Sleepy Fox Hollow Folk star

She expected that he might stop her, but not for the reason he stated. Wylla thought he would ask why she was so quiet or why she stood where Takiyok ought to or what she thought of their newest member. Instead, he broke the silence with a question she was not expecting and didn't want to answer, and she froze in place.

I wanted to be sure, she said, which was true. It wasn't the whole truth, though. The rest of it was that she didn't actually want to be pregnant with his kids. There was no promise between them, no commitment, no stability. She didn't want any part of the little harem he was building. She didn't want to be just one of many and she'd already entertained the idea of pretending they belonged to someone else if only to spare herself the humiliation of being just another of Mahler's wenches.

She nearly wielded that weapon against him in misplaced self defense, but the desire wilted and died almost instantly. Whether she liked it or not, Wylla had come to care for Mahler and hurting him that way no longer appealed. She sighed, knitted her brows together, and turned her face elsewhere so he would not see the uncertainty and frustration written there. I didn't even know with Tiercel until someone told me and it's not like I've been sick or anything. Just a bit off. Could've been gas for all I know.