Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The News they feared

Chapter 35: The News They Feared

Thea did not ask questions when Ivy handed her the letter.

She only nodded, folded it carefully into the sleeve of her dress, and left the room like someone who had been given instructions she did not want to think too deeply about.

I watched the door close behind her, and for a moment I considered calling her back.

Something about the way Ivy had spoken to her did not feel normal, but I did not have the strength to argue anymore.

The nausea had settled, but the heaviness in my head had not gone away, and the word pregnant still felt strange inside my mind.

Ivy pretended nothing had happened.

She sat quietly near the window, watching the courtyard like she had nothing to hide, and after a few minutes she turned back toward me with the same calm expression she always wore when she wanted to appear harmless.

"You should rest," she said softly. "You don’t look well."

"I’m fine," I replied, even though the words did not sound convincing anymore.

She only nodded, like she had expected that answer.

---

Thea moved quickly once she was outside the Luna’s chambers.

She did not go toward the servants’ wing or the main hall.

Instead, she followed the narrow stone corridor that led toward the older part of the fortress, the part most of the pack avoided unless they were called there.

She had only been working in the fortress for a short time, but she had already learned one thing: when someone like Ivy gave you instructions, you did not delay.

The guards at the end of the corridor did not stop her, they only exchanged a look before one of them opened the door for her.

Seraphina was already inside.

She was standing near the long table in the center of the room, reading something when Thea stepped in.

She did not look surprised to see her. If anything, it felt like she had been expecting the letter.

"You took longer than I thought you would," Seraphina said calmly.

Thea lowered her head immediately and stepped forward. "I was told to give this to you directly."

Seraphina took the letter without hesitation and dismissed her with a small gesture, as if she had no interest in anything else she might say.

Thea left quickly, and the moment the door closed behind her, Seraphina opened the letter.

Her expression did not change while she read the first line, but the second one made her pause slightly.

By the time she reached the end, the calm look on her face had shifted into something sharper, something far more interested.

"So it has already happened," she murmured quietly.

She folded the letter again and placed it on the table, tapping her fingers against the wood slowly as if she were considering how to use the information rather than reacting to it.

A knock sounded a few minutes later.

"Enter," she said.

Lord Valerius stepped into the room first, tall and composed as always, with Isolade walking beside him.

The moment Isolade saw Seraphina’s expression, she knew something had changed.

"What is it?" she asked immediately. "Why did you call us here so suddenly?"

Seraphina picked up the letter again and held it between her fingers.

"Because the situation has developed faster than any of us expected."

Valerius frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"She is pregnant," Seraphina said calmly.

For a second, the words did not seem to reach Isolade at all. She only stared at her, waiting for her to repeat it like it had to be a mistake.

"Who is pregnant?" she asked slowly.

"Liora," Seraphina replied.

The silence that followed was not long, but it felt heavy enough to change the entire mood of the room.

Isolade’s hands tightened slowly at her sides. "No," she said quietly. "That’s not possible."

"It is," Seraphina replied without emotion. "The healer has already confirmed it."

Isolade took a step forward. "You told me this would not happen so soon. You said there would be time."

"There was time," Seraphina answered calmly. "but I didn’t see this coming."

Valerius raised a hand slightly, trying to calm the situation before it escalated further.

"We are not here to argue about what has already happened. We need to focus on what this means."

"What it means?" Isolade repeated, her voice rising before she could stop it. "It means she has already secured her place. That’s what it means. It means he will never push her away now."

"It is only a pregnancy," Seraphina said.

Isolade turned toward her immediately, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What do you mean it’s only a pregnancy? She is carrying his heir!"

Seraphina did not look disturbed by her reaction. If anything, she looked thoughtful, like the anger in front of her was only another detail to consider.

"An heir does not automatically guarantee loyalty," she said calmly. "It only creates a new weakness."

Valerius looked at her carefully. "Are you suggesting we should act now?"

"I am suggesting that we should not panic," she replied. "A pregnancy can change many things, but it also creates opportunities that did not exist before. The Alpha will become more protective. The pack will become more watchful. And the girl herself will become more vulnerable."

Isolade shook her head, her calm finally breaking completely. "You don’t understand. This is exactly what I warned you about. I told you to get rid of her when you had the chance. Now she will have a special place in his heart whether he wants it or not."

Seraphina looked at her steadily. "Feelings are not the problem. Control is."

"That’s not true," Isolade insisted. "You didn’t see the way he looked at her during the ceremony. You didn’t see the way he defended her in front of everyone. And now she is pregnant. Do you really think that won’t change anything?"

Valerius sighed quietly, but he did not interrupt her this time.

Isolade’s hands trembled slightly as she stepped back, trying to regain her composure and failing.

"This is not something I can ignore," she said. "You both may think it’s just another step in your plan, but it isn’t. If she gives him a child, everything changes. The pack will accept her completely. No one will question her again. No one will listen to me anymore."

Seraphina did not answer immediately, and that silence only made Isolade angrier.

"Oh my goodness," she said under her breath, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "I won’t stand for this."

She turned sharply and walked toward the door before either of them could stop her. Valerius hesitated for a second, then followed her without saying anything else.

The door closed behind them, leaving Seraphina alone in the room again.

She looked down at the letter once more, and this time, she smiled slightly.