Brother’s Shadow

"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’ march away now, and every Alpha in the palace walked like they were waiting for war.

I pressed my back to the wall, one hand on my belly. The child kicked hard, restless. I could feel Vesperian’s strength through the bond, fading faster every day. Every time he knotted me, I tried to hold back. But the pregnancy made the draining almost automatic now.

"You shouldn’t be here," a quiet voice said behind me.

I jumped. Lord Caelum stood a few paces away, watching me with those sharp blue eyes.

"I needed to know," I whispered.

He glanced toward the war room. "Kieran knows more than he should. About the experiments. About your bloodline. Someone inside has been feeding him information."

My stomach dropped. Before I could ask more, the doors opened fully. Vesperian stepped out, eyes blazing. He saw me immediately.

"Eli." His voice was rough. "Back to our chambers. Now."

He didn’t wait for me to argue. His hand closed around my wrist and he pulled me down the corridor, past staring guards and whispering servants.

~~~~

The second the chamber door slammed shut behind us, Vesperian had me pinned against it.

"You were listening," he growled, mouth crashing down on mine before I could answer. The kiss was bruising, angry, desperate. His hands roamed over my swollen belly like he needed to remind himself it was still there.

"Alpha…" I gasped as he ripped my robe open, fabric tearing.

He lifted me, careful of my belly but no less rough, carrying me to the bed and dropping me onto my back. In seconds he was between my legs, shoving inside me with one brutal thrust.

I cried out, back arching. "Vesperian…"

"He wants you dead," he snarled, thrusting hard and deep. "My own brother wants to cut our son out of you." Each snap of his hips punctuated his words. "I won’t let him. You’re mine. This child is mine."

I clung to his shoulders, moaning with every punishing stroke. The fear for our son mixed with the overwhelming pleasure, making everything sharper. The child kicked violently between us, reacting to his father’s fury.

"I’m scared," I admitted between gasps. "If he wins…if he takes the throne…he’ll kill us both."

Vesperian’s eyes burned down at me. "He won’t win." He hooked one of my legs higher, driving even deeper. "I’ll burn everything before I let him touch you."

The bond flared wildly. I could feel his exhaustion through it, the way his body was struggling under the constant drain. But he fucked me like he could fight the whole world through my body. Hard. Possessive. Almost punishing.

"Say it," he demanded, teeth grazing my neck. "Say you’re mine."

"I’m yours," I sobbed, tears slipping down my cheeks. "Both of us. Yours."

His knot swelled fast, locking us together with a wet, brutal pop. He came with a deep growl, flooding me as pleasure tore through my body. I clenched around him, shaking, the child still kicking wildly between us.

Even after the orgasm faded, Vesperian stayed buried deep, holding me tight like someone might rip me away at any second. His breathing was ragged. New lines of strain showed clearly on his face in the low light.

He kissed my forehead, my cheeks, my lips, almost frantic. "I will protect you," he whispered fiercely. "No matter what it costs."

I wrapped my arms around him, feeling the draining magic still pulling gently between us. His strength was slipping faster now. The man who had just claimed me so intensely was growing weaker with every passing day.

And Kieran was coming.

I buried my face in his neck, terrified for the fragile life growing inside me, for the man holding me like I was the only thing keeping him together, and for the storm that was about to break over all of us.