Close call

Aria's POV

I remained seated on my bed while I pulled my legs toward my chest. My eyes remained fixed on the new clothes I had purchased the previous day. The oversized tunics and loose pants seemed to stare back at me. They had now become my protection. The black one felt soft to the touch when I picked it up. The material had a stretchy quality. The design hid my developing pregnancy bump effectively. I held it against my body and stood up to check myself in the mirror. I turned to the side slowly. The fabric of my outfit created a perfect fit on my body. My body showed no curves at all. My pregnancy went completely undetected. I felt completely vulnerable although I appeared fully covered. I felt like everyone in the house could see my fake stories.

The house felt too quiet that afternoon. Ronan was out with Selene running errands to pick up the wedding invites from the printer downtown. Elowen had gone to the store for groceries. Lupin remained at his workplace. That left just me and Lyra downstairs. I could hear her moving around in the living room. The TV played sound at a low level. Pages of a book turned at intervals. She probably used her phone to scroll through content while she planned her next action against me. Her breakfast smirk toward me made me feel like she had pierced through my very existence. She possessed knowledge about a particular matter. She held a strong suspicion about it. I could not shake the feeling no matter how hard I tried.

My phone started ringing loud from the nightstand. The screen showed who the caller was Mom. I took a deep breath to steady myself and picked it up on the third ring. I said goodbye to my Mom.

"Aria," she said right away. Her voice remained sharp and strict as she always spoke. There was no hello or small talk. "Give me the status on the wedding right now. And the pregnancy management."

I swallowed hard and felt my throat go dry. "The invites are being picked up today by Ronan and Selene. The venue is confirmed at the country club gazebo. The date is set for two weeks from now."

"Good," she replied quickly. "What about the dress?"

"We are going shopping tomorrow with Selene," I told her.

She waited silently for a moment. I could hear her breathing heavy on the other end. "How is the pregnancy management going? Is the bump showing yet? Are you hiding it properly?"

"Yes, Mom," I said. My voice cracked just a little bit. "I am wearing loose clothes every day. It is working fine so far."

"Eating right and taking all the vitamins and drinking no caffeine at all" she commanded. "Is Ronan starting to suspect anything about the timeline?

"I lied to you" I said to you. "He believes the story completely."

"Keep it that way. The danger of him questioning you exists. "No slips, Aria. Your reputation comes first. The family name comes first. You will marry him. You will raise that child properly. There will be no scandals under my watch.

"I know, Mom," I said softly. Sweat started to bead on my forehead. I pressed my hand against my stomach without realizing it. The baby kicked lightly for the first time that day. The movement surprised me slightly.

"What was that noise? Are you okay over there? she asked sharply.

"I am fine" I lied again. "I was just moving around a bit."

"Acting like a bride is what you need to do Aria. You should display happiness while trying to hide your guilt" she ordered. The word guilty hit me hard. It was too close to the truth.

"I am trying my best" I said. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.

"Your efforts are not sufficient" she said to me in a cold manner. "Vesper Thorne does not raise failures." Then the line went dead. She hung up without another word.

I dropped the phone onto the bed and put my head in my hands. My chest felt so tight I could hardly breathe. I found it increasingly difficult to maintain my emotional control. Why did she always make me feel like a little kid who got caught doing something wrong? At twenty years old, I now found myself pregnant and stuck within this situation which I had created. I thought about sharing the complete truth with her. "The baby belongs to Lupin. "Not Ronan's at all. But she would disown me on the spot. She would return me to my home and cut all ties with me. No more pack. No more friends. Nothing left.

Downstairs a door creaked open. Someone walked downstairs. The person who walked downstairs appeared to be Lyra. She moved closer toward me through the space between us. She moved closer toward me through the space between us. Her glare from breakfast replayed in my mind over and over. "You're acting different." Those words still sent chills down my spine. Had she followed me yesterday to the store? There was no proof, but it sure felt like it.

What if I told Lupin the truth? The thought came into my head uninvited. He was the father after all. He had come to my door that night after Lyra's big blowup at dinner. He had called what happened between us a mistake. That had hurt me deeply. But the way his eyes looked at me... they were soft. He looked at me with eyes that held both softness and pity. I needed to find a private place to speak to him. "The baby is yours." Would he protect me? Would he hold me close and promise to fix it? Or would he push me away even harder? Both Selene and I would become permanent enemies. The pack would fall apart completely. Elowen would leave for good this time. Ronan would suffer irreversible damage. Vesper's anger would destroy me. The fear paralyzed me right there on the bed. My hands shook so badly I could not keep them still. I remained unable to move. Sharing this secret with Lupin would result in my total loss of everything I possessed. I found it safer to continue my lies. I needed to marry Ronan because it would allow me to keep my family appearance until death. I found no other options to escape my situation.

My stomach growled loud. I had skipped lunch again. I experienced less nausea today compared to previous days. The ginger chews from the pharmacy had helped a lot. Did Lyra see me buy them? I needed food because my anxiety level about being seen was growing too high. I needed to act normally. I needed to show that everything was fine. I stood up slowly from the bed. Slipped the green tunic over my tank top. The green tunic hung loose but secure on my body. I took another deep breath. I opened the door and walked downstairs.

The living room entrance revealed Lyra who sat on the couch. She was holding her phone. The TV displayed a paused scene from a reality show. I walked to the kitchen without speaking to anyone.

I took an apple from the fruit bowl. I took a yogurt from the fridge. I prepared a small meal. I ate food that would not produce any bloating effect. I could still feel her presence as she observed my every move.

She stood in the doorway. She was leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed.

“You good?”

Her tone was fake sweet she asked about my wedding stress. She pretended to care about my well-being through her fake sweetness.

I said yes with a simple answer. I gave an easy answer.

She moved into the kitchen space. She took a seat on the stool which she had pulled from her position. She sat down too close to me. "Ronan is nice. Stepping up like a good guy."

I agree with you that he is a nice person. I made a forced smile appear on my face.

The schedule promotes tight deadlines she explained. She looked directly at me while she said. "When exactly did it happen?"

I lied about his visit. The words stuck in my throat.

She leaned over the island to speak about his location. "He did not visit. I checked his social media posts. He was at school the whole month."

My heart stopped beating for a second. "You must have missed something."

Her smirk widened. "You should stop lying because it makes you look bad."

I told Lyra to drop the topic. My voice shook more than I wanted it to.

She laughed low in her throat. "Truth always comes out eventually."

My phone buzzed on the counter. Ronan sent me a message. "The invites look pretty. Heading home soon." I experienced relief that lasted for a short duration.

I chose to ignore her presence because I wanted to finish my meal quickly. I completed my yogurt. I stood up from the stool. "I am going to rest now."

She stood up too and blocked my path for just a second. Her eyes remained cold and steady on me. "Hiding it won't last forever."

I moved past her quickly. I ran upstairs to my room. I shut the door and locked it. I pressed my back against the door. My breathing came out hard and fast. The situation had become dangerous. She was hunting me like a shark. She was searching for blood in the water.

I walked around the room for a period of time. My thoughts raced about my Mom's call. The glare from Lyra remained in my mind. I should tell Lupin. No. The fear was too strong. I needed to lie even deeper. I had to survive the wedding and everything that followed.

Slowly the family returned home from their evening activities. The family arrived home one by one. The dinner was almost normal because everyone sat around the table with smiles. The family discussed more about wedding details. Ronan held my hand under the table. Selene chattered away excited. Lupin gave quiet glances my way. Lyra observed everything. She maintained complete watchfulness at all times.

I remained awake in bed throughout the entire night. My thoughts continued to race through my mind. The echoes of my mom's words remained loud. The glare from Lyra remained real to me even though the room stayed dark.

Footsteps came down the hallway outside my door. They stopped right there.

The doorknob turned slow. It was locked.

Lyra spoke to me through the door with her low voice. "I promise, I will find out the truth. You can’t hide it forever."