A MIRROR OF MALICE

PaulineThe morning sun streamed through the high windows of the dining hall, but it brought no warmth to my soul. My face still throbbed with a dull, rhythmic ache from the night before. I had spent hours applying cold compresses to my cheek, trying to hide the mark of Ricardo’s hand, but the swelling was stubborn. It was a brand of my new reality.I walked slowly toward the dining table, my silk skirts rustling against the cold marble floor. The entire family was already seated. The air was thick with the smell of expensive coffee and toasted bread, but to me, it felt like a room full of ghosts.Alpha Ricardo’s father, the former Alpha, sat at the head of the table. To his right was Evelyn, Ricardo’s stepmother. She was a woman who always looked like she was holding a secret behind her teeth."Good morning, Pauline," the old Alpha said, his voice gravelly but not unkind. He looked at my face, and for a split second, his eyes softened with a look I could only describe as pity. He kne

PAULINEThe air in the grand ballroom was thick with the scent of expensive lilies and aged wine. It was the former Alpha’s birthday, a celebration for a man who had led the Blue Sky Pack for decades but was now a shadow of his former self. He sat in a velvet chair near the fireplace, looking frail, while his children and the rest of the pack buzzed around him.I stood in the corner, clutching a glass of sparkling water I hadn’t touched. My eyes were constantly scanning the crowd for Ricardo. Ever since the night he told me we were trying for a baby, things had been... different. The air between us was charged, but tonight, I was terrified.Maria had arrived an hour ago, looking radiant in a flowered maternity dress, but her eyes were red-rimmed. She was alone. My brother Leo was nowhere to be seen.He’s going to be so angry, I thought, my heart thumping against my ribs. Leo isn't here, which means Ricardo will punish me for Maria's loneliness. He’ll probably drag me to a dark room an

PAULINEI spent the next few days in a strange, quiet bubble. Ricardo was nowhere to be seen. He didn't come to our room at night, and he didn't join me for meals. It was as if I had become a ghost in his house. The maids were professional and polite; they brought me my meals and made sure I took my prenatal vitamins every morning."Here is your water, Madam," one of the young girls said, handing me a glass. "The Alpha has given strict orders that you are not to be disturbed. You must rest for the baby.""Thank you," I replied, but I felt a knot of anxiety in my chest. This silence felt like the calm before a storm.Then, Maria came home.She returned to the house to "recover" from her loss. I expected the atmosphere to turn violent. I expected Ricardo to see her pale face and finally take his ultimate revenge on me—to send me back to Leo’s house or worse. But he didn't. He stayed in his office, and Maria stayed in her wing of the house, surrounded by flowers and grieving relatives.O

PAULINEThe air in the house had changed over the last forty-eight hours. The heavy, suffocating blanket of dread had been replaced by a strange, electric tension. Ever since that night, I made sweet love with my husband, the image of his naked body still appears in my face and every time it does, I get wet and masturbate. Though I don’t know how safe it is to masturbate as a pregnant woman.I could tell he want more but who will make the first move? He should. I smile thinking about it.Ricardo had been looking at me differently. It wasn't love yet, but it was a quiet observation, as if he were trying to solve a puzzle that didn't fit the picture he had been given.I stood by the tall window in the library, watching the driveway. I had spent the morning in a daze, my hands shaking slightly as I rearranged books I had already dusted. My body felt different. Every time Ricardo walked into a room, my skin hummed. I hated that I was becoming attuned to him, like a flower turning toward a

PAULINEThe bedroom was silent, lit only by the soft glow of the bedside lamp. My heart was a frantic drum against my ribs. Maria: Leo’s ex, Sarah, just showed up at the front gate. He’s letting her in, Ricardo. He’s laughing with her. I’m locked in the bedroom crying. Do your duty.My fingers trembled as I hit delete. I dropped the phone onto the nightstand, the plastic clattering against the wood like a bone. I couldn't let him see it. Not tonight. Not when the air between us finally felt like it wasn't made of shards of glass.Ricardo stirred on the bed, his sharp Alpha senses catching the change in my breathing. He sat up, his muscular chest bare, his eyes searching the shadows."Pauline?" his voice was deep, raspy with sleep. "Why are you standing there? Why aren't you in bed?"I stood frozen by the window, the moonlight casting a silver glow over my nightgown. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. "I... I’m just a bit weak, Ricardo. I think the pregnancy is catching up with