By "we," Lilith referred to the inner circle of Orion's consorts.
Represented by Lilith herself, these women were all powerful in their own right but stuck below the threshold of Archlord. They were desperate for any avenue of advancement, and the Stoneheart Titan bloodline was a tantalizing path to greater power.
"You can," Orion said, his voice devoid of emotion. "But understand this: if you undergo the transformation, you will never bear my children."
The room went cold.
"If you become Stoneheart Titans, you become my kin," Orion explained. "You will share my bloodline directly. Biologically, reproduction between us will become impossible. Whatever chance existed before vanishes the moment the ritual is complete."
The color drained from both Lilith's and Soraya's faces.
For them, the ability—or at least the potential—to carry Orion's heir was their most valuable political card. It was a privilege they could not afford to discard.
