Darius POV
“Say it again.”
The words came out quieter than I intended, but they carried enough weight to make the man across from me stiffen. He didn’t look up immediately. His fingers tightened around the folded report like it might disappear if he let go.
“My Alpha..”
“Say it,” I repeated.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like if I controlled the pace, I could control what it meant.
He swallowed.
Then finally lifted his head.
“There is no child.”
The silence that followed wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t dramatic.
It just… settled.
Heavy.
Unmoving.
I didn’t react right away. My gaze stayed on him, waiting for something else to follow, something that would soften it, twist it, complicate it enough to make it less final.
Nothing came.
“The healer confirmed it twice,” he added, voice lower now, l
