Chapter 3: the dinner performance

I woke before the sun.Julian's arm was draped across my waist, heavy and possessive, his breath warm against the back of my neck. For seven years, I had loved waking up like this. I had treasured the weight of him beside me, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, the way his fingers curled instinctively around my hip even in sleep.

Now his touch made my skin crawl.I slipped out of bed carefully, careful not to wake him. He stirred but didn't open his eyes, mumbling something incoherent before rolling onto his back. I stood beside the bed and looked at him really looked at him in the pale morning light.

This was the face I had loved. The strong jaw, the dark lashes, the slight smile that played at the corner of his mouth even in sleep. I had kissed this face a thousand times. I had whispered promises against his skin. I had believed every word he said.

He looked peaceful. Innocent.

He was neither.My wolf Sera stirred beneath my skin, a low growl rumbling through my chest. Liar, she whispered. Traitor. We should tear his throat out.I pushed her down. Not yet. There would be time for that later. First, I needed to survive tonight.

Margaret was coming.I spent the morning preparing. I cleaned the house until my hands were raw, arranged fresh flowers in the dining room, and planned a meal that would meet Luna Margaret's impossibly high standards. I moved through the motions like a ghost, my body performing tasks while my mind remained trapped in a loop of everything I had discovered.

The photos. The documents. The texts.

A phase I need to sort out.Every time those words surfaced, I felt something crack inside me. But I couldn't afford to break. Not today.Julian emerged from the bedroom around noon, freshly showered and dressed in casual clothes. He found me in the kitchen, stirring a pot of sauce that didn't need stirring.

"You're already cooking?" he asked, leaning against the counter.

"Your mother is coming," I said, not looking at him. "I wanted everything to be perfect."

He smiled that easy, charming smile that had once made my heart flutter. "You always do this. You always go above and beyond for her."

I stirred the sauce harder. "She's your mother. She deserves my best." Julian moved behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing a kiss to my shoulder. The contact made my stomach turn.

"She loves you, you know," he murmured against my skin. "She just has a strange way of showing it."

I said nothing.

"The fertility stuff," he continued, his voice soft and gentle. "I know it's been hard on you. But we'll figure it out. We always do."

The words that once brought me comfort now felt like knives. He was lying. He had already figured it out with someone else. He had already secured his heir. And I was just the obstacle in his way.I forced myself to turn around and face him. "We'll figure it out," I echoed.

He kissed my forehead and pulled away. "I'm going to run some errands before she gets here. Need anything?"

"No," I said. "I have everything I need." He left. I stood alone in the kitchen, my hands trembling, and let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

Margaret arrived at six o'clock sharp.Luna Margaret Sterling was a formidable woman. Tall and elegant, with silver-streaked hair pulled back in a severe bun and eyes that missed nothing. She had been the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack for thirty years before her husband's death, and she still carried herself like she owned every room she entered.

She stepped into my home and immediately began her inspection.

"The garden looks unkempt," she said, removing her gloves. "You should hire someone."

"I've been busy," I said, taking her coat. "The pack duties…”

"The pack duties are Julian's responsibility. Your responsibility is this house. And heirs."

The word hung in the air between us.I led her to the living room, where Julian was waiting. He greeted his mother with a kiss on the cheek, and I watched the two of them together,the way Margaret's eyes softened when she looked at her son, the way Julian deferred to her in small ways that I had never noticed before.

They were a team. They always had been.And I had always been on the outside.

Dinner was a performance.I had spent hours preparing a meal that I knew Margaret would approve of roasted lamb, seasonal vegetables, a wine selection from the cellar Julian rarely touched. I served everything with a smile, playing the role of the devoted Luna, the perfect wife.Margaret sat at the head of the table. Julian sat to her right. I sat across from them, close enough to feel Julian's presence but far enough to feel alone.

"The pack harvest festival is next month," Margaret said, cutting into her lamb. "I assume you'll be organizing it again, Elara?"

"Of course," I said. "I've already started the preparations."

"Good. It's important for the pack to see their Luna active and involved." She paused, her knife hovering over her plate. "Especially now."

I knew what she meant. Especially now that whispers about my fertility had spread through the pack like wildfire. Especially now that the council had begun to question whether Julian had chosen the right mate.

Julian's hand found my thigh under the table. A casual touch, meant to comfort. But his fingers felt like hot iron against my skin, and I had to fight the urge to pull away.

He doesn't know, I reminded myself. He can't smell it. He can't sense it.The Moon Goddess had seen fit to protect my secret, wrapping my child in a veil of moonlight that no wolf could pierce. For now, I was invisible to him. I intended to stay that way until I was ready to be seen.

"I'm sure Elara will do a wonderful job," Julian said smoothly. "She always does."

Margaret's eyes flickered between us. "Yes. She always does."

The words sounded like a compliment. They weren't.

Dessert was a lemon tart that I had made from scratch, using a recipe Margaret had mentioned once years ago. She took one bite and set her fork down.

"Delicious," she said. "But we need to discuss something more important than pastry."

My heart clenched. I set down my own fork, folding my hands in my lap to keep them from shaking.

"I've been making inquiries," Margaret continued. "There is a specialist in the Northern Territory a healer who has had remarkable success with difficult cases. She has agreed to see you."

I blinked. "A healer?"

"Dr. Helena Voss. She specializes in wolves who have struggled with conception. Her methods are... unconventional, but effective. I've already arranged for you to see her next week."

I felt Julian's hand tighten on my thigh. A warning? A reassurance? I couldn't tell.

"I appreciate the concern," I said carefully, "but Julian and I have already consulted with the best healers in our territory. I'm not sure what this woman could offer that they haven't…”

"She offers results." Margaret's voice was sharp. "Something the other healers have failed to provide."

The words hit me like a slap. I had spent three years being poked and prodded by healers. I had drunk bitter potions and undergone painful rituals. I had done everything asked of me, and still, my body had failed.

But it wasn't just my body that had failed, was it?

"I understand," I said quietly.

Margaret leaned back in her chair, satisfied. "The pack council has also begun to express concerns. They understand that these things take time, but the question of succession cannot be ignored forever."

Julian's jaw tightened. "Mother"

"I'm not saying anything you haven't already heard in council meetings, Julian. The pack needs an heir. The Alpha bloodline must continue. If Elara cannot provide"

"She can," Julian interrupted. "She will."

Margaret raised an eyebrow. "Then perhaps this specialist is exactly what she needs."

I sat there, watching the two of them discuss my body and my future like I wasn't in the room. Julian defended me, but his defense felt hollow. He knew the truth. He knew he had an heir growing in another woman's belly. And he was letting his mother pressure me, letting the council question me, while he had already found his solution elsewhere.The realization hit me like a wave.He wasn't going to leave me. He was going to wait until I failed publicly, until the pack turned against me, until I had no choice but to step aside. He would let me take the fall so he could keep his reputation intact.

The perfect Alpha. The victim of a barren mate.

And then he would bring Lena in as his true wife, the mother of his child, and no one would question it.

"I'll go," I said suddenly.Both of them turned to look at me.

"I'll see the specialist," I continued, my voice steady. "If it will ease the council's concerns, I'll do whatever is necessary."

Margaret's lips curved into something that might have been a smile. "Good. I'll send you the details."

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. I cleared the plates, served coffee, made small talk about the harvest festival and the upcoming pack gathering. I smiled until my face ached. I laughed at Margaret's dry jokes. I played the part of the devoted Luna so well that I almost believed it myself.

Almost.When Margaret finally left, Julian walked her to the door. I stood in the kitchen, my hands gripping the counter, and listened to the low murmur of their voices.

"She's fragile," Margaret was saying. "You need to be patient with her."

"I know."

"But you also need to be realistic. If she can't…”

"I'll handle it, Mother."

The door closed. Julian returned to the kitchen, his expression unreadable."That went well," he said.

I turned to face him. "Did it?"He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know my mother can be... intense. But she means well."

"Does she?"

He crossed the room and took my hands in his. His touch was warm, familiar, and completely repulsive.

"She just wants what's best for the pack," he said. "And for us."I looked into his eyes those warm brown eyes I had once lost myself in and felt nothing but cold.

"I know," I said. "So do I."

He smiled and kissed my forehead. "I'm going to take a shower. Join me?"

"Not tonight. I'm tired."His expression flickered disappointment, maybe, or annoyance but he nodded. "Get some rest. You deserve it."

He left the kitchen. I stood alone, my hands trembling at my sides.I made it to the bathroom before the mask cracked.I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. My reflection stared back at me from the mirror pale, hollow, eyes too bright with unshed tears.

I pressed my hand against my stomach.Two pink lines. A secret that Julian would never know. A child that was mine and mine alone.Three months, I told myself. Three months to secure the funds. Three months to find a safe place. Three months to escape.Julian thought I was broken. He thought I would crumble. But he had forgotten one thing: I was a wolf. And wolves did not break.We survived. We adapted. And when the time was right, we struck.

"You're my secret now," I whispered to the tiny life inside me. "And secrets are power."

My wolf Sera stirred, a flicker of warmth beneath my skin. Mine, she whispered. Ours. He will never touch us.I straightened, squaring my shoulders. I would see the specialist. I would play the part of the devoted wife. I would smile and nod and pretend that everything was fine.But I would not tell Julian about the pregnancy. Not until I was ready. Not until I had a plan.

Not until I could destroy him the way he had destroyed me.A knock on the bathroom door made me jump.

"Elara?" Julian's voice was concerned, gentle. "Are you okay in there?"

I stared at my reflection. The pale face. The trembling lips. The eyes that held a storm no one else could see.

Three months, I reminded myself. Three months to escape. Three months to disappear,I placed my hand on my stomach where a secret heartbeat pulsed beneath my palm, hidden from everyone but me.

"I'm fine," I said, my voice steady and warm. "Just tired."

The mask was on,and it was never coming off again.