Chapter 20: Mysteries.

“Maman… sleep?”

Ezra heard Lior’s groggy voice from beneath the blanket. The child peeked out just enough for Ezra to see his sleepy eyes before a yawn overtook him.

“I’ll be there soon, little one,” Ezra said softly. “Maman is just doing some thinking.”

“Okay.”

Lior rubbed his eyes, nodded, then disappeared beneath the thick covers again without protest.

Ezra blinked.

’Now that’s a first,’ he thought. Lior usually put up a fight, complete with a pout that was far too effective for Ezra’s own good.

The child was already breathing evenly.

’He must really be tired… or maybe he just really loves that duvet.’

Ezra couldn’t blame him. He loved it too.

He turned back to the large window and leaned against the sill, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I almost forgot how beautiful this kingdom is at night,” Ezra murmured as he gazed out at the sky.

The stars shone brighter here than anywhere else, as if the heavens themselves had chosen this kingdom as their favorite.

Ezra never thought he would miss something like this.

Once, he’d had nothing. No home. No future. No guarantees beyond survival.

Now he had been saved from the streets, forged into a knight, and somehow… become a parent.

Everything had happened so fast.

Almost too fast.

And it wasn’t just his life that felt like it was spinning out of his control.

’And another thing that’s going too fast is…’

Ezra let out a slow breath, his gaze drifting back to the darkened room.

’I can’t believe I’ve seen all three princes in a single day,’ he thought, exhaustion settling deep in his bones. ’Helios is one thing. I never expected to meet him again so soon… much less come back here.’

The palace felt the same. The halls, the air, even the silence.

As if nothing had changed.

Except everything had.

Except Ezra now carried a secret he couldn’t even share with Helios.

Being an omega was already dangerous enough to hide.

But a child?

Ezra’s hand tightened at his side.

He could only hope that things would somehow work out. That luck, for once, would stay on his side.

’And then there’s the king…’

His thoughts darkened.

The king’s request still loomed over him, heavy and undefined. Whatever it was, Ezra knew it wouldn’t be simple. It would involve the kingdom.

And the three princes.

And none of it felt like a coincidence.

It seemed like fate.

Even if it was fate, Ezra didn’t care.

He wasn’t going to let it drag him around anymore.

Not now. Not after everything he’d survived.

He was going to make sure things worked out his way.

After all, he was a maman now.

That thought alone steadied him.

It wasn’t just his life anymore. It was Lior’s too.

“Hah,” Ezra let out a tired yawn as he stretched his arms overhead, the tension in his shoulders finally easing.

His bones ached in a way that only came from long days and longer years.

He pushed himself off the window sill and turned toward the bed.

Toward warmth.

Toward the small, steady breathing that grounded him more than anything else ever had.

Ezra pulled back the duvet slowly, careful not to disturb him.

Lior was fast asleep, curled in on himself, lashes resting against his cheeks. His breathing was soft and steady, unaware of the storm of thoughts weighing on Ezra’s chest.

Ezra smiled despite himself.

’He’s sleeping soundly,’ he thought. ’My adorable little boy.’

He slid one arm beneath Lior’s back and the other under his legs, lifting him with gentle, practiced ease.

Lior stirred briefly, a faint frown crossing his face, but the moment Ezra drew him close, that tension melted away. Lior relaxed against his chest as if he belonged there, instinctively pressing closer.

Ezra lay back on the bed and pulled the duvet over them both, wrapping them in warmth.

Lior fit perfectly against him, small and warm, his head tucked just beneath Ezra’s chin, heartbeat soft and steady.

Ezra’s fingers brushed through Lior’s hair, slow and rhythmic.

His chest felt heavy.

Not with exhaustion.

With emotion.

’How did my life end up like this?’ he wondered quietly. ’When did you become the thing I’m most afraid of losing?’

Lior shifted in his sleep, tiny fingers curling into the fabric of Ezra’s shirt. The simple, unconscious gesture made Ezra’s throat tighten painfully.

’I’ll make sure you live a happy life,’ he promised silently. ’A better life than the one I had. No matter what it costs me.’

Ezra closed his eyes, pressing his cheek lightly against Lior’s hair, breathing him in.

“Maman…”

Ezra’s eyes flew open.

Lior wriggled faintly in his arms. “Lior? Did I wake you—”

Oh.

Lior was still asleep.

’That’s right,’ Ezra thought, heart still racing. ’He does talk in his sleep from time to time.’

“Maman… where’s… my papa…?”

Ezra’s heart stuttered.

He stared down at Lior, eyes wide, breath caught somewhere in his chest.

“Papa…”

The word echoed far louder than it should have in the quiet room.

In the years it had been just him and Lior, it was normal for the child to ask about his papa.

Ezra had grown used to it. He always tried to give answers simple enough for a child to accept. Gentle ones. Safe ones. Answers that wouldn’t leave Lior feeling unwanted or abandoned.

But this was different.

This was the first time Lior had asked in his sleep.

In his dreams.

Ezra’s brow furrowed as he stared down at him.

’Is it because we’re here?’ he wondered uneasily. ’Does Lior sense it… that he’s near his papa?’

The thought sent a chill through him.

Was that even possible?

No.

Ezra shook his head faintly.

He couldn’t let himself think like that. Thoughts like these only led to fear, and fear led to mistakes.

Lior was just tired. That was all.

He had seen three men today, all with golden eyes like his. And maybe, despite Ezra trying his best to make Lior wary of princes, somewhere deep inside, the child was hoping.

Ezra swallowed.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Lior’s head. “Actually, Lior…”

His arms tightened around the small, fragile body in his hold.

“You’ve met your papa,” Ezra murmured, his voice barely audible. Emotion crept up on him suddenly, sharp and unwelcome, and a tear pricked at the corner of his eye. “But he can’t know you’re his.”

His breath trembled.

“And you can’t know he’s your papa.”

The words felt cruel, even as he spoke them.

It was unfair to Lior.

And maybe… It was unfair to him too.

To Lior’s father.

But this wasn’t just about them.

This was for the kingdom.

This was for Lior.

And there were still too many unanswered questions.

Especially about how Ezra had ended up pregnant in the first place.

That uncertainty was one of the reasons he’d agreed to return instead of disappearing forever with Lior.

’That night…’

The memory surfaced unbidden.

The night Lior was conceived.

Ezra had been in heat.

A heat so sudden and overwhelming he hadn’t been able to control himself.

He had slept with the first person willing to take him, too far gone to think clearly, too desperate to stop.

One detail of that night had never stopped bothering him.

He had been drinking high-grade suppressants at the time. The kind meant to lock away his heat for years.

And yet it had happened anyway.

Which meant only one thing.

’Somebody besides Helios knows I’m an omega,’ Ezra thought, his expression darkening.

His grip on Lior tightened just a little.

’And somehow they did something…’

To deliberately trigger his heat that night of the ball.

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