The sickened luna’s last chance

Alexander

I’d been avoiding Ella for three days, and it was slowly driving me insane.

Every morning, I left the house before she woke up. Every evening, I made sure to only return after I was absolutely certain she had already gone to bed.

During the day, I buried myself in pack business, trade negotiations, campaign documents–hell, I would even just drive around for hours. Anything to keep my mind off the conversation we’d had about children and the look of hurt that had flashed across her face when I had coldly mentioned the contract.

But no matter how busy I kept myself, my thoughts always, always circled back to her.

I kept thinking about the way she’d felt beneath me that night, warm and responsive and utterly perfect.

I thought about the soft sounds she’d made when I touched her, the way she’d offered her throat to me at the very end.

And then I thought about the question she’d asked about having children, and the hope I’d seen in her eyes before I’d crushed it with my cowardly response.

“She wants pups with us,” my wolf kept reminding me. “Our mate wants a family.”

And Goddess help me, I wanted that too.

I’d spent the last three days trying to convince myself otherwise, listing all the reasons why it was a terrible idea. Ella might be a spy. Her family had likely orchestrated my parents‘ deaths. I couldn’t trust her completely, not yet.

But every argument felt weaker by the day.

Because I’d seen how her own family treated her. I’d watched them ignore her, dismiss her, treat her like an inconvenience rather than a beloved daughter. If she was their spy, they were doing a damn good job of making it look like they couldn’t care less about her wellbeing.

And then there was the way she’d responded to me that night. The look in her eyes when we took each other’s virginity, the complete vulnerability she’d shown despite how cruel I had been to her over the years.

Either she was the most accomplished actress I’d ever met, or those emotions had been completely and

utterly real.

Today, on the third day of my self–imposed exile, was one of those days when I would rather drive aimlessly than do anything else. Sitting in my car while the rain pelted my windshield, the forest rushing past me on both sides, I finally admitted the truth to myself.

1/4

I didn’t want to reject Ella. I wanted to mark her, claim her properly, and give her the family she so clearly wanted.

her every morning and fall

love her openly, without

should have terrified me.

question about children. She probably thought I was

talk. Really talk, no matter how

she’d asked for a divorce months ago, why she seemed so adamant about being rejected only to turn around and have such a beautiful night with me. And why

was just as uncertain as I was. Maybe she was protecting herself because she thought

time to prove

The house was quiet when I returned, but i headed straight

have to figure it out. We both would. Because 1

bedroom door, the room

She wasn’t here, and

downstairs to look for her when

sitting next to

walked closer, my stomach dropping as I saw what

pregnancy test. With two bright pink

pamphlet titled “Safe and Confidential Abortion

legs nearly

my child.

I whispered, grabbing the test with

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Chapter 80

asked about children, wasn’t it? She was carrying my baby and wanted to know if t might want

the steps three at a time.

more frantic by the

voice was frantic, my hair falling into my eyes, but

turned around, clearly surprised to see me. “I… I think I

see which direction they

shrugged. “Looked like they were headed toward

to town. But

pamphlet flashed in my mind, and