Karyme POV:
I spent the morning building a brick wall around the mate bond in my mind. It felt like a migraine, but it blocked his guilt.
I walked toward the clinic.
"Luna," a warrior nodded, pity in his eyes.
I stopped. Archie and Faustina were outside the exam room.
"Confirmed, Alpha," the doctor said. "High testosterone. Strong heartbeat. Alpha male."
Archie let out a shaky breath. "An heir."
"Our heir," Faustina corrected.
Archie stared at her stomach with a reverence he never gave me. Faustina released a scent-something brewed by a witch doctor, smelling like a potent, high-ranking pup.
Archie's pupils dilated. Instinct overrode logic. He pulled her flush against him, burying his nose in her neck.
"Archie," she gasped. "The Luna."
"She is a gentle Omega," Archie growled, voice distorted. "She understands duty."
Gentle Omega.
I pulled out my phone. Hidden folder.
Jalen. Four years old. Dark eyes, Archie's crooked smile. Holding a stick like a sword. "Mama, when can I meet Papa? I can growl!"
If I showed Archie... if he saw Jalen-sickly, small-he would see a broken thing. A mistake.
No. Archie didn't deserve Jalen.
I turned and walked away. I packed a duffel bag. Cash. ID. Silver dagger.
I was leaving tonight.
