CHAPTER THREE

LYRA'S POV

It took me two days to work up the courage.

Two days of scrubbing floors and swallowing bile and rehearsing what I'd say. Two days of watching them from a distance, Kael in his office, Riven training in the yard, Cassian charming visiting dignitaries in the great hall.

They looked so untouchable.

I almost lost my nerve a dozen times. But every time I thought about running, I felt the flutter in my stomach so faint I might have imagined it, and I knew I had to do this.

For the baby.

Dr. Harrison had called me back in that morning. Another checkup, more tests. He'd seemed troubled when he looked at the results.

"Lyra, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me." He set down his clipboard. "Who is the father of this child?"

My heart hammered. "Why does it matter?"

"Because your hormone levels are... unusual. Elevated in a way I've rarely seen." He paused. "Were you with more than one partner?"

Heat flooded my face. I couldn't speak.

His eyes widened slightly. "More than one alpha?"

I nodded, barely a movement.

"How many?"

"Three," I whispered.

He sat back heavily. "Goddess above."

"Is that... is that bad? For the baby?"

"I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair. "I've never seen a case like this. Omegas don't usually... and with three alphas..." He shook his head. "Lyra, this child is going to be extraordinary. The alpha genetics alone"

"But will it survive?"

"I believe so. You're healthy, young, strong despite your size. But you need to tell the fathers. All three of them. They need to know what they've created."

Created.

Like we'd built something intentional instead of a drunken mistake.

Now, standing outside Kael's office, I pressed my palm against the heavy oak door and tried to breathe.

I could hear voices inside. All three of them.

Of course they were together. They always were.

I knocked before I could change my mind.

"Come in."

Kael's voice. Clipped, professional.

I pushed open the door.

All three of them looked up from the massive desk covered in maps and documents. Kael stood at the head, Riven leaned against the window, and Cassian sat perched on the edge of the desk itself, I don't know what Cassian and Riven where still doing here, I thought they would have gone to their pack after the mating ceremony but it's been 3 weeks now.

The sight of them together stole my breath.

They were so beautiful it hurt. Power and confidence radiated off them like heat. These were the men who'd touched me, claimed me, ruined me.

And they were looking at me like I was a stranger.

"Can we help you?" Cassian asked, polite but distant.

"I..." My voice came out barely a whisper. I cleared my throat. "I need to speak with you. All of you."

Riven's eyebrow raised. "We're in the middle of something."

"It's important."

Kael's eyes narrowed. He studied me for a long moment, and I wondered if he could see it, the exhaustion, the terror, the secret growing inside me.

"You have five minutes," he said finally.

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. My hands shook, so I clasped them together.

Just say it. Rip the bandage off.

"I'm pregnant."

The silence was deafening.

Riven straightened from the window. Cassian went very still. Kael's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes.

"Congratulations," Kael said coolly. "But I'm not sure why you're telling us."

My stomach dropped. "Because... because you're the fathers."

Riven laughed. Actually laughed, sharp and cruel. "That's a good one, sweetheart. What, you think we're going to fall for that?"

"I'm not lying..."

"Sure you're not." He crossed his arms. "Let me guess. You spread your legs for some random wolf, got knocked up, and now you want to pin it on us because we're alphas. Because we have money and status."

"No, I would never..."

"How many others were there that night?" Cassian asked quietly. "After us?"

The question hit like a slap.

"None," I said, my voice breaking. "There was no one else. Just you three. Only you."

"You can't prove that," Kael said.

"I can! The doctor can run tests...."

"Any doctor can be bribed." Riven pushed off the window and stalked toward me. "You think we're stupid? You think we don't know how this game works?"

I backed up until I hit the door. "It's not a game. I'm telling you the truth."

"The truth?" Cassian stood now too, and suddenly I was surrounded by them, three alphas towering over one small omega. "The truth is you're a cleaner who saw an opportunity and took it."

"That night was a mistake," Kael said, his voice like ice. "A drunken mistake that shouldn't have happened. And now you're trying to ruin our lives because of it."

Tears burned my eyes. "I'm not trying to ruin anything. I just thought... I thought you should know."

"Well, now we know." Riven leaned down, his face inches from mine. "And we don't believe you. Find another fool to play daddy."

"It doesn't matter if you believe me," I said, voice shaking. "It's true. This baby is yours. All of yours."

"Impossible," Kael snapped. "Omegas don't carry multiples. You're lying."

"I'm not..."

"Get out," Cassian said softly. "Before we have you removed from the pack entirely."

I stared at them. At these men who'd touched me so tenderly, who'd whispered praise against my skin, who'd knotted me like I was precious.

They were strangers.

No. They were worse than strangers. They were enemies.

"Fine," I whispered. "I'll go."

I turned toward the door, my hand on the knob.

"But you should know something," I said without looking back. "Dr. Harrison confirmed it. The hormone levels, the tests everything points to multiple alpha fathers. This baby isn't normal. It's something rare. Something powerful."

"Bullshit," Riven muttered.

"Believe what you want." I opened the door. "But when this child is born, everyone will know the truth. You can't hide from your own blood."

I walked out before they could respond.

My legs barely carried me down the hallway. I made it to the servant's stairwell before the sobs came, violent and wrenching.

They didn't believe me.

Worse, they didn't care.

I sank down on the steps and wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold the pieces together.

What was I going to do?

I couldn't stay here. Not with them denying everything. Not with the pack already whispering about me. Not when my stomach would start showing in a few weeks and everyone would know.

I had to leave.

The thought terrified me, but I knew it was true. I had to disappear before they tried to force me to terminate the pregnancy. Before Luna Marissa found out and had me cast out or worse.

I pressed my hand to my stomach.

"It's just you and me," I whispered. "I'll keep you safe. I promise."