LOGINCassian: ~~~ A month ago⊠âŠ~... I watch my angel unravel the third time beneath me, every sound she makes carving itself into me. She's breathtakingly beautiful and all mine. I lean in and place a soft kiss on her forehead as she drifts to sleep. I guess weâll leave once she wakes up. And pulling out of her feels like tearing myself away from something I need to breathe. She is too addictive. I make my way out to bathe. I'm walking out afterwards when the silence is shattered by her painful cry. I run inside only to freeze at the sight. Angel lies there, twisting in pain, her hands wrapped around her as she whimpers in agony, and⊠she's bleeding. Guilt crashes over me. I knew I was too hard on her; her moans sounded more painful, but she didn't want me to stop when I offered. I thought things were okay. Oh, Selene. I rush to her side. âBaby, hey, tell me where it hurts.â I plead, but she only cries, muttering the same words over and over: âIt hurts.â My heart constric
Three hours pass in a blur of agony and silence. Cassian still hasn't returned, and the pain is gone after I take my medication.I make my way downstairs and find Jackson leaving the kitchen with a food flask.âJackson?âHe looks up at me surprised. Looks like he was planning to sneak away unnoticed. I wonder if Cassian put him to it. âHow is Melinda?ââShe's out of danger now. Alpha wanted to come, butâŠââI know,â I interrupt, my voice steady despite the ache ripping through me. âMelinda and the baby need him more.âJacksonâs eyes soften with heartache; he looks like he wanted to say something, but he turns, heading toward the door instead.He is almost out the door when I call his name again.âJackson.âHe pauses and looks back. âTell him it was fun while it lasted,â I say calmly, even though my heart is shattering.His eyes widen for a brief second, then he nods once before leaving.âŠ~âŠOnce he was gone.I walk to Cassianâs study, my feet moving on instinct. I stop in front of his
âWait⊠are you pregnant? You bitch!â Melinda exclaims, swinging her hand toward my face, but I grab her hand mid-air, the force of her momentum vibrating my arm.I stare at her, wondering if she has finally lost her mind.âMelinda, are you nuts?â I asked, my voice trembling with disbelief, because only a madwoman would act like this. âYou want to hit me because you think Iâm pregnant? And even if I am, who the hell do you think you are to decide my fate?ââBecause youâre a filthy wretch who deserves to be beaten to death. You homewrecker!â she shouts, yanks her hand free, her eyes wild, bloodshot with a manic sort of hatred. âAngela, you better not be pregnant with Cassianâs child, or I swear youâll regret it.âI laugh, cold and bitter, and that enrages her even more.âIâm not moved by your baseless threats, Melinda. What you should be thinking about is the child growing inside you. You seem to care more about your petty vendettas than your own baby. Why is that?ââI don't know what y
âNo, Angel. Please reconsider. You're already in a compromised relationship with your brother, staying at his placeâŠâ Mom stops in front of me, her fingers closing around my hands as she exhales heavily, like this conversation alone is draining her life away.âAngel, Cassian is your biological brother. Kyle was my stepbrother; we aren't blood-related. Please, this is incest, and nothing good can ever come out of a relationship bound by blood. Please, baby. Let him go, listen to your mother, I know best.âI smile widely at her latter words, realizing how she suddenly sounds and looks like Mother Gothel, who pretends to be Rapunzel's loving mother but is actually her captor.âWhat is funny?â she asks, confused.I shake my head.âNothing, Mom. But I can't leave, Brother, especially now. I love him, and he's going to be the faâŠâ I stop myself just in time, my heart racing as I swallow the truth back down.âI'm sorry, Mom, I've made my decision, and you're not talking me out of it.ââFine!
One moment I am filled with dread, my chest tight with worry about where Cassian is, and the next I am drowning in emotions I can't even name.Fear, hope, disbelief.They crash into each other until I feel lightheaded.I lie back slowly, my heart hammering, then open my mouth and say the first thing that comes to my mind.âAre you sure?âShe does not answer immediately, and panic creeps up my spine. I ask again, my voice breaking.âThe doctor said I canât. I canât bear kids. Are you⊠are you mocking me?ââBut you are,â she mutters.My breath stutters.âBut I only had sex two weeksâŠââPrincess Angela,â she says gently, leaning closer, âread my lips. You are pregnant. And about having sex in such a short period, we are not humans. Even humans can detect pregnancy this quickly.âShe smiles warmly at me, her eyes kind and steady.âSo let us start all over again. Congratulations, Princess Angela. You are going to become a mother.ââOh, SeleneâŠ!â I cover my face with both hands as tears wel
The intense sudden pain in my abdomen is what jolts me awake.âAah! It hurts.â I cry, my hand moving to my abdomen.But my eyes fly open when I realize I'm alone in the room. I immediately sit upright, my hand feeling the space Cassian has been sleeping, and it's cold.I get out of bed, the pain in my abdomen long forgotten as I make my way out, but stop when I see the white dress draped over the rocking chair at the side.I smile and reach for it, slipping it on; itâs a bit loose but protective. On the floor beside the chair is a pair of flip-flops I step into.Cassian, if you keep treating me like this, how do I stop depending on you?I sigh and open the door, and the aroma of grilled fish hits me.My stomach growls traitorously.I look over to see Cassian, in shorts, bigger flip-flops, and shirtless, looking focused as he turns fish over the flames, like someone born to survive anywhere.I walk over, stopping beside him.âGood morning,â I say softly.He looks up and smiles, the kin







