The Vampire King's Pet-Chapter 288: I’ll Marry You.

Zyren didn’t immediately respond as he drew her closer, one hand sliding to the small of her back with that familiar, unyielding possessiveness that always made Aira tense. His eyes—dark, sharp, and far too observant—locked onto hers, studying every twitch of her expression like he could read her thoughts through her skin. Aira felt her stomach tighten, not from fear exactly, but from the heaviness of being caught in a moment she didn’t ask for. She didn’t pull away. She didn’t dare. She had learned long ago that trying to force distance between them was pointless. Zyren was stronger, faster, and more stubborn than any attempt she could ever make.

And whenever she resisted too obviously, he followed her. Step for step. Room to room. He had no concept of boundaries, not with her. The last thing she wanted was him trailing her back to her room, hovering over her until she felt suffocated. So she stood still, trapped in his hold, refusing to react even though she could feel his breath lightly brushing across her cheek.

A moment of silence settled—heavy, stretched, almost uncomfortable. She waited, her jaw tight, her gaze steady but cold. Finally, Zyren’s lips parted.

"Fine. You may leave," he said, the words sharp but softened by the way he leaned in.

Before she could move, he pressed his lips to her forehead. A soft kiss—gentle, warm, far too tender considering the chaotic, unbalanced dynamic between them. Aira’s brows pulled together instantly. The gesture didn’t match them. Didn’t match him. It felt wrong, misplaced, like he was trying to act like something he wasn’t.

"I’ll see you soon," he added, releasing her slowly, his fingers dragging off her waist with a reluctance he didn’t bother hiding.

Aira nodded once, stiff and brief, carefully avoiding saying anything more. She turned and stepped away, grateful for the distance even though she didn’t let that relief show on her face. She barely made it three steps before Zyren spoke again.

"We’ll be leaving in two days, so you might as well get ready."

She heard the words, but she didn’t turn around. His tone was too soft—too gentle for someone like him. It made her brows furrow even harder as she walked. Not because she didn’t know what he meant, but because she had expected him to bring it up again at a worse time. She wasn’t surprised. She already knew about the departure. There wasn’t much to prepare.

’It’s not like there’s anything much to prepare,’ she thought dryly.

The hallways were thankfully empty. No curious vampires watching her movements, no guards silently tracking her like she was a loose animal, and—most importantly—no Lady Vivian. The woman had been unusually distant lately, avoiding Aira entirely. Normally she made it her mission to give Aira hell with every opportunity she had, but recently she’d stayed away like Aira carried some kind of disease. Aira didn’t question it. She welcomed the silence.

She reached her room and found Rymora already waiting outside the door, standing straight with the same patient stiffness she always had. The sight wasn’t surprising. Rymora waited for her every day, always hovering, always ready to serve, even when Aira repeatedly told her not to.

"You can leave. You don’t have to wait on me all day," Aira said as she approached.

It was their quiet arrangement—one that let Rymora sleep on her bed instead of on the cold stone floor like the other maids. Rymora always nodded, grateful, but she never looked fully relaxed.

This time was no different. She nodded her head in understanding, but hesitation lingered in her eyes. She clearly wanted to stay. She always did.

Aware of the protection that Aira’a presence afforded her from Lord Drehk’s whose presence had grown much more intense only worsened by the reveal he made in their last conversation.

What was supposed to be a temporary arrangement filled with nothing but pleasure had suddenly become entanglement she couldn’t seem to get rid of .

"I feel weird," Aira said suddenly as she pushed her door open going into her room.

Rymora blinked, worried, but Aira brushed it off before she could respond.

"Sleeping a bit more would help," she muttered. "Good night."

She stepped inside and closed the door, leaving Rymora alone in the hallway.

Inside, Aira took a slow breath. Her ability could heal, and healing herself had always been the easiest thing—cuts faded, bruises vanished, soreness evaporated. But the waves of nausea she’d been feeling lately weren’t something she could simply mend. They came suddenly, washed over her hard, then disappeared just as quickly. It was bizarre. Unsettling.

She stripped, stepped into the bath, cleaned herself without rushing, then dried off and dropped onto her bed with a dull thud. Staring up at the ceiling, she tried to make sense of the feeling twisting in her stomach.

’If I wasn’t so sure it was impossible, I would think I was pregnant.’

She scoffed at her own thought. Ridiculous. Impossible. A vampire couldn’t get a human pregnant. Everyone knew that. And even if by some miracle it could happen, she had taken precautions—drugs she procured herself, strong enough to kill anything growing inside her long before it became a problem.

If a baby had ever started growing, it was long dead.

Rymora left the upper wing of the castle quickly, keeping her head down. She didn’t want to be stopped. Didn’t want to be seen. She practically rushed down the stairs, her only goal being to reach the servants’ quarters, lock the door, and hide until she could figure out what to do next.

She had tried to leave the castle earlier. The guards stopped her instantly. They told her plainly: she could not step outside without Lord Drehk’s explicit permission. Which meant she needed another plan—one that didn’t involve the gate or the guards or anyone who’d report back to him.

A deep frown formed on her face. Her hand drifted to her belly. She wasn’t showing yet, but she knew what was coming. Once the baby grew, shifting into her wolf form would be impossible. She’d be trapped in one body—vulnerable, slow, easier to control. She needed to leave fast, before she became physically incapable of escape.

"I need to leave as fast as possible," she whispered to herself.

She trusted Aira to take care of herself. Aira always did. Rymora, however, had no one to rely on. And if she wanted to survive—and if she wanted her child to survive—she needed to move before everything became harder.

She was making her way down the servant stairwell when she heard footsteps—light, but deliberate. She looked up and froze.

Lord Drehk’s butler.

Her heart dropped, then spiked painfully. Her breath caught. The man’s presence was enough to send a jolt through her body—part fear, part anger, part something she refused to name.

Hatred burned in her eyes as she stared at him.

"Lord Drehk requests your presence," he said, hands clasped behind his back, face expressionless.

He didn’t need to say anything else. If she refused, they would drag her to Drehk anyway. Whether she walked or was carried didn’t matter to them.

The carriage ride to his quarters felt short, too short. She barely had time to steady her breathing before she was standing in front of his door.

The butler didn’t stay. He simply left her there, alone.

Rymora didn’t knock. She wasn’t going to pretend she wanted to be there. She simply stood stiffly, waiting, planning to wait until morning if she had to. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Then the door opened suddenly.

Standing there was Lord Drehk—tall, muscular, hair cut short, skin tanned, a man who easily towered over her with twice her strength and more than enough power to break her in half.

He smiled—a gentle smile, warm in a way that made her stomach twist. Before she could step back or react, he pulled her into his chest.

"I missed you," he whispered, voice tight, like the words were dragged straight from his lungs.

He hugged her tightly, arms firm, possessive, affectionate in a way that confused her more than anything else. And worst of all, every part of him said he meant it.

He pulled her into the room and shut the door behind them, not releasing her even as she refused to meet his eyes.

Then his hand slid under her gown—fast, familiar—and grabbed her bare butt. She gasped, jerking slightly, glaring at him with a mixture of fury and disbelief.

He only chuckled, amused and disturbingly gentle despite the way he held her.

"I missed you enough that I see no reason why you should not stay here permanently," he said, voice low and rough. "You carry my child."

"What?" Rymora choked out, her silence breaking instantly.

"I will protect you"

"With the Zygon issue going on, I will not endanger you nor my child," he said firmly. His tone left no space for disagreement. No room for argument. No door for escape.