“She’s healthy,” I added quietly, though I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to justify it.
“Mm.” He hummed in acknowledgment, but there was no real interest in it.
Of course. He wanted a son. An heir. Someone to carry his name, his power, his legacy.
Not a daughter. Not… her.
My hand moved instinctively, resting over my stomach. Protective.
“I’ll have someone prepare your vitamins,” Alpha Cain said after a while, pulling away from me as if nothing significant had just happened. “You need to take better care of yourself.”
“I can do it myself,” I replied softly.
He chuckled.
“You’re too stubborn sometimes.”
Despite that, he stayed, watching as I slowly sat up and reached for the small table beside the bed. The vitamins were already there, neatly arranged, along with a tray of food that had likely been brought in earlier.
I picked up the pills, swallowing them without complaint.
Then I ate. Each bite felt heavy. Like I was forcing myself to perform for him.
Alpha Cain watched the entire time, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“That’s more like it,” he said approvingly. “A woman shouldn’t be so difficult.”
My grip tightened slightly around the spoon.