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The other women watch this exchange closely, and I ignore them as I walk past them to Margaret. When I reach her, I ask, “Do I need to change?”

Her eyes flick down to my basic gray dress. It’s in sharp contrast to her and the other pregnant women, with their growing bellies, and swollen breasts, bared for all to see. I’ve been trying to acclimate to this change—to the revelation of skin and intimacy—but it’s so far removed from the way we were raised, that it’s impossible.

How is this okay, but my behavior is deemed Regressive?

“You’re fine.” She takes a step back. “We shouldn’t waste time anyway. He’s waiting.”

He.

My pulse beats, the urge to run overwhelming. But just over her shoulder, standing by the exit, is one of Anex’s guards. There is no running.

“Do you know what this is about?” I ask as we exit the center and start up the road toward the Main House. As much as I dread this, the fresh air feels nice, and the stretch in my legs. I’ve been trapped in that building for weeks.

“Nothing bad.” She gives me a small smile. “In fact, I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.”

That information does nothing to allay my fears, instead sending a chill of warning up my spine. The feeling doesn’t decrease as we walk up the steps and wind through the maze of staircases and hallways. It’s hard to believe that this was my home a few months ago.

“You know,” she says, pausing in the hallway I know leads to Anex’s private rooms, “you’re caught in the darkness of this journey right now, Imogene. The bad days leading to the good. The narrow part of the path. You’ve already been accepted. Chosen and Marked. Anex isn’t the bad guy here. He’s waiting for you to see the way out, but only you can do that.” She takes my hand. “Stop fighting him. It’ll make everything fall into alignment.”

Margaret didn’t grow up here. She wasn’t raised in a Donum or told to conform. Her dress and autonomy prove this. She probably thinks that she convinced him to let her wear these clothes. To plaster on makeup and become sexually free. But no one manipulates Anex. She’s just the vehicle he’s using to change our world.

“You realize,” the words spill from me impulsively, “that you think you’re different. That his affection for you will be enough to protect you. But it won’t. He’ll turn on you just as fast as he turned on his own son. On Elon, Levi, and Rex.” Her eyes narrow as I speak the truth. “On his real wife, Beatrice.”

“Beatrice was a fool,” she snaps, her façade slipping. “Just like your mother.”

“No. You’re a fool. The rest of us were born into this disaster. You chose it, Margaret. You’re the one who is blinded by the man behind that door.”

“That man is a god. He is the only one that can bring any of us peace. As you’re about to find out now.” Without another word, she squares her shoulders and opens the door.

My eyes go straight to Anex’s chair, but it’s empty. The space next to it isn’t. My stomach caves, and my breath catches in my throat.

Rex.

His eyes pin to mine when he sees me, raking down my body in a long, assessing gaze.

“What…” I ask, unable to finish the thought. It’s good to see him. Even though he looks thin and tired, that same commanding presence defines him. I glance at Margaret. “What’s going on?”

“He earned it,” she says, stepping back.

When I look back at Rex he’s striding forward. The gap vanishes, and he scoops me against him. I sink against him. The man I once feared, that took everything from me, is now one of the few things to bring me solace.

I feel the difference in his body. The thinning of his arms and the lost bulk in his body.

He earned it.

I pull back, getting a good look at his face. His cheeks are hollow, and there’s faint bruising near his temple. “What did you do?” I ask quietly.

“What I had to,” he admits, but there’s no shadow of guilt in his piercing eyes. “I needed to see you. To make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” It’s not entirely true, but physically, yes, I’m solid. For now.

His hand runs up my neck, settling on my jaw. “I should’ve—”

“Stop. Whatever time we have together, it’s not enough to go into should’ves.”

He frowns, gaze darting between my eyes and my mouth. Fingers on one hand digging into my hip. There’s a hesitation there, but that is not who my mate is—he takes what he wants, and I know for certain he wants me. I push up on my toes and brush my lips against his, reminding him of who we are.

That’s all it takes, that one small, heated brush, flesh against flesh for him to snap back into himself. His tongue seeks mine, strong and coaxing. Rex roughly pulls me against him, and for the first time, the balance between us is even. He needs me as much as I need him.