Her heart beat so fast, she was surprised it was still within her rib cage. She’d been desperate for this information her entire life, having spent most of it believing she’d done something wrong to make her family abandon her.

“But why? Is that…normal? For females to be sent off to live with their mates?” Maybe her living with them hadn’t been to hide her. Maybe she’d lived there to be closer to Jaren, and the rebellion was just a coincidence.

Hope surged, and she ran her palms down her thighs, suddenly nervous.

“No, it’s not usual for mates to live together before maturity. And even then, not all mates form a relationship.”

She nodded. Jaren had once explained as much. Some mates rejected the bond completely. “Okay, so then…”

“Veralie,” he spoke her name slowly, softly, and she knew she wasn’t going to like whatever answer he was about to give. “Vaneara loved this island and her people with a fierceness I’ve never seen before, but she also had a secret. One she did not voice, even to Vesstan.”

He paused, waiting for her to make eye contact. “She had no desire to ever get pregnant. Not with you, nor any other child.”

Silence filled the room as his words sank in. The bed shifted as Jaren settled behind her, his warm hands wrapping around her waist and pulling her onto his lap. She burrowed back into his chest, blinking rapidly to fight back the sudden burning in her eyes.

She wasn’t sure why, but some part of her had believed Eithan when he said her mother died to protect her. She believed it with every broken piece of her heart. And it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Jaeros shifted toward her before stopping and sitting back, clasping his hands together. “Vaneara physically suffered, Veralie. Just like every queen before her. Every day, every year, she felt it.”

He glanced back at Jaren once before finally scooting closer and setting his hand over hers. Jaren stiffened at his proximity but did not demand he remove it.

“She did not want that for you, nor any child she could ever have. She wanted her bloodline to end with her.”

“Okay, so…” she swallowed, taking a deep breath. She asked for this. To know this. She needed to grow a spine and listen. She could be upset later when no one was around to see her break. “So, why didn’t she…”

“End the pregnancy?”

She nodded. The procedure had major risks on Aleron, and very few healers would even entertain the idea, but here where females’ choices were respected and they could heal themselves? It had to have been a viable option.

He squeezed her hand once before pulling it back. “I didn’t know she was pregnant until after you were born, so I can’t say for sure. All I know is when I voiced surprise, she was adamant that having you was the only option.”

Jaeros rubbed a hand along his jaw, smoothing his beard. “She believed you were a sign from the gods. One that had to be protected at all costs. And before you ask, no, she would not tell me why.”