Princess's Revenge: Slave to the Soulbound King Chapter 95

Thalia

The soft purple glow of magical crystals illuminated Seraphina's workshop as I stepped through the doorway, my trembling hand still gripping the ornate handle. Bundles of dried herbs hung from the wooden beams overhead, their earthy fragrances mingling with the sweet scent of healing oils that filled countless glass vials lining the shelves.

This sanctuary of healing had always brought me comfort, but today the familiar aromas felt overwhelming, making my already queasy stomach lurch unpleasantly. I pressed one hand against the doorframe to steady myself, fighting a wave of dizziness that threatened to send me to my knees.

"Thalia!" Seraphina's melodic voice carried genuine warmth as she looked up from the mortar and pestle where she'd been grinding what appeared to be moonbell petals. Her delicate features brightened with a welcoming smile, though I caught the flicker of concern that crossed her violet eyes as she took in my appearance. "What brings you to my workshop today?"

I attempted to return her smile, but the effort felt strained. "I've been feeling... unwell lately. Strange symptoms that I can't quite explain." My voice sounded weaker than I'd intended, and I cleared my throat, trying to project more strength. "My magic has been unstable, and I keep experiencing these waves of dizziness."

Seraphina's expression shifted immediately from welcome to deep concern. She set down her tools with careful precision and moved toward me, her trained healer's eyes studying my face with professional intensity. "Let me have a proper look at you," she said gently, her hand extending toward mine. "When did these symptoms begin?"

"About a week ago," I admitted, allowing her to guide me further into the workshop. "At first I thought it was just exhaustion from the purification ritual, but it's been getting worse instead of better."

The worry lines deepening around Seraphina's eyes told me she found this concerning. She led me to a raised stone platform covered with soft purple velvet—her examination table. "Lie down here," she instructed, her voice taking on the authoritative tone of a master healer. "I'll need to perform a diagnostic spell to understand what's happening within your body."

I settled onto the velvet surface, the cool stone beneath providing some relief from the constant feverish feeling that had plagued me. Seraphina moved with practiced efficiency, gathering specific crystals from various shelves—a clear quartz point, a piece of moonstone, and what looked like a fragment of starfire opal that gleamed with inner light.

"This will feel strange, but try to relax," she murmured, arranging the crystals in a careful pattern around my body. "Let the magic flow through you naturally. Don't resist or try to control it—just allow my spell to examine your life force."

She began chanting in the ancient werewolf tongue, her voice rising and falling in melodic patterns that seemed to resonate with the very stones of the castle. Purple light began emanating from her fingertips, growing brighter as the incantation continued. The magical energy flowed over me like warm water, and I found myself relaxing despite my anxiety.

The diagnostic magic spread across my body in intricate patterns, creating delicate traceries of light that mapped my magical and physical essence. I watched in fascination as the purple radiance examined my arms, my torso, my legs—everything appearing normal under Seraphina's skilled investigation.

Then the light reached my abdomen.

The moment the magical energy touched that region, it suddenly shifted from purple to a warm, golden glow. The change was so abrupt and dramatic that Seraphina's eyes flew wide with shock. Her hands trembled slightly, and for a moment I thought she might lose control of the spell entirely.

"Seraphina?" I asked, alarmed by her reaction. "What is it? What do you see?"

She took a deep, steadying breath and carefully concluded the diagnostic incantation, the golden light fading back to purple before disappearing entirely. For several long moments, she stood perfectly still, staring at my midsection with an expression of profound amazement mixed with something that looked like concern.

"Thalia," she said finally, her voice carefully controlled. "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me." She met my eyes directly. "Have you been... intimate... with Commander Draven recently?"

Heat flooded my cheeks at the direct question, but I nodded. "Yes, several times over the past few weeks. Why? Does that relate to my symptoms somehow?"

Seraphina closed her eyes briefly, as if gathering her courage, then looked at me with an expression of wonder and deep worry. "Thalia, there's a second life energy within your body. A separate magical signature intertwined with your own."

I stared at her in confusion. "I don't understand. What does that mean?"

"It means you're pregnant, Thalia. And based on the unique characteristics of the energy signature..." She paused, swallowing hard. "You're carrying a werewolf pup."

The words hit me like a physical blow. For a moment, I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't process what she'd just told me. Pregnant. With Draven's child. A werewolf child.

My hand moved instinctively to my still-flat abdomen, as if I could somehow feel the tiny life growing within me. "This... this isn't possible," I whispered, though even as I spoke the words, pieces began falling into place. The nausea, the dizziness, the strange fluctuations in my magic. "A werewolf's child..."

A single tear slipped down my cheek, carrying with it a complex tangle of emotions I couldn't even begin to sort through. Shock, certainly, but underneath that... was there a flutter of joy? The thought of carrying Draven's child, of having created something beautiful from our love...

"Draven and I... we made a child together," I murmured, my voice filled with wonder despite my confusion. But as the initial amazement began to fade, I noticed that Seraphina's expression was growing increasingly grave.

"Thalia," she said softly, sitting on the edge of the examination table beside me. "There's more you need to know about this."

Something in her tone made my blood run cold. "What aren't you telling me?"