“Yes, Sire.” Kaede bowed his head, pulling out a foldable tablet and getting to work. “Anything else you want me to convey to my sisters about renovating the nestroom?”
“Not at the moment, but I want an updated report of status and estimated timeline.”
“Understood.”
“If we are allowed to work here, can I request the record of Selena’s full exam?” Zyxel asked, glancing at the central display table. “I was denied permission to examine her on the journey here, so I am curious about her results, especially since Kaede reported she was in rough shape before her Oetsae healed her.”
“Selena denied our exam,” Chyox replied, confusion lacing his voice. “Are you saying you weren’t able to get a medical report on her while she was in your care?”
“No, we couldn’t. Without an exam, we couldn’t be sure she was all right.” Eyebrows drawing down and wings buzzing, he stepped closer. The silver speckles on his skin shimmered as he studied Selena’s body. “But I believe it’s necessary now.”
“Why do you say that?” Zirene asked, dread filling him. He couldn’t take any more bad news concerning his clan.
Celyze’s gaze dropped to her stomach for a moment before he looked up at Zirene, then Kaede. “Because she’s pregnant.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kaede
Kaede’s tablet fell from his hand.
“Can you repeat that?” he muttered. His lack of sleep and stress must have finally caught up to him.
“Selena’s pregnant,” the Cosmic Soul repeated, holding his gaze. The silver spots on his sapphire skin shimmered like stardust. “Congratulations.”
Ice filled his veins as time stopped, and the world caved in around him.
“It can’t be…” He shook his head, running through the conversations about birth control in his head. He couldn’t remember. “I can’t do this to her…I can’t be like—”
“Like whom?” Zirene demanded. “Me?”
“Yes, you!” Kaede hissed. “You forced her to be a mother, and here”—he pointed to Selena’s stomach—“I’ve done the very thing I promised myself I would never do.”
“You know I had to make her a Seedbearer to protect her,” Zirene retorted, seething. “I’ve already been judged for my actions, begged plenty of times for her mercy, and tried to pay for her grievances.”
“But you still didn’t discuss and plan it with her,” Kaede snapped. “You could’ve told her anytime, but you didn’t. Now, she is pregnant again. Unplanned, again. But, this time, I’ve done it to her.”
The room fell silent as Z glared at him, his tail flicking aggressively. If looks could kill, Kaede would’ve been long dead, but he didn’t care. He needed to confront Z, and, now, he could do so freely, since they were clanmates.
“Why didn’t you prevent it?”he pathed to REI.“You knew I didn’t want to sire any offspring, and yet, you allowed it to happen. Why?”
“We discussed how to make you sterile, but you never permitted me to do so. Instead, you told me to focus on finding Selena and delaying your mating heat. Since you never mentioned the topic again, I thought you weren’t interested.”
“You thought wrong.”
Kaede charged Selena’s Oetsae, feeling the need to punch him though he knew his fist would never make an impact.
“Why didn’tyouprevent it?” Kaede demanded. “You can’t tell me she wanted this.”
“Just like you, Selena only inquired about birth control but never requested any,” Euouae explained. “I assume news of her pregnancy won’t surprise her, considering how often you two mated.”
“I would have been surprised if shedidn’tbecome pregnant,” Zyxel huffed, crossing his arms. “I warned you about your alpha Ezzaska genes. YourBahzylvenom isn’t only meant to incite arousal; it makes a nestqueen’s body welcome your sperm by negating her natural defenses.”
“You never mentioned that,” Kaede spat. “Though, you didn’t hesitate to share how many alpha Ezzaska are willing to assault people.”
Growling, he stalked away from the male who had withheld valuable information about his species, caging the urge to take out his frustrations on him and kill him. Gripping his horns, he banged his forehead against the wall, fisting his hands between his horns and the wall as a reminder of the pain he would soon be inflicting on his star.
How could this happen?
