Rejected and Pregnant by the Alpha King (Forbidden Alpha Kings #4)

35. Raine

35

Raine

The rest of my night is spent tossing and turning while Nyx’s words replay over and over in my head.

Him both answering my questions and giving me more has had my head spinning ever since he brought me back to the mansion and sent me to bed. The soft inhales of Rose sleeping across the room are the only thing that’s keeping me sane at this point.

I have so many questions, even more than I started with. Why in the world Nyx isn’t interested in having a biological child is beyond me. And more than that—why doesn’t he want a biological heir?

Sure, I’m confident that Aiden will never come to claim our baby, seeing as how he believed Daniel’s lies over my truth. And even if by some miracle Aiden were to actually come to his senses, he would have no way of proving the child was his, with the timeline of conception and Nyx taking me as a breeder being so close together. Nyx and I could easily pass the child off as our own, so long as Aiden’s features aren’t that pronounced.

The only ones who would be able to prove otherwise are apparently so loyal to Nyx that they wouldn’t think to cross him, let alone for another alpha king.

I am happy that I get to keep my child, though I do worry that once I have it, Nyx will feel differently. Sure, he’s telling me now that he’ll help care for it, but when the time finally arises, will he?

My hand slides under my covers and rests over my belly. I suppose I should stop worrying about it—if push comes to shove and Nyx does eventually reject this entire idea of his, at least I’ll have my baby. I could leave this pack and live on my own, maybe even take a page from Soleus and live among the humans for a while.

It won’t be that bad—hard, sure. But not devastating.

Nothing will compare to Aiden rejecting our bond and child, not even Nyx kicking me out.

Hopefully by then, we’ll come to some kind of compromise. I’m already starting to feel less wary here with his pack than I did with my own. Even if Nyx were to reject this baby as his heir, perhaps he’d still let me stay here as a refugee.

We could spin the story that I was unknowingly pregnant by the time he picked me up and brought me back here, only for us to discover the truth once the baby was born.

I sigh to myself. I’m thinking too deeply into this. For now, I at least have Nyx’s blessing that he’s fine with me keeping my pregnancy and agreeing to help me raise the baby.

Everything else I’ll have to be patient about. Things will fall into place in due time.

***

“Well, dear. It seems your pregnancy is progressing well.” Eris smiles at me as she wipes the gel off my stomach. “You’ve been feeling okay since you arrived?”

I nod, pulling my shirt back down once she’s done. “Yes. I know I’m supposed to be taking supplements but…I…haven’t exactly been doing that.”

Her smile turns sympathetic. “Well, let’s get you started on those right away. Any other symptoms you’re dealing with at the moment?”

“No. Just the few cases of nausea.”

“Are you keeping hydrated? Being out here in this kind of heat is a lot different than back home.”

Home… it’s funny to think of my old pack as that, especially when that’s never been how I felt, even when my father was still around. I’ve always felt like some kind of pariah, no matter what period in time it was.

Perhaps it’s wishful thinking to want a home for me and my baby, and even more so to fantasize that maybe Soleus could be that place.

“Ah, Your Grace.” Eris turns to the doorway. “What a treat for you to stop by.”

I sit up quickly, surprised to see Nyx leaning against the doorframe.

“I was passing through. Figured I’d stop by and check on things.”

A shiver races up my spine when he pins his gaze on me. While the words sound innocent enough, I can’t help but worry if he’s checking on me to make sure I haven’t done anything stupid, like spill about everything he told me last night.

I suppose it would make sense for Eris to be in on the situation, but that’s my own speculation. Who knows what the relationship between Nyx and his elders is, aside from them not caring about him having a genetic successor.

“How nice,” Eris says. “Would you like to see the ultrasound?”

My lips part to tell her not to bother him, but surprisingly, Nyx wanders over from the doorway. He stands behind Eris, practically hovering over her, as she fires up the machine again and gestures for me to lie back down.

Swallowing, I do so and pull up my top again, exposing my belly.

My body jolts when the cold gel is squirted on me once more, then smeared. Her wand finds my baby easily, the sound of its heartbeat echoing in the room.

Nyx stares at the screen with a focused expression, his brows pulling together slightly. “She is having a…?”

“Too early to tell, unfortunately,” Eris says, moving the wand a bit. “But right here we can see that the baby is developing very well.”

Not being able to help it, a smile crosses over my face. I’m relieved that even after all of the stress over the first eight weeks of this pregnancy, my baby is fine. It gives me confidence that they’ll come out a fighter, just like how I wish I could be.

Nyx’s eyes dart away from the monitor to look at me, an amused smile slowly tugging at his lips, mirroring my own expression.

A rush of happiness falls over me. In the heat of the moment, I ask, “Excited?”

“Hm.” He leans away from Eris, glancing back at the monitor before nodding. “Yes. Are you?”

I grin, feeling fueled by his reaction. The stark difference between him and Aiden is still startling to me. I’ve been made to feel horrible about this baby for so long that it feels like a fever dream to finally have someone looking forward to it like me.

“Yeah. I kind of hope it’s a girl, actually,” I say.

“A queen for our pack,” Eris says. “Sounds lovely.”

“Indeed,” Nyx murmurs.

“We shall hold a blessing ceremony then.” Eris pulls the wand off of me and turns off her machine again. “To hope that the goddess grants our request.”

“Really?” I take the cloth handed to me by Nyx. “We can do that?”

“Why not?” he says.

Excitement fills me.

Holding a blessing ceremony for a child isn’t uncommon, but it isn’t something I ever envisioned being done for me, let alone my bastard child. To hold a ceremony, people in your pack have to plan it for you; it isn’t something that could just be done by yourself.

To think that all that effort is going to be turned my way makes me hopeful for my future here.

“I’d like that,” I say, handing the cloth back before pulling my shirt down and sitting up once more.

“Then it’s settled.” Nyx tosses the cloth onto the counter across the way. “Eris, the sooner the better?”

“In this case, yes.” She pats my arm. “With you being only a few short weeks away before we can tell, we’ll need to hold the ceremony soon.”

“This weekend, then,” Nyx says. “I’ll have Rose take you into town to shop for a gown.”

“Oh, you don’t—” His stern look cuts me off. Sheepishly, I say, “Okay, thank you.”

“Excellent.”

I hop down from the bed and follow him out after being given an armful of supplements and some strict advice from Eris. Leaving the clinic, the hot sun beats down on us from overheard. The heat feels nice on my skin after being inside of the cool clinic lying down for so long.

Not to mention the sun is a nice change of pace from the rainy and cloudy days of Andromeda.

“So, why did you really stop by?” I glance over at him.

Amused, he asks, “What, you didn’t believe my story?”

“I can’t imagine you’d wander over to the clinic on a stroll, Your Grace.”

He huffs softly to himself. “Actually, I came to collect you.”

Blinking, I ask, “Oh?”

“Yes. I’m bringing you to meet the rest of our pack’s elders.”