Asher’s POV
“What happens if Ansel succeeds in getting her pregnant?” I asked, my voice low but sharp.
The shadow guard hesitated only for a moment before responding. “Then he secures his claim to the throne. The elders are already impatient. A child would seal his position.”
I clenched my jaw, already feeling the weight of that possibility pressing down on me. Ansel, ruling over all of us, with Raven bound to him forever? No. That couldn’t happen.
“And what happens if I get her pregnant first?” I asked, more to myself than to the guard. The idea took root quickly, spreading through my mind like wildfire.
The guard hesitated again, then lowered his head. “Then you would be the one to take the throne, my lord, although it will be easier if she chooses you.”
A slow smirk pulled at my l
