Your bonds, Gavriel, Fenrys, Connall, Rowan, Lorcan, and Vaughan, had always kept their distance from you. They claimed it was to keep you safe from Maeve, but you knew. They wanted to be with their new central bond, Aelin, so they started to get cruel, unaware you’re pregnant with their baby.

—— —— —— ——

You go downstairs for breakfast, and they don’t pay you any mind, as always. Vaughan and Connall eat silently, while the others converse mildly, with Aeling sitting at the head of the table. You’ve been hungry lately, eating bigger meals and extra snacks, which you usually hurled up in the mornings—not purposefully. While you weren’t underweight, you never had much of an appetite, until the past month. Lorcan scoffs at you as you take a bite of your waffle. “You’ve gained weight.”