Chapter 7: Mine to Protect
1021 Words
“Take her by force?”
The words had barely left Damian’s mouth when the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Danger thick and suffocating pressed in from all sides.
Kael didn’t move.
Didn’t flinch.
But something in his presence shifted.
Darkened.
“Try it,” Kael said quietly.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
This wasn’t just tension anymore.
This was war.
“Stop!” I stepped forward, my voice sharper than before. “Both of you this is insane!”
Neither of them looked at me.
Their attention was locked on each other.
Two predators.
Waiting.
Measuring.
One wrong move
And everything would explode.
“Move away from him, Aria,” Damian said, his tone softer now but no less commanding. “You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
My chest tightened.
“I could say the same about you,” I shot back.
His jaw clenched.
“You think he’s protecting you?” Damian continued. “You think there’s no reason behind this?”
I hesitated.
Just for a second.
And that was enough.
Kael noticed.
Of course he did.
“You’re right,” Kael said suddenly.
Both of us looked at him.
“There is a reason,” he continued calmly.
My stomach dropped.
“What reason?” I asked.
His gaze shifted to me.
Sharp.
Intent.
“The child.”
My breath caught.
Damian’s eyes darkened instantly.
“What about it?” he demanded.
Kael didn’t answer him.
He was still looking at me.
“You deserve the truth,” he said.
Something in his tone made my pulse spike.
“What truth?” I whispered.
A pause.
Then
“That child isn’t just an heir,” Kael said slowly.
My heart pounded.
“Then what is it?”
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
And then
“It carries the blood of the Alpha King.”
The world tilted.
Everything inside me went still.
“No,” I breathed. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Damian’s reaction was immediate.
“That’s impossible.”
For once
They agreed.
Kael didn’t look bothered.
“It’s rare,” he said. “But not impossible.”
My mind raced.
“This… this doesn’t explain anything,” I said, shaking my head. “Damian is the father.”
“He is,” Kael confirmed.
“Then how?”
“Because your bloodline isn’t what you think it is.”
The words hit harder than anything else.
My chest tightened painfully.
“What are you talking about?”
Kael stepped closer.
Slower this time.
Careful.
Like he was approaching something fragile.
“You were never meant to be part of that pack,” he said.
My breath came uneven.
“That’s not true.”
“It is.”
“No,” I insisted, my voice breaking slightly. “I grew up there. I”
“You were placed there.”
Silence.
The kind that made everything feel unreal.
“What?” I whispered.
Damian frowned.
“What is he talking about?”
Kael’s gaze never left mine.
“You were hidden,” he said. “Protected.”
My head spun.
“From what?”
“From this.”
His eyes dropped again to my stomach.
And suddenly
Nothing felt stable anymore.
Nothing felt real.
“You’re lying,” I said, but the words felt weak.
Uncertain.
“I don’t lie about things that matter,” he replied.
Damian stepped forward suddenly.
“That’s enough,” he snapped. “You’re not filling her head with”
“She deserves to know,” Kael cut in.
“No,” Damian growled. “You’re manipulating her.”
“And you’re claiming her.”
The tension snapped again.
Violent.
Sharp.
I stepped back, overwhelmed.
“Stop!” I shouted.
This time
They both did.
My chest rose and fell quickly, my thoughts spinning out of control.
“I don’t care about bloodlines right now,” I said. “I don’t care about power. I just”
My voice faltered.
I pressed a hand to my stomach.
“I just want to protect my child.”
Silence followed.
Then
“You will,” Kael said.
“You can’t,” Damian said at the same time.
I looked between them.
Confused.
Frustrated.
“What does that mean?” I demanded.
Damian’s expression hardened.
“It means if you stay here, you’re putting that child in danger.”
Kael’s gaze darkened.
“And if she leaves with you, she becomes a target.”
My heart pounded.
“There are others,” Kael continued. “Powerful ones. Watching. Waiting.”
A chill ran through me.
“For what?”
“For that child to be born.”
The words sent fear spiraling through my chest.
“And when it is,” he added quietly, “they will come for it.”
My breath hitched.
“No…”
Damian stepped closer.
“This is exactly why you shouldn’t be here,” he said. “Come with me. I can protect you.”
Protect me.
The same man who rejected me.
The same man who let me walk away alone.
“You didn’t protect me before,” I said.
His expression tightened.
“I didn’t know.”
“That doesn’t change what happened.”
Silence.
Then
“It changes what happens next.”
The certainty in his voice made my heart waver again.
Just slightly.
And Kael saw it.
He always saw it.
“You’re hesitating,” Kael said quietly.
“I’m thinking,” I snapped.
“You’re doubting.”
“I have a reason to!”
“Then choose carefully.”
The weight of his words pressed down on me.
Because he was right.
This wasn’t just about me anymore.
This was about my child.
My future.
My survival.
I looked at Damian.
Then at Kael.
Two choices.
Two dangers.
Two completely different paths.
And neither felt safe.
“Aria,” Damian said softly. “Come with me.”
“Stay,” Kael said at the same time.
My chest tightened.
My heart pounded.
And for the first time
I realized something terrifying.
There was no right choice.
Only consequences.
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