Chapter 140

Lusia It was a bit of an effort for me to settle on the bed, which creaked under my weight. The prickly wool blanket scratched against my thighs, and my fingers tightly curled around the vial. It was pure glass, with a slick, cool surface, and an unblemished liquid trapped within, shimmering softly to the light of the torch like a distant star. I stared at the vial with shallow breaths, unable to rid my mind of the masked woman's voice—use it secretly, on yourself and the Lycan King, to strengthen your womb, his seed. A flutter of ecstasy and dread tore through my stomach as my thumb traced along the curve of the vial. Just then, Dane threw me into confusion—his soft lips on my forehead, a promise to think of claiming me. Oh, I wanted it, wanted him, wanted to believe that I would hold his heir, to prove Kiara wrong. Still, gut feelings suggested something was wrong: splinters that seemed jammed deep. The woman had spoken with such conviction. Her masked face had concealed any clues, b