Lucius's pupils contracted. The hand holding the goblet trembled almost imperceptibly.

He masked it quickly, fear replaced by the typical, offended pride of a Lord.

"Rhiannon, what is that look?" he snarled, using his aura to suppress his own guilt. "I am your mate! Your Lord! Would I harm you? Would I harm my own heir?"

I could smell the reek of desperation on him.

Mate?

I laughed silently.

In my last life, this "fated mate" was the one who plunged the blessed silver dagger into my heart.

The one who hurt me most was never my enemy.

It was you, Lucius.

But I didn't call his bluff.

I knew this poison wouldn't cause permanent harm to a healthy vampire.

It would only induce severe, muscle-tearing cramps.

The perfect prop for my performance.

"Of course not," I said softly. "I'm just nervous."

I tilted my head back and drank it all.

Lucius let out a breath of relief, a savage victory in his eyes.

The poison worked faster than I expected.

Five minutes later, a violent, burning cramp seized my abdomen.

The pain was real. A cold sweat broke out across my skin, soaking my silk nightgown.

I collapsed onto the sofa, letting out a pained groan. "Ah… it hurts…"

Just then, the color drained from Lucius's face.

He clutched his temples—a sign of the old emotional link.

"Damn it! Lilith's in labor too!"

He roared in panic, completely forgetting about me writhing in "agony," and dematerialized into a black mist, rushing out of the castle.

The rain was coming down in sheets.

Lucius’s car tore out of the castle like a beast. In the back seat, drenched, was Lilith.

We'd picked her up.

Her screams nearly shattered the car windows.

"Lucius! Save me! Something is clawing at me from the inside!" She dug her nails deep into his arm. "It hurts! Our baby… we're going to die!"

"Don't be afraid, Lilith, don't be afraid!" Lucius yelled, one hand on the wheel, turning to soothe her, his eyes filled with heartbreak. "I'm here! I swear I would trade my immortal life for yours and the child's!"

And what about me?

I was curled up in the corner of the spacious back seat, pretending to be pale with pain. Lucius didn't even glance at me.

I was just cargo he’d thrown in the back.

The car screeched to a halt in front of the Covenant's private clinic.

Blood-servants were already waiting.

"Quick! Get Lilith first! She's critical!" Lucius roared, shoving away a servant who rushed to help me.

He swept Lilith into his arms and bolted for the emergency entrance.

As she moaned weakly in his embrace, Lilith shot me a triumphant smirk over his shoulder.

I was left alone in the downpour.

The icy rain lashed down, plastering my hair to my face, but I felt nothing.

This cold was a pale imitation of the one that had settled in my soul the day he killed me.

A few minutes later, two servants finally rushed out with a wheelchair. "My Lady, hold on!"

I was wheeled into the Ritual Chamber.

The moment the cold steel door slammed shut, my act was over.

Standing before the ritual table was my physician—Marcus.

He had already sent everyone else away, leaving only his two most trusted servants.

Our eyes met.

Marcus glanced at my swollen belly, his expression a mix of awe and fear.

He gave a silent, firm nod.

Everything was in place.

The minutes ticked by.

The thunder outside masked all the dirty deeds taking place.

Hours later, in the dead of night.

My ward was silent except for the steady beep… beep… of a heart monitor.

I lay in bed, eyes closed, breathing evenly, as if I had passed out from "ritual exhaustion."

But every muscle in my body was coiled, my senses on high alert.

The lock clicked. Someone slipped in.

An instant, nauseating stench hit me.

Wet earth, wild beast, and old blood.

The reek of a werewolf.

The footsteps were light and hesitant, filled with guilt, as they approached my bed.

It was Lucius.

He was carrying a tightly wrapped bundle.

Even through the thick blanket, I could hear a sound that was half-growl, half-whimper.

It was the monster Lilith had birthed.

Lucius held his breath, tiptoeing to my bedside.

His hands were trembling as he prepared to swap this reeking infant for the pureblood heir that never existed.

He leaned in, the monster's face just inches from my neck.

In that exact moment…

My eyes snapped open.

In the dim glow of the nightlight, my gaze, sharp and cold, locked onto his terrified, twisted face.

"My Lord," my voice cut through the darkness. "What are you doing?"

My voice made Lucius jolt so hard he almost dropped the bundle.

The movement angered the thing in his arms.

The infant let out a piercing sound, something between a cry and a snarl.

It wasn't the sound of a vampire fledgling, but something far more feral.

A corner of the blanket came loose. I saw a pair of eyes flash with a wild, gold light.

And two small, sharp canines.

The half-breed mongrel was starving, eager to sink its teeth into the nearest living thing.

Lucius's expression shifted rapidly—from terror to guilt, and finally, to cold resolve.

He took a sharp step back and threw the snarling monster onto my bed!

"Gods! Rhiannon!"

Lucius let out a deafening roar, his performance hitting its climax. "Look what you've done! You've birthed… a monster!"

The creature landed at my feet and immediately began crawling toward me, trying to get a taste of my blood.

I calmly lifted my foot and pinned it to the sheets by its chest with the tip of my boot, immobilizing it.

"Nice acting, my Lord," I said softly.

But my voice was drowned out.

The door burst open.

Lilith, who had been waiting outside, rushed in.

She was in a thin hospital gown, looking pale and weak, but her voice was surprisingly loud.

"What is it? Lucius, what's happened?"

Lilith ran to the bedside and let out a theatrical scream at the sight of the half-breed pinned under my foot.

She clapped a hand over her mouth as fake blood-tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Oh, by the First Sire… Lady Rhiannon…"

She pointed a trembling finger at me, her eyes full of fake disbelief and hurt. "How could you? For power… you betrayed our kind and consorted with those filthy werewolves?"

The hallway was instantly crowded.

Physicians, servants, and several Covenant Elders and Knights.

It was obvious they had all been invited by Lilith to watch this "show."

Everyone saw the canine-toothed infant struggling and snarling at my feet.

Shock.

Then, overwhelming fury.

"A werewolf mongrel!"

"We're bleeding for the Covenant on the front lines, and our Lady is sleeping with the enemy behind our backs!"

"Kill the monster! Kill the traitor!" The crowd was a sea of rage.

The Knights' eyes glowed red, low growls rumbling in their chests.

In a time of war, there is no greater treason than tainting the bloodline.

Lucius stood in the center of it all, his back ramrod straight.

He looked at me with a mask of anguish, even managing to squeeze out a few blood-tears.

"Rhiannon, I loved you, I trusted you… and you bring me this shame."

He took a deep breath, his Lord's aura washing over the room, silencing the chaos.

"As Lord of the Shadow-Crest Covenant, I will not tolerate this betrayal that defiles our blood!"

Lucius raised his right hand, pointing his finger at my nose, his voice cold and merciless.

"I hereby strip Rhiannon of all her titles! She is no longer our Lady! She is no longer under the protection of this Covenant!"

Lilith, hiding behind him with a smirk on her lips, was still crying out, "Lucius, she must have been confused… can't you spare her?"

"Traitors don't deserve to live!" Lucius cut her off righteously, then roared at the doorway, "Temple Knights! Seize this traitor and throw her into the Sun-Scorched Dungeon!"

The death sentence was passed.

Everyone expected me to cry, to beg.

I didn't.

I sat on the bed, my foot still pinning Lilith's monster.

Then, Lilith's gaze darted to my bed.

To the slight bulge under the covers.

As if she realized her little charade was missing something.

A new mother needed a baby in her arms.

The perfect prop for a devastating accusation.

She sucked in a breath, her face contorting into a perfect mask of victimhood.

"No! That under the blankets is my child!" Lilith shrieked, her voice hoarse with a chillingly real panic.

She pointed a trembling finger at me, her performance reaching its peak, scarlet tears streaming down her face.

"She took my baby! Lucius! She swapped our children! She's jealous that I gave you a pureblood heir!"

The sudden accusation stunned everyone into silence.

"She's hiding him! Give me back my son!"

Like a madwoman, Lilith lunged for my bed. She shoved past the servants trying to stop her and scrambled for the bundle under the sheets, her hands reaching out in desperation.

"My heir…" she murmured, her hands closing around the swaddled form.

But the moment she lifted the bundle—

She froze.