Irina’s POV

I woke up to the same heavy velvet curtains. The room was dark. It was the exact same beautiful, suffocating golden cage.

I sat up slowly in the massive, overly soft bed. I pushed the thick silk sheets off my legs. I placed both of my hands gently over my flat stomach. I didn’t feel sick today.

When I was pregnant with Luka, I was so incredibly sick. I threw up every single morning. I couldn’t keep a drop of water down. My bones constantly ached. My head violently pounded. I was so completely stressed and entirely terrified back then. I fully expected this time to be exactly the same.

But it wasn’t.

I felt physically fine. My body was strong. My stomach was completely calm. I didn’t feel the horrible, twisting nausea at all.

But my heart? My heart was completely, utterly shattered.

I rubbed my belly in absolute silence. There was no bump yet. But I knew the absolute truth. Another tiny life was growing in there. Another fragile, helpless wolf pup.

Why now?

I stared blankly at the gilded, expensive wallpaper. My chest physically ached with bitter irony. Why did this baby have to come right now? I finally wanted to fight for my freedom. I finally gathered the absolute courage to ask Nicholas to let me go to school. I wanted to be completely normal. I wanted to step outside these thick stone walls and actually live.

And then... this.

It was just another heavy, invisible chain. It was another massive lock keeping me completely tied to Nicholas.

I sighed heavily. I kept rubbing my stomach gently. I couldn’t hate the baby. I really couldn’t. It was completely innocent. It was a piece of me. But the timing felt like a cruel, twisted joke from the Moon Goddess.

"Ma... Mama."

A soft, incredibly sweet voice broke right through my dark thoughts. I blinked in surprise. I quickly looked down at the floor.

Luka was sitting right in the middle of the thick, fluffy white rug. He was holding a small wooden block in his hands. His big, beautiful eyes looked straight up at me. He smiled a massive, completely toothy smile.

"Mama!" he cheered loudly.

My chest instantly tightened. A huge, overwhelming wave of pure love violently crashed over me. It completely washed away the dark bitterness.

I quickly climbed out of the high bed. The hardwood floor was slightly cold on my bare feet, but I didn’t care at all. I dropped down onto the soft rug right next to him. I pulled his warm, chubby little body directly into my arms.

"Hi, my sweet boy," I whispered softly. I kissed his soft, messy hair over and over. "Mama is right here."

He giggled loudly. He patted my cheek with his tiny, warm hands.

He was my absolute world. He was the single bright light in this massive, terrifying house. Whenever I felt like entirely giving up, I just looked at him. I had to survive for him. If I had to stay locked in this room forever, I would gladly do it just to keep him safe. And I would do it for the new life growing inside me.

I hadn’t seen Nicholas in days.

Not since our huge, emotionally exhausting fight. Not since he completely crushed my dreams of a normal life.

I didn’t know where the Alpha King was. I didn’t know what he was doing out there. Honestly? I really didn’t care. The absolute silence in the room was a massive blessing. I didn’t want to deal with his overwhelming, terrifying Alpha aura. I didn’t want to look into his glowing, possessive golden eyes.

But even when he was physically gone, he was still completely controlling every second of my life.

Every single day, the heavy oak doors would click open. The pack maids would wheel in massive silver serving carts.

The food was absolutely ridiculous.

There were huge, steaming bowls of rich, heavy beef stew. Giant plates of steamed vegetables and buttery roasted potatoes. Entire platters of expensive, fresh fruit. Tall glasses of thick, vitamin-rich milk. The portions were completely massive. The nutritional value had easily tripled since last week. They were aggressively feeding me. They desperately wanted the Alpha’s precious new heir to grow perfectly strong.

But the maids delivering the food were completely soulless.

They were terrifyingly quiet. They kept their heads entirely bowed. They stared blindly at the floor tiles. If I accidentally moved too fast, they physically flinched backward.

I missed Sophia. I missed her so incredibly much it actually hurt.

Sophia used to actually look at me. She used to smile warmly. She used to ask me how my day was. She treated me like a real, breathing human being.

These new girls? They treated me like a highly explosive bomb.

"Could I get a glass of water?" I asked one of them yesterday.

The young girl completely froze in pure panic. She nodded sharply, her hands visibly shaking. She literally ran out of the room. She brought the water back in total, absolute silence. She wouldn’t speak a single word to me.

They were all completely terrified of Nicholas. He must have threatened them. He must have given them strict orders not to speak to his fragile, pregnant mate.

The utter isolation was completely deafening. It was slowly, painfully driving me crazy.

It was early afternoon.

I had just finished another massive, incredibly exhausting lunch. I only managed to eat half of the giant steak, but I forced down all the rich vegetables just for the baby.

Luka was napping peacefully in his beautiful wooden crib. His tiny chest rose and fell with slow, quiet breaths.

I was sitting in the large, plush armchair in the corner. I was staring blankly out the large glass window. The sky was gray and heavy. It looked like it was going to storm.

*Knock. Knock.*

Two sharp, distinct knocks echoed loudly in the quiet room.

I didn’t turn my head away from the gray window. I let out a heavy, incredibly tired sigh.

"Just leave the tray by the door," I called out softly.

I really didn’t want to deal with another terrified, shaking maid right now. I just wanted to sit in complete silence. I wanted to be entirely alone.

But the heavy door clicked open anyway.

Confident, steady footsteps walked right into my bedroom.

It wasn’t the soft, hurried shuffle of a scared pack servant. The shoes clicked sharply against the hardwood floor. It sounded exactly like small heels.

I frowned deeply. My heart skipped a sudden, nervous beat.

I quickly turned around in my large chair.

A woman was standing right in the middle of my bedroom.

She looked absolutely nothing like the pack servants. She wasn’t wearing a drab, shapeless uniform dress. She wore a crisp, tailored navy-blue blazer. She wore neat, perfectly pressed trousers. Her dark hair was pulled back tightly into a very strict, neat bun. She was wearing a pair of thin, wire-rimmed glasses.

She looked incredibly smart. She looked completely professional.

She was holding a thick, expensive leather briefcase firmly in her right hand.

I stood up instantly.

My maternal instincts violently flared to life. I quickly stepped sideways. I placed my body completely between this strange woman and Luka’s crib. I didn’t know her. I didn’t trust anyone in this massive pack.

"What are you doing?" I demanded sharply. My voice was completely tight and defensive. "Who are you?"

The woman didn’t flinch at my harsh tone. She just smiled at me.

It was a polite, calm, totally relaxed smile.

"You need to leave," I warned her loudly. I pointed directly at the open bedroom door. "Right now. You can’t just walk in here without permission."

She didn’t move a single inch. She just stood there, holding her briefcase.

"I’m serious," I said, my voice rising in genuine panic. My heart was thumping loudly against my ribs. "The Alpha is extremely protective. He is completely unhinged when it comes to this room. If he finds out you came in here uninvited, he will punish you severely. He might actually kill you. Get out!"

The woman didn’t look scared at all. She didn’t tremble. She didn’t bow her head in fear.

Her polite smile just grew a little wider. She gently shook her head.

"I was sent by the Alpha. I am your teacher."