Chapter 3

My entire body was numb, my mind replaying her words in my head.

One month…pregnant?

Adrian died two months ago.

And she was telling…my husband…

I slammed open the door before I could think it through.

The two of them jumped apart like they had been burned.

“I must have misunderstood. Please repeat what you said.”

Lillian did not even look ashamed.

Asher, at least, looked like a deer caught in headlights.

He quickly cleared his throat, composing himself. “What are you talking about, Elara?”

I flinched at his tone.

Why did it sound like he was scolding me?

“I heard Lillian say that she was one month pregnant. How? Adrian died two months ago. Did you cheat on–”

Lillian suddenly grabbed Asher’s arm, her hand holding her head. “I do not feel so good. I have been suffering from morning sickness all week.”

Was this bitch serious?

Even more surprising was the fact that Asher was eating up her act.

He wrapped his arms around her and gave me a harsh glare. “Elara, you just heard that Lillian is pregnant. The least you can do is be kind to her.”

Lillian shook her head, covering her mouth like she was about to gag. “No. No. She must be shocked. I will wait at the party. Explain it to her gently, Ash.”

She slipped past me outside the room, but not before I saw the smug smirk on her face.

“How do you know she is not lying to you?” I started.

He held up a pregnancy stick that I had not seen earlier. The two red lines glared at me.

“You look upset,” Asher stated.

Yeah, no shit.

I crossed my arms. “I have a few conclusions running through my mind about what I just heard, but I will give you the chance to explain.”

He let out an annoyed sigh. “Elara, should you not be happy about this? I finally have an heir.”

My heart dropped to the pit of my belly.

“Excuse me?”

“Elara, we have not had a child in five years. The baby in Lily’s womb is mine. We can raise the child together after it is born.”

There was no speck of remorse in his eyes after admitting to my face that he was cheating on me.

With his sister-in-law of all people.

“How long has this been going on? Were you seeing her when Adrian was alive?”

He had the audacity to look disgusted. “Fuck, no. I am not a monster. We had a little thing before she married and then, last month–”

“You slept with her,” I completed, the back of my eyes stinging with tears. “Did you think for a second how I would feel when I found out?”

There was a pause before his reply.

“In our contract, was it ever specified that I be faithful?”

His words stumped me. “W-What?”

He waved his hand over his head as he explained. “We are not real mates and did not marry for love. It was a contract. A business transaction. You cannot tell me that you suddenly feel hurt by the fact that I slept with another woman.”

My eyes fell to my feet.

The contract marriage was more of a grace to me than anything.

Adrien only promised me funding for my upkeep and college if I helped him with the pack. Nothing more.

I was the one who foolishly went and fell in love.

“But it is a marriage. It is an unspoken rule to be faithful–”

“But those were not stated in the terms of our contract.”

His voice suddenly softened and he pulled me into a hug.

“Elara, we have always wanted a child. The pack needs an heir.”

“And after that baby is born, what becomes of my position in the pack?” I asked, my voice weak.

“Lily is not the Luna of Blackwood. You are. You will be the public mother of the Alpha heir.”

My body shook with the effort to keep my tears at bay.

“Okay, Asher,” I whispered. “I would like to return to the party now.”

He kissed my forehead and let me go, a smile on his face.

The moment I stepped into the ballroom, my smile slipped back on.

Forced. Controlled.

I walked straight to our table, standing over Asher’s parents.

They paused their conversation to glare at me.

“What?” his mother spat.

“Lilliana is pregnant with Asher’s child,” I said bluntly.

Surely, they must feel some sympathy for their dead firstborn son and realize that this is morally wrong on all levels.

Instead, their faces lit up in bright smiles.

“What great news. I hope it is a boy,” Lucia exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Ronald, Asher’s dad, shook his head. “I have always wanted a granddaughter. A boy can come afterwards.”

Then, he turned to me. “What is the meaning of that look on your face. Are you displeased for some reason?”

What the fuck was wrong with this family?

“I just told you that your married son impregnated his brother’s widow.”

Lucia scoffed. “Don’t tell me that you believe that your marriage was real. I would have sent you away if not for the pack. What my son and Lily have, that is real love.”

“Mother–”

Lucia jumped up and hugged Asher. “I just heard exciting news. Lily is pregnant?”

Asher grinned. “Just one month. How did you–”

“Sorry, may I get everyone’s attention?”

I whirled around, my throat seizing with panic.

Lilliana was holding the mic, her hand on her belly. “I would like to announce my pregnancy with the heir to the Blackwood pack. I invoke the heir-bond rite.”

The room went completely silent as everyone processed her words.

In unison, they all turned to Asher and me.

The heir bond rite of Blackwood law states that if an Alpha impregnates a she-wolf of Alpha lineage, he is required to mate with her to ensure that the child becomes an heir to the pack.

Regardless of any existing mates or partners.