My fingers tremble against my belly as her words sink in.
Something is very wrong here. Ronan's warning from the dungeon echoes in my mind: "Don't trust anyone." Could Ronan really have...? The thought of my brother harming an innocent child makes me sick, but his last words in the dungeon haunt me. His wild eyes, his desperation. Maybe his loyalty to our blood, to our family's destiny, drove him to something unthinkable.
"Kael," I say, my voice shaking as I meet his steel-grey eyes. "I swear I knew nothing about this. I would never hurt a child, never conspire with anyone to—"
"Liar!" Sabrina twists in Kael's grip, her fingers curled into claws as she tries to reach me. "Throw her back in the dungeon where she belongs! She'll kill my next child too, don't you see? She wants to be the only one to give you an heir!"
Kael's gaze shifts between us, conflict etched in his features. I see the war raging behind his eyes—his instinct to protect his current Luna warring with whatever feelings still linger for me.
My heart pounds against my ribs as I unconsciously back away, one hand pressed to my swollen belly. The baby could come any day now. If Kael throws me in the dungeon again... A cold wave of terror washes over me as I imagine giving birth in that dank darkness, alone and chained.
Kael's hand cracks across Sabrina's face with devastating force. The sound echoes through the bathroom as she crumples in his grip, a whimper escaping her lips.
"How dare you question my judgment?" His voice drops to that deadly register that makes every wolf's blood run cold. "Your insolence borders on treason, Sabrina. Have you forgotten who I am? Who you're speaking to?"