The sickened luna’s last chance

Chapter 11

Ella POV

Alexander’s scent made my head spin this close, and for a brief second, I almost considered telling him whatever he wanted to know. Even with a dormant wolf, the mate bond urged me to reassure him that I wasn’t cheating on him. I had never even slept with a man before I met Alexander.

But I couldn’t tell him that. What if it would change his mind about the contract? What if he would decide not to divorce me in the end after all? I had to play my cards right.

“I met Liam in grade school,” I answered coolly, flipping over so my back was facing him. “We hit it off immediately.”

Technically, it was true. Liam and I had become friends quickly as children, like two old souls connecting with just one look.

Alexander just didn’t know that there was nothing more to it than friendship.

I heard him huff softly as he flopped back down onto his back on the other side of the bed.

“How long have you two been seeing each other?” he asked after another moment.

I bit my lip, hesitating, then gave him another half-truth: “We didn’t see each other for more than a decade. He went away when he was ten.”

“So it’s a recent thing, then. Your relationship.”

“I guess so.” I replied vaguely.

Alexander grunted, and I thought the probing questions would finally stop. But then he asked, “And what do you intend to do when our contract is up? Marry him?”

“Does that matter?” I blurted out. “You and I were never in love. In nine months, we’ll go our separate ways.”

“Just tell me.”

I sighed. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll run off into the sunset together.”

My vague answers didn’t seem to please Alexander. Over the next fifteen minutes, he asked more and more questions, all of which I answered as sparingly as I could.

Eventually, I grew too tired to keep answering. The last thing I heard before I finally drifted off to sleep was Alexander’s deep voice.

“Ella, is Liam planning on making you Luna of his pack?”

arms, his touch gentle as he held me close. His lips were soft as they

my ear.

peppermint. My body instantly melted into his, and I clutched at his shirt, eager

slowly woke, like the sun kissing my skin. A gentle, familiar rhythm pounded

ear: one-two, one-two, one-two.

one I had physically felt before, and yet it was so natural and familiar to me that I instantly knew it

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warmth of Alexander’s bare chest. His arms tightened almost imperceptibly around me, and everything

the room, flinging the

voice cooed. “Alex, it’s time

tangled together in bed. I gasped, partially from surprise that she was

door behind her. I didn’t have a chance to pull away before Alexander was practically shoving me off of him and getting

said curtly as he crossed

he was gone. I heard the shower turn on, and for a moment I just laid there, staring at the ceiling, my face hot with shame

my mate felt so right, like a key

the only option to save my life. He would never fall in love with

little while later, we headed down to the dining room together. I had picked out a sweet lilac cardigan over a simple white cotton dress, perfect for today’s balmy spring weather. Liam and the rest of the Board were already sitting at the

of red the moment Alexander and I entered the

pulling my chair out for me-something

a warm smile as I took my seat. “We wanted to thank you both for the accommodations. Personally, I slept like

a cup of coffee. I picked out some ripe strawberries and fresh melon slices, then reached for the plate

far, and Liam, who was closer, handed it to me. Our fingers brushed

a bang. I jumped and looked over to see that Alexander had hit his knee on the underside of the table, causing some of his coffee

you alright, Alpha?”

staring at us now-Liam and I still holding the same plate, Alexander morosely sipping his coffee, and Sophia blushing furiously at the other end of the

and said airily, “My husband didn’t

had annoyed him just the right amount while also seeming to ease the tension at the table. Liam and

my free hand, “well, my wife keeps

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Chapter 1

opposite, if only because our little show of marital bliss seemed to have pleased the Board—and if I

has been gifted a parcel of land from Stormhollow that has the perfect soil for growing

surprised that I even knew about that. Despite what he thought of me, I was a diligent Luna who paid attention to everything that went on. During the meetings he invited me to just for