Chapter 4

I woke up to sunlight and a body that felt like it had been through a war. Every muscle ached.

Alpha Roman's voice drifted over from somewhere nearby.

"...and we don't wake her, because she had a very long night taking care of your dad. Yes. Your dad."

I opened my eyes.

The memory came back, in flashes I had no defense against. His weight. His mouth. My name breaking low in his throat. Sore as I was, heat curled through my lower belly all over again.

Now he stood by the window in the morning light, wearing nothing but last night's trousers riding low on his hips. He was holding Henry against his bare chest. The baby was gnawing on his own fist and staring up at his father with total devotion. Sunlight made the whole picture look like some famous painting in the Louvre.

For a few seconds, I just stared, half sure I was still dreaming.

But the ache in my body was real. The torn pillow beside my head was real.

He noticed I was awake and gave a small nod toward the hall. A helper stepped in with a tray and set it on the bedside table. Fresh berries, soft scrambled eggs, thick toast with real butter, and a pot of coffee that smelled better than anything I had tasted in months.

I sat up carefully, pulling the sheet higher, and took a sip of the coffee just to have something to do with my hands.

"Good morning," he said. "How do you feel?"

"Like I fell down the tower after all." I sipped the coffee. "How about you?"

"Like myself," he said. "For the first time in three months. The fever's gone. My head is clear." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "And... the sex was amazing."

He said it the way he said everything, calm and direct, and the words dragged last night back across my skin.

I hid behind my coffee cup and looked anywhere else, and my eyes landed on the pillow he had bitten.

"So," I said, voice still rough. "What exactly did that pillow do to you?"

He paused. When he answered, all the lightness had left his voice.

"When wolves finish," he said, "with someone who matters, instinct tells us to bite down. Here." His thumb brushed, very lightly, over the spot on my neck where I could still feel the ghost of his teeth. "It leaves a mark that doesn't fade. It's permanent. And it's not something I had any right to do to you last night."

"So the pillow volunteered?" I smiled.

"The pillow was very brave."

Then my phone buzzed. A message from the Healer, all capital letters and excitement:

Miss Johnson!! The Alpha's blood readings this morning, the toxin is down by HALF. In ONE night!!

How much did you feed him?? I need it for the records!!

Also repeating this since you never confirmed: the milk only works FRESH. It loses its power within minutes of leaving the body. It must be taken directly from the source. There is no other way!!

I read that last message twice. And showed my screen to him.

"You knew this?" I asked.

"I was informed of all the requirements, yes."

"You let me think it was my idea!"

"It was your idea." He leaned in, pressed an unhurried kiss to my forehead. "And that's what made it a good one."

He didn't pull away right after. He stayed close, breathing me in, and I felt his lips curve against my hairline, like leaving was a task he kept postponing.

While I sat there wondering where a person could hide inside her own bed, Alpha Roman gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I have some things to handle," he said. "Pack business. I'll come see you this afternoon."

He left with Henry still tucked against his chest. I finished the breakfast, fed Henry when the maid brought him back fussing, and finally got up to straighten the bed.

That was when a woman walked in without knocking.

She was tall, with the kind of figure designers pretend every woman has.

Long legs, a small waist, and smooth, golden tan skin without a single flaw on it. Glossy dark hair fell loose past her shoulders. She was, honestly, one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen in person.

And she was looking at me like I was a stain on the carpet.

"You're Cathy Johnson?"

She looked me over from head to toe, slowly, like she was checking for defects. Then her hand reached out and tugged lightly at a dry strand of my hair, and brushed the damp front of the shirt I had thrown on.

A small, contemptuous smile curved her mouth.

"And you are...?" I asked.

"Isabelle." She lifted her chin. "His Beta."

She said it like a title that should make me take a step back.

I clearly didn't react the way she wanted, because she added, "If you don't know what that means, ask anyone in this house. Nothing moves here without my say-so."

I glanced at the torn pillow still lying on the floor. Her eyes followed mine and narrowed.

"So... it means you're the housekeeper?" I smiled.

Something ugly flashed across that flawless face before she smoothed it away.

"I suggest you remember your place, Miss Johnson. Henry's mother died not long ago. Don't flatter yourself into thinking the Alpha is falling for you."

"This," she waved a hand at the wrecked bed, at the smell of milk and sex still hanging in the air, "is the toxin. It hijacks the senses. It makes whatever eases the burning feel like love. Once the toxin is gone, so is the interest. You understand?"

I opened my mouth, but she stepped closer, voice soft with the kind of pity that was really just victory.

"Humans aren't exactly blessed by the Moon Goddess to begin with. And look at you. That orange-peel skin on your arms? Honestly, it turns my stomach. You really think Alpha Roman would choose someone like you once his head is clear?"

I wanted to tell her she was wrong.

The problem was that half of my brain had already started agreeing with her. Everything between us had happened in two weeks, with toxin in his blood for every minute of it. Even last night, he hadn't been fully clear-headed the entire time.

She watched the doubt land, and her smile warmed by one satisfied degree.

But I kept my chin up.

"Thanks for the warm welcome," I said. "Should I let the Alpha know his housekeeper stopped by?"

Her jaw tightened. She turned and walked to the door on silent, perfect heels, then paused with one hand on the frame.

"The healers say the toxin will be gone within a month," she said, without turning around. "Enjoy your little arrangement until then, Miss Johnson. After that, we'll all see exactly what's left."

The door clicked shut.