Chapter 192: 192 - a storm
192
~Lisa’s POV
The ride back to the palace was quiet. I sat in the palanquin, my hands resting over my stomach, still thinking about everything I had picked. Every little bonnet, the cradle, the quilt... they were mine now. Mine, and for my baby.
When we finally reached the palace, Damon was the first to step out. He turned, offering me his hand. I hesitated, then took it. His grip was warm, steady.
"Thank you," I said softly as we stepped inside the palace gates.
His brows furrowed slightly. "For what?"
"For letting me... for letting me choose," I said, my voice almost breaking. "For standing by me."
He only gave a small nod.
I turned to Rowan and Kael, forcing the words out though my chest felt tight. "And... thank you too." My tone was sharper, with a little scoff I couldn’t hold back. "Even if you did nothing but taunt me the whole time."
Kael smirked, of course. "You should thank me properly. Without my sharp tongue, you wouldn’t have fought back with such fire."
Rowan only gave a low grunt, as if my gratitude wasn’t worth his time.
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "You’re impossible. All of you." And with that, I turned on my heels, walking back toward my room.
My steps slowed when I reached the door. The baby things would arrive soon. I would see them, touch them, and prepare for my child. It almost felt like a dream.
But the moment I opened the door, Someone was sitting inside.
It was Fridolf.
He looked as though the room belonged to him. His posture was relaxed, one leg crossed over the other, his hands resting lightly on the arm of the chair. But it wasn’t comfort that filled the air; it was something darker, heavier.
My heart jumped to my throat. I froze in the doorway, gripping the frame so hard my fingers ached. My lips parted, but no words came at first. Finally, my voice stumbled out, weak and unsure.
"W...what?" The word cracked before it even finished.
Quickly, I dropped my eyes, lowering my head the way I had seen others do before alphas or elders. My knees felt unsteady, and I forced myself to bow, hoping it would cover the fear in my shaking voice. "My lord." My lips trembled as I spoke. "Forgive me, but why are you in my room?"
The man’s lips curved slowly, stretching into a smile that wasn’t kind. It was the sort of smile that didn’t bring warmth but instead made the hairs on my arms rise and every instinct in me scream danger.
"So bold," he murmured at last, his voice low, smooth, but with something sharp hiding beneath it. Like silk covering a blade. His eyes glimmered strangely, catching the light in a way that made them look alive, too alive. Watching me. Testing me.
My breath caught. My hands felt damp, slick with nervous sweat. I clasped them together tightly in front of me to hide the shaking. I have never felt this way with the triplets; there was just something off about Fridolf.
"I... forgive me, my lord," I said again, forcing the words out quickly, carefully, so they would not sound like disrespect. "But I truly don’t understand. Why... why are you here?"
He did not answer at once. Instead, he leaned forward, slow and deliberate, resting his elbows on his knees. His body shifted closer, but his eyes, those sharp, glimmering eyes, never left me.
The smile remained on his lips, but it grew sharper, darker.
I couldn’t move. My body felt trapped, as if invisible chains tied me to the floor. I wanted to step back, to put distance between us, but my legs refused.
Inside, my mind screamed a hundred things. Why was he here? Why in my room? Did Damon know? Did Rowan or Kael? Was this some kind of test?
"So bold, this human girl. So, you are the one that have my nephews wrapped around your finger?"
My stomach twisted so tight it hurt. I tried to force my lips into a small, weak smile, something to cover the shaking in my voice. "I... I don’t know what you mean, my lord," I said quietly. "I am only... I am only trying to prepare for my child."
But my voice wouldn’t work anymore. My mouth was dry, my throat tight.
But when I lifted my head, his gaze was still fixed on me. His eyes burned into mine, searching, piercing, like he was peeling away every thought in my head, layer by layer, until there was nothing left to hide.
Fridolf’s lips curled. He chuckled, the sound low, dark, and far too amused, as though my words were a private joke only he understood.
"Prepare," he repeated slowly, his voice rolling over the word. "Yes, I saw that. The boys are helping you prepare. Taking you to the shop for your baby things. Furnishing your room as if you were one of them." His head tilted slightly, his eyes never leaving me. "You mean something to them. That is unusual."
My lips parted, but for a moment, no sound came. Finally, I forced a shaky breath. "It...it isn’t like that," I stammered, shaking my head too quickly. My hands knotted in my dress as though clutching the fabric could keep me steady. "They... they only care about the baby, not me."
Fridolf leaned forward again, his elbows resting on his knees. The smile on his face sharpened, wicked in its quiet amusement. "Is that what you believe?" he asked softly. His eyes gleamed like firelight, like they could see into the deepest corner of me. "Or is that what you want to believe?"
My throat tightened so suddenly I could barely breathe. I swallowed hard, but the knot in my chest didn’t ease. My lips trembled, but no answer came.
"You are wrong..." My voice cracked. I cleared my throat and tried again. " Whatever you think, my lord, it doesn’t matter. I only wish to raise my child in peace."
Fridolf laughed then. Not loud, not harsh, but soft and chilling, the kind of laugh that made me feel as though peace was the very last thing he believed I would have.
"You think peace will come so easily?" he murmured, shaking his head slowly. His smile never faded, but there was something in his eyes that turned colder, sharper. "Child, you are standing in a storm. And you don’t even see the lightning yet."
His words crawled under my skin, settling there like a curse.