“It’s all right,” Roger said, his eyes widening as he took in my pale face and scared expression. He realized he’d freaked me out for the third or fourth time that day. “It’s not—it’s not bad. I was just kind of a dick. It was a misunderstanding—”

“What?” I asked, more confused than ever.

“Listen,” he said, leaning closer. “Just let me tell you, all right? I was going to tell you eventually, definitely not like this, but…” He sighed, looking from my face to my stomach and back to my eyes. “I think that…if we’re going to start this new part of our lives—this parent thing—well,” he said, giving me a charming half-smile and a shrug, “we should be on the same page, right?”

I nodded, agreeing but looking at him askance. “Did you not think we should…go into our mating…on the same page?”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s a little different, Cora, because it didn’t matter—I didn’t think we could have kids.”

I frowned, not mad or angry, but confused.

“Listen, let me just tell you,” he said, leaning forward with pleading eyes.

“Okay,” I said simply, taking his hands and leaning closer to kiss his mouth, letting him know I was listening with an open heart.

“Okay,” Roger said again, taking a deep breath before beginning. “Do you remember…when you and Ella went into the desert with her mother, Regina?”

“Reina,” I corrected softly, and he laughed.

“Right,” he said, shaking his head. “Those names are so easy to mix up. Anyway—you three were on your girls’ trip, and my choice was either to hang out with those priests in the temple or go back to the ship alone.”

I smirked, knowing precisely which he chose. He saw my smile and chuckled.

“Yeah,” he said, grinning. “I chose solitude. Or at least…I thought I did.”

“Was there someone on the ship?” I asked, curious.

“Not precisely,” he replied. “I was standing at the bow looking out at the desert—honestly, a little pissed off at being left behind. Sinclair sent me to protect Ella, and frankly, there’s nowhere I wanted to be except at your side—”

I smiled but didn’t interrupt.

“But then, as I was looking at the sky, staring at the moon, it started to grow…brighter and brighter. And at first, I thought I was crazy or drunk. I mean, the captain gave me some of his whiskey when he saw how upset I was…”

I squeezed his hands, begging him to focus. He looked at me and nodded.

“And suddenly,” he said, his voice faltering, looking down at our joined hands, “she was there.”

“Who?” I asked, breathless, though some part of me already knew.

Roger looked up, his eyes wide and still a little startled. “Your mother, Cora. Except…at the time, I didn’t know she was your mother.”

“Oh,” I replied, trying to keep my face steady. Honestly, some part of me felt a little jealous. We all met the goddess that night in the temple with Ella—Roger met her and me, but she’d only spoken to Ella beyond a brief introduction Ella insisted on giving us. At the time, it made sense—Ella was her daughter, the one she wanted to see.

But now? Now that I knew she was my mother too? And that she’d only spoken to Ella in the temple and then gone to Roger later that night for a chat?

I sighed, disappointed. Why did she want to talk to everyone but me?

“I know,” Roger murmured, brushing my cheek with his thumb. “It’s half of why I didn’t want to tell you, Cora,” he continued, his face full of sympathy. “I knew it would hurt.”

“Well, what did she do?” I asked, pushing past my jealousy and wanting to know.

He sighed, looking off into the distance. “She didn’t come in her bodily form,” he said, “like she did in the temple. Instead, it was just…a vision of sorts, more like the baptism, but…not quite.” He shook his head, at a loss to explain it. “But her message was perfectly clear.”

I squeezed his hands, letting him know it was okay. He could tell me. Roger turned back to me, looking at me directly, holding nothing back.

“She told me,” he said, “that I was chasing the wrong destiny. That my future wasn’t in war and politics, as my brother’s was—and you have to realize, that was devastating to hear at the time, considering we were in a war—and Dominic had just made me his Beta—”

I nodded, understanding, concentrating only on his words.

“But then she said,” he twisted his mouth, concentrating. “It’s hard to know how to phrase it—because it wasn’t precisely words—but that for the future of the world, I had to focus on family; on finding my mate, having children, being a dad, and raising my kids well to be leaders of their generation.”

“Oh,” I said, blinking with surprise. Then I leaned forward, finally understanding. “Oh, so you stopped calling me because…”

“Because I didn’t think we could have kids, Cora…” he whispered, clutching my hands tightly. “And it fucking broke my heart to do it because I loved you. I was obsessed with you, you know that. And before she said anything to me, I didn’t even care about kids—didn’t even really want them. It was always Dominic who was dying to be a dad, not me—”

“Oh!” I said again, my eyes widening.

“Don’t listen to me,” Roger murmured, apologetic. “I’m fucking it all up, Cora—I’m thrilled that you’re pregnant, and not just because the goddess told me to be. I want—” He paused, steadied himself, and chose his next words carefully.

“I very much want this child, Cora,” he said, pausing to ensure I heard him. “And I can’t wait to build a family with you.”

And I nodded because I did. I really got it. Honestly, I was in the same boat—I was unsure if I wanted kids. But the moment I really understood that this was our child—mine and Roger’s…

There was nothing else I wanted in the world.

“So, you stopped calling me,” I whispered, “because you thought…my mom told you to.”

“I was so fucking dumb, Cora,” Roger murmured, running a hand through his hair. “I was totally freaked out. I didn’t want to, but when a goddess tells you to do something, you feel compelled to do it—and I thought she was telling me to run from you, when she probably was telling me to run to you, to take you directly to my stupid tiny bunk on that awful little ship and knock you up right then and there—”

I couldn’t help the laughter that spilled out, thinking about the nights I lay in my own bunk, aching for him. “Honestly,” I murmured, “I probably would have let you.”

“See?” he said, laughing and leaning close. “She shouldn’t have come to me at all—she should have just let things pan out. She should have known I’m too stupid to understand a goddess’s meanings and prophecies—”

I laughed harder, shaking my head. We could have saved ourselves so much grief if my mom had just butted out.

Roger laughed with me, and suddenly he was gathering me into his arms.

Roger, misinterpreting my mom; me, crying for weeks and running to Hank for no reason…

And I was kissing him, loving my sweet mate, who never stopped loving me…

When suddenly I realized…

“Oh my god,” I murmured, pulling back. “Roger, when you mated with me…”

He frowned, not understanding.

“You…” I whispered, shocked. “You thought you were choosing me despite the fact that we’d never have kids. You thought you were…defying a goddess.”

Roger’s smile was slow but deep. He nudged me with his nose before pressing a long, slow kiss to my lips. “You were worth it, Cora,” he whispered. “I was ridiculous to try to stay away from you. I’d defy a thousand gods to live this life by your side. It’s the only place I want to be.”

And I closed my eyes and kissed my mate, letting his love sweep through me.

Because even though it sometimes felt like I’d been abandoned my entire life…Roger chose me.

Above everything else. Above his future, his family, the orders of a goddess, his destiny even…Roger chose me.

And as I kissed him, as I held him close, I knew I’d chosen him a long time ago, and now every part of me sang that despite all obstacles and hesitations, that choice was right.