"Get these traitors out of here pending investigations."
Seliora gasped, stepping back automatically, but the guards moved swiftly, flanking her and Doctor Mira in moments. Mira didn’t even try to protest. Seliora, on the other hand, turned to Damien, tear-streaked and trembling, trying one last desperate ploy. "Damien—"
"Enough," he said, not even looking at her, his eyes fixed on Luna. That was all the guards needed. The women were swept away, shoes scuffing the floor, silence eating up their resistance as they were escorted from the hall.
Luciver sank back into his throne, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips.
Damien turned fully to Luna now, his grip finding hers. But there was the faintest quiver in his hold, one that only Luna could sense.
"You seem sure about this," he whispered, so low it was barely a breath.
She squeezed his hand gently, her thumb brushing across his knuckles. "I trust Morvakar," she simply said.
Damien groaned into her ear, dramatic and drawn out. "Goddess help me."
Luna chuckled softly. "You better pray she does. Because if Morvakar is wrong, we are are screwed."
"Ah, young love," the king mused, clapping his hands at the romantic sight in front of him.
From where he stood at the side, Gabriel’s eyes were still narrowed. Luna just put herself on his list of top ten enemies. freew\e bnovel.com
Luciver reclined on his throne, as he watched Sage Veyron kneel before Princess Luna.
The room was cloaked in silence.
Luna sat with her spine straight, her hands clenched in her lap so tightly her knuckles had gone pale. Her breath was shallow, caught somewhere between hope and terror. She wasn’t just praying to the goddess—she was begging her. Pleading silently. For her child. Their child. .com
Damien stood beside her, tall and still, as though daring anyone in that room to even breathe wrong. But when he looked at her, his entire demeanor softened. He wasn’t the prince of Blood City then, or the heir to a throne in chaos. He was just her mate. Her protector. Her lover.
Veyron adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves with a sigh. "Princess, you must relax."
Damien leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, letting his lips linger. A quiet warmth spread through her chest. "It doesn’t matter what he says. It’s our child. True blood or not."
Luna nodded, blinking back the burn of tears, and reached for his hand. She held it with both of hers.
"I’m going to touch you now, Princess," Veyron said, and she nodded once more.
The sage placed one hand on her abdomen. His palm was cool. She inhaled sharply.
Veyron closed his eyes, his brow furrowed in concentration as his fingers pressed lightly, seeking, listening. Luna held her breath again. Damien’s grip on her hand tightened ever so slightly.
The council watched, silent, waiting for the verdict.
Veyron shifted his hand, repositioned it, and tried again. Then he pulled away with a sigh and slowly rose to his feet.
"All done?" Luciver asked, not moving from his seat, but the edge in his voice betrayed his anticipation.
"Yes, Your Highness." Veyron turned to face the throne. "The princess indeed carries a child."
There was a murmur, soft and rippling through the room.
"But," Veyron added, and Luna could feel her stomach sink, "it is hard to tell in the early stages if the child is a true blood."
She could hear Gabriel scoff behind her. The bastard probably thought he’d won.
Veyron raised one hand. "However... I do hear a heartbeat."
"Ah ah!" Gabriel exploded. He took a step forward.
"Quiet!" Luciver’s voice roared across the chamber. The King’s eyes blazed, his usual humor gone, replaced with iron resolve. "Let him speak." He gestured to Veyron with a clipped nod. "Please, continue."
Veyron, who had stood patiently through the outbursts, turned back to face the throne. "I hear a heartbeat," he said slowly, the words measured, heavy, "but it is faint. Almost like it is fading away."
Gasps surged through the council. Luna’s body went rigid. Damien’s hand crushed hers tighter. The whisper of hope that had fluttered in her chest now trembled on the brink of shattering.
Luciver’s brow furrowed. "Are you saying the child is dying?"
Veyron shook his head with calm finality. "No, Your Highness. It undergoing a natural change. Transformative. But until the pregnancy advances further, it’s impossible to be a hundred percent certain. However..." He paused, his gaze flickering to Luna, then Damien. "I can assure you—the chances the child will be born a true blood are high."
The chamber erupted. A cacophony of relief, celebration, and astonishment swept over the lords. Cheers burst out. Councilman Richard looked like he was about to burst into tears.
Damien turned to Luna, eyes glossy with emotion. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. His grip on her hand said everything: We did it. We made it. You and me—our child...we’re winning.
Luna exhaled shakily, blinking hard. "Goddess..." she whispered, leaning into him. Her body was trembling from the weight of it all lifting off her shoulders just enough for her to breathe.
"Well," Luciver finally said, rising from the throne. "It has been a long day. Staggering revelations. And no small amount of melodrama."
He cast Gabriel a long, dry look.
"To keep the people’s minds at ease, Sage Veyron, you will check the princess regularly and give the council updates."
Veyron gave a curt nod. "Understood."
"I also task you with finding the princess a doctor familiar with werewolf biology. She cannot go through this without proper care."
Luna dipped her head in gratitude. Damien squeezed her hand once more.
"In the meantime," Luciver continued, "the council is dismissed." Then, with a final blow, he added, "And Lord Gabriel is effectively relieved of his position as a Lord of the council."
"You cannot do this!" Gabriel roared. "I am a royal!" f.(r)eewe/bnov\ll.com
"Which is why you have been on the council for this long," Luciver said. His eyes bored into Gabriel with unmistakable finality. "But you have clearly shown that you cannot be trusted, which is evident by everyone present here today."
(They just made Gabriel even more volatile)