Valerie’s POV:
“When were you going to tell me she was pregnant?" I cut him off, my voice sharp as a blade.
“Valerie,” he began, his voice low, measured—the same tone he used when addressing restless pack members on the brink of rebellion.
I tilted my chin up, refusing to let my voice waver. “So. It’s true.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I was going to tell you.”
“When?The word slipped out, sharp as a blade. “After the child was born? After you crowned it your heir?”
He stood abruptly, the movement sending a ripple of tension through the room. “I needed to be sure.”
“Of what?” I took a step forward, my heels clicking against the stone like a ticking clock. “That she wouldn’t lose it? Or that it was actually yours?Is that why you’ve been shutting me out all this time??
His
