جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

Calden“What do you mean?” I stare at her like she’s speaking a language I’ve never heard before. I’m honestly trying to understand what she means, but nothing she’s saying is making sense to me. Her eyes are red, she's breathing too fast, and she looks like she wants to punch me and walk away at the same time. And Jodie isn’t someone who gets openly angry with me. Not like this. Not with this kind of raw emotion in her face. It throws me off more than I want to admit.“I can't leave now. What did I ever do to you? Is loving you my offense Alpha Calden?”Fuck! She's never used my name like that before. I stare at her, confusion knitting my brow. “I didn’t order anyone to restrict you from anything,” I say, keeping my voice tight, even though her anger is already crawling under my skin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”Her expression tightens like I’ve just insulted her. She takes one small step back, her fingers curling at her sides.“You really want to play dumb right now?”

JodieI wake up feeling like I didn’t actually sleep, more like I drifted in and out until the sky started turning faint gray. My head is heavy, and my eyes feel swollen even though I don’t remember crying. I only remember that at some point last night, something warm brushed against me, like a soft scent curled around my chest, easing the tightness. It felt familiar, like Calden’s presence brushing the edges of my dream, but that can’t be right. I must have imagined it. My mind has been a mess since the nausea started getting worse these last few days.I sit up slowly, pressing a hand to my mouth when another wave of sickness rolls through me. I breathe through it because if I lie back down, I’ll never get up. I don’t want to delay anything. The sooner I finish my transition work, the sooner I can leave this place and finally breathe without feeling like someone is squeezing my ribs from the inside.I see Calden on the couch, he’s probably there to make sure I don't run away early in

JodieMy pen shakes slightly between my fingers as I sign the last set of patrol authorizations. Goddess, my body aches all over. And hell, these reports don't seem to be reducing. They’re laid out across my office desk—requests from the healers, updates from the warriors, budget allocations… Still, the thought of Calden betrays my every attempt to focus.I mean, why did Calden arrange a medical checkup? Unless he wants to confirm if I'm really pregnant because he’s doubting the message I sent him. My teeth sink into the head of my pen without me realizing, the thought cutting deeper than I expect.There’s no other way to explain this sudden need for a checkup, especially since up until this very moment he hasn’t said a single word in response to the news about our baby. Not a reaction. Not even acknowledgment. Not one conversation about what we’re going to do, especially now that we’re getting divorced.Something this important… and he still doesn’t give a damn?Maybe I should just

Jodie So Carden told her about my pregnancy, yet he...Damn it, I can't even say it. I open my mouth to answer, but the words form a lump in my throat. Enid tilts her head a little, laughing softly, “He saw your message. He wasn’t even interested in the oh-so-good news." She lifts her chin a little higher, "He frowned at it and threw the phone to me.” My heart stings at that stupidity, even though I should have expected she would twist things around. “You’re lying,” I say quietly. She gives a tiny shrug. “Believe whatever helps you sleep. But as your dear loving sister, I tried to talk to him, it's his pup after all, still—he didn't bother.” The office suddenly feels too small. The walls feel closer, the air heavier. Lila shifts uneasily inside me. Enid steps around the desk, her nails drag lightly across the wood, stopping right next to my elbow. Her hand resting on my shoulders mockingly… I push them off. “He wasn’t annoyed by your message because of you, well…since he still

Jodie After the pack meeting ended, I stretched. I really didn’t expect that a Luna like me, who’s about to leave, would still have to attend these meetings. Honestly, it wouldn’t matter at all if I didn’t show up. Maybe I should tell Calden that I won’t attend the meetings anymore, but he’s surrounded by a few other ranked members, discussing things as they leave. Maybe I’ll tell him next time. The moon festival only has twenty-three more days left! I tap on the date on my phone’s calendar as I count. Hah! It actually feels like twenty-three more years; every day in this pack now feels so suffocating. And if Enid and Alvin decide to pick another fight with me before then, it’s only going to get worse. Especially Enid. I honestly want to know if her ass is okay after those dramatic little falls. She really commits to those awful performances. But Calden actually bought it. I can’t even be bothered to explain anything to him anymore. He doesn't trust me. Whatever. I need to save