THE ALPHA'S DEFIANT BREEDER

Vera’s POV

The dressmaker had pinned the waist of my gown so tightly that I could barely sit, and I was still trying to loosen the stitching when Adrian came into our bedroom. He stopped beside the wardrobe, looked at the dark green silk spread across my knees, and frowned as though I had chosen it deliberately to offend him.

“Please tell me you have something else to wear,” he said, setting his gloves on the dresser. “The delegates from Silvercrest will be at dinner, and I would rather not spend the evening listening to their wives discuss your clothes.”

“I wore this when we welcomed the northern council,” I reminded him. “You said nothing about it then, and your mother complimented the color.”

“My mother compliments anyone who manages to get dressed without assistance.” He opened a drawer and searched through his cuff links. “Wear the black one, Vera. It makes you look smaller.”

I had spent the afternoon checking the kitchens, rearranging the seating chart after two council members quarreled, and making certain the injured border guards received their allowances. None of that seemed worth mentioning while my husband studied the size of my waist.

“The black dress is being repaired,” I said. “A seam came loose during the harvest ceremony, and the tailor has not returned it.”

“Then find another.” Adrian closed the drawer with more force than necessary. “Selene managed to dress appropriately with half the wardrobe you have, and she has been here only six months.”

I lifted my head. He had been mentioning Selene in almost every conversation lately, usually when he wanted to show me how easily another woman could satisfy his expectations. She was a refugee, he had told the council, and the pack had welcomed her because he personally guaranteed her safety.

“Selene isn't your Luna,” I said. “I am, and I have been standing beside you at these dinners for three years.”

“That is exactly why I expected you to understand what is required.” He adjusted his cuffs without looking at me. “We will discuss this after dinner. Do not make a scene tonight.”

I watched him leave, then carefully pulled the pins from my dress. The skin beneath my ribs hurt where the dressmaker had tightened the fabric, and I wondered when I had begun allowing strangers to decide how much room I was permitted to occupy.

Downstairs, Lyra was supervising the flowers in the entrance hall. She had been my closest friend since we were girls in the servants' quarters, and she usually noticed when I was upset before I managed to hide it. Tonight she glanced at my gown and looked away.

“Is it terrible?” I asked her. “You can tell me, because I have already heard Adrian's opinion.”

“It is beautiful,” she said, smoothing a ribbon around a vase. “Perhaps he simply wants everything perfect. You know how anxious he gets when the high packs visit.”

“He never seems anxious about how much work it takes to make everything perfect.” I reached for the guest list. “Have the Silvercrest representatives arrived?”

“They're in the reception room.” Lyra hesitated. “Selene is with them. Adrian asked her to help welcome the guests, so I thought you should know before you went inside.”

I looked at the list again, although I knew every name written there. Greeting visiting dignitaries was my responsibility, and Adrian had never asked anyone else to perform it while I was present. Lyra touched my arm, but I stepped away before she could offer another explanation for him.

The reception room was crowded when I entered. Adrian stood beside the hearth with Selene's hand resting in the crook of his elbow, while the Silvercrest delegation listened to something she was saying. Her silver-white hair fell down the back of a pale blue gown, and she smiled when she noticed me approaching.

“Luna Vera,” she said warmly enough for everyone to hear. “I hope you don't mind that I helped Adrian entertain the guests. He said you were having trouble getting ready.”

“I was attending to the household,” I answered. “Welcome to Blackwood, Councilor. I trust your journey was comfortable, and that the rooms prepared for you meet your needs.”

The councilor bowed politely and thanked me, but Adrian interrupted before I could ask about the injured escort who had traveled with them. He drew Selene closer, his fingers settling possessively over her hand.

“There is something I need everyone to understand,” he said. “Selene and I have been trying to find the right moment to share our news, and I will not keep it from my pack any longer.”

The conversation around us stopped. I looked from his face to Selene's and saw that neither appeared surprised by what he was about to say. Selene lowered her eyes, although she did not release his arm.

“Six months ago, the Moon Goddess revealed Selene to me as my true mate,” Adrian announced. “I have resisted what that means out of respect for the position Vera holds, but I cannot continue denying the bond.”

Someone behind me murmured a blessing. Another guest asked whether the elders had been informed, and Adrian answered that they would be consulted in the morning. 

I stood beside him wearing the gown he hated, waiting for him to remember that his wife was in the room.

“You could have told me before inviting everyone here,” I said when the voices quieted. “You could have given me that much respect.”

Adrian's expression hardened. “I told you not to make a scene, Vera. Whatever disappointment you feel, we will discuss it privately.”

“Disappointment?” I repeated, keeping my voice steady because the servants were watching. “You have just announced another woman as your mate in front of people I welcomed into our home.”

Selene reached toward me, her face arranged in an expression of sympathy. “I never wanted to hurt you, Vera. Neither of us chose this, and I hope you will eventually understand.”

I moved out of reach and looked directly at Adrian. “Then we will speak privately now, because I will not sit through dinner while you pretend I am merely a guest who has misunderstood the seating arrangements.”

Adrian stepped toward the corridor, but I refused to follow until he answered me in front of the guests he had invited. His hand remained extended toward the door while 

Selene watched us from beside the dining table. 

“What exactly happens to your wife now?” I asked. 

Adrian glanced at the councilor before replying, and the answer came without the slightest hesitation. “Tomorrow morning, Vera, I am asking the elders to end our marriage.”