Rejected and Pregnant Claimed By The Dark Alpha Prince novel Chapter 799

Denzel decided to shift the topic of their conversation, sensing the heaviness Dominick's name had placed on Juniper's shoulders.

"How's your heat? I suppose you handled it well," he asked, his voice softening with concern.

"It's gone. You bought suppressants for me, remember? I took them," Juniper replied as an anxiety stirred in her chest.

Deep down, she was worried. She knew that suppressing a heat often meant the next one would return with a vengeance, the intensity potentially becoming unbearable. Without a mate to help balance her system, she had to face this grueling cycle for a long time. It was a silent burden she wasn't quite ready to share.

Denzel side-eyed her, noting the way her gaze lingered on the distant trees. He could see the gears turning behind her eyes, wondering what thoughts she was keeping tucked away.

"I think the table must be empty now," Juniper said, turning her head to meet his gaze.

He checked the time on his watch. "Actually, there are still twenty minutes left."

"Oh. Come, let's sit over there," Denzel suggested, pointing toward a wooden bench with a shielded roof. They moved quickly to claim the spot before another group could take it.

"Did you grow up here?" Juniper asked, smoothing her skirt as she sat.

"Hmm. But my parents were mostly away for business," Denzel replied, looking out at the park's central fountain.

"Oh. That must have been lonely," Juniper murmured, her voice filled with an empathy.

"It was," he admitted, his expression softening as he looked back at her. "I spent most of my time with my grandmother. I should say my entire childhood into adulthood was spent there," Denzel added.

"What? Why? And what about your sister?" Juniper asked, genuinely confused. She had assumed that even with the business trips, there would have been a more traditional family structure.

"River used to travel with Mom," Denzel replied. "She had her own struggle trying to adjust to that kind of life– constantly moving, different cities every month and no stable friends. My parents thought I'd be better off with the stability of our grandmother's house and my training."

He looked away for a moment.

Juniper realized then that whether parents were present or not, everyone seemed to carry some form of childhood scar. Whether it was the chaos of constant travel or the quiet loneliness of a grandmother's house, no one emerged completely unscathed.

It made her own history with the Vittileos feel slightly less like an isolated tragedy and more like a different chapter in a very common book of struggles.

"At least you had each other eventually," Juniper said softly.

Denzel gazed at her, his expression hardening slightly. "No. My parents didn't even attend my grandmother's funeral. They were never present whenever I needed them," he affirmed.

Juniper's eyes widened. She hadn't expected a man as composed as Denzel to have had that kind of childhood. Though he only shared fragments, she could sense the deep-seated anger simmering beneath his calm exterior.

"How did you become Gabriel's gamma?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Cillian answered almost instantly. His face didn't appear; instead, his voice came through sharp and urgent. "Just switch to the video call, Juniper." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

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