DARIUS
I turned to Rhea, then back to the folder she was holding, and I knew it had changed right there. I could dodge, play down, excuse. Or I could tell her the blistering truth she had coming.
I chose honesty.
“I didn’t tell anyone Monica’s secret because I blamed myself,” I said. “Not by law, not by Alpha, but morally. She got on those drugs because I set up an impossible situation. I made her my surrogate to bear me an heir, and then placed so much pressure on her to give birth, to prove her own worth. And when she got desperate enough to poison herself while trying to meet those expectations, that was on me.”
Rhea's expression was unreadable. She remained quite silent, and I waited after that.
The words came tumbling faster now, five years of lament.
“The baby did not just peac
