"You're lying to me," I croaked out. Aleksander didn't even flinch. The bastard knew, from the moment I wasn't in bed, that I had some idea of what he had done. Of course he wouldn't break down a door for no reason. "I don't want you worrying about it." "I'm Ravka's queen." It was more of a desperate plea than a statement of fact. "You're my wife before you're anything else," he murmured, pressing his hand to the side of my neck to lull me into the darkness of his touch, of sleep. *** Alina was safe. Aleksander was benevolent. Everything had been going perfect. But one year later, the Shu are a greater threat than ever and Alina is thrust into a dangerous pregnancy. When Aleksander refuses to give Alina the freedom she needs, old problems resurface *** DARKLING x ALINA FANFIC SEQUEL TO "MEANT TO BE MY BALANCE"