between us, tense and uncertain.
He looked down at the paper in his hands, then folded it and tucked it into his coat. “You look… tired.”
I bit back a bitter smile. “Try being thrown out of your pack while growing a secret inside you. It’ll do that.”
He flinched at my words. Just slightly. I looked away, trying to steady my breathing. He stepped closer. Too close.
I turned to retreat, but as I moved, his hand brushed against my arm—accidental, brief.
But enough. A spark ignited. Warm. Electric. Real. I gasped, eyes wide. He jerked back, brows furrowed. “Did you feel that?”
I didn’t know what to say. I simply nodded.
He noticed. “Are you alright?”
My eyes lifted to meet his. The baby is reacting to him again.
He stepped closer, slower this time. “Do you need to sit?”
“I’m fine,” I whispered. “It’s just… when you’re close… I feel like he’s moving inside me.”
He stared at me, silent. Like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Like his body remembered something his mind didn’t.
And then I knew. He needed to hear the truth. No more lies. No more fear.
“Varianth…” I began, voice barely above a breath. “There’s something I have to tell you. It’s about the night at Silver Fang—”
But before I could finish—a voice interrupted from behind us.
“Your Majesty, the ambassadors have arrived,” the palace guard announced.
Varianth looked at me like he didn’t want to go. But duty tugged at him, as always.
He hesitated. “Later,” he said softly. “Tell me later.”
He turned to leave.
And as I watched him disappear through the archway, I pressed my hand against the spot where the baby had kicked.
And whispered, “He deserves to know you. Whether he accepts us or not, he needs to know the truth.”