Heir to Desire

Chapter 2

Stella

"Am I late?" I asked, as I raced through the castle, kicking off my heels along the way.

"No, but I'm sure they'll be here any minute." My cousin, Joy, said, helping me with my jacket. "Cutting it kinda close this time."

Concern. Judgment. Worry.

"Well, I might not be if the stupid plane had taken off when it should have." I grumbled.

I took the steps two at a time, racing to my room. Joy was right behind me, and so was my maid, Anna, picking up everything I was dropping along the way.

"You know, you could maybe bring whoever it is you are seeing, and introduce them to your family. Then we wouldn't be doing this every time," Joy said as I stripped, jumping into the shower before the water had even warmed.

"I told you, I don't want to get into it," I said through gritted teeth.

"Is he or she really that bad?" Joy asked, stepping aside as Anna picked up my discarded clothes and my suitcase, heading straight for the laundry.

I scoffed. "No, of course not."

"Then why not? If I'm guessing right, you've been seeing this person for months now!" Joy put her hands on her hips.

Years, actually.

But I wasn't about to admit that.

"Just leave it alone, okay?" I huffed, scrubbing my skin until it was pink. The last thing I needed was someone recognizing Caspian's scent on me.

"Fine. Whatever. It's your life," she said, moving towards the door.

Disappointment. Worry. Pain.

"Joy," I said before I could stop myself. She paused in the doorway. There were dozens of things I could tell her, but they all turned to ash in my mouth. I cursed myself before I even spoke. "Can you grab my blue dress for me?"

Her face fell, but she nodded all the same.

I felt like a piece of s**t, but not enough to admit to her even the smallest truth.

I finished my shower and Anna helped me with my hair while I fixed my makeup. No sooner had I finished getting ready, my family arrived.

Levi and Xander, my older twin brothers. Their mates, pups, our parents, and grandparents. They arrived through a magic portal, something only the twins and our mother could do. What I wouldn't give to trade gifts.

My baby sister, Lorraine, and her family were next, arriving through a portal Xander had opened. My younger brother, Hunter, and his family came in through one opened by Levi.

And just that quickly everyone had arrived. Almost everyone, anyway. We were always missing one. Our sister, Abby. She died years ago. So did many others. I just hadn't been best friends with all the others.

Seconds later, I was being slammed with a tidal wave of emotions.

Happiness. Exhaustion. Contentment. Desire. Boredom. Curiosity. Worry. Delight. Peace. Comfort. Amusement.

"Welcome, welcome." I smiled through all the feelings, greeting my family.

We used to see each other often, but now that everyone was grown up with mates and pups and packs of their own, it made seeing each other that much more difficult.

"Hey Stel, how's it going?" Levi asked.

Wholeness. Fulfillment.

"You look sharp." Lorraine smiled, her silver eyes studying me. "Love the dress."

Amusement. Peace.

"She got it in Greece, didn't you?" Joy said, coming up next to me.

Irritation. Anger.

"I did," I admitted, my eyes narrowing on her.

"Is the food ready? I'm starving," Xander said, pushing past me to the kitchen.

"You just ate." His mate frowned.

Confusion. Shock.

"An hour ago, before we..." He winked at her, swiping a cube of cheese, leaving her speechless.

Lust. Desire.

I wanted to vomit.

"Men, they're all animals." Joy clicked her tongue as my mom swatted him out of the way.

"Stella, you've outdone yourself," Mom smiled, pulling back the foil covering each of the serving trays.

Surprise. Happiness. Unease.

The last one had me stumped.

"She sure did." Joy gave me a wicked smile.

I owed her one. More than one.

"I couldn't have done it without Joy," I said, hip checking her. She softened a fraction.

In the kitchen, I pretended to look surprised that I was nearly out of wine. I excused myself to go grab more, to grab a few minutes of peace before my head completely popped off. I was halfway down the hall when a vision came barreling through my mind.

"We have an announcement," Hunter smiled down at his mate.

Mom was frozen in place, Dad was already smiling.

"We're expecting again," Dahlia blushed.

"I thought you smelled different!" Xander chuckled.

"Congratulations." Lorraine beamed.

Mom started to cry, pulling Hunter and Dahlia in for a hug.

"It's still early, but doctors are hopeful this one will stick," Hunter said, rubbing his mate's back. "They have her on a new medication."

The vision faded, but not soon enough. My sight returned, I sucked in a breath as footsteps thudded from behind me.

"Stella, got a minute?" Hunter asked, catching me in the hall.

"I need to grab more wine," I said, giving him a warm smile.

"Dahlia and I had something we wanted to announce."

"You're pregnant again." I gave a knowing look, pulling him in for a hug. "Congratulations."

"No surprising you, is there?" he chuckled.

Shaking my head, I shoved him away. "I'll go get the champagne—and sparkling water."

"You're the best."

Excitement. Trepidation.

"I know." I flipped my hair playfully, making sure my exhaustion didn't show.

Hunter hustled back to the main living space while I took the elevator down to the first floor of the castle. Anna was already there, ready for my beckoning call.

"We need drinks, do you mind helping me?"

"Of course," she smiled. "Shall I break a glass or two? Buy you more time?"

"Would you?" My shoulders fell, relieved.

"It'll be okay." She pulled me in for a side hug. "Have you considered your father's offer? To train your gift more so it doesn't get so... overwhelming?"

"I don't want the gift any more than I already have it. And I don't want any of them knowing my struggles. They have their own problems, they don't need to worry about me getting overwhelmed at parties."

"I might agree, but I feel it's more than that. You've done so much for them, miss, maybe it's time they do something for you."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," I said, reaching for a bottle.

- - - - - - - -

Later, I sat at the kitchen island, a dull ache blooming behind my eyes.

"Such wonderful news about Hunter and Dahlia," Lorraine mused, watching them from across the room.

"It is." I agreed.

They had been through literal hell and back. Finally, they got settled into normal life again, only to lose their first pregnancy. It made all my problems feel so small.

"So," Mom said casually, "when are you going to settle down?"

I nearly choked on my wine.

"Excuse me?"

"You're thirty-eight," she said bluntly. "Your clock is ticking."

"I'm aware," I said evenly. "Have you considered that maybe I don't want to settle down?"

She studied me. "I remember a daughter who dreamed of finding her mate and having pups. And now it's like you don’t even care."

"I do care," I snapped.

Too much, and not in the way they thought.

I cared about every outcome, every ripple my choices sent through the kingdom. I cared about futures that weren't even mine, about lives that brushed past me once and lingered forever. It was exhausting, carrying everyone else's hopes while my own remained carefully packed away, untouched.

I'd waited.

For years.

Waited for fate to notice me. For the goddess to decide I was worth finishing the story she'd started. And each year that passed, the silence grew louder.

I didn't want something chosen for me anymore.

I wanted something chosen by me.

"What about the sperm donor idea?" Lorraine asked gently. "You mentioned it years ago."

Because love complicated things. Because I met Caspian. Because asking a stranger for a baby didn't make sense, and now that we were as close as we were, asking now didn't feel right either. It was too... permanent.

"It's still an option," I said, spine straightening. "I actually have an appointment coming up." I lied.

Lorraine's eyes lit. "You're really doing this?"

A tiny version of me. Soft cries. That new pup smell. A child I could raise without prophecy or past hanging over their head.

"I am," I said honestly.

"What does your wolf think?" Mom asked, worry etched in her eyes.

"She agrees," I said.

Even though my wolf had been silent for years.

"You have the conference coming up," Mom pressed. "Why not wait? Give the goddess one last chance to reveal your mate."

My jaw tightened. The goddess made up her mind years ago.

"Fertility treatments take time. I’m not worried about the conference."

"But your mate—"

"Is better off without me," I snapped. The whole room fell silent. "And if he shows up, he can love me and my pup as we are."

I stood before she could say more.

Retreating to the balcony, I let the cold December air ground me, just barely. I leaned against the brick walls, closing my eyes as another swell of emotion rippled through the castle—laughter from the living room, pride from my father, my mother’s relentless hope curling sharp and desperate beneath it all.

Hope was the most dangerous emotion of them all.

I'd learned that the hard way.

The gift never truly shut off. It only dulled, like a knife pressed just far enough away from the skin to tease pain without drawing blood. Parties were the worst. Too many lives brushing against mine. Too many futures I could almost see, hovering just out of reach.

I exhaled slowly, counting under my breath until the pressure behind my eyes eased.

A pup.

The thought had been circling me for years now, growing louder the quieter my wolf became. Once, I'd imagined finding my mate first—someone steady enough to anchor me when the world grew too loud. Someone whose emotions didn’t spike and crash like a storm surge. Someone who didn't feel like a secret I had to swallow.

Caspian's face flickered through my mind uninvited.

I shoved the thought away.

Love complicated things. Love made people careless. And I could not afford to be careless—not with a crown waiting, not with a gift that refused to be tamed.

A pup, though... a pup felt different.

Not an escape. Not a consolation prize. A choice.

Something wholly mine.

I imagined late nights spent rocking a small, warm body, the steady rhythm of breathing untainted by expectation or prophecy. I imagined teaching them control, strength, compassion—everything I'd learned the hard way. I imagined a future that didn't hinge on fate finally deciding to be kind.

For the first time in years, the image didn't come with dread.

It came with relief.

My feet were moving before I could stop them.

Back inside, Anna moved quietly nearby, pretending not to watch me unravel in the reflection of the wine fridge. She'd seen me at my worst—headaches that stole my vision, nights I couldn't sleep because the future pressed too close. If anyone understood why I needed this... it was her.

"I can do this," I murmured, more to myself than anyone else.

The words felt real when I said them.

A baby wouldn't fix everything. I knew that. But it would give me something solid to hold onto—something that wasn't dictated by destiny or divine timing.

Something chosen.

When I straightened, my hands no longer shook.

That was how I knew.

"Anna?" My voice threatened to shake.

"My queen?"

"I need you to schedule me an appointment with my doctor," I said. "As soon as possible."

She frowned. "Is everything alright?"

"I've decided I'm going to have a baby."