MasukEros’s POV “You can speak here,” I answered, keeping one hand against the door.Her eyes dropped briefly before she looked directly at me.“I am pregnant,” she whispered.The words seemed to hang in the doorway.Aria's body went completely still behind me, and I felt the change in her before I even turned around.The woman swallowed, then added something that made the silence even heavier.“And the child is yours,” she said, touching her stomach with one hand as tears gathered in her eyes.For several seconds, nobody moved.I stared at her, trying tounderstand what she had just said, because my mind refused to accept the accusation.“That is impossible, I have never touched you. I have never touched another woman.” I said, my voice becoming colder as I studied her face.The woman shook her head.“It is not impossible,” she replied, pulling a folded paper from her bag with trembling fingers.Aria stepped closer.“What is that,” she asked, her voice controlled, although I could hear t
Eros’s POV Aria grabbed my arm, her eyes widening as the carriage jerked violently.“What happened,” she asked, looking frightened as she held onto me.“I do not know,” I replied, my expression becoming serious as I opened the carriage door.I stepped outside, and the driver immediately turned toward me.“My King, there is something on the road,” he explained, looking nervous as he pointed ahead.I walked forward through the rain and found a fallen tree blocking the road.I stared at it for a few seconds, because something about it looked familiar.It was not the first tree we had found blocking a trail during this trip.“Stay inside,” I told Aria, looking back toward the carriage with a serious expression.She immediately frowned.“You are not leaving me here while you go investigate something suspicious,” she replied, giving me a stubborn look.I almost smiled, because there was the Aria I knew.“Fine, but stay close to me,” I said, giving her a resigned expression.We both stepped
Eros’s POV We eventually got dressed and went downstairs, where the owner of the lodge had prepared breakfast for us, and Aria immediately became fascinated by the enormous basket of fresh bread sitting on the table.“You are staring at that bread like you have never eaten before,” I teased, giving her an amused look.“I am appreciating it, there is a difference,” she replied, giving me an offended expression as she reached for another piece.I laughed, because I knew better than to argue with her about food.After breakfast, we decided to explore another part of the settlement, and this time we followed an old trail that led toward a small village hidden beyond the lake.The village was older than the settlement we had visited the previous day, with narrow stone paths, wooden houses, and an old square in the center where merchants gathered beneath colorful awnings.Aria walked beside me with her hand tucked into mine, and every few steps she stopped to look at something that caught
Eros’s POvOn the third morning, Aria woke me before sunrise, because she had decided that watching the sunrise from the mountain trail was something we absolutely had to do.I wanted to complain, but the moment I saw the excitement on her face, I knew there was no point.“You are enjoying ordering your King around,” I teased, rubbing my sleepy eyes as I followed her outside.“I am enjoying watching you realize that being King does not protect you from your Luna,” she replied, grinning as she walked ahead of me.We climbed slowly through the forest, with the morning air becoming colder as we reached higher ground.When we finally reached the viewpoint, the sun began rising over the mountains, painting the sky with soft golden light.Aria stood completely still, her eyes fixed on the horizon, and the peaceful expression on her face made me forget about everything else.“This was worth waking up for,” she whispered, smiling as she watched the sunrise.“I knew you would say that,” I repl
Eros’s POV“You know, I could get used to this,” she said, looking toward the river with a peaceful smile.“Then we will do it again,” I replied, watching her face soften.“You promise,” she asked, turning toward me.“I promise,” I said, giving her a warm smile.She reached for my hand, and our fingers intertwined naturally.For a while, we simply sat there listening to the river.Neither of us noticed the faint movement between the trees on the opposite side.A shadow stood there for several seconds, watching us from a distance, before disappearing deeper into the forest.I felt nothing.Aria felt nothing.Neither of us knew that someone had been observing our journey.By the second day, the trip had already become something I had not realized I needed.We reached the lakeside settlement just before noon, and the moment Aria saw the water stretching between the mountains, she stopped walking.Her mouth fell slightly open, and her eyes widened with genuine wonder.“This is beautiful,”
The morning after the celebration, I woke before Aria, but instead of getting out of bed immediately, I stayed where I was and watched her sleep, because there was something about seeing her peaceful that made the entire world outside our room feel distant.Her hair was scattered across the pillow, one of her hands rested near her face, and her breathing was slow and even, which was a sight I had learned to appreciate more than I ever thought possible.After everything she had survived, after every betrayal and every night when she had been forced to question the people around her, seeing her sleep without fear felt like a victory to me.I reached over carefully and brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek, but she stirred almost immediately, her eyebrows drawing together before her eyes slowly opened.“Why are you staring at me,” she asked sleepily, her voice soft as she blinked at me with a suspicious little smile.“Because I am allowed to admire my Luna when she is sleeping,” I
Aria’s POVAt one point, he reached down and took my hand, his thumb tracing small circles over my skin. It was such a simple touch, but it rooted me to the moment. “Do you ever wish things were different?” I asked softly. He glanced down at me, his eyes shadowed. “Every damn day.”We kept walki
Aria’s POVBut my father’s hand came down sharply against the armrest of his chair. The sound silenced everyone. His eyes burned with fury and betrayal as he pointed directly at him.“I saw you, Kellen,” he said, his voice rising. “You and Darren were in my room that night. You offered to care for
Aria’s POV “I’ll be careful,” I promised. “I’ll make him believe every word I say. I’ll give him just enough to keep him convinced.”“And if he demands more than words?” His tone was sharp, cutting. “If he wants to touch you?”I hesitated, my pulse fluttering. I knew that was coming. “I’ll find w
Aria’s POVHe didn’t answer immediately. The faintest smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, that secretive, infuriating kind of smile that told me he was planning something.“You’ll find out soon,” he said simply, his voice smooth but laced with quiet excitement.I folded my arms, pretending to







