Chapter Six: The Question

Cassius POV

The door clicks shut behind me.

I stand in the hallway, my back to her room, my hand still tingling from where I touched her stomach.

What the hell was that?

I walk. Fast. My boots echo against the stone floor. Guards step aside when they see my face. They know better than to speak to me right now.

I do not know where I am going. I just need to move. Need to think.

Her heartbeat.

I have heard thousands of heartbeats. Soldiers dying in my arms. Enemies begging for mercy. Lovers lying beside me after. I know what a normal heart sounds like.

Hers is not normal.

It is faster. Stronger. But also deeper. Like two drums beating inside her chest.

That is not possible.

Unless something is wrong with her.

Unless something is growing inside her.

I stop walking.

The thought hits me like a blade between the ribs.

A child.

No. That is not possible. I have only been with her once. One night. One time. And she was bleeding after. A virgin. The maids told me. There was blood on the sheets.

The child cannot be mine.

But it could be someone else's.

Her husband's.

The man who sold her.

I lean against the wall. Press the heels of my palms against my eyes.

Why do I care?

She is a slave. A purchase. A tool to ease my rut. That is all she was supposed to be.

But I cannot stop thinking about her. Cannot stop watching her. Cannot stop wanting to know what is hiding behind those green eyes.

"Massimus."

He appears beside me. He always does.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Come with me."

My study is dark when we enter. I light the candles myself. I need something to do with my hands.

"Sit," I say.

Massimus sits. He does not ask questions. He waits. That is why I trust him.

I pour two glasses of wine. Push one toward him. He does not drink. Just holds it.

"The slave," I say. "Emerald."

"What about her?"

"There is something wrong with her."

"Wrong how?"

I pace the room. My fingers drum against the back of my chair.

"Her heartbeat. It is different. Strange. Like two hearts beating inside her chest."

Massimus says nothing. His face does not change. But I see something flicker in his eyes.

"You have noticed something," I say. "Tell me."

He sets down the glass.

"I have noticed many things, my Lord. She eats more than any woman her size should. She sleeps more than anyone recovering from injury should. She fainted twice in two days. Her skin glows like she is carrying—"

He stops.

"Carrying what?"

Massimus looks at me. His jaw is tight.

"I should not speculate, my Lord."

"You are my confidant. You speculate. Now speak."

He stands. Walks to the window. Stares out at the darkness.

"I have seen this before," he says quietly. "With my wife. Before she gave birth to our son."

My blood goes cold.

"You think she is pregnant."

"I think it is possible."

"With my child?"

"I do not know, my Lord. The timing is wrong. You have only been with her once. And she was bleeding after. A virgin. That is what the maids reported."

"Then whose?"

He turns to face me.

"Her husband's. Derek Vance. She was married to him before she came here. It is possible the child was conceived before the wedding night. Before he betrayed her."

I grip the back of my chair so hard the wood groans.

"She would be six weeks along," Massimus continues. "Maybe more. That would explain the fainting. The eating. The sleeping. The glow."

"And the heartbeat?"

"Two hearts, my Lord. Mother and child."

I close my eyes.

Two hearts.

Mother and child.

She is carrying another man's baby.

She is carrying his child. The man who stabbed her. The man who sold her. The man who threw her away like garbage.

And she is hiding it from me.

"Why?" I ask. "Why would she not tell me?"

Massimus is quiet for a moment.

"Fear, my Lord. She is a slave in a foreign kingdom. You are known for killing those who share your bed. She probably thinks you will kill her if you find out."

"Would I?"

He does not answer.

I do not know the answer either.

"I need proof," I say. "Not speculation. Proof."

"How do you want me to get it?"

"Her medical records. The doctor who treated her at the hospital. I want to know everything he wrote. Everything he saw."

"The doctor is Oathbound, my Lord. He cannot break patient confidentiality without permission from the patient."

"Then find another doctor. Bring one here. Someone who can examine her without her knowing."

Massimus raises an eyebrow. "You want me to have her examined while she sleeps?"

"I want you to find out the truth. I do not care how."

He nods slowly. "I will see what I can do."

"Go. Now."

He stands. Walks to the door. Pauses.

"Cassius."

I look up. He rarely uses my name.

"If she is pregnant," he says, "with his child or with yours... what will you do?"

I stare at him.

"I do not know," I admit.

He leaves.

I am alone with my thoughts.

The hours pass.

I do not sleep. I cannot. Every time I close my eyes, I see her face. Hear her heartbeat. Feel her stomach beneath my palm.

Was it flat? Or was there a curve there? A small one? Hidden beneath her dress?

I cannot remember.

I pour another glass of wine. Drink it. Pour another.

The room spins slightly. But the thoughts do not stop.

Why does she lie to me?

If the child is his, why not just say so? I am not the father. I have no claim. No responsibility. She could tell me the truth and be done with it.

Unless the child is not his.

Unless the child is mine.

But that is impossible. One night. One time. And she was a virgin.

I have slept with hundreds of women. Not one of them became pregnant. Not one. My dragon blood is too strong. It does not mix easily.

So how?

Unless she is not fully werewolf.

Unless she is something else.

Something that can carry my child.

I set down the glass.

The thought terrifies me more than any enemy ever has.

There is a knock at the door.

"Enter."

Massimus walks in. His face is pale.

"Find anything?" I ask.

He hands me a folder. Thin. Barely any papers inside.

"Her medical records are clean. Too clean. The doctor wrote nothing about pregnancy. Nothing about fainting. Nothing about anything except exhaustion and dehydration."

I flip through the pages.

"He is hiding something," I say.

"Yes, my Lord. But I cannot prove it. He is Oathbound. His word is law. Unless he breaks his oath willingly, we cannot force him to speak."

"Then find another way."

"I have been thinking."

"Speak."

Massimus sits across from me. Leans forward.

"The child, if there is one, will be born eventually. You cannot hide a baby forever. If she is pregnant, she will show. The belly will grow. The servants will notice. The whole castle will know."

"How long?"

"Two months. Maybe three. Then everyone will see."

Two months.

I do not want to wait two months.

But I have no choice.

"Watch her," I say. "Closely. Report everything. What she eats. How she sleeps. Who she talks to. Everything."

"And if she is pregnant?"

"Then we deal with it."

"Whose child do you hope it is, my Lord?"

The question catches me off guard.

I do not know how to answer.

So I do not answer at all.

The next morning, I go to her room.

I do not knock. I just walk in.

She is sitting by the window. Her hair is down. Her face is turned toward the sun. She looks peaceful. Almost happy.

Then she sees me. And the peace disappears.

"Ca… Cassius." She stands. Her hands smooth down her dress. "You should knock."

"This is my castle. I do not knock."

"Then I should lock my door."

"You do not have a key."

Her jaw tightens. I like that. The fire in her. The fight.

I step closer.

"You look better today," I say.

"I feel better."

"The doctor said you were exhausted. That is all."

"That is all."

"Then why do I not believe you?"

She does not answer.

I circle her. Slow. Deliberate. She does not turn to follow me. She keeps her eyes forward. Stubborn.

"Where did you go yesterday?" I ask.

"The training grounds."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

She turns to face me. Her green eyes are hard.

"Because I wanted to feel free. For one moment. Just one. Is that a crime?"

"No."

"Then why are you interrogating me like I am a prisoner?"

"Because you are a prisoner."

She flinches. Just slightly. But I see it.

"I bought you," I continue. "I own you. Every breath you take belongs to me."

"That is not how people work."

"It is how this kingdom works."

She stares at me. I stare back.

"You are cruel," she says finally.

"I am honest."

"They are not the same thing."

I step closer. She does not step back.

"You are hiding something from me," I say. "I want to know what it is."

"I am not hiding anything."

"Liar."

"Why do you care so much?"

The question stops me.

Why do I care?

Because I cannot stop thinking about her. Because her heartbeat haunts me. Because when she is not in the room, I look for her. And when she is in the room, I cannot look away.

But I do not say any of that.

"Because you are mine," I say. "And I do not like being lied to."

"I am not lying."

"You are."

"Prove it."

The challenge hangs in the air between us.

She is testing me. Seeing how far I will go.

"You want proof?" I say.

"Yes."

I grab her wrist.

She gasps. Tries to pull away. I hold tighter.

"Let me go."

"Not until you tell me the truth."

"I told you the truth."

"No." I pull her closer. Her chest presses against mine. Her breath catches. "You told me what you want me to believe. Not the truth."

"Let. Me. Go."

"Why does your heartbeat sound different, Emerald?"

She stops struggling.

Her eyes meet mine. For a moment, I see something there. Fear. Yes. But also something else. Something I cannot name.

"I do not know," she whispers.

Her voice cracks.

I believe her.

I let go.

She stumbles back. Rubs her wrist where my fingers were.

"Stay in this room," I say.

"You cannot keep me locked up forever."

"I can. And I will. Until you tell me the truth."

I walk to the door.

"C Cassius."

I stop. Do not turn around.

"I am not your enemy," she says.

I say nothing.

I leave.

Massimus is waiting in the hallway.

"Well?" he asks.

"She is lying about something. But I do not think she knows what."

"Tha

t does not make sense."

"None of this makes sense." I rub my temples. My head is pounding. "Keep watching her. Keep investigating. And find me that doctor. I do not care what it takes."

"Yes, my Lord."

He walks away.

I stand in the empty hallway.

Her face is burned into my mind. Her eyes. Her voice. The way she said I am not your enemy.

I want to believe her.

But I have trusted the wrong people before.

And it almost killed me.