Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers-Chapter 290: Pregnancy 1

Aurora POV

I walked away from the demon general, still feeling his guilt clinging to the air behind me. These demons act like they have no conscience, but even monsters bleed somewhere inside.

I wrapped my arms around myself as I returned through the silent corridors, the wig slightly heavy on my head. My thoughts refused to settle. The human—no, the witch—her trembling hands, her bleeding lip, the terror in her eyes.

And the white marks on my hand...

No. No, no, no. That part I would deal with later. Maybe never.

I finally reached my chamber, pushed the door open and collapsed into the chair near the vanity. My reflection stared back at me—white wig, tired eyes, shaking hands.

"Aurora," I whispered to myself, "what are you doing here?"

Before I could even breathe, the door opened.

Darius walked in.

Tall, calm, and dangerously unreadable. His eyes scanned my body from head to toe as if searching for something out of place. Maybe he saw too much. Maybe he always did.

"You left your chambers," he said simply.

I swallowed. "I needed fresh air."

His gaze hardened, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he moved closer, sitting opposite me. The air tightened.

"You will no longer move alone. From now on, you will have a personal maid assigned to you. Someone who will assist you, protect you, and be your eyes around here."

My chest tightened in panic. Did he know something happened? Did someone report me?

The door opened again.

And in walked the same girl I had saved—the witch pretending to be human—her face cleaned, her lip still swollen, but her back straightened with a bravery she did not have earlier.

My breath stopped.

Her eyes met mine for a split second—wide, surprised, scared—but she quickly bowed low.

"My lord," she whispered.

Darius nodded. "Aurora, this is your new maid. Her name is Serah."

Serah. So that’s her name.

A cold rush went through me. If those demons saw her living with me, serving me, they would destroy her. They would not follow Darius’ order forever. And if they even suspected she was a witch—

"Darius, I don’t need—"

"You do," he interrupted firmly. "You have already proven you struggle to follow rules. You wander. You attract trouble." His eyes softened, almost unnoticeably. "You need someone with you."

I clenched my fist. If only he knew the kind of trouble I actually attracted.

Serah kept her gaze down, trembling slightly. I could sense her fear—fear of him, fear of me, fear of being caught again.

Darius stood up.

"I expect you both to get along. Serah will attend your needs. And she will report directly to me."

My heart almost dropped.

Report... to him?

If Serah was scared enough, pressured enough, she might tell him everything. About her. About me. About what I said. What I did.

Darius stepped closer, tilting my chin up with his fingers. His eyes scanned my face like he was reading every bone under my skin.

"Rest well," he murmured. "You look... troubled."

Then he left.

The door shut.

Serah and I stared at each other.

She whispered, voice shaking, "My lady... what have you gotten me into?"

I exhaled shakily.

"I don’t know," I admitted. "But we’re in it together now."

Serah stood there trembling, her hands rubbing over the sides of her gown as if trying to hide the faint swell of her stomach. I could see it now that I was looking closely — the stiffness in her posture, the way she held herself protectively.

"Serah," I said softly.

She shook her head immediately. "My lady, please... don’t ask. Please. I don’t want to talk about it here."

Her eyes darted around the room like demons would burst from the walls at any moment. She came closer and whispered, "I cannot let anyone know I’m pregnant. If the generals find out... my baby—" Her voice shattered. "I would not survive it. And neither would the child."

My chest tightened.

"But what about the father? He—"

"No," she hissed, panic rising. "My lady, you must never mention it again. If they suspect it... they will use him against me. And he will choose his title before he chooses me. That is the curse of demons."

Silence fell.

Then she looked up at me carefully, her gaze drifting to my hand — to the white marks glowing faintly across my skin like chalk.

"My lady," she said quietly, "you must hide yours too."

I took a step back. "There is nothing to hide. I am not pregnant."

She stared at me with the expression of someone who knows the truth but doesn’t know how to say it gently.

"You have the white marks. They do not lie."

"They do lie," I snapped. "I’ve had these since I was a child."

Serah shook her head slowly. "Not glowing like that."

I looked down at my hand.

The marks were brighter than before — almost shimmering under the candlelight.

No. No, no, no. It had to be stress. Pressure. Magic residue. Anything but that.

Serah swallowed. "My lady... there is a test."

"A test?"

She nodded and moved toward the drawer near the wall, flinching when a cup clattered loudly.

"A simple witch test," she explained. "It’s old magic. Almost gone. But it works. If you bleed on the charm, and the charm turns white, it means the witch is carrying life."

My stomach dropped to my knees.

"Serah, I don’t need a test. I’m not. I can’t be."

"My lady," she said gently, "I said the same thing."

I froze.

The same fear in her eyes reflected in mine.

She took the charm from the drawer — a small black stone with faint inscriptions. She placed it on the table between us.

"Just one drop," she whispered. "One. And you’ll know."

Everything inside me wanted to run.

If I was pregnant — whose child was it? How? When? Darius hadn’t touched me. No one had. Except—

I shut my thoughts down violently.

"I’m not doing it," I said.

Serah didn’t argue. She simply bowed her head.

"Very well, my lady. But your magic will reveal it eventually. Everyone will see."

I froze.

She wasn’t wrong. The more magic I used, the stronger the signs would become.

Damn it.

My hand trembled as I picked up the charm.

"Fine," I whispered. "Just to shut you up."

I pricked my finger. A drop of blood slid onto the stone.

For a moment, nothing.

Then—

The stone flashed bright white.

Serah gasped.

I stumbled back. My whole world stopped. My ears rang.

No.

No, no, no.

Serah covered her mouth. "My lady... you are with child."

My entire body froze. The stone still glowed white on the table, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. Serah quickly snatched it and tried to hide it behind her apron, but it was too late.

The door swung open.

Rebecca stepped in with that annoying, slow, calculating smirk of hers — like she already knew she had walked in on something.

"Well, isn’t this cozy," she said, folding her arms and leaning against the doorframe. "The new maid and the little runaway witch whispering like guilty schoolgirls."

My chest tightened, but I forced my face into something that looked normal.

"Rebecca," I said calmly. "We were having a conversation. Is something wrong?"

She raised a perfectly shaped brow. "Nothing wrong. Lord Darius sent me to check on you."

Her gaze drifted lazily across the room.

Then her eyes landed on the table.

On the tiny smear of blood.

On the shape of Serah’s closed fist behind her skirt.

Her eyes narrowed.

"What is that?" she asked, stepping forward. "What are you hiding?"

Before I could answer, she lunged forward, grabbed Serah’s wrist, and yanked it upward.

The stone slipped from Serah’s grasp and clattered onto the table.

Rebecca’s eyes widened.

"Oh," she breathed. "I know that stone."

A cold wave ran through my spine.

Serah visibly trembled. "My lady, I—"

Rebecca leaned down, her face inches from the stone, studying it like a predator examining prey.

"This is the fertility stone," she murmured. "The witch stone that proves pregnancy. Why," she turned to me slowly, "is it glowing white?"

My heart stopped.

Serah stepped forward quickly. "It’s mine, my lady. I found it in the laundry, and I— I think the magic reacted wrongly. I was curious if it still works—"

Rebecca slapped her across the face so hard Serah stumbled.

"Stupid girl," Rebecca hissed. "This stone does not glow for humans."

Serah’s eyes filled with tears, but she kept her head down.

Rebecca turned slowly to me again.

Her eyes dragged down to my hands, to the faint white marks on my skin, then back to the stone.

"You," she breathed. "Are you pregnant?"

The air was gone from the room. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

I forced a scoff, crossing my arms.

"Don’t be ridiculous. I am not even sharing a bed with Darius. The maid must have triggered it accidentally. She’s not... very bright."

Serah nodded frantically, clutching her throbbing cheek. "Y-yes, my lady, I must have activated it—"

Rebecca stared at us for a long, cold moment.

Her eyes moved between the stone and my stomach, as if she could x-ray me with her suspicion alone.

Then—

She smirked.

A slow, chilling smirk.

"Oh, Aurora," she said lightly. "Don’t worry. If you were pregnant, I would be the first to know. Darius tells me everything."

She dusted off her skirt dramatically.

"Just make sure you keep that useless maid in line. If she breaks one more rule, she’ll be disposed of."

Serah bowed fearfully. "Yes, my lady."

Rebecca turned toward the door, paused, then glanced back at me with narrowed eyes — searching, calculating.

For a moment I thought she saw right through me.

But then she simply flipped her hair. "I’ll leave now... Goodbye!"