STOLEN IN BLOOD

CHAPTER TWO: THE MAN I LOVE MOST

ELYRIA’S POV

Those crimson eyes refuse to leave my mind.

It has been one month since I had given myself out to a devilishly handsome stranger without a second thought. His face, scent, voice and touch are still freshly engraved in my memory.

I had been deceived.

How dare he put on contacts!

Every time I get flashes of that night my insides would stir, and a dull ache would strike my middle. Just like now.

I can practically feel his breath against my lips, his violent thrusts, his tight grip on my ass-

“Elyria?”

Father’s voice snaps me out of my sinister thoughts. Only then do I remember where I am. Every member of the council stares at me with silent judgement.

Shit.

What were they talking about?

“Yes, father?”

A frown etches across his face, and I catch Rhaegar’s smirk across the table.

That little runt will never cease to find amusement in my embarrassment. Just sitting at father’s right hand enraged him, even though he constantly makes terrible attempts to conceal it.

It’s cute watching him try so hard to win father’s love. He was even delusional enough to believe that father would change his mind and name him heir instead of me. Not to mention it is the wish of every single old bastard in this room.

After all, Silver Hollow has never been ruled by a woman.

“I asked whether you agreed with expanding patrols around the eastern border,” father repeats, watching me expectantly. He has been bringing me into council meetings since I was sixteen. He always said that one did not learn to rule kingdoms with books, but from compromise and impossible decisions.

I always excelled in each meeting, much to the disapproval of the council. But for once, I can not bring myself to pay attention. And now the spotlight is one me!

Bloody hell.

I blink. “Um...”

Silence.

Rhaegar loudly clears his throat, stealing the attention away from me. He leans forward, his fingers intertwined and an overjoyed smirk on his lips.

“If I may, father. I do not think increasing patrols would be a wise decision. It would exhaust our soldiers. Rather, I believe it is best to reinforce the mountain passes. It would be less thinning, and we would have better control of every entrance into Silver Hollow.”

The councillors and elders nod in approval.

“Wonderful suggestion, young prince.”

“An excellent observation.”

Everyone showers him with praise and applause. At that moment, a sharp wave of nausea washes over me without warning. My nostrils flare as every scent in the palace infiltrates it without permission.

Father’s proud smile is brief, “Thank you, Rhaegar.” He turns to me, his brows knitting with worry. “What is the matter, my life? You have gone pale.”

My lips part, but the nausea rises to my throat. Quickly, I shield my mouth and shoot to my feet.

“Excuse me,” I mutter, ignoring every stare as I bolt out of the room. I make it to the nearest restroom before my knees meet the floor. Everything I had eaten comes back up as my body trembles violently. The acidic tang burns my throat as tears prick the corners of my eyes.

A pair of cool hands help hold my hair up.

“Take it easy now, my lady,” comes a familiar voice.

I lift my swollen eyes to find my personal maid—Mira—rubbing slow circles against my back.

“Thank you,” I mutter.

Shakily, I rise to my feet, and she watches me cautiously. “If I may be so bold, your grace, I think it is best you take a pregnancy test.”

My heart comes to a halt.

Quickly, Mira adds, “It’s just that you have been looking quite exhausted lately and sensitive to certain smells.”

I mask my growing fear with a laugh. The lie escapes my lips a bit too quickly.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Mira. I have had no relations with any man. It must have been something I ate.”

Mira does not appear convinced, but she holds her tongue.

The second she leaves, the mask falls. I turn to my reflection in the mirror, cupping my puffy cheeks.

Surely, the moon goddess wouldn’t punish me like that... would she?

My answer is delivered with a devastating blow that night.

I stare at the pregnancy tests with trembling hands. Each one of them reads the same result.

Positive.

My ass meets the cold tiles of my bathroom floor as something wet trickles down my face.

It was just one night.

One mistake.

“No...” The word escapes my lips with a cold tremble as my heart clenches. That bastard’s seed is growing inside of me.

What have I done?

The council would brand me as a disgrace. Silver Hollow will know me as the queen of whores. History would remember me as the heir that opened her legs for the enemy. And father...

Fuck!

“End it,” A voice whispers.

All it would take is one potion and my mistake would never have to come to light.

I get off the floor, my heart brimming with determination. Until my eyes catch my reflection in the mirror.

Mother’s necklace glints beneath the bathroom lights. For half a second, it is not I who stares at myself in the mirror.

But her.

Without realizing, my hand falls above my abdomen and a stray tear trickles down my cheek.

That is when I make the second dumbest decision in my life.

I am going to keep it.

I spend the next five months purchasing extra loose dresses and heavy cloaks. Mira was disheartened when I had her dismissed, but I could not have a single soul know about the life growing within me.

Concealing my bump is becoming nearly impossible. Despite my carefully curated diet, the gain in weight is starting to show. Not to mention how devastating it is every time I dodge father’s hugs.

Which brings me to yet another tragedy.

Within these past five months, father had grown unexpectedly ill. Each week he grew thinner and no physician could tell why.

Day after day, I have had to watch the strongest alpha silver hollow has ever known fall weaker. His voice that once carried thunderous authority becomes nothing more than a whisper. Watching him fade hurt more than anything in the world.

And I couldn’t even give him a damn hug.

The moment I step into his room, the scent of herbs and medicine hits my nostrils. His eyelids flutter open when I sit beside him on the bed.

“My life...”

My heart shatters into a million pieces as he calls the name he had given me since we lost mom. He used to say it with so much joy and enthusiasm, but now...

Holding back my tears, I caress his thinning hair. “How are you feeling, father?”

“Unwell. I can barely hold any food down. You, on the other hand, seem to be growing quite larger.”

I swallow, shielding my panic with a playful glare. “Are you body shaming your own daughter?”

He chuckles dryly. “Shame and my glorious daughter do not go in the same sentence. You are perfect. You always make me proud.”

The sting in my eyes grows as I push back the tears—pulling my cloak around me.

Suddenly, violent coughs shake his body. He holds his blood stained handkerchief to his lips, worsening my panic.

“Father-“

“I am alright,” he wheezes, settling back into his pillow. A sigh leaves his lips as defeat fills his fading purple eyes.

He looks exhausted.

Gently, he lifts his eyes to mine, uttering words I never thought I would hear from him.

“Perhaps my time has come, my life.”

“No,” I declare defiantly, pushing the ache in my chest aside. “Don’t give up, father. A cure will be found.”

“None of the healers or physicians even know what is wrong with me. My life-“

“No! They will figure something out. Just hang on,” I croak out, unable to hold back the hot tears spilling out of my eyes.

His bony hand lifts up to my cheek, wiping away my tears. A proud, but tired smile stretches his lips.

“You will make an excellent alpha queen,” he rasps out.

“And I will have you by my side to guide me,” I add, and he simply stares. As though he knows something that I don’t.

“I love you, my life,” he whispers.

My heart clenches so much it feels as though it might burst. In that moment, I want to tell him.

I want him to hang on long enough to see his grandchild.

But how can I forget they carry the blood of the clan he hates most in the world. It would kill him on the spot.

I just couldn’t.

“And I you, father.”

In that moment, the door opens and Rhaegar comes into view. His eyes jump between father and I, his chin tightens.

“It’s time for your medicine, father,” he says.

An exasperated sigh leaves father’s lips, “The worst part of my day.”

I get off the bed and Rhaegar takes my place at his side, our eyes meeting briefly.

What a weirdo.

I make my way to the door, stopping at the sound of father’s voice. “Elyria, do return once he is done. I have something I wish to show you.”

Rhaegar visibly rolls his eyes as he takes out the syringe.

Blinking back my tears, I lie to my father for the first time.

“I will.”

I don’t.

Shutting the door behind me, I pick up the duffle bag I had packed from my room. My heart grows heavier with every step I take away from my home and the man I love most.

I tell myself this is only temporary.

This is the right thing.

Or so I thought.