The next two weeks passed in a blur of lessons, training, and slowly getting to know Raphael. Every morning, he taught me to fight. Every afternoon, we studied history and politics. Every evening, we had dinner together, sometimes with his advisors, sometimes alone.

And every night, he walked me to my door and said goodnight without trying to kiss me.

It was driving me crazy.

I knew we were mates. I could feel the bond getting stronger every day. When he was near, my wolf perked up. When he touched me during training, my skin tingled. When he smiled at me across the dinner table, my heart did stupid flips.

But he never pushed. Never demanded. He was giving me time to adjust, to choose him on my own.

It should have made me grateful. Instead, it made me want him more.

"You're distracted today," Raphael said, easily blocking my punch.

We were in the training yard again. I had improved a lot in two weeks. I could now last almost five minutes before he pinned me.

"Sorry," I muttered, stepping back.

"What's wrong?"

How could I explain that I was confused about everything? That I was starting to have feelings for him but felt guilty about it because Derek had just married someone else three weeks ago? That I was terrified of being a queen but also excited about it? That I was pregnant with a baby who would never know their real father?

"Just tired," I lied.

Raphael studied me with those sharp gold eyes that saw too much. "You're lying."

"Maybe I don't want to talk about it."

"Fair enough." He grabbed two wooden practice swords from a rack. "Then let's fight instead. It's a good way to clear your head."

He tossed me one of the swords. I caught it awkwardly. We had only just started sword training yesterday.

"I'm going to hurt you," I warned.

"I certainly hope you try."

We circled each other. Raphael moved like water, smooth and fluid. I moved like someone who had held a sword exactly twice in her life.

He struck first, a gentle swing that I blocked. The impact rattled my arms.

"Good," he said. "But your grip is too tight. Relax your hands."

I tried to relax, but then he struck again, faster. I barely got my sword up in time.

"Better. Watch my shoulders. They'll tell you which way I'm going to move."

We traded blows, him teaching and testing, me trying desperately to keep up. Sweat dripped down my face. My arms ached. But I didn't want to stop.

Because when we fought like this, I didn't have to think about anything else. I could just exist in the moment, focused on the next move, the next breath.

"Yes!" Raphael grinned when I landed a hit on his arm. "You're learning."

I grinned back, feeling proud of myself. Then I saw his expression change. His smile faded. His eyes looked past me toward the palace entrance.

I turned around and felt my heart drop into my stomach.

Derek stood at the edge of the training yard.

My ex-mate looked exactly the same as he had three weeks ago. Dark hair, brown eyes, the strong build of a Beta. He wore his pack's colors, and there was a mark on his neck where Vanessa had bitten him.

Seeing it made me feel sick.

"Maya," Derek called out. "I need to talk to you."

Raphael moved to stand beside me, close enough that our arms touched. "This is private property," he said, his voice cold. "You're not welcome here."

"I'm not here to cause trouble." Derek raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I just want five minutes with Maya. Please."

I should have said no. I should have turned around and walked away. But a part of me needed to know what he wanted. Needed closure, maybe.

"It's okay," I told Raphael quietly.

"No, it's not." His jaw was tight. "You don't owe him anything."

"I know. But I want to hear what he has to say."

Raphael looked at me for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly. "Five minutes. I'll be right over there." He pointed to a spot about twenty feet away. Close enough to reach me quickly if needed. "If he upsets you, I'm ending this conversation."

"Okay."

Raphael walked away, but I could feel his eyes on us the entire time.

Derek approached slowly, like I was a wild animal that might bolt. Maybe I was.

"You look good," he said when he was close enough. "Different."

"What do you want, Derek?"

He flinched at my cold tone. "I heard you were here. At the palace. With the king." He glanced at Raphael nervously. "I needed to see for myself if it was true."

"It's true."

"Maya, what are you doing? That man is dangerous. He's not like us."

I almost laughed. "You mean he's not like you? Someone who makes promises and then breaks them?"

"I never promised you anything," Derek said, and the words stung even though I knew they were true. "We recognized each other as mates, but we never completed the bond. We were never official."

"You're right," I said, surprised by how calm I felt. "We weren't official. So why are you here?"

Derek stepped closer, and I caught a whiff of his scent. It used to make my heart race. Now it just smelled wrong. Like something that belonged to my past.

"Because I made a mistake," he said quietly. "Vanessa... she's not what I thought. The marriage was arranged by our families. I thought I could learn to love her, but I can't. She's cold and cruel and only cares about status."

"That's not my problem."

"Maya, please. I know I hurt you. I know I chose wrong. But we can fix this. I can reject Vanessa. We can start over."

I stared at him, genuinely shocked. "You're married. You marked her."

"Marks can be removed. Marriages can be annulled." He reached for my hand, but I pulled away. "We're mates, Maya. That's forever. Come home with me. We can have the life we always talked about."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no, Derek." I stood up straighter, feeling stronger than I ever had around him. "We were never mates. We were just two people who wanted to be. But you didn't want me enough to fight for me. You didn't want me enough to tell your family no. And now you don't get me at all."

"You can't be serious. You'd rather be here with him?" Derek gestured at Raphael. "He's using you, Maya. Kings don't marry Omegas. Once he's done with you, he'll toss you aside."

"That's enough." Raphael's voice cut through the air like a knife. He was suddenly right beside me, his presence overwhelming. "You've had your five minutes. Now leave."

Derek looked between us, and I saw understanding dawn in his eyes. "You marked her," he said, sounding shocked. "You actually marked her."

"Not yet," Raphael said. "But I will. She's my mate. My queen. And you will never speak to her like that again."

"She's pregnant!" Derek blurted out.

The words hung in the air like a bomb.

I felt Raphael tense beside me. Felt the air temperature drop as his power leaked out.

"How do you know that?" I asked Derek, my voice shaking.

"Cara told me. She's worried about you. She thinks the king forced you to come here." Derek's eyes were wide. "Is that baby mine, Maya?"

I wanted to lie. I wanted to tell him it was none of his business. But I was tired of secrets.

"Yes," I said. "The baby is yours."

Derek's face went through several emotions in rapid succession. Shock. Joy. Possession. "Then you have to come home. That's my child. My heir."

"That child is mine," Raphael said, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "Maya is mine. And if you don't leave my territory in the next sixty seconds, I will show you exactly what happens to people who threaten what belongs to me."

The threat was real. I could see it in every line of Raphael's body. Could feel his wolf pushing against his control, wanting to tear Derek apart.

"Derek, go," I said quickly. "Please. Just go."

Derek looked at me, and I saw the moment he realized he had lost. "This isn't over, Maya. That's my baby. I have rights."

"You have no rights," Raphael said. "You rejected Maya when you married another woman. You gave up any claim to her or her child. Now leave before I make you."

Several of Raphael's guards appeared from nowhere, surrounding us. They were all bigger than Derek, all clearly ready to fight if needed.

Derek was many things, but he wasn't stupid. He knew he couldn't win here.

"Fine," he said, backing away. "But Maya, when you realize he doesn't really care about you, when you realize you're just a toy to him, don't come crying to me."

He left, and the guards followed him to make sure he actually exited the territory.

I stood there shaking, my arms wrapped around my stomach protectively. Everything had just gotten so much more complicated.

Raphael turned to me, his face softer now that Derek was gone. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know." My voice came out as a whisper. "He knows about the baby. He's going to tell people. He's going to cause trouble."

"Let him try." Raphael placed his hands on my shoulders, gentle but firm. "Maya, look at me."

I looked up and saw his gold eyes burning with intensity.

"Derek has no power here," Raphael said. "No rights. No claim. That baby is mine the moment you agree to be my mate. The moment we complete the bond, everything about you becomes mine to protect. No one will dare challenge that."

"But he's the biological father."

"Biology doesn't matter. What matters is who will love that child. Who will raise them. Who will teach them to be strong and kind and brave." He moved one hand to my stomach, covering where the baby grew. "I will be their father in every way that counts. If you let me."

Tears burned in my eyes. "Why? Why would you do this for me?"

"Because you're my mate," he said simply. "Because when I look at you, I see my whole future. And that future includes this baby. Our baby."

I felt something break inside me. All the walls I had been trying to keep up, all the distance I had been maintaining, they just crumbled.

I threw my arms around Raphael's neck and buried my face in his chest. He caught me easily, holding me tight as I cried.

"I'm scared," I admitted into his shirt. "I'm so scared of all of this."

"I know," he murmured, one hand stroking my hair. "But you don't have to be scared anymore. I've got you. I'll always have you."

We stood there in the middle of the training yard, holding each other as the sun climbed higher in the sky. Around us, I knew people were watching. The guards. The servants. Everyone in the palace would know by dinner that their king had held the Omega girl while she cried.

But for the first time since coming here, I didn't care what people thought.

Because for the first time in my life, I felt truly safe.

When I finally pulled back, Raphael wiped the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. "Better?"

"A little." I laughed shakily. "Sorry. I'm usually not this emotional."

"You're pregnant and dealing with your terrible ex-mate showing up uninvited. I think you're allowed to be emotional."

That made me laugh for real. "When you put it that way..."

"Come on." He took my hand, and the gesture felt natural now. Right. "Let's go inside. I think you've had enough excitement for one day."

As we walked back to the palace, hand in hand, I realized something.

I had three weeks left of my trial month with Raphael.

But I already knew what my answer was going to be.

I was going to stay.