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I am married, but I am not mated. Legally, I am the Alpha Kings wife of the Crimson Ridge Pack. In practice, I am everything a Luna is supposed to bejust without the title being sealed by a bond. If you want to be exact, Im his wife, not their Luna. But no one here has ever treated me like Im less. For two years, the pack has stood behind me. They call me Luna, look to me like a Luna, and let me carry the work as though the word belongs to me. Crimson Ridge rules over more than our own borders. Our warriors are undefeated, our name carries weight, and smaller packs tie themselves to us because they know that, in a crisis, the Alpha King will comewith teeth and steelto hold their lands. Luna careful. Let me handle that. Chloes voice rises beneath me, sweet with worry. We had finished the annual Moon Conference only hours ago. This morning was the aftermathtables to clear, ribbons to gather, decorations to take down. Staff kept insisting I should leave it to them because I had already done enough. I still couldnt make myself walk away. Every year we host the prominent families from the packs under our alliance. This time I had set everything outside, early summer air and soft heat instead of crowded halls. The forecast had threatened rain right up until the last minute, but the skies had held. I am balanced at the top of a ladder, fingers working at knots of wire as I pull down fairy lights by the handful. Banners hang between branches and postsmy newest pride. I had made them for this year: a crowned wolf howling into a red blood moon, the symbol of Crimson Ridge. Im alright, Chloe, I tell her. Can you pack up the leftover food? The night watch missed the feast. They might want breakfast. Yes, Luna. Her smile brightens. Thats thoughtful of you. She calls someone over as if she has already decided it will be done. Its what a Luna does. I manage a small smile, still awkward whenever someone praises me. I never know where to put it. Margaret! Chloe turns. Can you give Luna a hand with the lights? Margaret appears like shes been waiting to be useful. Gladly. Luna, let me do that before the Alpha takes all our heads off. A joke sits at the edge of my tongue and I swallow it. Anything too sharp could sound like disrespecttoward him, toward what our marriage is on paper. I have never confused obligation for affection. Roland has made it plain from the start: this was an alliance bound in ceremony. We do not share a bed. He has never closed the distance long enough for our wolves to lock together the way mates do. He has never marked me. And still, some humiliating part of me has kept hoping he might eventually want me. That hope is probably the reason I have stayed. Margaret sets up another ladder beside mine and starts unwrapping lights from a broad old tree. There are so many strands that it feels like the morning will vanish before we finish. You outdid yourself, Luna, she says as she works. These gatherings were never like this. Its nice, having a Luna again. I smell him before I see him. Sweet leather and something darker beneath itRolands scent hits the air and my body answers before my mind can catch up. My knees go soft. My wolf presses close inside me, needy and alert, as if it has been waiting. The first year I was married to him, being near him felt like holding back a storm. He had warned me without softness that he wanted no romance from this matchonly strength between packs. He doesnt look at me like a husband looks at a wife, yet his presence still feels like standing too close to fire. I had been foolishly infatuated with him long before he became my husband. Most girls were. Even young, Roland had looked like an Alphabroad-shouldered, powerful, built as if the Moon Goddess had designed him for command. His dark blond hair stays tied back, never loose. His eyes are a clear, impossible blue that always makes me think of the lake near my home pack. Age only sharpened him. Even now, grown females struggle to speak properly when he walks by. After our marriage, his father stepped down and Roland rose to Alpha King. The packs protection, the politics, the weight of everyones livesthose responsibilities dropped onto our shoulders. His father disappeared soon after, and I havent seen him since. Whatever existed between them had never been warm. Rolands footsteps draw nearer, and the air thickens like the world is holding its breath. I lift my arms higher, focusing hard on a stubborn knot of wireanything to avoid staring at him like a lovesick girl. Hes in a tight light-grey shirt that clings to every muscle, the fabric stretched as if its one breath away from tearing. Tattoos run along his arms. Once, and only once, I had caught a glimpse of ink across his backhuge angel wings across his shoulder blades, with a name beneath them I couldnt read. Loose black jeans sit low on his hips, his usual choice on pack land, practical for shifting without warning. My wolf whimpers. My legs betray me. The ladder slips. For a heartbeat I am weightless, tipping into the air, and then he is theretoo fast, too surecatching me with a hard arm around my waist. My body slams into his. His heat is immediate, his breath warm against my throat where his mates mark should have been. Our eyes lock for a fraction of a second. His irises shift from bright lake-blue to something darker, storm-deephis wolf pushing close to the surface. Ahthanks, I say, voice rough with panic. I clear my throat as if that will fix how close we are. I set my feet on the ground and step away, creating space like Im supposed to. His wolf feels angry, offended by contact I didnt earn. Roland is not Alpha King because he is gentle. He is proud, cold-edged, ruthless when he needs to be. I have never mistaken him for kind. We dont match at all: I like people, laughter, gatherings, the soft work of holding a pack together. Roland cuts straight through everything like a blade. Yet my wolf insists there is warmth behind the ice, buried so deep it might never be reached. You shouldnt have hung them that high, he says, clicking his tongue as he looks up. Then they wouldnt have lit the clearing properly, Alpha. Margaret climbs down with an armful of lights and drops them on the grass. Luna did brilliantly. Yes. Rolands gaze flicks to me. Youve obviously put in effort, Eleanor. The compliment lands flat, without warmth, but my wolf still sings because he said my name. Thank you, Alpha. Its all I manage. Inside, my wolf groans at how stiff I sound. Do you need assistance packing the decorations away? His tone doesnt change. No, weve got it, I answer quickly. Im sure you have other matters to handle. Of course. His mouth tightens into a line. So, Chloe says as she returns with neatly packed trays of meat, amusement dancing in her voice, when are you two giving the pack a pup? Everyones desperate for an heir. Chloe! Margaret snaps. You cant ask that. Heat rushes to my face so fast it stings. I risk a glance at Roland. He is glaring at Chloe, anger sharp in his eyes, his aura rolling off him in warning. If she were in wolf form, shed have her tail tucked tight. Then he catches me watching and looks away, suddenly rigid, as if the topic has turned his bones to stone. They dont know the truth. They dont know that I have wanted a baby with him so badly it has ached. Not only for the pack, not only to give them the future they crave, but because I have been secretly hoping a child might make Roland finally claim me. Mark me. Turn this arrangement into something that resembles a family. I am not sure I even believe that dream anymore. In two years of marriage, Roland has slept with me once. Only onceand it happened two months ago. For me, it has been the most intense night of my life. I have replayed it in my head until it feels like torture. Some mornings I wake drenched in sweat, still remembering the sparks, the pressure, the way my body had finally felt wanted, and the day that follows always feels empty. That night he had come back with bad news. I had found him in his office with two whiskey bottles drained, slumped over his desk. I couldnt let staff see him like that, so I had gotten him upstairs to his room. After that things shifted. My restraint snapped under months of hunger. When he reached for me, I didnt stop him. He hasnt touched me since. He shows no tenderness, no compassion, and the morning after made it worse. He had bolted from the bed as if being there burned him, pulling on clothes, leaving without a word. Regret had been written all over his movements. I know why. I have seen her. There are photographs tucked in his desk drawerher and him together, looking radiant, entwined like the world is safe when theyre close. She is what he wants. What he has craved. And instead, he has me. The first time I noticed her was when I moved into the Alpha mansion. A framed photo had been sitting on his bedside table when Margaret gave me the tour, assuming, naturally, that I would be sharing his room. I hadnt corrected her. I had not slept in Rolands bed until two months ago. During my first year, I had repeated the same childish fantasy to myself: once we have children, hell soften; once we have a pup, hell love me the way he loved her. By the second year, that hope had thinned into something fragile and embarrassing. I threw myself into duty insteadif devotion couldnt earn his heart, maybe it could at least make me useful. Still burning from Chloes question, I turn back to the tangled lights in my hands and force myself to focus. Chloe murmurs that the food is ready, and Roland uses it like a lifeline, taking the trays and leaving quickly. Margaret and Chloe watch him go, exchanging baffled looks. A wave of dizziness sweeps through me so suddenly that the world tilts. Can you both finish this? I ask, voice unsteady. Margaret is already stepping closer. Luna, are you alright? Youve gone very pale. Nausea rises hard. I sway where I stand. Luna! Chloe hurries to my side. Im fine, I insist, trying to slow my pounding heart. The conference, the entertainment, all the planningits just caught up with me. Well take care of it. Margarets brow furrows. But maybe go see a doctor, just in case? I swallow, forcing down the sick feeling. Yes. Thank you. I will. .. Instead of heading straight back to the mansion, I detour to the pack medical center. Dizzy spells arent common for she-wolves, and I know exactly who will see me without questions. My doctor. I knock, and a familiar steady voice answers. Come in! Nathans eyes brighten as I step into his office. Nathan is my best friend. When I left the Argent Vale Pack to marry Roland, he came with me. Back home he had been on track to become beta, but he had trained as a doctor and insisted Crimson Ridge needed the right facilitiesneeded someone watching out for me. He never went back. He stayed as my personal physician, though I rarely said the words out loud. I have been grateful for him in ways I cant properly explain. He is the one part of my life here that feels uncomplicated. I shut the door and catch myself in the long mirror by the wall. Margaret hadnt been wrong. I look washed out, the blush from earlier embarrassment completely gone. I press my fingers to my cheek, studying the rest of me with a quiet, critical eye: long pale-blonde hair, green eyes that seem dull today, full pink lips, and a slim body hidden under loose clothes. Some days I dont even bother with a bra. My chest is small enough to get away with it, and Roland never noticed when I tried to look pretty anyway. Eleanor. Nathans concern slips into his voice as he watches me. His chocolate-brown eyes match his hair, and the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose tell me he has been reading too long again. Whats going on? I turn away from the mirror and drop into the patient chair, exhausted all at once. With Nathan I dont have to pretend. He is my oldest friend, my only true ally. Were the same agetwentywhile Roland is twenty-one. Nathan has always been protective, though he never has the nerve to confront Roland directly. In my first year here, I had cried into Nathans arms more nights than I want to count, asking myself what I had agreed to and why. My second year, I stopped. I couldnt keep bleeding on him. Nathan never said it, but his eyes did: he thought I had chosen wrong. Being unmarked has left me one small mercyI still have my pack mind-link. Im too far to reach my parents, but Nathan and I use it constantly. Having his voice in my head during Alpha dinners and defense meetings has kept me sane. I got dizzy while we were packing things away, I tell him. I feel better now, but everyone kept pushing me to get checked. Thats unusual for you. He stands and gestures to the medical bed. Sit up here. Let me run through a quick exam. I obey, swinging my legs onto the blue padding. And generally? he asks as he presses the stethoscope to my chest. How have you been? Busy. I try for a light tone. The Moon Conference took over my life. Now its done, so maybe things will finally settle. He moves behind me to listen to my lungs again. And Roland? Did he acknowledge what you pulled off? A laugh escapes me, dry and short. Does he ever. Nathans wolf rumbles low in his chest, irritation leaking through his calm. Why do you keep trying, Eleanor? He isnt going to change. Two years, and he still hasnt shown you anything. If I can just make him see I start. Two years, he cuts in, sharper now. You have been showing him for two years. I set my jaw. It doesnt matter. I cant undo it. Im this packs Luna, bonded by duty if not by teeth. And youbecause youre one of us nowyou will support me. His eyes flick to mine, pained, but he doesnt argue again. A few minutes later he has checked my vitals, and Im lying back while he presses gently along my abdomen. Then he pauses, and his voice shifts. Are you and Roland sexually active recently? Nathan! I gasp, mortified. His expression doesnt move. Doctor mode. Answer me honestly. I stare at the ceiling. Two months ago. His shoulders stiffen. Disappointment, plain as day. Why? I frown, confused by his reaction. Nathans face changessurprise, then something bright and stunned. Eleanor youre pregnant. The room lurches. What? Ill book you in for a scan to confirm, but Id estimate around eight weeks. He exhales like hes been holding his breath. Come back tomorrow. Ill get you vitamins for your energy. But yesyoure pregnant. Joy crashes into me so fast it almost hurts. I have to tell Roland! The words come out as a squeal before I can stop them. Im off the bed, already moving, already flying for the door. I race to the Alpha mansion with heat in my chest, thrilled by the thought that a puphis pupis growing inside me. A gift for the pack. A future secured. Proof that my prayers to the Moon Goddess have not been wasted. Im so caught up in it that I dont register the unfamiliar scent lingering in the hallway as I head for Rolands office. I push the door open. Roland is holding a woman tightly against him. She is crying into his chest with the kind of desperation I have never been allowed to show. The happiness inside me dies in an instant. My heart splinters. He shifts her slightly away when he notices me, but his arm remains firm around her waist, possessive and sure. And then I see her face. She looks older than in the photographs, changed in small ways, but there is no mistaking her. Violet. Rolands mate. Rolands love. The Luna who should have been here instead of me. Chapter 2 Eleanor's POV Why had she shown up here? And why now? I try to catch Rolands eye, to read himanythingbut he wont look at me. His attention is fixed on the woman standing in front of him, the one acting all startled, like weve interrupted something. Her hairglossy blackused to fall long in the pictures Ive seen. Now its been cut into a sleek, shoulder-grazing bob. Shes dressed to be noticed: a bright pink top cut low enough to make a statement, white jeans tight as paint, and pink heels studded with glittering stones. Next to her, I feel shapeless and plain in my oversized black t-shirt and leggings. Oh! You must be Eleanor. Its so good to finally meet you. Im basically Rolands little sister, Im Shes halfway through an introduction, too bubbly, too loud. Violet, I cut in. She holds my stare a second longer than normal, then her eyes travel over mehead to toelike shes cataloguing flaws. If I hadnt been watching her so closely, I might have missed the faint edge of contempt. My wolf doesnt miss it. Theres something sharp in Violet, something chilly and ingrained. Rolands cold too, but its different. My wolf can feel that he is capable of warmth. He just keeps it locked away. And the way hes looking at her makes me think shes the reason. Im sorry to have arrived like this without warning, Violet says, stepping closer. Ive run into some trouble, and Roland is the only one who can help. Her hand lands on my husbands arm, fingers sliding in a slow stroke over his sleeve. Nausea rolls through me as I watch her touch himmy mate, the father of the baby growing inside me. I hope you dont mind me staying, she adds, smiling in a way that never reaches her eyes. Itll be nice to get to know my sister-in-law, anyway. Sister-in-law. The nerve of it. Ive seen enough in those photographs to understand what they used to be. I wait for Roland to acknowledge me, to check on me, to notice the tension in my shoulders. He doesnt. His gaze stays on Violet. Violets pack was attacked by rogues, Roland says at last. She barely escaped. A breath catches in my throat. What? Naturally, well take her in, he continues. The words sound like a decision already made. I cant tell if hes asking me or instructing me. Of course, I say quickly. Whatever Im feeling, shes still alive. That matters. Where will she stay? I ask, already thinking of the small guest houses along the borderthe ones we can have cleaned within the hour. She can use my old rooms. Here, in the Alpha house. My stomach drops. Oh, no, I couldnt, Violet says, voice suddenly modest. Ill take the front guest room. Internally, I grit my teeth. If she truly wanted to be accommodating, she would have suggested the guest housesnot a room under the same roof as us. Those were your rooms, I manage, heat rising into my face. Mine, now. The moment the words leave me, I hate them. Its obvious what Ive admitted without meaning to. Its decided, Roland says, and for the first time he smilesat Violet. My old rooms. Understood. I force my posture into something worthy of a Luna. Ill have catering speak with you about your preferences. Violet beams. Youre wonderful. Thank you, Eleanor. She opens her arms as if were close enough for an embrace. My wolf bristles, a low warning curling through me, and I step aside before her hands can reach me. Ill get the staff started on your room, I say, already backing away. I leave fasttoo fastbut I cant stop myself. Behind me, I let the office door hang slightly open. As I walk down the hall, Violets soft voice drifts out, followed by a little giggle. My throat tightens. Are they laughing at me? I draw in a long breath, trying to soothe the jealous agitation under my skinand then the real problem hits me. I hadnt told Roland. Violets arrival knocked everything out of my head. The baby. The words Id been holding onto. Now I have to keep it to myself. At least until shes gone. . I go back to Nathans office in the medical centre because there isnt anyone else I can truly lean on. Hes been the closest thing I have to a friend here. I tell him I didnt get the chance to tell Rolandnot with Violet appearing and turning the entire Alpha house upside down. If I can keep the pregnancy quiet just a little longer, Violet surely wont stay long. Then, when she leaves, I can tell Roland and we can prepare for our little arrival without her hovering in the middle of everything. It will bring us closer. Im certain it will. Nathan doesnt react the way I expect. Instead of understanding, he gets irritated, insisting I should tell the Alpha immediately. But I cantnot yet. The timing is wrong. Roland is focused on helping Violet, and as Luna, Im expected to stand beside him, to support what he chooses. Later, Im in Rolands old room, overseeing the preparations for Violets stay. In two years here, I have never stepped inside this room. Ive never gone anywhere I wasnt invited; it feels intrusive, like snooping. But standing in it now, I can see traces of Roland in the space more clearly than in the shared Alpha rooms. That makes it worse, not better. And knowing Violet will be sleeping here stirs a private, ugly irritation I dont want to admit. I cant believe shes back, Chloe mutters, breaking into my thoughts. And I cant believe the Alpha let her stay. Why wouldnt he? I ask, though I already know that question has more than one answer. Because she was awful, Chloe says, tugging at the bedding while Margaret helps. Back when they were together, she acted like she ran this place. Like she was the Luna. She barked orders at us like we were dirt. I try to lighten it with a brittle laugh. Do I do that? Chloe looks genuinely startled. No, Luna. You ask. You treat us like people. With her she was Chloe, I warn, voice sharpening. Margaret steps in carefully. I think she only means that when Violet stayed here before I freeze. Stayed here before? Margarets expression tightens. Yes, Luna. In this room? Yes. Something goes hollow in my chest. Roland has never allowed me into his Alpha rooms, not really. I have my own set of rooms, and Ive always maintained the illusion that theyre simply a private space for menot evidence of what I dont talk about. I have never let it show that I dont sleep beside him every night. A memory slams into me: two months ago, when he had rushed out of his room like hed been burned. The way disgust had twisted his face when he realised Id been in his bed. The room tilts. My hands falter on the sheets and my knees go unsteady. Lunaare you alright? Margaret catches my arm and guides me down onto the edge of the bed. Im fine, I say, forcing the words out. Thank you, Margaret. Chloe huffs. See? She didnt even bother learning names back then. Margaret shoots her a glare, and theres a quiet growl in it that finally shuts Chloe up. She wont be here forever, I say, more to myself than to them. Once the Alpha helps her recover, shell leave. Be patient. Shes been through something terrible. Chloes mouth twists. Wouldnt shock me if she caused her packs terrible situation herself Chloe, I snarl. Too late. Violet is standing in the doorway. Margaret and Chloe both stare at her. Chloes face tilts into something dangerously close to a smirk. If Violet heard, she doesnt acknowledge itat least not outwardly. Her expression stays smooth. Keep working, I tell my staff, voice clipped. They nod and return to the task, though the air has changed. I turn to leave, desperate to put distance between myself and Violet. Her fingers close around my elbow, stopping me. Eleanor, she says softly, could we discuss something? Alone? Shes smiling at me, but she cuts a hard, backward look at Chloe firsta quick flash of warning. Then she remembers herself. The smile returns like a mask sliding into place. Of course, Violet, I say. And I already dread every second of whatever she wants to say. Chapter 3 Eleanor's POV I guide Violet out through the front doors and onto the Alpha mansions lawn. Im half-checking whether anything out here still needs straightening after the earlier bustle, and half-choosing this spot because Chloe and Margaret are behind the house. No ears nearby. Violet pivots toward me. Shes wearing that pleasant expression again, but something sharper leaks through itan edge shes trying to tuck away. My wolf catches it anyway and whimpers inside my skull. Every instinct in me says: danger. Im still amazed youve put yourself in the front guest rooms, she says lightly, like its a joke shes letting me in on. And Roland gave me his old rooms. Shouldnt those be swapped? She lets out a mock little laugh. My spine locks. Nathans warning flashes through me. I didnt uproot myself and abandon my birth pack to come here just to be played with. I have spent two years working as Crimson Ridges Luna. I am not handing that over. Violet I start, and I know my voice isnt warm anymore. Her smile drops. Were alone, she says, impatient now. So say whatever youre going to say. The shift is instant. The airy, scatterbrained act evaporates, leaving a woman who looks like she bites first and asks questions after. Fine, she says, curling her lip. Then Ill be direct. She leans in just enough for it to feel like a threat. Im here to be the Luna of this pack. My pulse stutters. But Im the Luna. Youre not, though. Her eyes gleam with smug certainty. Roland hasnt marked you. Hes been waiting for something or someone. She looks me up and down as if Im a poor decision he made out of obligation. If I hadnt left, I would have been marked, she says. I would have been Luna. Look at youthen look at me. The insult hits exactly where she intends it to. I dont spend my days dressing for attention or clicking around in heels ordering servants. Ive earned this packs respect in the ways that matter. Ive been asked for my judgement on battle formations. His council has listened when I pushed diplomacy instead of bloodshed. Roland has trusted me to hold everything together when hes off pack grounds. And yeswhatever we are, whatever we arenthis lack of romantic interest has made it easier to stop trying to look pretty for him. I have learned to live with that. Two years married, Violet continues, voice chilled. And you still arent marked. She laughs, low and mean, like the fact itself is a punchline. You obviously dont make him happy, she adds. I did. He never complainedif you understand what Im saying. Her smile turns cruel. He doesnt love you. Nausea rolls through me. The pup inside me feels her words like an insult aimed straight at his existence. My mind flashes to what I knowhow Roland kept separate rooms from me, how our marriage was only consummated two months ago. While she I swallow hard. Well, I force out, because I refuse to look weak, youre certainly informed. Oh, I am, she says. I came back for one reason. And you wont stand in my way. A growl threads through her voice. I retreat a few steps without meaning to, shock and instinct tangling together. My hands want to protect my stomach. My childs place in this pack is not up for negotiation. Violet, I say, steadying myself, Im married to Roland. A marriage without love. She spits the words. It would be kinder to you if it ended now. I should walk away. I should stop listening. But my mind races aheadthis baby, his baby, will change things. It will soften whats frozen in him. I still believe he can love. I still need to believe he can love me. Youve been gone for a long time, I say, pushing confidence into the sentence like armor. What makes you think he feels anything for you anymore? Violets grin widens. Eleanor. She says my name like Im slow. Ive seen the photographs. He keeps them in his desk drawer. Her eyes shine with triumph. If he didnt love me, he wouldve thrown them out. She tilts her head. And yet there arent framed pictures of you anywhere in the mansion. Her voice turns sugary. Its almost like you dont live there. And soon you wont. My chest tightens. Her finding those photoshim keeping themsends panic skittering through me. Im so tangled in her words that I dont register someone approaching. I dont even catch his scent in time. Violet does. Her posture snaps upright; her shoulders roll back, breasts pushed forward like shes presenting an offering. The hostility disappears as if it never existed, replaced by fluttery innocence she performs like she was born for it. Roland, she calls, voice almost a purr. She hurries to him, deliberately swaying, her tight top doing its best to contain her. When she reaches him, she lays a hand on his arm and strokes as if she belongs there. Heat surges through meanger so sudden it feels foreign. My ears burn. I wondered where youd both gone, Roland says. His gaze finally lands fully on me, like hes properly seeing me for the first time today. What are you doing out here? I start to answer. Violet cuts in smoothly. I was thanking Eleanor for helping the staff finish my room. She did an incredible job. She bats her lashes up at him. Mm. Rolands mouth curves faintly. Indeed, Eleanor. Youve done a superb job. He uses Violets exact words. It makes the anger tighten, not loosen. His eyes stay on me a beat longer than normal, as if hes sensing the storm under my skin. Come see it, Violet says, already turning him toward the house. And you can tell me if the changes I want are acceptable. He follows her without argument. Eleanor? Roland pauses in front of me before he climbs the steps. Concern flickers in his expression. I want to speak. I want to tell him I need her gone. That I need him alone. That she just declared war. My mouth opens. Nothing comes. Violets hand closes around his arm again. Come on, she says firmly, tugging him away. Let Eleanor rest. She clearly needs a break. I stand there and watch them walk up the front steps side by side. They lookinfuriatinglylike they fit. Sadness presses down until its hard to breathe. I drop my hands to my lower abdomen, palms spread over the small life inside me. For this baby, I will fight. I will defend my marriage, and I will defend my title as Luna. If not for methen for his child. Chapter 4 Eleanor's POV Over the next several days, I kept trying to catch Roland on his own, and every time I got close, Violet was thereglued to his side like a shadow. Somehow she had even inserted herself into pack meetings, perching quietly off to one side, staring at him like his leadership was something holy. Then the moment he asked me, as luna, for input, shed suddenly find her voice. On top of it all, I hadnt been feeling well. The first stretch of pregnancy had been draining me, and the stress of Violets presencepaired with the certainty that she hadnt come back for innocent reasonshad been stealing my sleep. Night after night, I lay awake, mind looping around the same terror: Roland marking her, then throwing me out along with his unborn child. Nathan had insisted I come to him daily. Hed noticed the tension in me before Id said a word, and the bruised-looking shadows under my eyes told him the rest. So I was back in his clinic again, sitting in the same chair while he checked my blood pressure and wrote down my weight. Youve already dropped pounds, Eleanor, he said, peering over his gold-rimmed glasses. He looked tired tooprobably from worrying about me, which only twisted my guilt tighter. Are you dealing with morning sickness? A little nausea, I admitted with a shrug. But mostly I just dont feel hungry. It wasnt hunger that was missing. It was peace. I couldnt eat when I kept seeing the same ending in my head. Nathan set his pen down, all softness gone from his voice. You need to eat on purpose. The baby will keep drawing from you, and you should be gaining, not losing. He reached for a green bottle on his desk and slid it toward me. Starting now, youre drinking this every day. I eyed the bottle. What is it? Vitamins and nutrients for the first trimester, he said, like the subject was closed. And youre drinking it here, in front of me, so I know youve taken it. Then youll sit with me for twenty minutes so I know you havent thrown it back up. My brows snapped together. Why would I throw it up? Because it tastes awful, he said flatly. Drink. I obeyed. The liquid was vilebitter and thickand my stomach lurched in protest. I swallowed anyway, forcing myself to keep it down. When the bottle was back on the desk, Nathans expression softened. Are you stressed about telling Roland? Why havent you told him yet? I let out a breath I hadnt realized Id been holding. I havent had the chance. Hes not exactly alone lately. Nathan leaned back, catching the shift in my mood, and his mouth twitched. Remember when you nearly drowned in that lake back home and I had to pull you out? I huffed a laugh despite myself. I wasnt drowning. And you didnt pull me out. Sure, he said, smiling wider. Thats not how I remember it. For a while we traded childhood memories until the tightness in my chest eased. Once Nathan was satisfied Id kept the drink down, we left his office together, still laughing. My laughter was bright enough that people in the waiting area actually looked up. It didnt last. Roland was coming toward me with Violet at his side, a hard line cutting across his mouth. Nathan had given me anti-nausea tablets, and I slipped them behind my back as they drew nearer. My wolf snarled inside my head when I saw Rolands arm looped around Violets waist, steadying her like she might crumble if he let go. Violet was still wearing that helpless, fragile act whenever my husband was in view. Violet tilted her chin, suddenly sturdy enough to be curious. And who is he? Doctor Nathan, Roland answered, clipped and cold, his frown unmoving. Then he turned to Nathan, urgency flaring in his eyes. This is Violet. She needs to be seen right away. She nearly passed out in my office. Nathans voice stayed calm. Im sorry shes unwell, Alpha, but Im Eleanors private physician. Im not the pack doctor. Violets lips twitched with something that looked too much like satisfaction. The pack doctor was called off-site, Roland said. The air changed as his alpha aura flooded the roomheavy, crushing, public. You live in my territory. You will treat her. Nathans back stiffened under the pressure. The beta in him pushed back instinctively, but it wasnt enough. I watched his hands clench as pain rolled through him, and my eyes snapped to Roland. He looked like he didnt mind causing it. I stepped between them, placing myself squarely in front of Nathan as if my body could shield him from an alphas force. Nathan, I said quickly, trying to keep my voice even, would you please examine her? Shes a guest in the alpha residence He leaned closer, barely moving his lips. She looks fine. I know, I breathed back. But please. Nathan exhaled once, controlled, then gestured toward his office. Fine. This way. Violet swept inside, and for the first time in days the space beside Roland felt open. I took a step toward himfinally, finallywhen Violet called out from the doorway. Oh, Roland, would you stay? Her voice trembled into an imitation of tears. What if its serious? Roland I started, trying to claim even a heartbeat of privacy. He didnt even look at me. Of course, he said to her, immediate and certain. Then he walked into Nathans office and shut the door so hard it nearly caught my face. .. I went back to my rooms hollowed out. Roland had ignored me like I wasnt even there, yet he was bending himself in half for her. I had never demanded anything from himnot once. I had never screamed at him, even when the need had clawed at my throat, even when Id wanted to beg him to love me the way a husband should. Violet fluttered her lashes and suddenly she was treated like the rightful luna. I couldnt sit still. I paced until my feet ached and the carpet started to look worn. My wolf kept pleading with me to stop, to rest, to let us breathe. In my head she tried to soothe mereminding me we were Rolands chosen even if his mark wasnt on our skin yet. When the baby arrived, she insisted, our bond would deepen. Then he would claim us. Then everything would be fixed. She also kept pressing me to tell him now, convinced that the moment Roland heard the news, Violet would stop mattering and disappear. My wolf saw the world in sharp edgesright or wrong, mine or hers. I didnt. But I couldnt bring myself to crush her hope. She was glowing inside me at the thought of our child, and no matter how complicated life could be, one truth remained: I had to tell Roland. At some point, exhaustion finally beat my pacing. I must have drifted onto the bedmy wolf practically ordering me to lie downand sleep took me the instant my head hit the pillow. Knocking dragged me back. I blinked, disoriented, and it took a moment to understand how long Id been out. The room had dimmed; sunset spilled through the window in a low, orange wash. Id slept through lunch, through the whole afternoon. Come in, I called when the knock came again, expecting Chloe or Margaret. Violet walked in instead. My mood curdled on the spot. She paused just inside the doorway, looking around like she was inspecting property she meant to claim. Her gaze lingered on the framed photograph of me with my parents, and the corner of her mouth lifted in a sneer. Roland was clearly not hiding in my room, so there was only one reason shed come. Are you feeling better? I asked, mostly because I wanted her to stop dissecting my space with her eyes. Im fine, she said, amused. Roland just worries too much. The dig landed exactly where she intended. He isnt in here, I said tightly. No, Violet shot back, settling herself at the foot of my bed like she belonged there. Is he ever? Then her face shiftedbusinesslike, sharp. I came to find you. We need to talk. Whatever it is, Violet, Im not interested, I said, forcing steadiness into my voice. I stood and headed for the door. If youll excuse me, I have errands. I reached for the handle. Behind me, her voice dropped into a low growl meant to freeze me in place. I know youre pregnant. My heart stuttered, then raced too fast, squeezing my chest until it hurt. I turned slowly, shock stealing any easy denial. Violets eyes glittered. I saw the vitamin drink the doctor gave you. Only pregnant she-wolves get that. I dont want to talk about it, I snapped, the words scraping out of me. Not with her. I needed to find Rolandnowbefore she could twist anything. Her smile turned cruel. Roland doesnt know yet, does he? Not yet, I said, anger rising hot. But Im going to tell him now. She laughed, and it sounded wrongtoo delighted, too dark. You really think a baby will keep you as luna? Not with me back. Roland is my husband, I shot back, confused by how fearless she sounded. And he wont reject his own child. This pack wont go without the security of an alpha-born heir. Surely she understood that. Surely even she could see that he wouldnt discard his legacy. But I was done standing there. I moved out onto the upstairs landing with a single goal: Roland. I had barely reached the top of the stairs when Violets fingers caught my elbow. She leaned in, her words barely more than breath. Im not sure Roland will even meet that child. Then she stepped past me, taking the first stair down. What? The question tore out of me. What did she mean? Violet turned on the next step, and she screamedloud, sharp, theatrical. Startled, I shifted back instinctively, but she seized the front of my loose shirt at my chest. Her body tipped backward as if her bones had turned to water. I saw it too late. She let herself fall, and she dragged me with her. We hit the stairs hard. Each step slammed into mehead, back, stomachimpact after impact, until we crashed at the bottom in a tangle of pain. Footsteps thundered down the hall. Roland burst into view and stopped short at the sight of us sprawled at the foot of the staircase. I curled onto my side, hands clamped over my abdomen. My stomach burned with a sick, jagged pain that dwarfed the swelling on my head and the bruises blooming along my ribs and spine. I couldnt breathe right. The fall had stolen my air, but something else had stolen morethe knowledge that this hadnt been an accident. She had tried to hurt my child. Rolands voice ripped through the space. Eleanor! He surged toward meand then Violet cried his name. Roland Roland, help me, she moaned, loud enough to fill the house. He dropped beside her. His back turned to me like I didnt exist. The pain in my stomach had been unbearable, but what moved through my chest was worse, spreading cold and heavy. Maybe I would never win. Roland, I managed, the word thin. My fingers trembled as I cradled my belly. Roland the baby He didnt hear me. Darkness rolled in, swallowing the hallway, swallowing my voice. And then I was gone. Chapter 5 Eleanors's POV I wake to a ceiling I dont recognize, the lines and lights all wrong. For a second I cant place myself. Then it hits mestairs, the sickening drop, my body tumbling. No. Not falling. Violets hands, Violets pull. Panic snaps my head around. Roland should have been here. He always is. At the foot of the bed, Nathan stands with his laptop balanced open, fingers moving like this is any other day. Nathan wheres Roland? My voice comes out thin. I crane toward the window, half-expecting him just outside the door, speaking to someone from the pack but close enough to hear me wake. Im sure hell be here soon. Soon. The word drops straight into my chest. Soon means he hasnt come at all. Soon means he chose her firstthe woman who dragged me down the stairs, who risked my baby, who wants my mate. Has he been here? I ask anyway, even though I already know. No not yet, Nathan answers carefully, like hes trying to talk me back from a ledge. The door slams open hard enough to crack the quiet. It smacks the wall and rebounds, and Roland storms in as if the building itself has insulted him. The air changes with himheavy, dark, suffocating. Power rolls off his skin like a warning. Youre awake, he says flatly. Any damage? He comes in fast, predatory, like hes stalking instead of checking on his wife. Bruising, Nathan begins, professional, calm. Roland cuts him off without looking at him. She looks fine. His eyes pin me. Violet, on the other hand, is still in agony. My throat tightens. Why are you talking to me like I did something? Because you did. His voice stays ice. Violet told me everything. My hands tremble against the blanket. And what exactly did she tell you? He doesnt hesitate. Thats the worst part. She said you lost it when you found out she used to live with mewhen you learned we were together. She said she tried to calm you down, tried to reassure you, but you couldnt hear anything. She went to walk away so you could cool off, and you followed her to the top of the stairs and shoved her. His jaw flexes. She grabbed for you when she fell. Thank the Goddess she wasnt hurt worse. A luna doesnt get to ignore my pack laws. The room tilts. Not from injury??? disbelief. He really believes her. He truly thinks I planned something that vicious. So youre saying you think I pushed her. Im saying jealousy took over, he replies. I dont think you meant for it to happen but hear me clearlythis wont happen again. Disdain threads every syllable. My eyes burn, tears building so fast I cant stop them. They feel like mine and not mine at the same time, like my body is crying for two. Nathans tone stays controlled, but his words land sharp. Youre taking Violets word over your wifes? He steps closer to Roland. Do you really think Eleanor would deliberately endanger her own child? Roland freezes. What? The sound rips out of him. Nathan doesnt blink. Shes pregnant. Rolands face shifts like something inside him has cracked. You youre pregnant? He takes a few steps toward me and reaches for my hand. I pull away. Whatever warmth might have come from that admission is already ruined by everything that led to it. It doesnt matter anymore, I say, voice hollow. Roland stares at me, then snaps his gaze to Nathan. What does that mean? I shut my eyes. Nathan goes still toohe feels it, the private channel opening. Tell him I lost the baby. His shock pushes back through the link. Eleanor Do it. He hesitates again, and I shove the order harder, desperation turning it into something sharp. Do it. Eleanor? Rolands voice is suddenly unsteady. When I open my eyes, panic has replaced the anger. Nathan swallows. The baby didnt survive the fall. The words land, and the tears finally spill, hot and relentless, guilt and pain pouring out of me in waves. I have never seen an Alpha King break. Rolands aura explodes, thickening the room like poisonous smoke. My lungs fight for space. He roarssomething primal and terrifyingand the world becomes destruction. A chair goes through the window. Glass rains down. The medicine cabinet is ripped open and smashed. The monitor is hurled to the floor. Then his fury swings back to me. Why werent you careful? he snarls. If you hadnt been jealous of Violet, none of this would have happened. She needed somewhere to stay until I found her another pack. Why couldnt you understand that? Why couldnt you just just like her? His voice rises, ragged with blame. If you hadnt been so stupid, our baby would still be alive. Nathan moves before I can think. Doctor disappears, beta takes over. He grabs Roland by the throat and slams him into the wall, teeth dropping in a brutal warning. Nathan! I scream, scrambling out of bed. I shove Nathan back with both hands and put myself between them, shaking with rage and grief. Roland doesnt look like my mate. He looks like a stranger wearing his face. Leave, I snarl. Get out. Go to Violetyou clearly want her. You dont need me. Just go. Through the link, Nathans command snaps at me. Tell him about the baby. I feel Roland watching as I sever the connection between Nathan and me. The cut is clean, a wall dropping into place. I turn my back on Roland because if I speak again, Ill say something I cant take back. When I crawl into bed, I hear him force his voice into something controlled. Rest, he murmurs. Ill check on you later. Then hes gone. Nathan waits until the door closes. His voice drops to a whisper. Why didnt you tell him what really happened? I stare at the ceiling, blinking through the sting. Which truth, Nathan? My throat tightens. He believes her anyway. He will never believe me. .. Nathan signs me out the next day on the condition I take bed rest at the alpha mansion. I dont leave my room. Violet comes home too. I hear her downstairs, snapping orders at staff like she owns the place. I hear her laughter at the worst moments, hear her voice at every mealtimebecause shes there with Roland. In my seat. Like its always been hers. I refuse to go down and watch it. Chloe and Margaret rotate bringing meals upstairs and checking on me, gentle and worried. I can barely swallow. Heartbreak steals my appetite and leaves only nausea behind. Nathan visits daily, making sure I drink the vitamin fluid. He doesnt leave until he sees me eat at least a slice of toast. Eleanor, he says softly one afternoon while Chloe puts away fresh laundry in the dressing room, you have to eat. When he finally leaves, Chloe comes into the bedroom and sits on the edge of the mattress. You should come down, Luna, she pleads. Violet is always beside the Alpha. You need to fight for him. Its meant to help. It doesnt. A sob escapes me, raw and humiliating. My arms fold tighter around my stomach, protective, instinctiveshielding my baby from pain that doesnt stop just because no one can see it. . Im still hiding in my room days later. Ive just finished forcing down lunch when Chloe bursts through the door. Her face is bloodless. Chloe? LunaAlpha Roland and Doctor Nathan are fighting in the courtyard. Please, you have to come now. She drags me up before my legs are ready, hustling me through the hall and down the stairs. Outside, the courtyard is crowded. Nathan is on the ground. His eye is swollen shut, and blood slicks the corner of his mouth. I sprint to himand when I look up, I see Roland cocking his fist back for another hit. Violet stands tight at his side, serpent-still, her mouth near his ear like shes feeding him poison. Hes bleeding! I growl at my husband, at the Alpha who just attacked one of my own. Rolands eyes are wild. You slut. Who knows what you two have been doing behind my back? Gasps ripple through the onlookersstaff, pack members, all staring at their Alpha like they dont recognize him either. He has always been stern, always been strong. Cold to me lately, yes. But this? This is something else. Nathan pushes himself upright, fury and loyalty burning through the pain. He lunges for Roland. I catch him and yank him back just in time. Roland shifts mid-motion. Skin becomes wolf, jaws snapping toward Nathans neck. Not a warning bite. A kill. I move without thinking, throwing myself between them, my body a barrier. Roland forces the shift back, breath heaving, and Violets gaze slides over him like hunger. I ignore her. What do you mean? I demand, shaking. What are you accusing us of? He turns like hes done with me, then snorts and throws the cruelty anyway. Isnt it obvious? he says. Nathan was the only one who knew you were pregnant. Maybe Violet was right. Maybe that baby wasnt He cant say the word. Mine. The scream that tears out of me is pure ruin. I fist my hands in my hair and tug like I can pull this nightmare off my skull. Violet says jump and you ask how high! I shout. We had two years without thistwo yearsuntil she came back. Why cant you see what she is? Why cant you see shes evil? Nathan tries again to step in front of me, shoulders squaring for a challenge he cannot win. Roland scoffs at him. Nathan, he orders, voice layered with Alpha force, your services are no longer required. My blood goes hot. Hes taking the only person I have left. The only one who has stood beside me. I...

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