Aira slowly ate in the dining hall with Zyren, taking her ti with the al even though she barely tasted any of it.
Zyren sat right beside her ignoring his plate as he focused on the cup of wine in his hand.
When she was finally done, Aira rose from her seat and inford Zyren that she intended to visit Liora.
Zyren imdiately offered to follow her, but she simply told him that it wasn’t necessary.
She explained that she would be taking guards with her, and although it was already late, she didn’t foresee an attack—especially since Zyren was in the city and there were so many guards stationed throughout the area.
She was surprised when Zyren simply nodded and let her go.
Before she could turn away, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead.
It caught her off guard.
She didn’t know how to receive it.
His kisses on her lips were sexual and familiar, sothing she understood. But when he kissed other parts of her body, especially her forehead, it unsettled her in a way she couldn’t quite place.
She didn’t pull away, but she also didn’t respond.
Picking up a cloak from a nearby chair, she draped it over her shoulders and headed toward the waiting carriage. Before stepping outside, she sent for Rymora. It only took a few monts before Rymora appeared, moving quickly down the corridor.
Aira took one look at her.
Instead of speaking, she turned, retrieved another cloak, and handed it to Rymora before gesturing for her to follow.
Neither of them said anything as they made their way outside.
They got into the carriage together, the interior dimly lit, even as another carriage filled with guards positioned itself behind them, while a third took the lead in front. The formation moved as one.
The driver began guiding the carriage over the cobbled streets, the wheels rocking back and forth with a steady rhythm. The sound of hooves echoed faintly through the quiet city as Aira finally opened her mouth to speak.
"Where have you been? What’s up with you?" she asked.
At the exact sa mont, Rymora spoke, her voice tight and her expression sad.
"I’m sorry! I heard about... about your mother! May her soul be forever drenched in light!" Rymora said.
Aira simply nodded her head.
Speaking about her mother was the last thing she actually wanted to do. Still, she acknowledged it with a slow nod, keeping her expression composed.
She folded her gloved hands neatly in her lap before responding.
"It’s fine! I’m fine!" she told Rymora.
Then, without hesitation, she asked the question again.
"Are you? Are you fine?" Aira asked, a bit of worry evident in her gaze.
"I’ve been a bit distracted with all the things that have been happening, but clearly sothing is up with you!" Aira continued, her voice filled with conviction.
She would have asked earlier, but she had assud that whatever it was couldn’t be as serious as the things she herself was trying to fix in her life.
Yet the permanently haunted look in Rymora’s eyes the mont Aira really looked at her made her believe otherwise.
That belief was cented when tears instantly filled Rymora’s eyes. She tried her best to hold them back, blinking rapidly.
Her hands clenched against her thighs as she lowered her gaze, her arms trembling ever so slightly.
Aira waited.
Then she gently urged her.
"You can tell anything, I promise I don’t bite!" she said, a slight joke referring to the fact that she was human—unlike werewolves and vampires.
The next mont, Rymora raised her head and let out a small scoff.
"I trust you! It’s just..." she said, lowering her voice even though she knew the human driver wouldn’t be able to hear them.
In the softest tone she could muster, she finally said what had been weighing on her.
"I’m pregnant!"
The words stunned Aira.
It was the last thing she had been expecting to hear.
Still, her reaction was imdiate.
She bead with joy, leaning forward to grab Rymora’s hands.
"That’s great news!" she gasped.
Even as she said it, she noticed that tears had begun to fall down Rymora’s face.
"Even if the father is irresponsible, I have enough money that you won’t have to worry about money," Aira assured her.
Rymora shook her head harder.
The movent alone brought a flash of understanding to Aira.
"The father is human!" Rymora said.
That explained the tears.
Breeding with humans was strongly looked down upon. So much so that if any defects or disabilities were found, the baby would be cast out of the pack.
So were even secretly killed for the glory of the race.
"I thought it wasn’t possible, but then I guess even miracles happened!" Aira continued brightly.
She stopped when she t Rymora’s gaze.
There was sothing else there.
Sothing worse.
A horror she didn’t think she could fathom.
"It’s... it’s not human!" Rymora confessed, struggling to force the rest of the words out.
"The baby’s father is a vampire!" she said, the rest spilling out rapidly. "He... he fed a ball! He thought I... I was human, and sohow I thought it wouldn’t work since I was a werewolf, but... but it worked!"
"Wait... you an—" Aira tried to interrupt.
Rymora didn’t let her.
"I’m pregnant with a vampire’s child!" she hissed. "...I have never heard of such a thing in my life! If he finds out... if anyone finds out, they... they’ll kill —and worse, kill the baby!"
She gasped, wrapping her hands protectively around her stomach.
Tears stread down her face again, and she hurriedly wiped them away, refusing to let them linger.
"I’m... I’m terrified! Yes, I was also very, very stupid!" she admitted.
Aira nodded slowly, waiting for a mont to speak.
"I’m guessing it’s a Lord!" she said, knowing Rymora wasn’t foolish enough to get involved with a vampire unless compulsion was involved.
"Lord Drehk," Rymora clarified.
Aira nodded again.
Understanding settled in.
Inside, she gasped silently.
There’s a ball that can make a werewolf and a vampire conceive?
She felt a wave of relief that she had never swallowed anything from Zyren.
Aware that if the ball could work between a werewolf and a vampire—sothing that was apparently possible—then even a bit of it could easily get her pregnant.
"Have you told him?" Aira asked.
Rymora stared at her like she had lost her mind.
"What? Never! He’ll kill ! He’ll kill the baby!" Rymora responded, her agitation clear.
Aira nodded, even though internally she disagreed.
Lord Drehk doesn’t seem like soone who does things haphazardly.
"Relax! Relax! This is not a problem! I’ll ask Zyren and—"
"...but what if he... what if he hates the idea!" Rymora gasped.
Aira shook her head confidently.
"He wouldn’t!" she said.
Not as long as I’m here.
She left the rest unsaid as the carriage continued to rumble forward, the motion steady and unchanging.
Rymora slowly wiped her eyes dry, drawing in a shaky breath as she stared out the window.
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