Submission is Not My Style novel Chapter 169

By the time we make it back to our private tent that night, exhaustion finally crashes over me. I sink onto the edge of the bed, untying the leather straps from my wrists. Every muscle aches, and without thinking, my hand drifts to my lower belly again.

Jack turns from the basin where he’s washing up, water glistening on his forearms. “You’re quiet,” he murmurs, drying his hands. “Usually, you’re the one giving victory speeches by now.”

I let out a soft laugh. “Maybe I’m learning to let my actions speak for me instead.”

He smirks and crosses the room in three easy strides, crouching in front of me. “You’re hiding something,” he says, his tone caught somewhere between teasing and serious.

My pulse jumps. “Hiding? Me? Never.”

He tilts his head slightly, eyes narrowing. “You’ve been different lately–more cautious. And you’ve been avoiding wine, meat, even those energy drinks you used to love.”

My throat tightens. Of course he noticed. Jack always notices everything.

I open my mouth to say something clever, but instead, the truth slips out before I can stop it. “I went for a checkup before we left the palace.”

His brows lift. “A checkup?”

I nod, unable to meet his gaze. “I… I’m pregnant, Jack.”

Silence stretches between us. The fire crackles, and the distant sounds of the camp fade until all I can hear is my

heartbeat.

When I finally dare to look at him, he’s staring at me–completely still. Then, slowly, a smile tugs at his lips. “I know.”

“W–What?”

He chuckles softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. “Kali, did you really think I wouldn’t notice? You’ve been masking your scent for weeks, but I know every shift in your heartbeat, every change in your mood. I just wanted to see how long you’d keep it from me.”

Heat floods my cheeks. “You… you knew all along?”

He nods, the teasing fading into something softer–something that reaches his eyes. “I knew. And I was waiting for you to trust me enough to tell me.‘

>>

“I didn’t want you to stop me from coming again, not like last time when I was pregnant with Lior. I needed to be here with you. To fight beside you. To prove—”

He silences me with a kiss–slow, warm, and grounding.

When he pulls back, his forehead rests against mine. “You don’t need to prove anything to me, my love. You’ve already done more than any queen in history. But next time, don’t fight alone–not even to protect me.”

1/3

Tears sting my eyes. “I’m sorry,” I whisper,

Jack smiles faintly, cupping my cheek, “You’re carrying our future, Kali. Don’t ever apologize for that.”

A shaky laugh escapes me. “So you’re not angry?”

“Oh, I’m furious,” he says, his tone playful as his thumb brushes across my lips. “But right now, I’m too happy to show it.”

I laugh, and he leans in again, kissing me deeper this time. The world outside melts away- the camps, the mission, the chaos. It’s just us.

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