“What?” I squeak, my voice catching in my throat. The moment the words left Sinclair’s mouth, my blood ran cold, and I felt as though I might topple over. I must have misheard him; surely he didn’t mean what I think he does.

“That night you heard someone growling in your bathroom?” Sinclair explained, stepping forward as though he wanted to reach for me, but stopping short when I flinched away. “I told you I didn’t smell anything… but I lied. There was someone in your rooms, I just didn’t want to scare you.”

“And you let me go back there, knowing there’d been an intruder?” I demanded, indignation swirling amidst my fear, surprise, and sorrow.

“Sweetheart, I had the guards do a thorough search of the grounds immediately. They were long gone, and I’ve had you sleeping in my rooms ever since. I also increased the guards during the day when I knew you’d be back there,” he said. “Trust me, I’ve done everything possible to ensure your safety.”

“Except tell me that I was in danger!” I cried. “It’s no wonder you flipped out when I went to see your father! And you blamed me as if I was supposed to know about the threat!”

“Ella—” He began placatingly.

“No!” I cut him off, stomping my foot in pure wrath. “How am I supposed to know it’s dangerous if you don’t tell me, Dominic?” I exclaimed. “You didn’t even tell me about the rogue attack, and that had nothing to do with me! All this time I thought you were being overbearing and overprotective, but I had no clue what was happening in my own life!” Too late, I realized my earlier desire to leave before crying was a lost cause. Tears slid down my cheeks as I continued. “How could you do that! You know what I went through with Mike. I spent years thinking I knew my situation, when it was all lies—and you turned around and did the exact same thing!”

Dominic’s usually golden skin paled. “Goddess Ella, I never even thought about it that way,” he admitted. “I was just trying to protect you and the pup. I didn’t want you to be afraid.”

“Well, all you actually did was make a fool of me,” I informed him stiffly. “And for the record, you also made me more vulnerable to danger. Do you think I would have ever considered sneaking away without guards if I knew someone might actually be after me? Do you believe I would ever risk my baby that way?”

“Ella, I’m sorry,” Sinclair professed, and I was amazed to see how earnest he looked. Gone was the bossy alpha who ordered everyone about and laid down the law when they defied him, replaced by a man truly humbled. “I’m truly, truly sorry. I was inconsiderate and patronizing—I assumed I knew what was best and never consulted you… I’ve been a hypocrite; I’ve been going on about being a team, but I’ve been acting like a tyrant,” he continued. “You were right, and that’s not the kind of parent I want to be.”

Despite my simmering anger, I was completely aghast. I never expected a man as powerful as Sinclair to admit a mistake—or any fault, for that matter. I thoroughly believed that people of his ilk never took responsibility for their actions because they had the privilege of passing it off onto someone else. Even men without means, like Mike, often couldn’t admit when they were wrong. In fact, as a woman, the number of times I’ve heard any man tell me I’m right in a disagreement is… well, I think this is the first time.

“Can you ever forgive me?” Sinclair continued, coming forward to brush the hair back from my face and look deep into my eyes.

I crossed my arms over my chest, tilted my chin up, and gave him a haughty sniff to hide my amazement. “As long as you promise never to do it again.”

“I promise that I’ll try to do better,” Sinclair vowed, taking hold of my arms. “I’m still an alpha, and hopefully a king. It’s in my nature to protect at all costs, and those instincts are strongest when it comes to she-wolves and pups. When I think about you in danger, my wolf fairly loses his mind, and I am truly concerned about this pregnancy. You’re high-risk as a human, and the longer your blood pressure stays elevated, the more likely you are to become high-risk in shifter terms, too.”

His words sent a frisson of fear through me. I’d been trying to tell myself all this worry was his overprotectiveness gone mad, but when he put it in these terms, I realized my baby and I might have a harder road ahead than I realized. I hadn’t considered myself high-risk simply because I’m a human carrying a shifter pup, but it makes sense. Again, I recalled the doctor’s warnings about the size of the fetus, the spotting incident, and now my persistent stress. I really don’t mind if I suffer, but the idea of my baby being at risk was enough to bowl me over.

“So I can’t say for certain that I’ll never slip up again,” Sinclair forged ahead, massaging my arms with the pads of his thumbs, “but I promise to always consider your perspective and consult you whenever I can.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, leaning into his warmth.

He nodded and kissed the top of my head, wrapping his strong arms around me. “Do you still want to sleep in your rooms?”

“Would you let me?” I inquired, already testing his resolve.

Sinclair offered a wolfish grin. “As long as you let me post enough guards at the door.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “I want to stay with you.”

His muscles untensed slightly, and he purred in contentment. “Good. It’s been a very long night.”

“You can say that again,” I agreed, wriggling out of his hold to retrieve a nightdress from my designated drawer in his dresser.

A little while later, we were curled beneath the plush covers of his king-sized bed. Sinclair always slept shirtless—not that I’m complaining—so he was stretched out on his back as I rested my uninjured cheek on his bare chest, immediately soothed by his intoxicating scent. I once asked him why I find smelling him so soothing, and he explained it’s just the pup. Still, I couldn’t help thinking that I would have loved his scent even if I weren’t “breeding,” as he calls it.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Sinclair asked, tracing his fingers in soothing patterns down my back. “After the attack, I mean.”

I nodded, brushing my cheek over the fine hairs on his chest, tickling my nose. “It was nothing.”

A loud rumble vibrated against my cheek. “Not to me,” Sinclair growled.

My hand rested on the hard contours of his abs, and I found myself caressing his soft skin, hoping to soothe him as he so often soothes me. “Honestly, the most shocking part of the whole ordeal was seeing them shift… I’ve never seen anything like it. I still can’t believe it.” In fact, that might go a long way to explaining why the entire ordeal still doesn’t quite feel real to me.

“Were you very afraid?” Sinclair pressed, taking advantage of my sudden willingness to talk.

“I was more afraid for the baby than anything else,” I confessed. “That’s what hurt more than anything, when I thought that my brashness might have cost it, instead of just me.”

A low purr rumbled in Sinclair’s chest. “Nothing they did or would have done was caused by you, Ella.”

I huffed a laugh. “It seems like there are an awful lot of people telling me things aren’t my fault lately,” I mused aloud. “But at a certain point, one has to think the common denominator is common for a reason.”