Chapter 12

The kitchen was a war zone the next morning.

I stood by the sink, washing a pile of dirty plates. My eyes were red and tired. I did not sleep at all after Juan left me in the laundry room. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the cold, empty look on his face when he walked away.

Martha, the head cook, slammed a metal pot onto the stove. She looked completely stressed.

"They eat like wild dogs," Martha muttered under her breath, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Alpha Viktor’s guards have been in here three times this morning. They demand meat, they demand fresh bread, and they do not even say thank you. They treat my kitchen staff like dirt."

"Just give them what they want, Martha," I said softly, scrubbing a plate. "We do not want any trouble."

"It is not right, Cora," Martha sighed, stirring the pot. "This is Silver Pine. This is our home. Why is our Alpha letting these Redwood wolves treat us like we are beneath them?"

I did not have an answer for her. I knew why Juan was doing it. He wanted the alliance. He wanted to secure his borders. But watching his own people suffer for it made my stomach turn.

The back door of the kitchen opened. Liam walked in.

I dropped the sponge and turned around. Liam had a fresh cut on his cheek and a dark bruise forming on his jaw.

"What happened?" I asked quickly, grabbing a clean towel and rushing over to him.

"Nothing," Liam said, trying to pull his face away. "Just a rough training session this morning."

"That is not a training bruise," I argued, pressing the towel gently against his cut. "Who hit you?"

Liam looked around the kitchen to make sure none of the Redwood guards were listening. He lowered his voice. "A few of Viktor’s men came to the training yard. They started taking our weapons, saying their guards needed the better swords. When Caleb told them no, they started a fight. I stepped in to help Caleb."

"Liam, you cannot fight them," I whispered, panic rising in my chest. "You are already in trouble for the stolen money. If Juan finds out you fought his guests, he will punish you."

"Juan did find out," Liam said flatly.

My heart skipped a beat. "What did he do?"

"He came down to the yard," Liam explained, his eyes dark with anger. "He saw Viktor's men bleeding. He saw me and Caleb standing there. Do you know what our Alpha did, Cora? He ordered me and Caleb to run fifty laps around the border for starting a fight with our allies. He did not even punish Viktor's men. He just let them take the swords."

I stared at my brother. The unfairness of it burned my throat.

"He is choosing them over us," Liam said quietly. "He is choosing Edith's family over his own pack. The betas are angry, Cora. Caleb will not say it, but I see it in his eyes. The pack is losing faith in the Alpha."

"I have to go to work," I said, my voice completely hollow.

I left Liam in the kitchen and walked up the main stairs. My first task of the day was to bring fresh coffee and daily reports to Juan’s office. Usually, I tried to delay this task. But today, I just wanted to get it over with.

I balanced the silver tray on my hands and pushed the heavy wooden door open with my shoulder.

Juan was sitting behind his desk. He wore a crisp white shirt and a dark grey tie. He looked perfect. There were no dark circles under his eyes. There was no trace of the desperate man from the laundry room. The cold, unfeeling Alpha mask was firmly in place.

Edith was in the room, too.

She was sitting on the edge of Juan's desk, looking at a catalog of rings. She wore a bright yellow dress that made the room feel too loud. When she saw me, her fake, sweet smile instantly appeared.

"Oh, Cora," Edith said happily. "Just in time. Bring the coffee here."

I walked over to the desk and set the tray down carefully. Juan did not look up from his papers. He did not even acknowledge I was in the room. His scent was completely muted, perfectly controlled. It was like the mate bond did not even exist to him this morning.

"Juan, darling, look at this one," Edith said, tapping a page in her book. "It is a beautiful diamond. The band is pure gold. Do you like it?"

Juan finally stopped writing. He glanced at the book for a single second. "If you like it, order it."

"I want you to pick it with me," Edith pouted, trailing a finger down his arm. "It is our wedding ring. It should mean something to both of us."

"It means our packs are united," Juan said smoothly, leaning back in his chair. "The style of the ring does not matter. Choose whatever makes you happy, Edith."

Edith smiled, victorious. "You spoil me. Cora, pour the coffee."

I picked up the silver pot and poured the dark liquid into two cups. My hands were perfectly steady. I refused to let Juan see me shake. I refused to let him see how much his coldness hurt.

"Actually, Cora," Edith said, closing her book. "Since you are here, you can help us. The tailor is coming tomorrow to measure Juan for his wedding suit. But I want to make sure his current measurements are sent ahead today."

Edith reached into her bag and pulled out a yellow measuring tape. She held it out to me.

"Measure his shoulders and chest," Edith ordered.

I froze. I looked at the yellow tape, and then I looked at Juan.

Juan’s jaw tightened. A tiny muscle ticked in his cheek. He knew exactly what this was. Edith was playing a game. She loved making me do servant tasks, but this was different. She was forcing me to touch him. She wanted to watch the poor maid measure the Alpha for a wedding she could never have.

"I can have one of the guards do it," I said quietly, keeping my eyes on the floor.

"I asked you to do it," Edith said, her voice dropping its sweet tone. "Is that a problem, Cora?"

I waited for Juan to stop her. I waited for him to say I was needed elsewhere.

Juan stood up from his chair. He walked around the desk and stood right in front of me. He looked down at me, his grey eyes completely empty.

"Do your job, Cora," Juan commanded coldly.

My chest cracked. The pain was so sharp it took my breath away. He was punishing me for pushing him away last night. He was showing me exactly where I belonged.

I took the yellow tape from Edith’s hand.

I stepped closer to Juan. The heat from his body washed over me, and the scent of rain and pine hit my senses perfectly. The mate bond instantly woke up, pulling at my heart, begging me to lean into him.

I lifted my arms and wrapped the measuring tape around his broad shoulders. I had to step very close to him. My chest almost brushed against his white shirt.

As I pulled the tape tight, my fingers brushed against his back.

Juan let out a tiny, almost silent breath. His entire body went rigid as stone. He was fighting the bond just as hard as I was.

"Twenty-two inches across," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"Now his chest," Edith instructed from the desk, sipping her coffee. "Make sure it is snug."

I lowered the tape. I brought my arms around his waist to measure his chest. To do it, I had to practically hug him. I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, feeling the steady, rapid beat of his heart beneath the fabric of his shirt. He was not as calm as he pretended to be. His heart was racing.

But when I opened my eyes and looked up at his face, he was staring straight ahead at the wall. He refused to look at me.

"Forty-four inches," I said softly, stepping back quickly. I dropped my arms and handed the tape back to Edith.

"Perfect," Edith smiled brightly. "Thank you, Cora. You may go clean the guest bathrooms now. My father's guards made a mess on the second floor."

I did not say another word. I turned around and walked out of the office.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind me, the tears I had been fighting finally fell. The cycle was spinning again. Hope in the dark, pain in the light. And Juan was spinning it perfectly.