Page 105 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

He clicks his tongue, shaking his head.

“Well, I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but he’s already killed you.”

My stomach plummets.

“He put a baby in you,” Valerian says, tilting his head, almost thoughtful. “He knew what it meant. And yet, he still did it. What hope do you have now?”

My mind floods with memories instantly. The way Alex’s body stiffened on the eve of my birthday when I mentioned how much I have wanted a child of my own. The hesitation in his eyes during our last date. The way his fingers tightened ever so slightly when I had asked him about children.

I thought it was reluctance. Cold feet. A lack of enthusiasm for something I wanted so badly. I had resented him for it.

But now…

Now, I know.

He wasn’t reluctant. He was terrified. Because he knew.

A lump forms in my throat, thick and suffocating.

He was trying to protect me. And I—I was angry at him for it.

The guilt crashes into me, raw and brutal, mixing with the fear that’s already swirling through my veins.

Valerian watches me, his smirk unwavering.

Then he exhales, as if reminiscing. “It’s funny, really. How life comes back around like this.”

I don’t respond. I can’t.

But he doesn’t need me to. He keeps going, voice dipping into something almost distant, lost in the past.

“You see,” he says, “I was supposed to be king.”

I blink, thrown off.

He takes a step back, pacing now, his fingers trailing absently along the rough wooden walls.

“I was the oldest. The older brother of Alex’s father. The rightful heir. It should’ve been me on that throne.” His jaw clenches. “But then I fell in love. With a human.”

He lets out a quiet, humorless laugh.

“They warned me,” he says. “Everyone warned me. Told me it was a mistake. That a human and a wolf could never truly be together. But I didn’t listen. I loved her. And when she got pregnant, I thought—” He swallows, his hands clenching into fists. “I thought it was the start of something beautiful.”

A beat of silence. Then his voice drops.

“But she died.” A sharp pain echoes in his voice.

“She died in labor,” he grits out. “And so did the baby.” His eyes flash. “And because of that, the council denied me the throne. They said I was unfit to rule. That I had no heir, no queen. So they gave it to my brother instead.” His teeth grind together. “And I lost everything.”

I swallow hard, my pulse pounding.

He turns back to me, eyes dark, full of something cruel.

“It’s funny,” he murmurs, almost amused again. “Alex is in the exact same situation now.” He crouches beside me, his lips curling. “And let me ask you, Katherine…” He tilts his head. “Do you really think he’ll make the same mistake I did?”

I glare at him, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Alex will come for me.” My voice shakes, but my conviction is solid.

---