"Tell me," Ren pressed, his tone firmer than earlier.

"I said it’s fine."

"It’s not," Ren shot back. "You are upset. Why?"

Zayden bit his lips. For a moment, he stared at the ground, fingers curling into fists. Ren waited, unusually patient but unwavering.

Finally, the alpha muttered, voice low and rough, "Liam wants your friend to get rid of the baby."

Ren froze, his arms falling limp at his sides.

"What?"

"He said he would find someone to perform the abortion," Zayden continued bitterly. "I heard it from a servant who lives in the room next to Yusha’s."

Ren’s eyes widened.

"Yusha wouldn’t agree to that. He—he already loves the child."

"I thought so too." Zayden’s voice strained, cracking under contained fury. "But Liam... I don’t know what he’s thinking. If his partner wants the child, he shouldn’t force him to abort it."

Ren’s stomach twisted. A sudden memory flashed before his eyes, and his knees gave out. He collapsed before he even registered it, landing hard on his knees.

The carpet’s fabric cushioned the impact, but it did nothing to stop the memory.

Blood.

On trembling hands.

Thick, warm, sticky—dripping between his fingers. The metallic smell filled his lungs, clinging to his skin, impossible to wash away.

Ren’s breath hitched. He choked on air as nausea surged up his throat, his vision blurring.

His fingers curled against the carpet, desperate for something solid, something real, anything other than that scene replaying in his mind.

"What’s wrong?!" Zayden gasped, dropping to his knees, reaching out to catch him but barely managing to steady him once he was already on the floor.

His breath came shallow, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Ren snapped back to reality once he heard the voice. Seeing the face in front of him, he could finally breathe.

"I am fine," he forced out with a weak smile. Before Zayden could touch his face, Ren gently took the alpha’s trembling hands, pressing them against his cheeks. "I am not hurt. Really."

Before, he would never have understood why Zayden reacted so violently whenever someone fell.

But now he did. No matter how small the fall, nothing could ever erase the trauma of watching his best friend plunge from a tower and die in front of him.

Once Zayden’s breathing steadied and his shoulders loosened, Ren leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the back of his hands.

"Why did you fall like that?"

The inevitable question came.

Ren swallowed hard. This time, he didn’t want to lie—not entirely. Maybe a white lie would be enough. Something harmless. Something that wouldn’t jeopardize his future with him.

"I... lost my first child."

Zayden blinked. The words stunned him. He had assumed Ren felt unwell—or that the mention of pregnancy reminded him of carrying Eiran and losing his mate.

But a child before Eiran?

How old had Ren been back then? And what did that mean now? Surely, he wasn’t only twenty-something years old...

"Won’t you ask me anything else?" Ren murmured, looking up as he slowly pushed himself upright.

The alpha reacted immediately, rising faster than him and catching his arm before he could fully stand. Without a word, he guided the unsteady man toward the bed and helped him sit, movements cautious and protective.

"Do I seem so cruel to you," Zayden asked quietly, "that I would force you to reopen wounds just to satisfy my curiosity?"

Ren opened his arms slightly, confusing him for a heartbeat.

Then the General understood.

He pulled Ren into his embrace, holding him tightly yet carefully, as if afraid the man might break. He buried his face against Ren’s neck, breathing in his scent—the soothing note that grounded him, that eased every agitation clawing at his chest.

The omega didn’t resist. Instead, he nuzzled into the curve of Zayden’s neck, seeking warmth, seeking reassurance.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Eyes closed, bodies close, they simply held onto each other, letting silence speak in place of the pain neither knew how to voice.

"I always wanted a family of my own," Ren whispered, breaking the stillness.

"You will have it. No—you have it."

Ren didn’t respond.

"You have me and Eiran. We are your family."

Tears welled up in the omega’s eyes.

You have me, and our child. We are your family.

The words echoed in the back of his mind. It hadn’t been that long since Ilyan had said the same.

His fingers curled into Zayden’s shirt, gripping it tightly.

"You won’t leave, right?"

Zayden shook his head without hesitation.

"Never."

"You won’t die, will you?"

The alpha paused, frowning slightly. Then realization dawned—Ren was recalling Ilyan...

"No. Demons don’t die."

"They do, though..." Ren mumbled, voice trembling.

"I won’t," Zayden whispered. He pulled back gently, cupping Ren’s cheek before offering him a bright, reassuring smile.

Just then, the door slammed open, and Eiran stood at the threshold, swinging his arms in a strange pose as he loudly sang his fathers’ names.

Zayden and Ren turned toward the entrance, eyes widening.

Before they could even pull apart, the child bolted toward them.

"Dad! Papa! I was looking for you both everyyyywhere!"

Zayden quickly removed his hands from Ren and turned to the boy.

"And why is that?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"The Queen gave Papa a gift!" Eiran announced proudly. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a piece of jewelry along with a folded piece of paper.

Then, without hesitation, he thrust them into Ren’s hands.

Curiously, Ren opened the note first, while Zayden took the jewelry—almost too quickly.

[I didn’t want to embarrass you by giving it in person. Don’t worry. I told the child that this is a gift for you, Ren.]

Ren blinked, tilting his head in confusion.

Embarrass him? Why would that embarrass him?

When he turned toward his lover, he found the general’s ears burning scarlet red.

"What is it?" he asked, genuinely clueless.

Zayden didn’t answer. Instead, he extended the piece of jewelry toward him.

Ren lifted it, letting the metal dangle between his fingers. It was a delicate bracelet made of dark metal, with thin chains connecting small engraved blue charms.

It’s pretty...

He shifted his gaze back toward Zayden.

"What is it?" he repeated, inspecting it closely.