Novel-novel oleh Elizabeth

The royal wing felt smaller with every passing hour."You will not leave these chambers without a full escort of six guards and either myself or Lord Caelum," Vesperian said, voice leaving no room for argument. He stood by the window, arms crossed, watching servants and mages work around the room. "No more garden walks. No more slipping away. Kieran’s forces are too close."I sat on the edge of the bed, one hand resting on my heavy, rounded belly. The child shifted restlessly, as if he could feel the walls closing in too. "So I’m not just a prisoner anymore. I’m a treasure locked in a vault."Vesperian crossed to me in three strides. He cupped my face with both hands, thumbs stroking my cheeks. "You are everything. And I will not lose you to my brother’s madness." His eyes flicked down to my belly. "Either of you."Mages moved through the room, placing glowing runes on the doorframes and windows. The air grew thick with magic, heavy wards that made my skin prickle. Even my enhanced se

I couldn’t stop shaking.Vesperian’s arms stayed locked around me, one hand splayed wide over my rounded belly while the other stroked slow, soothing lines down my back. His heartbeat thumped steady against my ear, but I could feel how hard he was working to keep it that way. The vision still burned behind my eyes, fire, blood, our son standing in the ruins like a god of destruction.“Eli,” he murmured, voice low and rough. “Tell me what you saw. All of it.”I pressed my face harder into his neck, breathing in his cedar-and-smoke scent like it could chase the nightmare away. The child kicked restlessly inside me, reacting to my terror. “It was bad. Really bad.”His hand tightened on my belly. “I felt it through the bond. Like someone drove a blade through your chest. Talk to me, little Omega. I can’t protect you from what I don’t understand.”I pulled back just enough to look at him. His golden eyes were intense, glowing with that fierce protectiveness that always made my chest ache.

Four months.My belly was heavy now, round and tight, making every step feel like I was carrying the weight of the entire empire. The golden glow under my skin had deepened, pulsing in time with the child’s movements. I stood by the window, one hand supporting the underside of my stomach, feeling him shift and press against my ribs.“You’re getting so strong,” I whispered, rubbing slow circles. A powerful kick answered, making me wince. Protective instinct surged through me so fiercely my vision blurred for a second. No one was going to hurt him. Not Kieran. Not the court. Not even the power I kept stealing from his father.The door opened behind me.Vesperian stepped in, his movements a fraction slower than they used to be. I felt it through the bond before I even saw him, the quiet exhaustion he tried so hard to hide.“You should be resting,” he said, voice rough but warm. He crossed to me and wrapped his arms around me from behind, hands automatically settling over my belly.The ch

"Read it again," Vesperian snarled, slamming the scroll onto the table so hard the inkwell jumped.I stood just outside the half-open door to the war room, hidden in the shadows of the corridor. My enhanced hearing picked up every word. The child pressed heavily against my ribs, as if he too was listening.The envoy’s voice shook slightly. "Prince Kieran demands the immediate execution of the male Omega and the abomination he carries. He states that the prophecy child will bring ruin to all Lycan bloodlines. He offers mercy only if you step down and name him regent until a proper heir can be produced from clean lines."A heavy silence fell.Then Vesperian’s laugh, cold and dangerous. "My brother grows bold. Tell him I will see his head on a spike before I let him touch what is mine."The tension in the palace had thickened like smoke over the past two days. Extra guards everywhere. Messengers running constantly. Weapons being sharpened in the courtyard. Kieran’s army was two days’ mar

“Where were you?”Vesperian’s voice cut through the chamber like a whip. He stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed, golden eyes locked on me with predatory focus. The door clicked shut behind me, trapping us together.I swallowed hard, one hand instinctively moving to my rounded belly. “I told you. I needed air. The royal wing feels like a cage sometimes.”He took a slow step forward. “Don’t lie to me, Eli. I felt you through the bond. You were somewhere you shouldn’t be. Again.” His gaze dropped to the faint glow still visible on my collarbone. “You’re getting bolder. Stronger. More independent. I want to know why.”My heart hammered. The child kicked sharply, reacting to the rising tension between us. “You want me healthy for the baby, don’t you? I’m just… stretching my legs. Testing how far this new body of mine can go.”Vesperian closed the distance in two strides. He caught my chin, forcing my face up. “Testing how far you can push me, more like. I’ve given you everything.

I waited until the corridor outside went quiet. Vesperian had been pulled away hours ago for urgent meetings about Kieran’s approaching army. The bond tugged at me, faint but persistent, letting me know he was still deep in the war room. Good. That gave me time.My belly felt heavier today, the round swell making every movement more noticeable. But my senses were sharper than ever. I could hear the guards two halls away breathing, smell the faint oil on their weapons. I slipped out of the chambers like smoke, bare feet silent on the stone.The restricted archives door gave way easier this time. My fingers tingled with stolen power as I twisted the lock. I stepped inside, heart hammering, and pulled the door almost closed behind me.Dust danced in the thin shafts of moonlight coming through high slits in the wall. I moved quickly, following the pull of familiar cursed energy until I found the section on parasitic bloodlines. My hands shook as I pulled down a newer-looking tome, its pag