Chains of Gratitude

Scarlett POV

Lucien looked up from the stack of papers, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"What brings you to the office, Scarlett?"

As Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, he was always buried in work.

"I just came from the event planner's. Thought I'd stop by." My voice trembled despite myself.

"You missed me, didn't you? I knew it."

He stood over and folded me into his arms.

"I...saw Anika outside."

"Oh, did you?"

I tried to find a single crack in his gaze, a hint of deceit, but there was nothing.

A cold wave of panic washed over me.

Could I really have imagined it all? Was there truly nothing between them?

Lucien brushed his chin lightly against my hair.

"One more week until the marking ceremony, Scarlett. I can hardly wait."

His embrace was warm and familiar.

For a moment, nestled in his arms, I almost believed him. I almost convinced myself I had been overthinking everything.

Then, a faint scent of a woman's perfume, not mine, wafted from his collar.

My spine went rigid.

I tilted my head, my eyes falling on his deep blue suit jacket.

There, a smudge of crimson lipstick was almost perfectly hidden.

My gaze recoiled as if burned. My breathing hitched.

"Well, I should be going..."

I rushed home and sat in the bedroom, unable to move.

The sun set and the room fell into a deep darkness. I didn't bother with the lights.

The pregnancy test stick in my hand felt like a razor blade. I'd clutched it so tightly it was digging into my palm.

I had planned to tell him the news at our marking ceremony, but now, it seemed, I didn't have to.

I gently stroked my stomach. "I can't bring you into a world like this, my love. Mama will take you far away, just the two of us."

The door opened, and a sudden flood of light made me wince.

"You're not feeling well? Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Lucien's voice was filled with a familiar concern.

He cupped my face and kissed me. I quickly tucked the pregnancy test into the pocket of my silk pajamas.

"Just tired."

For the sake of our five years together, I decided to give him one last chance.

I looked him in the eye and asked again, "Lucien, can you please fire Anika?"

He froze. His voice was no longer warm; it had a hard edge to it.

"Scarlett, you weren't there for the accident. If it weren't for Anika, you would have lost me two years ago."

My eyes stung with tears. "But you've given her so much. She has a whole new life now."

"That can't erase the scars the fire left on her body, and it can't replace the wolf she lost," he said, his voice heavy. "She can't shift anymore. I can't abandon her."

His eyes were calm, but his powerful Alpha aura slammed into me, a wave of pressure that stole my breath.

"But..."

Tears welled in my eyes. The words caught in my throat. His body heat radiated through my clothes. We were so close, yet we felt a million miles away.

"Anika is kind and sincere. There's nothing wrong with her. You're about to be the Luna of the pack. You can be a little more understanding, can't you?"

My lip trembled. All the arguments and feelings churning inside me cooled and died.

Only a single tear slid silently down my cheek.

Lucien's hand slid over my waist, brushing against the hard object in my pocket.

"What's this?" he asked, reaching in.

I quickly grabbed his hand, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"It's... a makeup brush."

While he was distracted, I slipped the pregnancy test into the nightstand drawer.

He stared at me, his thumb gently caressing my cheek.

"Scarlett, you look pale. Are you exhausted from planning the ceremony?"

The familiar concern was like a gentle knife, twisting in my heart.

I looked him in the eye, my voice choked with emotion.

"Lucien, I told you before. If you fall out of love with me, just tell me. I won't cling to you. But if you lie to me, I'll leave you forever."

He smiled and ran his hand through my hair.

"Don't be silly. You're just overtired. I'm not going anywhere tonight. I'll stay right here with you."

I rested my head against his chest, my mind a jumble of tangled thoughts.

He was so perfect. Was I just overthinking things?

But then, the faint, lingering scent of perfume and Anika's triumphant smirk slashed at my heart, over and over again.

His phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.

The moment he answered, I could feel his tension.

"Don't worry, I'm on my way."

He kissed me on the cheek.

"Anika drank too much at the banquet. She's throwing up, and I need to go help her."

On instinct, I clutched his sleeve. "But you said you weren't going anywhere tonight..."

He gently squeezed my chin and smiled. "I'll be back soon."

His powerful frame was gone in an instant.

My tears finally fell, a silent, hot stream.

I stroked my stomach. "Baby, Mama's going to take you somewhere there are no lies, my love. Just the two of us."