Chapter 44
I was still trying to process everything. The battle. The coma. The pregnancy. The fact that my entire life had just changed in a way I never saw coming.
Tyler sat beside me, his fingers idly stroking my hand, his golden eyes filled with something soft, something I wasn’t used to seeing in him. Hope. Excitement.
Like he had just been given something he never thought he would have. But my mind was elsewhere.
I took a deep breath, my fingers tightening slightly around his. “Where’s Debbie?”
Tyler’s jaw tensed slightly, but he didn’t hesitate. “She’s in the dungeon,” he said, his voice firm. “She won’t be a threat to us anymore.”
I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes for a brief second. So Debbie was finally caught. Again. After everything—the betrayal, the war, the curse—she was now locked away.
And yet…
Why did I feel like this wasn’t over? Tyler’s grip on my hand tightened slightly, pulling me back to the present.
His lips curled into a small, genuine smile. “I’m glad.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Glad about what?”
“That I’m going to be a father,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “That you’re carrying my child.”
His eyes searched mine, looking for something—reassurance, excitement, maybe even love.
But I kept quiet. Because my mind was replaying the timeline in my head. Six weeks. The pregnancy was six weeks along. I was with Killian six weeks ago. I was also with Tyler six weeks ago.
A chill ran down my spine.
No. There was no way… Was there?
I forced a small smile, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Yeah… it’s a lot to take in.”
Tyler nodded, squeezing my hand again. “But we’ll figure it out. Together.”
Before I could respond, the door swung open. A familiar presence filled the room. Killian. Tyler’s guards tried to stop him from entering the room, but they were a no match to his strength. He stepped inside, his golden-brown eyes locking onto mine instantly.
“You’re awake,” he said, his voice softer than usual. “I heard you were in a coma for two months.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. Two months.”
Killian sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. “You ran away. But I kept sending you herbs that could help you recover.”
I frowned. “What?”
“Not just herbs. Flowers, fruit, books, things to make you comfortable,” he clarified. “But every time I sent something, Tyler sent it back.”
My eyes snapped to Tyler, who was glaring at Killian like he wanted to rip him apart.
“She doesn’t need anything from you,” Tyler growled, his voice dangerously low.
Killian let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. “Right. Of course. Because everything with you is about control, isn’t it?”
“Get the hell out of my pack,” Tyler snarled, standing up. “Now.”
Killian smirked. “Or what?”
The tension in the room was suffocating. I groaned, already exhausted from their constant rivalry.
“Killian, just go.”
Killian’s smirk faded instantly. He turned to look at me, his expression unreadable. But after a long pause, he nodded.
“Alright, Aurora.” His voice was quieter. “It seems your father was right. You’ve already made the choice to turn your back on your responsibilities. Take care of yourself.
And just like that, he left. The door clicked shut, and the air in the room was still thick with unspoken words. Tyler let out a breath, running a frustrated hand through his hair.
“He just won’t give up, will he?”
I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t have an answer. But before I could even process any of that, Tyler suddenly turned to me, his golden eyes filled with something… raw.
Something I had never seen before.
Fear. His jaw clenched, and then he took a deep breath. And then—he said something that stopped my heart.
“I love you, Aurora.”
The words hung in the air.
My breath caught.
“Tyler…”
But he didn’t let me speak.
“I love you,” he repeated, his voice stronger this time. “I don’t care about the past. I don’t care about what’s happened. All I care about is you. And this baby.”
His eyes softened, his fingers brushing against my stomach.
“But I’m scared, Aurora.”
I blinked, taken aback. “Scared of what?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Scared that I’ll lose you. Again.”
His hand tightened over mine, his fingers shaking slightly.
“And scared that I’ll lose my heir.”
