Five

SIENNA

I must be out of my mind. This was what I thought every single day since I was released from the cell. It was true that the Lycan king meant well for me. But, if Nathan found out where I was, the situation could ignite the dying war.

My plan was to find a way to sneak out of the palace and run far away where I would settle down as a rogue. But, I found myself becoming too comfortable.

I must admit that I'd been afraid of the Lycan king. I still couldn't understand why I'd seen the vision of him stabbing me with a sword. But, I soon got over it, the more I spent time with his majesty.

Apart from being drop dead gorgeous, he had a poor sense of humour. He had his awkward moments which pinpointed his cuteness amidst all that hotness.

And, just like that... seventeen days passed.

Waking up to a pounding in my head was definitely not my favourite thing. The rays of the morning sun radiated all over my room through the window which had been kept open, through the night.

Wincing, I sat up and pressed my palm to my forehead, willing the ache to fade on it's own.

With my mood dampened, I got out of bed, only for a sickening bout of nausea to wash over me. My knees buckled and I reached over to the wall to steady myself while my head swam with dizziness.

I sank down to the bed, burying my head in my hands. I remained still until the nausea and dizziness passed.

After taking my bath, I got dressed. The moment I was about to head out, a servant stopped by to inform me that the king had requested that I had breakfast with him.

Unable to fight off the growing smile on my face, I made my way to the dining room with the help of the servant.

At the sight of King Luca's handsome face, I lowered my head, my face suddenly feeling hot.

"Sienna, there are some people I'd like you to meet" Luca said.

I looked up, surprised. I hadn't noticed the two people sitting there. The woman had a mischievous smile on her face, her emerald eyes glowing. She had a scar which started from the top of her lip to her jaw. Her blonde hair was cut into a faux hawk style. Beside her sat a raven haired man with bright yellow eyes and a crooked smile. He had his hair pulled up into a high bun, a few strands of hair falling over his face.

"This is Erwin, my right hand man. He's my beta" Luca said, gesturing at the man.

"That's Sara, his sister."

They didn't look the slightest bit alike, it was puzzling.

"Nice to meet you, Sienna. We've heard about you" Erwin grinned.

There was a strange twinkle in his eyes. One that unnerved me.

Once we all settled down to eat, the smell of the food started to get to me. I desperately tried to hide my discomfort, but I failed.

Mumbling an apology, I hurried out of the dining room. I felt like an idiot.

However, when these awful symptoms persisted, I realized that I might actually be pregnant.

To confirm this, I decided to meditate. This was a way to sense if there was a creature growing within me.

Sitting on the floor of my room, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It took a while before I could fully delve into my essence. It didn't take long before I felt it.

I didn't have a wolf. It was obvious that this growing energy within me was that of a different creature.

"A baby?" I croaked, sweat sliding down the sides of my face.

A fresh bout of nausea overtook me and I rushed to the bathroom to heave.

When I was done, I sat on the cold floor of the bathroom, tears rolling down my cheeks in floods. Sobs racked my body as I envisioned myself with a baby bump. At the same time, fear weaved it's way into my mind at the thought of going into labour.

"I can't do this. I'm not ready, mum. What do I do? I can barely take care of myself" I cried, curling up against the cold wall.

...

Startled by the knock on the door, I got out of bed. I'd cried myself to sleep for the third time in a row.

I headed towards the door and opened it when I got to it.

I gasped, surprised to see Luca at the door. A wave of emotions swarmed me as our gazes met.

I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that this man was the father of the child in my womb.

"You could have just sent for me, your majesty" I said.

He blinked.

"You don't look well," he pointed out.

Instinctively, I brought my hands to my face in an attempt to hide it from him.

"I'm alright, really."

"I just wanted to see you" he uttered. Dropping my hands from my face, I stared at him with wide eyes.

"Oh..."

"From this point onwards, you're not allowed to step out of your quarter. I will assign a servant to you," he stated.

I furrowed my brows, confused.

"All of a sudden? You were fine with it, no?"

"It's an order, Sienna."

With that, he walked away. I stood there, stupefied.

Why? It didn't make sense. Something had changed but I couldn't place a finger on it. Moreover, whatever it was, it was bad.

If I was supposed to remain trapped in my quartets, how was I supposed to tell him that I was pregnant?

Days passed in a painfully slow way. Apart from the dreadful morning sickness that kept wrecking my system, I was having a mental crisis.

I didn't have anyone to talk to. I'd never been prepared for this. My mother had died way before I hit puberty, so she never taught me anything about how to cope with being pregnant.

My assigned servant was such a sweetheart. Although she didn't say it, I had a feeling she was aware of my pregnancy.

Amidst the chaos that was threatening to steal my sanity, I missed Luca terribly. I wanted to see him again.

So, when Raine, my servant, visited again, I pleaded with her to tell me what was going on.

"Everything is going as it should, miss. You don't have to worry" was her response.

I didn't stop there. I kept probing. Eventually, she caved in.

...

I stared at the golden doors leading to the inner court, a feeling of foreboding weighing down on me.

"His majesty has been unwell for a while now. I don't know the full details. But, the palace attendants have been very quiet about it."

Those were Raine's words. Overcome with worry, I'd decided to go in search of Luca. At the same time, I planned to tell him about my pregnancy.

Taking a deep breath, I walked into the inner court and was greeted with the sight of Luca sitting on his royal seat at the far end of the court. He was facing the wall, his back to me.

The frown on my face faded as relief sank into me. I was relieved to know that his illness was not severe enough to leave him bedridden.

"Your majesty?" I called out, wiping my sweaty palms against my black dress.

He didn't respond or move.

"Your majesty, it's me, Sienna" I said, moving towards him.

"What are you doing here?"

I froze in my steps, a lump lodging itself in my throat.

King Luca's voice was icy and menacing. He had always been intimidating. Despite being intimidating, I'd grown to enjoy his presence within a very short period of time.

But, today, it was a lot worse. He seemed to be in a terrible mood. I wondered if this was as a result of his illness.

"I...I heard that you were feeling unwell..."

He cut me off.

"I asked you not to step out of your assigned quarter, didn't I?" He demanded.

"I...I know...I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong" I said, swallowing hard.

Luca growled, the terrifying sound bouncing off the walls of the inner court. The hair at the back of my neck stood stiff, my heart racing in my chest.

Now more than ever, the feeling of foreboding was intense.

I watched with bated breath as he rose from his seat, his black robe slipping off his broad shoulders. It fell to the ground and pooled at his feet.

"Sienna, you must leave right this instant" he said.

"But-"

Before I could blink, he was standing before me. One of his eyes had turned pitch black. Terror washed over me as he stared down at me, his face devoid of expression.

"You should not hesitate when you're given an order" he deadpanned without blinking.

"I-I have something to tell you" I stuttered, my eyes clouding up with tears.

He tilted his head a little. Then, he sharply exhaled through his nose.

"I don't want to hear it. Leave."

Nonetheless, he needed to know that he was about to become a father. If I couldn't tell him now, it could take a while before I would get another chance.

I was anxious and worried at the same time. This was my first time being pregnant. I needed his help. I needed him to be by my side.

"Luca, I-"

The words had barely left my lips when he wrapped his fingers around my throat, constricting my airway. My eyes bulged in their sockets as I strained for air, horrified.