THE SAME ROOF

Elaris’s POV

I wait on the staircase as the council escort enters the palace unbidden.

Two council warriors escort Virelle through the main hall, with Lord Sennik following behind them. They are not asking the Alpha for permission to deliver the woman the law has decided should be placed outside of his jurisdiction for the time being.

Virelle carries her head high, one hand resting protectively over her stomach.

People take notice.

I see a maid lower the folds of linen she was carrying against her chest and two kitchen servants exchange a long glance before feigning busyness. Even the guards seem hesitant as the council escort arrives at the Alpha’s residence.

I understand what they see.

Virelle is carrying the Alpha’s child.

I stand beside him.

I have no public bond with Averic.

I am the woman who returned to him, rejected by another Alpha.

The complication.

Rumors begin to swirl in the great hall.

“She came back…”

“That is the Alpha’s child…”

“Then who is the other woman?”

I hear enough to know what the story will become.

Virelle is the returning pregnant lover.

I have become the woman who stands in her path.

Virelle stops beneath the great archway and allows the servants a gracious smile.

“Thank you for receiving me.”

The words are innocent.

I know better.

I stand on the staircase because to move away would be to assume I have nothing to prove to Virelle and to stay would be to claim a bond no one has extended to me.

One hand rests lightly against the banister.

The other crosses my stomach protectively.

My child stirs beneath my hand.

I think of the parchment that lay against Virelle’s broken chain.

The child dies first.

Now the woman who threatened that child’s life stands in this palace.

Averic watches from several steps below.

He does not take my hand.

He does not greet Virelle.

For long moments, he stands between us.

I see the impossibility of his situation.

If he shows open favor to me, the council can accuse him of ignoring the rights of a woman they believe carries his child.

If he welcomes Virelle too warmly, he gives her the exact opening she needs.

Lord Sennik breaks the silence first.

“Alpha Averic, we expect cooperation.”

Averic turns to the council man.

“You entered my residence without asking for my permission.”

“Your residence is under pack law.”

A bitterness enters Averic’s voice.

“As is every door.”

I hear the anger in his words.

The tension between the two men is not only about Virelle.

Averic is trying to save his position as Alpha while the council strips it away piece by piece in front of his people.

Virelle lowers her head.

“I did not want to come back…”

I almost laugh at the lie.

Instead, I watch as Averic confronts the first move in what will certainly be a battle he never wanted.

Lord Sennik takes care to introduce himself before speaking to Averic in front of the household.

The man is old, his authority built upon decades spent in the council.

“Under pack law, a woman reasonably believed to carry an Alpha’s unborn child cannot be restrained without cause proven by the court.”

Averic replies instantly.

“She escaped confinement.”

“She left a guest chamber.”

“She disappeared from the palace with the guards watching her.”

Sennik does not contradict him.

“That may be suspicious behavior. It is not proof of murder.”

My stomach tightens.

Averic gestures toward the parchment found beneath Virelle’s broken chain.

“The message threatened my unborn child.”

Sennik studies him.

“Was Virelle seen writing it?”No.”

“Was her hand witnessed placing it?”

“No.”

“Was anyone present when she left the broken chain?”

“No.”

I know what is coming.

Sennik turns slightly so the household can hear his ruling.

“The council cannot condemn her on suspicion alone.”

He pauses before continuing, as if to give Averic a chance to interrupt.

“Until the hearing, Virelle Drazyn will be considered a protected guest of this palace and will not be imprisoned or expelled. She will be available to the council when it requires her presence.”

Virelle nods.

“I understand.”

I watch her closely.

She does not complain.

She does not ask for different rooms.

She does not demand comfort.

She has what she came for.

Access to the palace.

Averic protests once more.

His voice is even, but I hear the anger beneath it.

“You found my guards unconscious.”

Sennik nods.

“You found her chain broken beside the garden wall.”

Another nod.

“You found a threat against the child.”

“I found a threat,” says Sennik. “You believe the child was its intended target.”

Averic replies instantly.

“Do you honestly believe someone else assembled those items?”

“I believe belief is not evidence.”

Averic names the bound guards.

He describes the service passage.

Then he explains how Virelle escaped a guarded wing and appeared in a part of the palace she should not have been able to reach.

I listen to his accusations.

So does Sennik.

Then the council man asks the question that dismantles Averic’s argument.

“Did anyone witness her writing the words?”

No one answers.

I hear only the rustling of fabric and the distant crackling of the hearth.

Virelle lowers her head.

Her shoulders begin to shake.

When she looks up, her eyes are wet with unshed tears.

“I never wanted any of this.”

Several servants immediately soften their expressions.

I know what Virelle is doing.

She does not have to prove her innocence.

She only needs to make everyone in this room feel cruel for doubting her.

Averic sees through the performance.

I know he does.

But if he reacts to it without proof, he will be the persecutor of a pregnant woman.

Virelle speaks directly to Averic.

“I left my rooms because I was frightened.”

Averic does not reply.

“I thought someone was coming for me.”

Her fingers press lightly against her stomach.

“I was carrying your child, Averic. I didn’t know who I could trust.”

I watch sympathy blossom throughout the household.

Then Virelle turns her head slightly to look at me.

“I know how much she means to you.”

I say nothing.

Virelle offers me a fragile smile.

“She is the poor girl Caedmon threw away, isn’t she?”

The pity in her voice is sharper than any insult.

I refuse to rise to the bait.

She continues.

“I don’t blame her for wanting somewhere safe. After what she suffered, I would probably cling to the first person who showed me kindness too.”

My fingers curl against the folds of my dress.

She is inventing a story about me.

Desperate,

clinging,

jealous,

ambitious,

a woman willing to hurt another pregnant woman for the Alpha’s attentions.

I finally reply.

“I don’t need to compete with you.”

Virelle’s smile does not fade.

“No?”

“No.”

I turn to Lord Sennik.

“I only need the truth to survive long enough to be heard.”

His gaze lingers on me for several seconds.

He says nothing.

That is the problem I have to solve.

I do not have the standing of someone protected by the Alpha.

Virelle has the council.

I only have Averic’s protection.

And protection can be questioned.

Averic must issue the final ruling.

“Virelle will stay in the west guest wing.”

Virelle looks relieved.

Averic is not finished speaking.

“She will not enter the private family quarters.”

The relief leaves Virelle’s expression for the briefest moment.

“Two guards will remain outside her door.”

Sennik interrupts.

“They are not to lock it.”

Averic hesitates before replying.

“Fine.”

Virelle will eat in the great hall rather than in private.

She will have access to the palace healers.

She will appear before the council on summons.

She will remain under protection until the hearing.

All conditions are favorable to her.

All conditions give her something to use against me.

I hear the final agreement and understand what it means.

The woman who wrote that my child dies first will sleep under the same roof as that child.

The threat is no longer outside the palace walls.

Virelle turns to address Averic.

“I appreciate your generosity.”

His response is instant.

“This isn’t generosity.”

“I know.”

Her gaze briefly meets mine.

“It is the law.”

My stomach tightens.

She has reminded everyone that the law protects her.

The council men prepare to leave.

Servants carry Virelle’s belongings toward the west wing.

I turn toward the inner staircase.

Virelle passes me, her shoulder nearly brushing mine.

No one pays us any mind.

That is what she wants.

The moment she is close enough that only I can hear, the pleasant expression leaves her face.

“He will not choose you.”

I continue walking.

“He never even named you.”

My hand grips the banister.

Then she tells me the words that twist my stomach.

“And that baby will not outlive the moon.”

I stop.

Virelle moves on to the next step before she turns her head slightly.

The menace has left her eyes.

Her mouth is gentle as she says the next words.

“Thank you for helping me settle in,” she informs the servant behind her.

The man offers a smile.

“Of course, my lady.”

Virelle continues toward the west wing.

I remain on the staircase.

No one saw what passed between us.

No one heard the threat.

The household only witnessed a pregnant woman thanking a servant.

I realize Virelle has chosen the best way to hurt me.

She can threaten me in a way no one else will hear.

Then she can feign misery whenever I speak to her.

I do not tell Averic what she said.

Not yet.

Neryss follows me into the inner chamber and closes the door behind her.

“She threatened you again.”

I take a seat on the edge of the bed.

“She threatened the baby.”

Neryss’s face is tight with anger.

“Then tell the Alpha.”

“With what?”

“She said it.”

“And who heard her?”

Neryss falls silent.

I cover my stomach with both hands.

I wait until the shaking in my fingers stops.

“I already watched what happened when evidence wasn’t enough.”

Neryss recalls the events in the council hall.

“She needs to be exposed.”

“She will be.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No,” I admit. “But I know what she wants.”

Neryss waits.

“She wants me to run.”

I look toward the closed door.

“If I accuse her without proof, she becomes the persecuted pregnant woman at the mercy of the Alpha’s unwanted companion.”

Neryss’s frustration rises.

“And if you say nothing?”

“Then she thinks she has won.”

I stand from the bed.

“I won’t give her either.”

I decide it is time to alter the way I move through the palace.

No circuitous routes.

No unsecured medicine containers.

No private conversations with Virelle.

No blind acceptance of familiar faces.

I may not have the power of an important title.

But I can watch.

I can remember.

And I can wait for Virelle to make a mistake she cannot conceal.

Averic finds me after the west wing has been secured.

The weariness in his face has little to do with the search last night.

He closes the door behind him.

“I should have found another way.”

I do not reply at first.

“I couldn’t put her back in a locked room,” he says.

“I know.”

He watches me closely.

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“I understand the law.”

“That isn’t what I asked.”

I turn toward the window.

“You didn’t choose her.”No.”

“You chose what you believed would protect the palace from the council.”

His reply comes after a pause.

“I chose the only option that wouldn’t give Sennik grounds to take the entire matter out of my hands.”

I consider his words.

Then I ask the question that has been troubling me.

“Does the child in me have that protection?”

Averic’s expression softens.

“The child has mine.”

He does not say I have his.

I notice the difference.

I wish I did not.

He continues.

“You and the child will have guards. Neryss stays with you. No one enters your rooms without permission.”

“Except the council?”

His honesty is immediate.

“Except the council.”

I nod.

“Thank you.”

The words are heavy when I say them.

Averic seems to understand what I am not saying.

“This isn’t what you wanted.”

“No.”

“What did you want?”

I turn to face him.

“I wanted to feel safe without needing to ask if I had permission to be here.”

He does not reply.

The wound in his heart is something I cannot reach.

Averic and I travel together to Maevra.

The old Luna is weakened after the disturbance.

Her breathing is shallow and the room smells of herbs, hot water, and the bitter medicine Harwin has been giving her to settle her nerves.

Maevra opens her eyes when Averic enters the chamber.

Then she focuses on me.

Her hand immediately seeks mine.

I take it.

Her fingers close over my wrist with surprising strength.

“You brought her back.”

Averic kneels beside the bed.

“The council did.”

Maevra’s gaze meets Averic’s.

“You allowed it.”

Averic does not deny it.

“I had no lawful way to stop them.”

Maevra’s grip tightens.

“You have allowed a knife into the nursery.”

My breath catches.

Averic replies instantly.

“The knife will not reach either of you.”

Maevra studies him.

“Promises are easy when the enemy is outside.”

Averic has no answer.

She turns her attention to me.

“Do not leave.”

I squeeze her hand.

“I won’t.”

Maevra watches my face for several seconds.

Something in her expression troubles me.

She looks frightened.

Not for herself.

For me.

“Averic.”

“Yes, Mother?”

“Do not let them make her disappear.”

Averic’s reply is firm.

“They won’t.”

Maevra’s fingers begin to lose their grip.

The healer next to the bed informs us she needs her rest.

I release Maevra’s hand carefully.

Before I turn away, I notice the way she keeps watching me.

As if she is trying to memorize my face.

I do not know why.

I wish I did.

The night settles over the palace.

The household has been reorganized with Virelle’s return.

She remains in the west wing, guarded by council warriors.

Averic’s men occupy the passages leading toward Maevra and me.

Everything seems to be in order.

I know better.

Maevra will not take her medicine from anyone but Harwin.

So I stay with her for the first stretch of the night.

Neryss waits outside with two palace guards.

Averic takes the second watch near my inner door.

For a time, nothing happens.

Maevra sleeps.

I prepare her medicine exactly as Harwin instructed.

I measure the leaves carefully.

I double-check the quantity before I smell the mixture.

Then I set the cup beside her.

Everything is correct.

Maevra suddenly wakes.

“Is it time?”

“Yes.”

I help her sit up.

She takes the cup from my hand and drinks slowly.

I watch her throat as she swallows.

Then she stops.

Her fingers grasp the edge of the blanket.

A strangled sound escapes her throat.

“Luna?”

She leans forward.

I catch her before she can lurch against the table.

“Call Harwin!”

Neryss hears me and rushes into the chamber.

Maevra makes another sound, something like a choking gasp.

I feel my heart pounding in my chest.

Something has gone wrong.

Something has changed.

And I have no idea how.

Maevra drinks the contents of the cup, then buries her face in the pillow with a sound I have never heard from her before.

I lower the cup onto the table.

Her breathing becomes uneven.

“Luna?”

She does not answer.

I take her wrist.

Her pulse is there.

Then it stops.

Returns.

Stops again.

My gaze locks onto the cup.

Dark liquid clings to the edges.

My stomach tightens.

It is darker than the medicine I prepared.

“This isn’t right.”

Maevra’s body twitches weakly.

I reach for the emergency bell.

Before I can pull it, the door opens.

Virelle stands in the doorway, her night robe the color of fresh snow, a palace guard at her back.

Her face is an indulgent mask of horrified shock.

Her gaze moves from Maevra to the cup in my hand.

Then she cries out loudly enough for everyone in the corridor to hear.

“Help!”

Neryss rushes around the corner.

Virelle points directly at me.

“She is poisoning the Alpha’s mother!”

I stare at the cup.

Then at Virelle.

The accusation has reached the healer before Averic or anyone else can assess the situation.

And Virelle has positioned herself in full view of every witness.

I finally understand her plan.

It was never enough for her to threaten my child.

She wants the next accusation to begin with proof in my own hands.