"As you wish." Javrian paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he obeyed, sliding under the sheet beside her.
The fabric enveloped them both, a shared cocoon against the night chill, their bodies pressing close in quiet intimacy.
The moonlight filtered through, illuminating the file on the table like an invitation to their next conquest. He glanced at the documents, curiosity overriding the lingering haze of exhaustion. "What are these?" he asked, his voice a low rumble as he flipped open the cover.
Luna shifted slightly against him, her head resting on his shoulder as she pointed to the pages. "This is the overall tally of losses and the trail of the embezzled tax money—where it all went," she explained, her tone shifting back to that strategic calm. "The nobles have been siphoning funds for years, lining their pockets while the territory crumbles."
He nodded slowly, piecing it together. "You mean the taxes from those nobles you were talking about?" His gaze flicked to her, a spark of recognition in his eyes—the same nobles she'd been subtly directing him toward in those letters she'd sent over the past months.
"Yes," Luna confirmed, her voice matter-of-fact. She'd been meticulous in those missives, outlining the twenty sub-members of the territory who needed to be... removed.
The procedure was simple: kill them.
They were a hassle, a constant threat, especially after the assassination attempts that had nearly claimed her life more than once.
And now, with fragments of memories resurfacing—echoes of a past life or perhaps premonitions—she realized her fate wasn't just her own.
It was tied to her two unborn babies, the tiny lives growing within her. She couldn't afford to leave any loose ends. Javrian had followed her instructions without question, executing each task silently, never sending a reply.
But that didn't matter; she'd collected all the "replies" she needed from him in their passionate reunion tonight.
Now, seated beside him under the sheet, she looked at the file and continued, "As you can see in these columns, I want to fill the positions with people from your tribe."
He narrowed his eyes, surprise flickering across his features as he began to understand. "Warriors like me could infiltrate the territory easily enough," he said, his voice thoughtful. "But for scholars and others... bringing them in is hard."
Luna looked at him, genuinely surprised. "Wait, so you're not worried they'd protest? That they'd refuse to be used to develop empire territory?" She had her doubts—these were people from his pack, survivors of years of imperial atrocities.
Why would they help build up a system that had oppressed them? Resentment ran deep; she could imagine the backlash, the accusations of betrayal.
But from his words, it seemed his concern was purely logistical—getting them inside safely.
He tilted his head, his expression unchanging, as if the emotional side was trivial. "Naturally, they wouldn't protest. But if they did... I'd kill them if they tried to reject the offer."
She narrowed her gaze, a flicker of disapproval crossing her face. "Are you really going to harm your own pack members? The ones you've been protecting all these years?"
Javrian met her eyes steadily, his logic as sharp and bloody as a blade. "If a pack member can't even follow the wishes of his leader's wife, then isn't he simply betraying me? And traitors should be killed." There was no malice in his tone, just the cold pragmatism of a wolf who had clawed his way to dominance.
Luna shook her head, a soft sigh escaping her lips.
His world was so straightforward, painted in shades of loyalty and violence, while hers was a web of strategy and subtlety.
"If it's just about bringing those people into the territory and giving them citizenship, you don't have to worry much," she said, shifting the conversation. "You remember the territory we visited last time—the one at the edge, three months ago? The one you nearly destroyed?"
He nodded, a fresh memory resurfacing, causing him to avert his gaze.
The air between them thickened with unspoken remnants of that day—the chaos, the near-miss destruction, and the slap she'd delivered on his face.
Luna's eyes softened as she watched him, sensing the lingering shadow. "Are you still hurt by my slap?" she asked gently, turning her face toward him and offering her cheek.
"If you want, you can slap me too."
But instead of retaliation, he leaned in, rubbing his head against her cheek like an affectionate beast, his rough stubble grazing her skin.
"I don't care about the slap," he murmured, his voice a low rumble. "But I just feel that if that pain of yours repeated once again, I might really lose my mind."
His confession made Luna's face flush, a warmth spreading through her that had nothing to do with the moonlight.
She glanced around instinctively, ensuring they were still alone on the balcony, before intertwining her fingers with his under the sheet.
The simple act grounded her, a reminder that everything was fine. "We need to visit that town once again tomorrow," she said, squeezing his hand.
He nodded without hesitation, though curiosity flickered in his eyes. "Why?"
She let out a soft, devilish laugh—fufu—like a whisper of mischief carried on the night breeze.
Her gaze drifted toward the moon, hanging high and luminous, casting silvery light across the gardens. "The Commander of the Imperial troops has gone there in search of you," she said, her voice laced with sly amusement. "Shouldn't we greet her properly?"
Javrian's eyes gleamed with predatory interest, but before he could respond, he slowly placed his hand on her belly, his large palm warm and gentle against the slight swell there.
'...again...' Luna tensed for a moment, thinking he might be shifting back to something more... indecent, perhaps reigniting the spark of lust.
But his touch was protective, almost reverent, and his voice came soft, laced with quiet concern.
"But I hope you don't overexert yourself," he said, his silver eyes meeting hers. "Because you have to take care of all three of my lives."
The words hit her like a gentle wave, her lips trembling as her eyes softened, the weight of his meaning sinking in—her, and the two tiny lives they had created together.
Exhaustion clung to her like a heavy cloak; she'd pushed through it to review the file instead of surrendering to the nap her body craved, all for this shared future.
"I'm doing all this for us," he added, his voice a vow in the moonlight.
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, unbidden, as she threw the file onto the table with a soft clatter.
Her body was hurting, and her mind was already cluttered due to two months of torment she went through, due to having seizures and nightmares of those future memories that, even though true, were like a hell to her.
Crying, lifting burdens alone, everything was just too much for her.
And now when she felt all of her burdens soothed by him and the care of his words, she slowly moved her aching body.
Clearly spent, yet driven by something deeper, she slowly turned toward him on her knees, the sheet pooling around them.
She settled onto his lap, her bare skin against his, wrapping her arms around his neck as he drew the bedsheet tighter around them both.
Their bodies were still exposed in the intimacy of the moment, but there was no lust simmering now—just a soft feel of the warmth of each other's body and support.
He held her gently, his arms encircling her waist with care, as if she were the most precious thing in his world.
She placed her head on his shoulder, her breath warm against his neck, her lips getting bitten under her teeth as her voice trembled, rubbing her nose before closing her eyes as she revealed her own burden.
"I don't want anyone else to have the name of my babies' father," she whispered, her voice raw with emotion. "I want you to be the one whom everyone knows, Javrian."
'!'
A subtle widening of his eyes betrayed Javrian's realization, a flicker of understanding crossing his features like a shadow under the moon.
'Ah, she is... still officially the wife of Victor.'
He tightened his hold on her, a silent promise in the way his fingers traced soothing patterns on her back.
In that moment, he clenched his jaws, realizing how much this simple fact seemed to weigh on him... and her.