Trust me

RAINA

For a moment, no one in the room even breathed.

Zane’s mother’s mouth fell open. His father froze with his wine halfway to his lips.

And Zane… Zane looked like someone had slapped the stupid off his face.

Elias walked toward me slowly, his hand slid around my waist, pulling me gently into him. He leaned close, his lips brushing my ear. “Go with it,” he whispered. “Trust me.”

My whole body went rigid.

Trust him?

I didn’t even know what dimension this man had fallen from, or why he just announced to everyone that I was pregnant.

My heart was racing for a whole new reason now.

Zane finally found his voice. “What?” he barked out a laugh. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard. My brother? With her?” He scoffed, shaking his head. “You expect me to believe that?”

Zane laughed louder. “Please. She was crying and begging me like a pathetic fool not even ten seconds ago. Now she’s pregnant for you? Try harder.”

My heart cracked at that. Pathetic fool?

I straightened instantly, stepped out of Elias’s hold and lifted my chin. “It’s true.” I said.

The room went dead silent.

Zane’s smile fell.

I continued, my voice suddenly steady. “All that crying? The begging? The heartbreak?”

I shrugged lightly. “I was acting.”

His mother gasped. Elias’s fingers brushed my lower back, grounding me.

“I knew you were cheating on me,” I said, looking Zane dead in the eye. “With her. So yes… I wanted to hurt you back.”

A slow, cold smirk pulled at my lips. “So I went to your brother.”

Elara’s grip on Zane’s arm tightened.

“And the funny thing?” I added. “Somewhere along the line… I fell for him instead and got pregnant.”

Zane’s face twisted. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not,” I said calmly. “The tears were part of the reveal. You’ve always loved theatrics, haven’t you? I thought you’d appreciate the performance.”

His father cleared his throat awkwardly. His mother looked like she wanted to faint.

Zane took a step toward me. “Raina, stop talking nonsense…”

“Why are you in pain? You also got another woman pregnant,” I cut in softly. “Congratulations on that, by the way.”

His eyes flared.

“But me?” I stepped back toward Elias and gently took his jacket. “I’ve moved on.”

Then, before I could overthink it, before my heart monitor even had time to beep, Elias cupped my jaw with one hand… and I pulled him down into a kiss. He kissed me back like he’d been waiting his entire life for the choice.

After a few seconds, Eias and I pulled apart slowly. His thumb grazed my cheek before he let his hand fall, and for a second… the room felt like it tilted.

Zane’s face was so red now. His father’s eyes darted between me and Elias like he was watching a scandal unfold live on TV. And Elara… her smile died so fast it was almost funny.

Even though every word I said was a lie… it felt good. Really, really good.

I cleared my throat and smoothed my hair. “Well,” I said lightly, “now that everything’s out in the open, I’ll be leaving. Elias and I will come back later for my things.”

I reached for Elias’s hand, intending to drag us both out of that house before my heart could decide to protest… but he didn’t move.

Instead, he tugged me lightly back toward him. “No,” he said calmly. “Actually… Raina’s hungry.”

My head whipped toward him. Hungry??

I opened my mouth to protest, but he kept talking.

“Aren’t we supposed to be celebrating?” Elias looked directly at his parents. “It’s been years since I joined a race. And I won. Beating Zane, at that.”

Zane stiffened, clenching his fist.

Elias smiled. “So we’ll stay for dinner.”

My stomach dropped.

Stay? DINNER?

I squeezed his hand hard, whispering, “What are you doing?”

He didn’t look at me. He just dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “And,” he continued, turning fully toward his parents, “we should also discuss wedding preparations.”

My entire body froze.

“I’d like Raina and I to get married a week from now, if possible.”

My brain short-circuited.

What the hell was this man talking about???

“Elias…”

He finally looked at me. “Trust me,” he whispered again.

Nah. This was already looking way too real.

I was still heartbroken and dizzy from everything Zane had thrown at me tonight. I could not let some man I met literally an hour ago start rearranging my life like he owned it.

I stepped away from him. “We’re leaving,” I said sharply, looking directly at his parents. “We’ll be back for my things later.”

Before any of them could speak, I grabbed Elias’s wrist and marched toward the door.

“Raina,” Zane called, but I didn’t even look at him.

I dragged Elias through the hallway, past the living room, down the stairs, and out the front door. I didn’t stop. Not until we were outside the gate.

I spun around so fast Elias almost bumped into me.

“What the hell was that?!” I snapped, my voice cracking under the pressure. “What were you saying back there? That I was pregnant… and now a wedding in a week? Are you insane?”

He didn’t flinch. He just watched me with that maddeningly calm expression.

I pointed a shaky finger at him. “What do you want from me? Why are you here? Were you stalking me? And how… how are you even Zane’s brother? How are you a wolf?”

My breathing picked up. “And I am NOT giving you sex,” I added, my voice trembling. “If that’s all this is… if that’s what you want, you can forget it. I’m not doing that. Not for…”

Elias pulled me close, interrupting me, and gently placed his hands on my arms. “Stop panicking,” he murmured. “You’re shaking.”

He lowered his head until his forehead almost touched mine. “Your watch,” he whispered. “Look at it.”

I looked, and it wasn’t even beeping, despite my panic.

“It’s quiet,” he said softly. “Because of me.”

“What?” I breathed.

He lifted one hand and touched my wrist, right where my heart monitor was. “You’re calmer around me,” he said. “Your wolf responds to mine. And whether you want to hear this or not… I might be what you need.”

Then he leaned even closer, his voice dropping to a low growl. “And yes,” he continued, unbothered, “I approached you for sex. I didn’t lie about that.”

My cheeks heated.

“But I didn’t come here to force you,” he went on. “I don’t even like you, Raina.”

“Right now,” he added, “there’s something more important.” He straightened. “My brother has gotten everything he ever wanted since we were kids… every trophy, every bit of praise, every opportunity. Everything handed to him.”

I swallowed, trying to understand where he was going with this.

“And now,” Elias whispered, “I want him to feel what it’s like to lose something precious. Something he thought he owned.”

He paused, his eyes locking on mine.

“I want him to watch,” Elias finished, “while you marry me.”