Lycan king's substitute breeder novel Chapter 22

Pre... Pregnant?" Stephen stuttered, nearly falling off his chair.

I nodded. "Yes."

As I nodded, Stephen's face went pale. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened, but no words came out. After a long pause, he forced a smile then let out an awkward chuckle. "You must be joking, right? I know you are joking."

"I'm serious," I said, my voice shaking. "That baby in her womb is mine."

I swallowed heavily and rubbed my palm against my forehead. Stephen's frustration was palpable. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet and punched the air.

"Please!" he begged, panic in his voice. "We need to be serious here. What are you saying, King Oregon? You can't be serious. This must be a joke. Did you hit your head? Or was it one of those girls who cast a spell on you?" His expression shifted from confusion to disbelief and dismay.

"No, Stephen, I'm completely serious about this," I said firmly. "No one enchanted me. I'm the father of that child, I'm certain of it." He studied my face, his eyes searching for any sign of doubt or deception.

"But... that doesn't make any sense!" he protested. "How can you be the father? You're not! There's no way this is possible." His voice cracked as he spoke, and I could see the distress on his face.

"I will explain things to you. Just sit down and stop exaggerating," I breathed, and he reluctantly took his seat. I could see the disbelief and skepticism in his eyes.

"I'm not sure I understand a thing because it still doesn't make any sense to me, no matter how I think about it. You met Vivian for the first time with me, and I'm sure you never had sex with her, or did you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

I just sighed and took my gaze away.

Stephen blinked and nodded slowly. "All right, let's pretend for a moment that you did sleep with Vivian," he began, his tone still dubious. "How is it possible that she became one and a half months pregnant in less than a month's time? It doesn't add up." He raised his voice, practically shouting at me.

I remained calm and waited for him to finish. I wanted to make sure he felt heard, so that he might be more open to hearing what I had to say.

"Are you finished?" I asked, keeping my voice soft.

Stephen sighed and nodded. "Yes, I'm finished," he said, his tone calmer now.

"Good," I said. "Now it's my turn to talk, okay?" I waited for him to respond, my eyes searching his face for any sign of disapproval.

He nodded again, his face solemn. "Okay, I'm all ears."

"I first met Vivian somewhere else," I began, but Stephen cut me off before I could continue.

"Where?" he asked impatiently.

"Please, let me finish," I said, a hint of frustration in my voice. "I promise I'll get to that part."

"Do you remember?" I asked again, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he stared deeply at me.

"What is this? Can't you hear me now?" I asked, sweeping my hand across my face.

His eyes blinked as a result of the stimulus, and I scoffed.