Mated To The Alpha King (Raven and Ethan) novel Chapter 199

Chapter 199

Reven’s Pov

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I stood there too stunned to speak as Derick stared at me, his gaze not lowering for a moment, as if he could read every thought that passed through my mind. His intensity made it hard to breathe, and I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself.

“I…” My voice trembled, words failing me. “I don’t know what to say to you.”

My wolf stirred uneasily inside me, her voice rising louder than ever before. Accept him, she urged, her tone demanding, pushing against the walls of my mind. Do you want your babies to come into this world without a father? Do you want them to grow up alone, unloved, and abandoned the way you once felt?

Her words struck me with painful truth. My arms instinctively wrapped around my stomach, cradling the little lives within me. They deserved better than the life I had endured. But still, the truth clung to my chest like a heavy stone.

“But…” I whispered, my lips quivering as I met his unyielding gaze. “You aren’t their father, Serich.”

His jaw clenched, but his eyes didn’t waver. He didn’t look away. Instead, his hand tightened at his side, as if he were anchoring himself from reaching out to me.

I quickly dropped my gaze, unable to bear the sincerity burning in his eyes, and lied before I lost my nerve. “I don’t know who their father is,” I forced out, my throat tight, each word tasting like poison.

For a moment, silence stretched between us. It was suffocating, loud with all the unspoken things I couldn’t say. I half–expected him to laugh bitterly, to accuse me of lying, to walk away and leave me in my shame. But instead, he took a step closer.

“And what’s your response?” His voice was low, steady, but the weight of it snapped me out of the thoughts clouding my mind.

I lifted my gaze reluctantly, my heart pounding against my ribs. “Inasmuch as I need a man to be a father figure to my babies,” I whispered, blinking back tears that burned in my eyes, “I don’t want to take your kindness for granted. I don’t want you to give up everything just because I’m… broken. You deserve better than someone like me.”

His expression softened not with pity, but with something fiercer, something that reached into my soul. He shook his head slowly, “No, Raven. You don’t understand.”

“Derick“”No,” he cut me off, his voice firm yet trembling with raw emotion. “From the first moment I woke up in that hospital bed and saw you, I fell for you.

His words struck me like thunder, echoing through the cracks in my heart.

“I don’t care whose blood runs in their veins,” he continued, stepping closer until the warmth of his presence wrapped around me. “I don’t want to be their father for a while.

I want to be their father forever. I want to be the man you lean on when the nights are too heavy, the one you trust to hold not just you, but them. I want to give you the life you’ve been denied, Raven. I will make you the

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14:51 Tue, Sep 16 ..

Chapter 199

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happiest woman on this earth, and you will never regret letting me in.”

My breath hitched, tears spilling despite my attempts to hold them back. My wolf howled in agreement, pressing me, He’s sincere. He’s true. He wants us. He wants them.

But I can’t just keep lieing to him, I replied. What if he finds out and do you want your babies to be a bastsrd she shoot back at me, and if he finds out, I asked her, he won’t, she replied, and if he does, we will know what to do, but for now, you need someone who will stand by you. But my heart twisted painfully.

The truth, the real truth, was too heavy, too dark to reveal. If he knew… would that light in his eyes die? Would he still look at me the same way?

“This is…” I gasped softly, clutching at my chest as if it would steady the storm raging within me. “This is too much. Too fast.

Derick, I this is a lot to process. Please… give me time to think.”

I need space to think of a better answer, I said, my gaze lowered. I was so scared to look at him, not because he was dangerous but because of guilt. He studied me for a long moment, his gaze searching, and finally nodded, though his eyes still burned with unwavering devotion.

“You have all the time you need. I won’t rush you. I won’t force you. But know this.” His voice lowered, fierce with promise. “I am not backing out. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”

I won’t give up on the one I love, and that includes the babies. My lips parted, but no words came out. The weight of his promise sank deep into my soul.

Before I could respond, before I could betray myself with more lies, I turned away and ran. My feet carried me down the hall, through the door of my room, and I slammed it shut behind me.

My body collapsed onto the bed, my sobs muffled as I buried my face into the pillow.

Cause that was the only way out of this situation. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him.

Goddess help me, I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything. But the truth clawed at my throat, begging to be spoken, and I didn’t know how to tell him. How could I confess the bloodline of my babies without risking losing him?

How I was going to tell him the babies father was alive and I knew him without losing his trust? My hands pressed against my stomach, feeling the faint kicks of life beneath my skin. “I’m sorry,” I whispered to them, tears staining the pillow. “I just don’t know how to tell him… not yet.”