Pregnant With The Tyrant King's Heira

Chapter Twenty: Restless

Fane’s POV

The walk back to my chambers felt longer than it ever had before, every step echoed through the palace corridors, the marble floors swallowing the sound only to throw it back at me in soft, mocking whispers.

The silence was unbearable and it followed me all the way from the palace gates to my chambers, wrapping around me like an unwelcome shadow, neither Jason nor I had spoken after Valek ordered me away.

I hadn't looked back. Well, better yet, I couldn't because some part of me wanted to know what was happening between them, but another part was terrified that I already did.

The heavy doors to my chambers closed behind me with a dull thud and I stood there for several long seconds, staring blankly at the polished wood.

The room felt... different, smaller, as though the walls themselves had crept inward while I was gone, and I exhaled shakily.

"Get a hold of yourself." The words sounded hollow.

I crossed the room without any real destination in mind, my boots clicking softly against the hardwood floor. The fire had burned low while I had been away, leaving only glowing embers behind. A servant had already drawn the curtains against the fading afternoon light, bathing the room in a warm amber glow that should have felt comforting, instead, it made me feel trapped.

I reached the window and pulled the curtains apart, fresh air rushing in immediately as I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, the faint scent of pine drifted in from the forest beyond the estate, but it wasn't enough.

I could still smell the ocean on my clothes, butter from the croissants, coffee, salt carried by the breeze, the scents reminded me of the morning, and the way I had laughed so carelessly, feeling normal.

My lips twitched into the beginnings of a smile at the thought, but it disappeared almost as quickly as Valek's expressions flashed through my mind, rigid, unbearable and cold, making my smile vanish completely.

I parted my lips, whispering to myself as a knot tightened painfully in my stomach. "Jason."

What was happening right now?

Valek hadn't looked irritated or annoyed, he had looked furious because Jason had tried to defend me again.

He shouldn't have, he really shouldn't have.

I rubbed my temples. "What if he gets punished?" I mumbled again to myself.

Jason wasn't reckless, he had known exactly what sneaking me out could cost him, yet he had done it anyway because he had thought I needed a day away from the palace, and because he had seen how unhappy I was before I had even admitted it to myself, now he was alone with an Alpha who looked ready to tear the walls down.

My feet moved before I could stop them, pacing around the room and every few steps, I found myself glancing toward the door as though expecting Jason to appear with that easy grin of his but I knew he wouldn't, at least not yet, and maybe not for a while.

A dozen possibilities crowded my mind, each one worse than the last. Would Valek strip him of his title? Confine him? Publicly humiliate him?

No, if there was one thing I had learnt while living in the palace, it was that Valek wasn't cruel for cruelty's sake, he was calculating and whatever punishment he chose would make an example of Jason.

Somehow, that seemed to worsen matters.

I groaned and dragged both hands through my hair. "This is ridiculous."

I was pacing holes into the floor over something I couldn't change, and obviously the sensible thing would be to sit down, read a book, drink tea, or do literally anything besides wearing a path through my room, instead, I kept walking round and around like a caged animal.

I paused immediately, the comparison stopped me in my tracks.

A caged animal. Wasn't that exactly what Jason had accused Valek of making me?

I laughed once, a short, bitter sound. "Well, he’s not entirely wrong."

The realization settled heavily in my chest.

I hadn't stepped beyond the estate in weeks, every meal had been brought to me, every corridor watched, every decision made by someone else, and not once had I questioned it this week. Not because I enjoyed the treatment, but simply because eventually, I stopped imagining an alternative until today.

Today, for a few precious hours, I had remembered what freedom felt like and the memory hurt more than I expected because now I knew exactly what I was missing.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, elbows resting on my knees and as strange warmth spread slowly beneath my skin, I frowned.

No, no, not again. The first wave of my heat had left me exhausted, the second had been worse, not under my skin, something stirred once more, slow and persistent.

I closed my eyes at the feeling, groaning at the inconvenience. "You have got to be kidding me."

Another wave rolled through me, leaving an uncomfortable ache low in my stomach. Wonderful, exactly what I needed today.

I reached for the pitcher of water beside my bed and poured myself a glass, I raised it to my lips, cool water sliding down my throat but it did absolutely nothing, the warmth simply returned and I stood again, unable to keep still.

The room suddenly felt far too warm so I crossed to the window then leaned against the frame as evening air brushed against my face.

The breeze should have cooled me but it only sharpened my awareness of everything around me.

I squeezed my eyes shut because it wasn't just the heat, it was anxiety, frustration and guilt all tangled together to the point I couldn't tell where one ended and another began.

"I didn't do anything wrong." The words came out quietly, almost uncertainly. Did I?

I had left the estate without permission, missed my meeting with Valek, and spent the entire day wandering around town with Jason and by Alpha standards, perhaps I had done everything wrong.

The thought annoyed me, no, it angered me, and in frustration I pushed away from the window.

"What was I supposed to do?"

Stay locked inside forever? And smile politely while everyone decided where I could go, who I could speak to, and when I was allowed to breathe?

My pulse quickened. "I am not a child." The room, of course, offered no reply. "I am certainly not property."

My voice echoed softly against the walls and the more I thought about it, the angrier I became.

Valek hadn't asked where I had gone, he hadn't asked if I was feeling better, he hadn't even asked whether I had enjoyed myself, he had just looked at Jason, questioned him and even ordered him but he had dismissed me as though I weren't even part of the conversation, merely another responsibility to be managed instead of a person capable of speaking for myself.

My hands curled into fists. I felt so insulted.

My panic slowly faded until all that was left was anger. If Valek came to my room, and I knew he would, I wasn't going to stand there and take it this time. I had had enough of him making decisions for me and talking like my feelings didn't matter.

If he wanted answers from me, then I wanted answers from him too, the thought had barely crossed my mind when I heard slow footsteps outside my door.

My heart jumped and for one stupid second, I hoped it was Jason, but deep down, I already knew it wasn't. The footsteps stopped, the handle turned without a knock and my door swung open.