?Chapter 272:


    “Right.”


    I smacked my forehead, suddenly remembering. “That’s true. I’ve been so caught up with all the chaos that Ipletely forgot about the hunt.”


    Alice raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you all packed up?”


    I sank into the chair and absentmindedly toyed with my breakfast before replying half-heartedly, “What’s there to even prepare…”


    At first, the idea of leaving the pce for the hunt had excited me, but with my mood so soured, even this couldn’t spark the slightest enthusiasm. Besides, leaving the pce didn’t mean freedom. We would still be under Leonardo’s watchful eye—just in a different setting. And most likely, we’d end up serving those insufferable princes anyway.


    “Who said there’s nothing to prepare?” Alice tapped me on the head and reminded me with eager enthusiasm, “The king promised that whoever performs well might get the chance to spend time with the princes. All the other women are scrambling for that opportunity. You, with the best chance among us to conceive a Lycan heir and secure the bonus, really shouldn’t ck off.”


    Conceive? The word made me scowl. From what I had pieced together, carrying a prince’s child seemed less like an honor and more like a death sentence. We were pawns, thrust into this fate without a choice. That was likely the reason Leonardo pushed us so relentlessly toward pregnancy. He didn’t care about our survival. His only concern was securing a future heir for the Lycan royal family.


    Makenna’s POV:


    “Alice, what are your thoughts on the prospect of pregnancy?”


    Given the dangers tied to bearing a child, I pressed my lips together and asked her earnestly, “Are you still intent on gaining the princes’ favor?”


    Alice’s lips curved into a rueful smile as she admitted, “I never really wanted to vie for their favor. I have no interest in any of those princes. When I said I was keen onpeting, it was only to prove my value to my so-called family.”


    Her words struck a deep chord within me, filling me with sympathy. Alice was strong, but like me, she was just another pawn, sacrificed by her own kin.


    Taking a deep breath, Alice forced a grin, her tone lightening. “But after some thought, I’ve decided I just want toze around the pce, do the bare minimum, and indulge in food, drink, and all the luxuries thate our way. Isn’t that a good life?”


    Her perspective gave me a sliver offort, but I knew it was time to share the truth about the dangers of pregnancy. Since Lily would be spared from such a fate, I sent her away first. Once she was gone, I revealed the unsettling truth I had uncovered over the past few days. If the gossip I overheard in Bryan’s residence was mere chatter, yton’s candid revtion had confirmed its grim reality.


    Women who bore Lycan heirs faced a steady decline in health after childbirth, their bodies unable to recover from the strain of carrying such powerful offspring.


    Alice’s eyes widened in horror. “So, if you were to get pregnant with a prince’s child, you’d likely die?”


    “It’s highly probable,” I confirmed with a heavy heart. “The power of the Lycans is overwhelming, and our bodies can’t withstand it.”


    Alice murmured in disbelief, “That’s horrifying. Are we nothing more than tools to them?”


    Her words mirrored my own despair, but then she suddenly grabbed my hand, her voice trembling with urgency. “Makenna, are you pregnant? You’ve been favored by the princes. If you are, it would spell disaster for you!”


    Her concern for me, rather than for herself, took me by surprise. A wave of warmth washed over me, and I shook my head. “Don’t worry, I’m rtively fortunate. I shouldn’t be pregnant yet. It’s difficult for me to conceive, so you needn’t fret about me.”


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