“My baby?” Rowan asked, his eyes widening in surprise. The air inside the hall was thick with tension. The tribunal was over. The elders had left. The witnesses had filed out in silence, leaving behind only five figures.

Now, there was just the echo of truth.

Rowan stood frozen as Maddy knelt before him, her voice trembling. “I’m pregnant, Rowan. With your baby.”

Aurora’s breath caught in her throat.

The room spun. Rowan stumbled backward slightly, as if her words had slapped him hard across the cheek.

“You’re… what?” He said his voice cracked and raw.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” Maddy said immediately. “I thought I had time....