Lycan Prince’s Secret Baby (Moonlit Forbidden Love #1)

Chapter 20

Leah

For the first few days, the Blood Moons moved cautiously around Kyle, their eyes flitting between him and their everyday tasks, the wariness like a fog throughout the house. Despite the lingering suspicion, whenever I saw Kyle, his emerald eyes were alive with purpose, and he always seemed knee-deep in projects transforming our communal spaces.

One week into his stay, I peered out from the greenhouse, where the air was infused with the sweet scent of damp earth and blooming herbs. I watched Kyle labor beneath the pale morning sun, his hands deftly assembling a rainwater collection system just outside the window. The metal tanks glinted, each rivet he tightened a promise of cleaner, safer drinking water. The clang of tools punctuated his conversation with Todd, one of the Blood Moons, wafting in on the still air.

“The UV filters will purify the water,” Kyle explained, his voice rich with enthusiasm.

His passion for learning, honed through years of university studies, revealed itself in his eagerness to implement changes wherever he went. Each improvement he brought forth turned tentative looks into thoughtful nods, and I knew he was earning my community’s trust little by little. Another Blood Moon, Kade, made his way out from the greenhouse, joining Kyle and Todd outside.

“Will you come to the caverns tonight, Kyle?” Kade asked.

Kade was one of our best warriors. Judging from the whispers about the place, he wasn’t the only one captivated by Kyle’s skill in the ring. I’d heard that Kyle frequented our training ring with the same enthusiasm to share his skills as he had for improving the infrastructure in our pack. Our pack used the subterranean cavern under the house for training.

“Sure thing,” Kyle replied, the ease with which he chatted to my packmates, making my brow knit in frustration.

I thought of how Kyle frequently came to the treatments we did daily for Lina’s healing, with his skin flushed and his scent musky from working out. Clearly, he was spending a lot of time training with the warriors of the pack if he was working out during the day and in the evening.

As I stood among the swaying stalks of the garden, my arms prickled with goosebumps, not from the breeze through the window but from the way Kyle’s presence was shifting the dynamic of our pack. He was sowing improvements into the soil of our lives, nurturing change that made my heart somersault. But he’d done the same back in our pack lands. Yet, when I truly needed him, he’d been absent. The thought stung like the ache of an old battle wound, one that would never entirely heal. Irritation moved through me. In just a week, it felt as if I were the only one within my pack unwilling to be charmed by Kyle’s effortless charisma.

Just then, Roman’s warmth enveloped me. His hands rested on my waist, grounding me as he leaned down, burying his head into the crook of my neck. “How are you, love?” he asked.

A giggle escaped me as I wriggled away from his nuzzle, a shriek wanting to follow, though I forced a playful laugh instead. “Better now,” I replied, turning to plant a chaste kiss on his lips.

We grasped at these little moments as armor, a way to reaffirm our bond whenever we spotted Kyle nearby. But I felt the tension brewing beneath Roman’s expression. In fact, Roman looked more pained than pleased, and I quickly pulled him over to the trays of lettuce. “Look at how much they’ve sprung up,” I enthused, as if wanting him to admire my handiwork rather than needing to get him away from the window that Kyle was likely looking through.

It had become apparent Roman was a terrible actor. The mischievous spark in his eyes often faded when we needed to solidify our fa?ade. Just the other evening at dinner, when the table was packed with everyone, including Kyle, he’d almost called me Nuka . He’d masked his blunder with a violent coughing fit. We’d set aside our pet names of brother and sister from then on, settling on calling each other love.

Roman clasped my hand as I led him through the greenhouse, where fragrant sprouts and resilient chili plants thrived late into the fall, thanks to Lyvia’s heat enchantments. Sunlight danced upon the rare minerals scattered throughout, each crystal shimmering with its own unique brilliance. Among these treasures were the tiritich stones from the Silver Moon lands, their scale-like patterns glimmering with an inner fire that radiated warmth like a log burner when paired with the right incantation. There were also precious ores from the Nightwing Pack lands, such as the sikin deposits, silvery rocks that glowed like fairy lights in the night, casting a gentle radiance that nurtured the plants during the coldest hours.

My back was to the door of the greenhouse, but I knew Kyle had entered as soon as Roman’s hand tightened on mine. Roman frequently challenged Kyle, flaunting our closeness, driven by a protective instinct as deep as any older brother felt toward his sister. Since I had arrived at our sanctuary here a year ago, haunted by what I had suffered in the Moonlight Pack and from Kyle, he’d taken on a new fierceness to shield me from further pain.

“It looks great in here,” Kyle said as he and the two Blood Moons came in from the garden. The admiration in his voice caused a whirl of confusion to wash through me. Frowning, I dropped Roman’s hand and went back to my job of watering the plants.

“The fresh rainwater system should really help all your hard work in here shine,” Kyle continued, obviously trying to draw me into conversation.

“You know, it isn’t just about systems, right?” Roman said, his voice simmering with intensity. “These plants are flourishing because they’ve had time and love poured into them.”

My heart hammered in my chest as if I were running, not simply gardening.

“I’m only trying to help,” Kyle said. “Efficiency will give everyone more time.”

He was right. It took a good deal of time for our pack to collect river water, and relying on filters and chlorine tablets was far from a foolproof system. When we’d first arrived in the valley, Lyvia had had lots of salum—a potent cleansing herb we had used to purify the water, sparing us the tedious task of boiling it to make it safe for drinking. Unfortunately, salum could only be found in the Shadow Moon lands, and with supplies only coming into the valley town once a month, we’d long since exhausted our supply. So, where we could, we tried to use ordinary human solutions, too.

“Just remember we worked to keep this place together before you arrived,” Roman shot back. “It isn’t your kingdom to reform.” His words thickened the air around us.

I could feel each syllable rippling between us with unrest. I knew without looking that Kyle’s chiseled jaw was clenched in response to the sting of Roman’s words. Then, Kyle’s footsteps rang as he stalked away. I lost myself in the aroma of herbs, earth, and freshwater but couldn’t help being secretly pleased that Roman hadn’t succumbed to being impressed by Kyle’s fighting skills like all the other warriors of my pack had. At least with Roman, I knew I had someone in my corner.

Later that evening, Roman came to my bedroom, hurling himself down on my bed. Well-practiced at being around Lina, he groaned quietly and, in a hushed voice, complained, “I can’t take much more.”

Lina was sleeping soundly in her bassinet, and I was at my writing desk by the window. Scattered sketches of herbs and flowers rested there, a hobby I hadn’t had much time for lately. But with Lina’s treatments going well this last week and her strength improving, I’d enjoyed a few hours of sketching in the evening light tonight.

With a light step, I came over to sit on the hand-knitted, earthy-toned blanket beside Roman. “What’s wrong?” I asked, concern creeping into my voice.

Roman edged back, sitting up against the bed's headboard. His shoulders were tight, and I could see the strain in his jaw.

“Kyle,” he growled, running a hand through his wavy brown hair in frustration. “He paid me back for that comment about this not being his kingdom.”

“Did he beat you in the fight?” I asked, frowning.

Talk of Kyle and Roman’s fights in the ring the last few days had reached my ear, too. I knew these challenges, just like Roman flaunting our closeness, were his way of asserting his dominance as Alpha and a way of keeping up this charade that he and I were together. But Roman wasn’t a sore loser. If Kyle had bested him in the ring, I couldn’t imagine him being so torn up about it as he seemed now.

“No,” he growled. “Just like the first night, we’re always very evenly matched. It was the same this evening.”

I frowned, waiting to hear what was eating at him.

“It’s not the fighting. It’s what comes after,” Roman said.

I frowned. “After?”

To my surprise, Roman’s cheeks colored. “It’s the baths,” he ground out.

With the lack of running water in the house, we all used the natural rocky communal baths that were fed by river water. Lyvia had enchanted the rock pools to heat using the tiritich stones when we needed them. After the ring, the combatants generally went there to bathe.

I imagined Kyle as he had been the first night standing, all rippling muscle and tanned, lean skin. My pulse spiked.

“Well, at least I’m not the only one getting hot and bothered by him,” Roman smirked, his shifter senses obviously cottoning onto my quickening heartbeat.

“Roman,” I punched him on the arm, my cheeks heating. Then, I lowered my voice, eager not to wake Lina.

“This evening,” he continued, “he just kept intruding on my personal space in the pool. Then, getting changed afterward was even worse,” Roman griped.

“Oh,” I murmured, my mouth going dry as I could picture all too clearly what that might look like.

“I need tea. Would you like tea?” I whispered, suddenly feeling the need for chamomile to calm my racing heart.

Roman grumbled, which I took as a yes. I kept a thermos up here so I didn’t need to wander down the four flights of stairs to the kitchen, which was especially handy if I wanted a cup in the night while nursing Lina.

I returned with two steaming cups of chamomile, breathing in its calming scent.

“Honestly, he’s everywhere I look,” Roman lamented, annoyance lacing his words. “And talk about distracting. His package is hu–”

“Roman!” I exclaimed, a laugh escaping me even as I tried to quell the flood of mixed feelings. I was trying not to think about all of Kyle’s skills or how spectacular his deft fingers were or his mouth, or—

I quashed the thought of our night together, knowing that that would unleash a tidal wave of untamed desire.

“Look,” Roman pressed, his expression earnest. “It’s not that I can’t appreciate the man. In fact, that’s the problem. I appreciate all of his assets too much. And given that it’s been an age since someone tried to get under my skin like he is, it’s giving me a lot of mixed feelings.”

Shit.

As a man who was attracted to men, it was natural that Kyle’s behavior was proving hard for Roman to take. If Kyle was walking around stark naked, making it his mission to get washed and changed as close to Roman as possible and show off his physique, all in a bid to assert his dominance, it wasn’t surprising my friend was close to losing his cool.

“I just hope Mark doesn’t hear about it,” Roman said. As he spoke of Mark, a soft expression came over his face. “I’d hate for him to get jealous.”

Roman’s expression was tender and wistful as he mentioned him, and I realized he wasn’t really worried about upsetting Mark with rumors of the way Kyle was acting around him. He was complaining because it was a way for him to talk about Mark. Something my friend hadn’t gotten to do much of the last few years.

“Mark could never doubt your love, Roman. You two are rock solid,” I said. My heart squeezed as I thought of how tough it must have been for both of them to be apart these four long years, with nothing but their online communication to nourish them. “And one day soon, everyone’s going to celebrate the pair of you, your love, and how special that is.”

He smiled softly, sipping his tea as his blue eyes filled with a hopeful light. “Thank you, love.”

My stomach tightened. Even in this room, we’d switched to calling each other love, and I blew out a breath of frustration at how much Kyle was impinging on our lives. I ran a hand through my hair, hating what a mess this had become. Deceiving Kyle was a necessary measure, but I’d never anticipated it would become this complicated. I missed mine and Roman’s normal closeness, too.

“Why is he doing this?” I asked dejectedly.

“Love does crazy things to us all,” Roman answered.

My breath caught in my throat. Initially, I’d believed Kyle didn’t love me. After all, with the way he’d abandoned me in the cell back in the Moonlight compound, how could he? I’d convinced myself that seeing me with another man would make Kyle give up. Yet, Roman was right. My stomach somersaulted. His actions indicated he still loved me.

I sipped my tea, wondering what I was meant to do about that. Undoubtedly, I had lingering feelings for him, too. I thought of how every time he leaned down near me to touch Lina during treatments, his scent, his warmth, his handsomeness pressed in on me, all making me feel too much. But I couldn’t forgive Kyle for his past actions.

I can’t.

Roman broke my reverie, and it was as if he were voicing what I felt. “I can’t keep up this act much longer,” he warned me. “Besides, much more naked pool and changing time, and our happy couple status is definitely going to be blown.”

I snorted, enjoying the release of laughter that came from Roman, too.

But as he breathed out a sigh, he was serious again. “You need to tell him to lay off me.”

I felt the air between us shift. Roman’s request hung heavily in the air. His frustration battled with the unguarded tenderness in his gaze, and I knew this wasn’t fair to him. Our sanctuary suddenly felt too small and confining. With Kyle here, it was only in this room that we could be our true selves with one another.

The thought of facing Kyle, of acknowledging the animosity that he felt toward Roman, meant exhuming the past—our past. A fresh wave of anxiety crashed through my chest.

I looked down, my fingers tracing the rim of my teacup, willing the tumult within me to settle.

But deep down, I knew it was time. “I will,” I declared, my voice steady yet laced with apprehension. It was more than just a promise to Roman; it was a commitment to myself, a crucial step toward reclaiming the life I had fought so hard to rebuild in Kyle’s wake.

My heart raced as determination coursed through me. I would make it clear to Kyle that we were over and that the remnants of our past had no place in my future. It was time to solidify the boundaries I had hesitated to draw and to protect my heart. I wouldn’t allow him to reopen the wounds that had only just begun to heal. This was my moment to reclaim not just my relationship with Roman but with myself.