Page 102 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

Alice nods. “I would have gone myself,” she says. “But it’s heavily guarded. And since it’s in your kingdom’s territory, I couldn’t bring my forces without causing a diplomatic fucking disaster.” Her eyes meet mine, unrelenting. “But you can.”

I don’t hesitate. “Jack, get the men ready. We move now.”

Jack nods sharply and strides out of the room without another word.

My mind is already ahead, already there, envisioning every step of what’s to come. The storm is building inside me, rage and adrenaline colliding, sharpening into a singular, unrelenting purpose.

I’m going to find him. I’m going to end him. And I’m going to get her back.

But just as I turn to leave, Alice grabs my arm.

I whip my head toward her, my patience razor thin. “Alice, we don’t have time—”

“There’s something you need to know,” she interrupts. Something in her tone makes my stomach twist. There’s a hesitation in her eyes. A flicker of something beneath all the anger and urgency. And I realize—she’s not just angry. She’s holding something back.

“What is it?” My voice is low, wary.

Alice’s lips press into a thin line. “It’s Katherine,” she says. “She’s pregnant.”

The words detonate in my skull. I go completely still. My breath stops.

Katherine is pregnant.

The world around me dims, the war room, the chaos—it all fades into white noise.

That’s why she’s been asking me how I feel about having children. It’s why she was so upset when I suggested we would be happy without children. It’s why it meant so much to her.

Oh, fuck.

“Are you sure?” My voice is barely above a whisper.

Alice nods.

My entire chest tightens.

This isn’t just about my fated mate anymore. Not just about Katherine.

Valerian has my child.

A violent, visceral protectiveness explodes through me.

Alice holds my gaze. “You need to get to her. Now.”

I swallow hard, pushing through the storm raging inside me, locking onto the one thing that matters.

I nod once. “We’re leaving.”

Alice follows without question. The time for talking is over.

Now, I move. Now, I hunt. And now, I end Valerian once and for all.

Chapter Twenty Five

Katherine

Pain.

It hits me the moment I stir awake, a throbbing, nauseating ache that pulses through my skull like a drumbeat. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to steady myself, but the memories—faint and fragmented—start pushing through the fog. Flashes of movement. A dull roar of an engine. A plane. Then… a car? The disorienting sensation of being lifted, carried. And then—darkness.

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