Chapter 7: She's Still Ours

Davian's POV

I stepped back into the corridor and the door sealed behind me with a soft, final click.

Natalia stood three paces away, her hands folded, expression carefully blank. Dr. Alyssa and two senior physicians waited farther down the hall. The guards had already resumed their posts, eyes forward, pretending they hadn’t just been ordered out of a room by their king for no official reason.

Natalia’s gaze tracked over my face. “Everything all right?”

"Fine," the word came out flat.

"Fine?" Natalia's crossed my arms over her chest. "You cleared an entire room, Davian. That's not exactly subtle."

"I wanted a private word with the surrogate," The lie came out smoother than I expected, which somehow made me feel worse about it. "You know clarified a few points about the contract and her obligations.”

"Of course, Alpha King," Dr Alyssa spoke. "Was there a concern with the candidate?”

“No.” I didn’t slow. “She understands her place. That’s all that mattered.”

Natalia fell into step beside me,close enough that her sleeve almost brushed mine. The jasmine scent that used to mean home now just sat on the air. “You were in there longer than expected.”

“She needed reminding.” I kept my voice flat.

We reached the main observation area again. The remaining staff straightened. I stopped in the center of the room and forced my shoulders to settle into something that looked like control.

"Well both mother and child are both healthy," Dr Alyssa tabbed on her tablet. "The early hormone levels are strong and there are no signs of rejection at this stage. We’ll continue daily monitoring for the next two weeks, then transition to every third day if the trajectory holds.”

I nodded once. The words registered somewhere distant. My wolf was still pacing, claws scraping the inside of my ribs, furious that I had walked away. That I had left her alone in that room with only the echo of my orders for company.

Mate.

I crushed the thought before it could fully form.

Natalia watched me sideways. “You’re distracted.”

“I’m tired.” I turned toward the nearest window and stared out at the training yards without really seeing them. “The northern meetings ran long. This was one more obligation on top of the rest.”

She didn’t push. She rarely did anymore.

"The Council will be satisfied once the formal acknowledgment is logged." She said. "Dorian won’t have fresh material for at least a few weeks.”

“That's good.” I said.

"Alpha King, regarding the surrogate’s current quarters," Dr. Alyssa cleared her throat. “she is still in the standard medical wing suite. It's okay, but the traffic and noise levels are higher than ideal for early pregnancy. We can relocate her if you prefer.”

The suggestion landed at the exact moment my wolf surged again. Keep her away from every other scent, every other set of eyes.

I kept my voice even. “Move her.”

Natalia glanced at me.

"To a quieter suite in the royal residential wing," I continued before anyone could read too much into it. “Add more guards on the corridor and limited access. Only medical staff and approved servants. She’s carrying the heir. I want the risk of stress or interference kept to an absolute minimum.”

"Understood," Dr. Alyssa made a note. “We’ll arrange it this afternoon.”

“Today,” I corrected. “Before evening.”

“Yes, Alpha King.” she nodded.

Natalia’s expression didn’t change. She probably thought this was about the child. Everyone in the room thought the same thing.

Only I knew the real reason.

I needed her farther from the general staff, farther from casual eyes, away from anyone who might notice if my control slipped for even a second and I needed the extra guards because the alternative, leaving her exposed while my wolf continued to lose its mind, was unacceptable.

We left the medical wing together. Natalia walked on my right, matching my pace without effort. The corridors of the royal wing felt longer than usual. Every few steps my wolf tested the leash again, pushing images of auburn hair and green eyes and the exact way her scent had filled that sterile room.

I locked it down harder.

In the private sitting room adjoining our chambers, Natalia poured two glasses of water and set one near my hand. She didn’t try to touch me this time.

“You handled that well,” she said. “The private conversation and the relocation. It projects the right level of investment without appearing overly involved.”

I picked up the glass but didn’t drink. “That was the point.”

She studied me for a moment longer. “If the distraction continues, you should rest before the Council briefing tomorrow.”

“I’m fine.” my voice came out strained.

“You’re not.” The words were soft, almost gentle. “You’ve been wound tight since the northern trip. This morning only added to it. Sleep or at least pretend to.”

"I have reports to review," I set the glass down. “I want to start now."

"I'll leave you to it, then." She gave a small nod, and moved to the door. The door closed behind her and the silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.

I stood alone in the center of the room and let the mask drop for three full seconds.

My hands were still unsteady. Her scent lingered at the back of my throat like it had burned itself there. Every logical argument I had thrown at the situation, the contract, heir, my Luna, political survival, felt thinner than paper when measured against the single word my wolf refused to stop repeating.

Mate.

I walked to the sideboard, poured the whiskey, and downed half of it in one swallow. The burn did nothing to quiet the animal pacing under my skin.

The only solution was distance.

Controlled access, strict protocol. I would not be in the same room with her again unless the physicians forced the issue. I would not speak to her and I would not look for her. I would treat Candidate Twenty-Seven exactly like what the rest of the pack believed her to be, a temporary surrogate for the future of Crestwood.

It would work.

The reaction in that medical room had been a fluke. The accumulated weight of years spent forcing a broken bond into something that looked functional from the outside. Anything except the truth my wolf kept screaming.

I finished the drink and set the glass down harder than necessary.

Across the estate, somewhere in the quieter corridors of the royal wing, staff would already be preparing a new suite, fesh linens. Restricted entry. Guards who answered only to me. She would sleep under my roof, carry my child, and remain completely unreachable.

I turned toward the desk and the stack of unread reports waiting there. The only things that still made sense.

My wolf growled low and dark, the sound vibrating through my chest like a promise I hadn’t agreed to.

Run if you want, but She is still ours.