The night was quiet but you can hear the city buzzling, Allison stood at the rooftop with her hands resting gently on the edge of the balcony, her fingers curled like she was holding something she couldn't let go. Below her, the lights of the city twinkled.
The pendant pressed against her collarbone, pulsing faintly. Behind her, the door creaked open without a sound.
She knew it was him before he spoke.
"Why are you out here alone?"
Lucian's voice always had that restrained tension. The kind that made you straighten up without realizing. But tonight, it was lower. Rougher. Not angry, not cold. Just… protective and concerned.
"I needed air" Allison said, still facing the city. "Your sister keeps trying to feed me fish soup." She pouted.
"That's because she thinks you look thinner" he replied.
Allison turned halfway, catching the flicker in his expression. The faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth.
She gave a small laugh, but the sound didn't reach her eyes. "I think I'm glowing."
"You are."
She blinked. "That's not just a compliment, is it?"
He stepped forward. "No."
They stood like that for a moment. The wind teasing strands of her hair. The pulse of the pendant still steady. Lucian's eyes lowered to it and lingered.
"You've been touching that thing more lately, paying more attention to it than me." he said quietly.
She hesitated. "Because… I seem to get more familiar with it day by day. ."
Allison finally turned to face him fully. Her face was calm.
"Lucian," she said, gently. "I think I'm pregnant."
There was no dramatic gasp. No thunder. Just silence.
His hand reached out, slower than usual. Like he was still catching up. Then he placed it lightly on her stomach, hesitant, but firm. His brows drew together, unreadable.
"I had a feeling" he murmured. "The night your blood ran hot enough to burn through frost. That wasn't just your power acting up, It was… something else and then your nausea and loss of appetite."
Allison tilted her head. "Are you angry I didn't tell you before now?"
"No." He looked up. "But I'm done letting people close to you. From now on, no one touches you randomly."
She rolled her eyes slightly. "You say that like they've been lining up to assassinate me."
"They have." His voice was flat. "You just haven't noticed."
Before she could speak, footsteps clicked across the rooftop entrance behind them.
Draped in navy silk, her white hair gleamed like moonlight, and her heels made no sound on stone. Her beauty was sharp, the kind that could cut a man's pride in half with just one glance. She gave Allison a single, amused look.
"Out in the wind?" Yevana's voice was smooth, but distant. "You'll catch a chill, little phoenix."
Allison dipped her head politely. "Good evening, Madam Yevana."
Lucian's eyes narrowed, barely perceptible.
Yevana didn't look at her son.
Instead, she stepped forward and held out a small, round candy glistening like glass, wrapped in thin paper. "Take it again. It's good for the nerves."
Allison hesitated. Just long enough. She did like the first one but she was trying to be cautious.
Yevana's smile curved slightly. "You're skin is glowing but you look a bit thinner."
It was a compliment but not really.
Allison unwrapped the candy slowly. She didn't break eye contact with the older woman, not once as she raised it to her lips and gave it a single, slow lick.
Sweet. And something else between bitter and sour taste.
She smiled. "Thank you."
Lucian stepped between them a little too smoothly. "Is there any other thing, mom?"
Yevana raised an elegant brow. "I came to see my daughter-in-law."
Allison stiffened. This was the first time sha acknowledged her as a daughter in-law. Yevana turned and walked away like she had all said nothing at all.
When it was just the two of them again, Allison let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.
"She scares me."
Lucian didn't deny it. "That's my mom but she's warm."
He reached down and took her hand anchoring her in place.
" I don't care what anyone says. You don't belong to the flame. Or to fate."
His voice dropped.
"You belong with me."
Allison didn't speak. But she leaned into his side.
WEEKS LATER
The morning light stretched slowly across the silk sheets, warm and gold, but not warmer than the hand already resting low on Allison's belly. She lay still, Lucian's palm was splayed gently over her abdomen. Protective and quiet like he didn't want to wake her or disturb the little life growing beneath his touch.
Allison blinked awake, her lashes brushing his jaw where he had fallen asleep beside her. His other arm was around her waist, holding her like she might vanish if he let go.
Her voice came out soft. "You're up."
"I didn't sleep much." He shifted slightly, just enough to press a kiss to the space just above her navel. "Too busy listening."
She smiled sleepily, her fingers finding his hair. "It's too early for poetry."
Lucian looked up at her with eyes she still hadn't figured out. They held a thousand secrets, but right now they only reflected her. And the tiny, invisible being beneath her skin.
"She's the size of a plum," he murmured, as if he couldn't believe it. "Something this small… and I already feel like I would burn the world if anything happens to her."
Allison laughed softly. "We don't even know if it's a girl."
"Doesn't matter." He brushed her hair away from her face. "She's ours."
Something about the way he said it like he was still in awe of the word 'ours' made her chest ache. She curled closer to him, their bodies tangled and warm, and he kissed the curve of her shoulder, then her collarbone, and finally the soft belly again.
Every kiss was quiet and careful.
Later, as they dressed for the day, she caught him watching her in the mirror. Her blouse was loose, but his eyes lingered on her middle anyway, like he could see through the fabric, through her skin, into the tiny miracle he hadn't stopped thinking about since the day the doctor had confirmed it.
"Lucian?" she asked as she slipped on her earrings.
He didn't answer at first. Just crossed the room, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and kissed the top of her head.
"You don't have to go in today."
"I want to" she said. "It's a normal day."
He pressed his chin to her shoulder.
Back at Lu Corporation, the rhythm of heels on marble, typing, and quiet conversations filled the air. Allison walked into her office with a cup of tea Lucian had made all by himself. Chamomile, no caffeine. No arguments.
Aaron Li was already seated at the conference table just beyond the glass partition, organizing charts. He looked up when she passed.
"You look well today, Allison," he said with a warm smile. "Glowing."
She raised a brow.
"Not that kind of glowing out of anger" he added quickly. "Just… peaceful."
She gave a polite nod. "Thank you, Aaron."
But as she stepped into her private office, Lucian followed close behind and shut the door with just a little more force than usual.
"He's getting too familiar" he muttered.
Allison turned to face him, a small smile tugging at the edge of her mouth. "You think everyone is getting too familiar."
He leaned against her desk, arms crossed. "He stares too deeply at you."
"He's allowed to look."
Lucian didn't smile. His gaze dropped to her stomach again.
"He doesn't know," she added gently. "And even if he did… he's not you."
That got his attention. His jaw softened. He reached out, touched her hand where it rested against the desk. She let him take it.
"Sometimes I still can't believe it's real," she whispered.
Lucian said nothing. Just leaned forward, pressed a kiss to her hand, then lowered himself to his knees before her.
She froze.
He wrapped both arms gently around her waist and rested his cheek against her belly. "It's real" he said quietly. "Even if it's just the size of a plum."
Allison looked down at him, this man the world feared. This man who had once torn empires apart without blinking, taken ths business world in his hand. And now, here he was, kneeling before something he couldn't even see. Something he would never stop protecting.
Something they had made.