Chapter 3

The following evening, Blackpine was hosting its annual pack banquet. Until I left, I was still their Luna. I was expected to attend.

I chose a loose gown that wouldn’t press against my aching abdomen.

My phone rang as I fastened my earrings.

“Nora, I need to pick up Selene first. She’s nervous on her own. I’ve sent the driver for you. We’ll meet at the pack hall.”

I looked at my reflection. Even dressed for the evening, I couldn't hide how exhausted I was.

“All right.”

The ballroom glittered with crystal and jewelry. Perfume hung in the air, and glasses clinked over the hum of conversation.

I sat alone at one of the family tables. The seat reserved for the Luna at the head table remained empty until Selene arrived.

She came down the red carpet on Adrian's arm, radiant in a strapless white gown. They looked as though they belonged together.

He seated her beside him.

One of the elders approached with a glass in his hand and glanced at her curiously.

“Alpha, aren't you going to introduce us?”

Adrian smiled.

“My brother's widow. She's been unwell, so I'm keeping an eye on her.” He lifted a hand in my direction. “My Luna's over there. She's pregnant. A quieter table is easier on her.”

The elder nodded in understanding.

Selene lowered her eyes, smiling to herself.

Halfway through the evening, she came over with a glass of red wine.

“You must be bored sitting here on your own.”

She settled into the chair beside mine, then lurched sideways. The wine landed squarely down the front of my pale dress.

“Oh, God. Nora, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!”

Her raised voice turned heads all around us.

Adrian reached us in seconds. His hands went straight to Selene.

“What happened? Are you hurt?”

“I'm fine.” Her mouth trembled. “But I've ruined Nora's dress.”

Only then did he look at me. When he saw the wet fabric clinging to my stomach, he pulled off his jacket and held it out.

“Here. You'll get cold.”

His hand had barely brushed mine when Selene caught his arm and began to cry.

“She's angry with me again, isn't she?”

He turned to steady her.

“Nora, it's only a dress. Don't make this worse. She's upset enough.”

Somehow, I had become the one at fault.

I reached for the jacket. He wrapped it around Selene's shaking shoulders instead.

My hand hung empty between us.

Whatever small warmth I had still been holding on to went out.

“Excuse me. I need the restroom.”

I walked away through a room full of watching faces. Some looked sympathetic. Some disapproving. Others were enjoying themselves.

In the restroom, the wine-soaked fabric stuck to my skin. My body still hadn’t recovered from the miscarriage and the attack. A cramp doubled me over against the sink.

I braced myself against the sink, took out my phone, and answered the confirmation email from the Silver Bay Wolf-Spirit Research Center.

My travel arrangements are nearly complete. Please confirm where I should report on my first morning.

The cramps tightened. Sweat gathered at my temples, and black spots crept across my vision.

I kept one hand against the wall as I made my way out of the pack hall. Then I called a car and went, alone, to the nearest shifter emergency clinic.

A healer checked the renewed bleeding, gave me fluids, and kept me under observation until it eased. I still didn’t need surgery, but she warned me that I needed rest. My wolf had barely stirred all evening.

It was late when I got home.

The living room lights were still on. Adrian stood at the stove in an apron, making soup for Selene's hangover.

“Have you eaten?” he asked when he heard the door.

Before I could answer, she called out that her head hurt.

“Coming,” he said.

He never turned back to me.

I took off my shoes and went upstairs.

From the nightstand, I lifted the thick album of our bonding ceremony. I slipped out the photographs, one by one.

In every picture, I was smiling. In every picture, he looked at me tenderly.

I tore them up and dropped the pieces in the trash.

Then I took down the framed portrait above our bed and replaced it with a landscape from an art book.