“What?!” I shout, practically falling over myself. “I-I-we-because-that’s actually impossible considering he’s only finge—”“Karin!” Ansel roars, scaring me quiet.I lower my head. “Sorry.” I didn’t mean for my outburst, but the accusation had caught me completely off guard. There’s no way that I could be pregnant when Ansel and I have never had sex. My face turns as white as a sheet.Oh God. What if he was suggesting that I was pregnant before I got here?The idea of that thought infiltrating Ansel’s mind scares me more than the suggestion prior.“I’m not pregnant,” I say as evenly as I can. “It’s just a lot of food in such a small span of time. I know I overdid it before, but this is really a bit much.” My face grows hot to the touch, and my mouth salivates. Standing, I dart to the bathroom to vomit. “I appreciate everything, but please take it all away,” I say between breaths.“Of course,” Maggie says on the other side. There is shuffling and I can hear the clatter of plates and di

ANSEL POVAnsel's eyes saucered, and King David sneered. “You really think that I didn’t know you brought Karin back to your manor? I may be sick, but I’m not dead. There isn’t one thing that you can do that I won’t know about.” He shook his head. “You’re delusional if you think anything produced with that hooker will be worthy of our name.”“She is not a prostitute, hooker or anything else you feel the need to call her,” Ansel said. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply to calm his wolf. “You don’t know her like I do. There’s something…I don’t know…more to the story.”“Oh, and how can you be so sure?” King David asked.Ansel hated his father had a small point. The investigation into Karin hadn’t been completed yet, and there was no solid evidence that the things said about her weren’t true. Still, her vulnerability tow

“Joy?!” I shout almost as loud as her. I can’t believe she’s standing at my door. She beams and rushes to hug me.“You two know one another?” Maggie asked with her eyebrow raised.“Yes! Joy was locked up with me when I was with the dealers.”Joy and I embrace tighter. “I never thought I would see you again,” she whispered.“Me either. Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”Releasing me, she poses. “I’m here to help you seduce Sir Ansel.”“What?”“You heard me. Now are you going to let me in or am I going to continue to freeze my butt off?”“Yes, of course, sorry.” I moved to the side, and allowed her and Maggie in. “Now spill.”“I’m a b-girl,” she says. My eyes widened and she shook her head. “No, it’s not the same as it was

“I’m sorry. I-I was ju—”“Not following doctor’s orders? Are you really attempting to seduce an injured man?”“No! I thought you were sleeping!”He raises his eyebrow. “And that makes it better?”“No!” The longer he stares at me, the more tongue-tied I become. “I wasn’t trying to seduce you!”“Then what were you doing?” He looks at me with genuine curiosity, and once again I feel foolish. I can’t tell him the real reason is that I can’t stop thinking about how much tonight reminded me of how bad things could get. I want to lie, but the truth beats me to it.“You used to be so sick,” I whisper. His eyes widen, and I look away. “When I saw you tonight, it reminded me of then.”“I’m fine,” he says, but the lines of his face tighten. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m

My entire body shook in front of him as I processed his request. His eyes shifted in color, and he watched silently, waiting for my next move. Hot tears burn my eyes, but I hold them off and close them. “Fine. If that’s what you want,” I say.I grabbed the hem of his pants and his breathing pattern harshen. Fumbling with his buckle, my bottom lip trembles, but I refuse to let him see me fall apart. Ansel grips my hand, stopping me, and I open my eyes. His eyes softened back to their blue, carrying a calm but brewing storm.“Wow…” he whispered as he distanced himself from me. He sat back on the bed. “Is that what you really think of me?” he asked.I sit on the floor, still shaken. “Honestly, I don’t know what to think of you anymore. I don’t understand you at all.”“Then you aren’t paying attention.” He places his head in his hands. “Why do you insist on making me out to be a villain? How could you think of me as such an ugly thing?”Standing, I walk over to him and rub his hair. He sh