Heir to Desire

Chapter 6

One week later....

Stella

The castle was bustling this morning. The kitchen was busy doing inventory and prepping for next week's conference. The housekeeping staff was on autopilot, making sure each and every room in the castle was spotless. Maintenance was ready with backup generators. Security was going over standard protocol.

Meanwhile, I was seated at a table in the main dining hall, sipping my tea, reading over the same report for the tenth time in a row. My head felt cloudy today. I used to pick on my sister and sister-in-law's for being so hazed, but at that moment, I finally understood.

Pregnancy sucked.

My saving grace was mornings like this. The ones where I was allowed to be just a little bit lazy. Anna and Joy were saints, screening any and all questions before sending the important things my way.

I lifted the teacup again, more out of habit than for enjoyment. The warmth settled uneasily in my stomach, and I grimaced, setting it back down untouched.

"You should eat something," Joy murmured as she passed behind me, slipping a folder onto the table.

"In a minute," I said, already knowing that minute wouldn't come.

"I could get you some eggs — "

"Ugh, anything but that." I grimaced.

"A bagel? Cereal? You have to eat something."

"I'll grab something next time I get up." I waved her off.

I was grateful when I saw Anna approaching a moment later, until I noticed her steps quicker than usual. Her eyes were wide with angst. She didn't speak right away—just met my eyes.

That was enough.

"What is it?" I asked quietly.

"An early arrival," she said.

My fingers curled around the edge of the table. This wasn't supposed to happen yet. Not today.

"I thought your vision said next week?" Joy asked, eyes wide.

"How many?" I asked, pushing back from the table. My head began to spin. I took a moment to steady myself before following Anna to the main vestibule.

"Just one," she said softly. "I offered him a room, but he insisted on speaking with you."

"Who is it?"

"He said his name was Caspian."

My feet stumbled. Joy caught me, worry in her eyes.

Anger. Grief.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, distracted by her feelings.

"What's wrong with me? Nothing. Except the fact that I'm worried about you — and the potential father you're about to face." Joy said under her breath.

"You're not angry? Not... grieving?" I frowned.

"No," Her frown deepened. "Are you okay today?"

I blinked, taken back. My mother warned me that magic could fluctuate during pregnancy, but it was something I perhaps chose not to listen to.

"I'm fine." I nodded. "Let's go say hello."

Caspian was studying the crown moldings when I arrived, my bump noticeable even through my baggy shirt. I'm not sure if he clocked that first, or my scent change. Either way, his spine straightened by the time his eyes met mine.

"Caspian, so good to see you," I said, head held high. "I didn't realize you'd be here so soon."

"I had other business to attend to," he said flatly.

"Did you?" I raised a brow.

His shoulder fell. "I wanted to see you. Talk to you before I had to fight dozens of others for another opportunity."

One small tilt of my head and Anna and Joy quietly dispersed.

He didn't say anything at first. His gaze drifted—too quickly—to my midsection for the second time before snapping back to my face. Whatever he saw there made his jaw tighten.

I cleared my throat. "You'll be in the east wing," I said, already turning. "The conference doesn't officially begin for several days, but you are welcome to stay and enjoy all we have to offer. Others will be arriving soon."

"So I've noticed," he murmured.

Ignoring the dig, I turned on my heel before he could say more. He followed me down the corridor, his footsteps measured.

"Breakfast is served from six to nine every morning. Lunch begins at eleven-thirty and goes until two. Dinner starts at five."

"Stella," he said quietly. "I didn't come to discuss dining schedules."

I stopped, but didn't turn around. "My parents will be here the day after tomorrow," I said. "And the other Alpha King's should be arriving shortly after. If you need anything, Anna will see to it."

Silence stretched between us, heavy and unfinished.

"You look well," he said at last.

I nodded once. "Thank you."

It was the only answer I could give.

He gave a tight nod and reluctantly turned the handle to his room.

I didn't go far once Caspian's door clicked shut. My feet carried me back toward the dining hall on instinct alone, my mind lagging several steps behind my body.

The tea sat where I'd left it, untouched and lukewarm. I stared at the surface for a moment before pushing it away, my stomach rolling at the faint scent rising from the cup.

Joy hovered nearby, pretending to reorganize a stack of papers that didn't need reorganizing. Anna stood at the far end of the room, speaking quietly with a member of staff, her posture too stiff for a casual conversation.

"He knows," Joy said under her breath.

"Not all of it," I replied, though my voice sounded distant even to me.

That wasn't how my vision went. He wasn't supposed to be alone. He wasn't supposed to see me before anyone else arrived. And he definitely wasn't supposed to look at me like that—like the future he'd been quietly hoping for had just closed its door.

"Are you going to tell him?" Joy asked softly.

"Not if I can help it." I murmured. "Not until I know for sure."

Anna reappeared minutes later, her face pale.

"My Queen," she said carefully, "there's been another arrival."

I closed my eyes. Just for a second. "Who."

She hesitated. "Asher."

Joy let out a low curse.

"I told the staff to stall him," Anna continued. "But he's... upset. He's demanding to see you."

"Of course he is," I muttered. I had only ignored him for an entire week after our last little spat.

Asher didn't wait to be invited into the room. He spotted me the moment he crossed the threshold, his gaze locking onto mine with a mix of relief and anger that made my skin prickle.

"You've been avoiding me," he said, his voice carrying far too easily in the open space. "No calls. No messages. Nothing."

"This isn't the place," I said sharply, scanning the room. Too many ears. Too many people pretending not to listen.

"I don't care," he shot back. "You don't get to disappear after everything and expect me to just sit quietly."

Joy stepped in front of him without thinking. "Lower your voice."

"Or what?" he snapped. "You going to throw me out?"

I met his eyes then, letting a sliver of command bleed into my tone. "I am your Queen. You are a guest in my home. And you will not make a scene." I didn't wait for his response. "Anna," I said, "take him to the west wing. The far end. I want guards posted at both corridor entrances."

Asher frowned. "You can't be serious."

"I am," I said flatly. "And if you value any future conversation with me, you'll cooperate. Quietly."

He looked like he wanted to argue. Then his gaze dipped—just slightly—and whatever he noticed there made him pause. Anna waved two servants in, ordering them to show Asher to his room.

Joy leaned in close. "We'll keep them apart," she murmured once Asher was ushered away. "I promise."

"I don't need promises," I said. "I need this week to go by hiccup free."

A wave of nausea hit me without warning. I grabbed the edge of the table, breathing slowly until the room stopped tilting. It didn't. I hardly had enough time to make it to the plant in the corner before wrenching.

This wasn't how I'd planned it. Not the timing. Not the order. My visions had always given me space to prepare. To adjust.

Now everything was colliding at once.

- - - - - - - -

By mid-afternoon, the arrival ledger had tripled in length.

Names blurred together as I scanned the list, my focus slipping no matter how hard I tried to hold it. Parents. Council members. Alphas. All of them descending on the castle while I stood at the center, pretending everything was under control.

Joy squeezed my shoulder. "You don't have to do this alone."

I almost laughed.

Caspian knew. Asher knew. And soon enough, everyone else would too.

I pressed a hand to my stomach, steadying myself as another wave of dizziness passed.

My vision hadn't been wrong.

It had just been mercilessly incomplete.

I stayed where I was long after Joy drifted away, the dining hall slowly emptying around me as staff rotated shifts and guests were quietly ushered to their rooms. The castle never truly slept, but it did breathe—and right now, every breath felt heavy.

Anna returned with a glass of water and pressed it into my hand. "Small sips," she said gently. "Please."

I obeyed, more because she asked than because I wanted it. The coolness helped, grounding me just enough to keep my feet beneath me.

"They won't cross paths," she continued. "I've already reassigned staff. Different stairwells. Different schedules. Different dining hours, if need be."

"For how long?" I asked.

Her lips pressed together. "As long as you need."

That answer didn't comfort me the way it should have.

I glanced down at the ledger again, forcing myself to focus. Each name represented a conversation I'd have to have. Each arrival was another variable I hadn't accounted for. My visions had always given me a framework—a way to prepare emotionally before reality caught up. Now reality was sprinting ahead of me, and I was struggling just to keep pace.

A servant cleared his throat nearby. "My Queen? The kitchens are asking about adjustments to the menu. Several guests have already requested accommodations."

"Of course they have," I muttered. I straightened, schooling my features. "Tell them we'll discuss it at supper."

"Supper?" Joy echoed, reappearing with a raised brow. "You haven't eaten since yesterday."

"I'm not hungry."

"That's not the point."

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again as another wave of nausea rolled through me. Joy noticed immediately, her expression softening.

"Stel," she said quietly. "You can't keep doing this. Not like this."

"I don't have a choice."

"You always think that," she replied. "And you're almost always wrong."

I didn't have the energy to fight her on it.

By the time the sun dipped low enough to cast long shadows through the windows, my head was pounding. Every sound felt too loud. Every scent too sharp. I retreated to my private sitting room under the pretense of reviewing correspondence, though the moment the door closed behind me, I sank onto the sofa and pressed both hands to my face.

This was supposed to be manageable.

A knock sounded at the door—soft, cautious.

"Enter," I called.

Anna slipped inside, holding a garment bag.

"Your dressmaker arrived earlier than expected," she said. "She insisted on a fitting before the rest of the guests arrive."

My stomach dropped.

"Tomorrow," I said immediately. "Tell her tomorrow."

Anna hesitated. "She mentioned the gown was... snug at the last fitting. She'd like time for adjustments."

Of course she would.

"Fine," I sighed. "Tomorrow morning. Hell, why don't we just move the conference up too? What else could go wrong?"

She nodded, setting the bag carefully against the wall. "And Queen Stella?"

"Yes?"

Her gaze lingered on me, concerned but respectful. "You're not alone."

I almost laughed again.

After she left, I leaned back against the cushions, staring up at the ceiling. Somewhere across the castle, Caspian was unpacking his things, pretending he hadn't seen what he'd seen. Somewhere else, Asher was pacing, demanding answers I didn't yet have.

And soon—too soon—more guests would arrive.

I pressed my palm to my stomach, feeling a faint flutter that might have been movement... or might have been my imagination. Either way, it stole the breath from my lungs.

"Just get through the week," I whispered to no one. "That's all you have to do."

But deep down, I knew better.

The week hadn't even begun.