The sickened luna’s last chance

Chapter 41

uy

Ella

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, warming my face and pulling me from a deep sleep. I blinked groggily, taking a moment to register that I was in bed, tucked beneath the covers and still wearing the black dress from last night.

I had no memory of getting here. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in the car.

Had Alexander carried me to bed and tucked me in?

The thought made my stomach flutter before I could tamp it down. I couldn’t help but picture Alexander carrying me, his arms strong and secure around my body, just as they had been that day Sophia had pushed me out of the hayloft.

Stop it, I scolded myself. It didn’t mean anything. He probably just didn’t want to wake me up. Or he even had Gabriel carry me instead.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder about him–and, most of all, his promise from last night. Was he really going to stop sending money to my father, just because I asked? That would be… unprecedented. Alexander never broke contracts, especially not for my sake.

But there had been something in his eyes when he promised. Something soft and sincere. And the way he had smiled afterward… I felt heat creep into my cheeks just thinking about it.

What was happening to me? One moment I was fantasizing about my freedom, about the day Alexander would reject me and my wolf would return, and the next I was blushing like a schoolgirl over a simple smile.

My feelings toward him were becoming more ambiguous by the day, and I hated it. It was dangerous for me to think like this. Alexander would never choose to mark me instead of divorcing me, and it was better if I didn’t let my imagination run wild.

I’d learned early on in our marriage that false hopes would get me nowhere. And with my current condition, they’d just wind up killing me in the end.

With a sigh, I pushed myself out of bed. I peeled off the black dress and tossed it in the hamper, then took a shower, dressed in comfortable clothes, and headed downstairs in search of Alexander. I wanted to ask him directly about his promise, but he didn’t seem to be home.

Finally, I found Lilith in the kitchen. She was cooking something on the stove that smelled delicious. “You slept late,” she said without even turning around, as if simply sensing I was there–she’d always been good at that. “It’s nearly noon.”

“Where’s Alexander?”

“He left early this morning. Something about a meeting.” Lilith spooned some scrambled eggs onto a plate and handed it to me. “There’s coffee, too.”

way I liked them, and the coffee helped with my mild hangover. I’d had more to drink last night

to a cardboard box on the counter. “Judging from the address, I think

had never given me a single gift before. And after her strange

the box toward me and

I found layers of tissue paper,

My mouth fell open.

Lilith asked, leaning

box before she could see.

1/3

Chapter 41

be in the garden if you need me. There’s more coffee in

reopened the box and

lace, red silk, sheer mesh–all of it designed to leave very little to

lingerie? The woman who had never given me so much as a birthday card had sent me… this?

promise it will improve your relationship even more.” The implication was clear enough, Margaret thought this would somehow fix my marriage. As if sexy underwear was

me naked. We’d been married for five

anything like this in years–not since the early days

had bought similar lingerie, had lain awake in my tiny bedroom wearing it, fantasizing about Alexander coming all the way from the other wing to see me and

all away, burning it in the fireplace along

was alone, I gathered up the lingerie and headed back upstairs. It couldn’t hurt to try it on, right? Just to see how it looked. It wasn’t like anyone would ever see me in it.

a black lace bodysuit and stepped into it,

eyes widened when I turned to look

“Whoa,” I whispered.

I barely recognized myself.

my cleavage even more than that dress I’d worn last night. Black was my color, wasn’t it? It seemed to suit

Confident.

Alexander would see if he walked in

my belly turn warm like someone had poured hot honey down

meeting, opening the bedroom door, freezing in place when he saw me like this. His green eyes would darken,