Wrath of the Wolf Queen [HOTWP #2]

Chapter Nine: NAOMI

(A/N): moderate TW for this chapter. There were parts of this that I found difficult to write.

We walked home in painful silence.

Nobody said a word on the way back from Dyrkmore to the territory of Gahndor. Aside from a few one-worded mutterings, the camp was quiet, and not a glance was passed between me and Kohl. He kept me at a distance, his eyes always seeming hard and far-off when I looked at him.

He'd shut me out, and everyone could see it. Any attempts at conversation were met with silence, and the longer I was left to my own devices, the more my mind ran away from me.

Where was Althea? Was she okay, or were they actually hurting her despite their promise? How was I going to find my mate and kill him? Where exactly is he hiding?

And this baby... how the hell was I going to have a baby with a man who can barely stand to look at me?

When we got back home, I was almost relieved to retire to the bedchambers. I didn't even think Kohl would follow me in until, not even several seconds after I shut the door, it banged open with him right behind it.

Now, he stands in the doorway, staring at his feet. My throat hardens, I go to one corner of the room, praying for him to say something, anything, but he doesn't. Instead, we stand in silence for what feels like an eternity – the atmosphere so thick with tension that I'm finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. My hand goes to my stomach, almost in a comforting motion, but I allow my arm to drop. I just found out I'm pregnant. After nineteen years of believing I was infertile, I'm pregnant, and yet I don't feel any joy at all. I feel hollow. Defeated.

My sister is gone. My husband won't speak to me. And my mate is out there, no doubt revelling in his smug victory.

Suddenly, Kohl whisks inside and slams the door shut behind him. I jolt, staring at his still form. His eyes meet mine.

And my stomach drops.

"Why–" he whips forward, "didn't you TELL ME?"

I back up until my back is pressed against the wall. He advances until he's essentially hovering over me, his height no longer something I find heart-stopping or insanely attractive – but rather something that is utterly terrifying.

I open my mouth. I've thought over the thousands of explanations I could give to him, and yet not one comes to my aid. Not one. "I..."

I trail off into silence. Kohl's eyes laser into mine, his glare so damn withering that it's a miracle it hasn't burned me alive. "Another male knew that my wife was pregnant before I did. Another. Male!"

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I didn't... I didn't know..."

"You didn't know what, Naomi?" Kohl leans forward. I try to turn my head away with a whimper, but there's nowhere to hide. "What was it that you didn't know?"