Chapter 20

Elroy looked furious, but before I could even process that he was there Iris stepped forward confidently.

“Your Luna’s just been framed for oleander poisoning,” she said calmly. Rita screeched.

“How dare you?!” she shouted. “You have no right to involve yourself in—” The instant Elroy’s Alpha presence started leaking out of him, though, her jaw snapped shut with a click.

“And you have no right to involve yourself in a conversation between me and my son,” Iris said evenly. Rita paled. I froze.

Iris—Apothecary Iris was Elroy’s mother?

So that was how he’d known to activate the Mate Bond to help me. I didn’t think she’d told him, but he could have seen her notes and put two and two together or something. It also explained why he was so unfazed when Louisa’s video came out, because he already knew.

“Go on, Mom,” Elroy prompted. “What was this about oleander?”

“This man,” Iris said, gesturing to the man on the ground, “collapsed a few minutes ago. Luna Olivia immediately stepped in to provide first aid, which I can confirm she did marvelously, and was asking questions to narrow down the issue when the man said it felt like something was ‘eating its way out of him.’

“Interestingly, this is exactly how Alpha Horacio the First described his bout of oleander poisoning, as found in his diary. More interestingly, the hostess also knew this fact.” Elroy’s face took on a thunderous appearance.

“How convenient,” he said.

“She announced this fact out loud, and since oleander is only found in Moonshadow territory, it immediately cast suspicion on Luna Olivia. At this point I took the vial of ‘oleander,’ and quickly determined with a sniff test that it was nothing but water. I was then informed that I couldn’t possibly know that, since I am a lowly Omega.”

Rita shook in place as Elroy pinned her with a heated glare.

“To prove the liquid was water, Luna Olivia then swallowed it. This is when you entered the room.”

And just like that, Elroy’s anger was covered by alarm. He looked at me, wide-eyed, looking almost panicked. Oh shit.

“I’m fine!” I said quickly. “It was just water, of course. An accomplished apothecary like Apothecary Iris would never make such a massive mistake.” Elroy relaxed infinitesimally, his relief palpable.

“Good,” he sighed. “Don’t ever do something that reckless again, but…good.”

“If it had been anyone other than Apothecary Iris, I wouldn’t have,” I said, a little offended. “I would have never put our child in danger on the word of any lesser herbalist.” Elroy relaxed further, soothed.

He doesn’t look like someone who sees you and the little one as tools, my wolf murmured. I couldn’t help but agree.

“Do you know who put the vial in your purse?” Elroy asked me.

“Yes,” I said firmly. “The only person who got close enough to me to slip it in without me noticing is the hostess of this banquet, Rita.” The party guests looked in between each other, whispering—clearly not all of them had been in on this little scheme.

“That’s false!” Rita yelled quickly. “Luna Olivia asked me to show her my family’s showroom, and I took her there, that’s all! People heard that conversation!”

“But nobody heard the conversation in the hallway,” I said smoothly. “The one where you said I was just a Moonshadow whore who got lucky? I recall you pushing your finger against my chest, which is plenty close enough for you to plant the vial on me.”

Rita shook, pinned between my cool composure and Elroy’s icy fury. “N-no,” she said weakly, “I didn’t…”

“She bribed me!” the man on the ground said suddenly, startling me. He looked terrified, but there were no signs of the agony he’d been in earlier.

“She said she’d show my portfolio to her father if I faked a stomachache,” he continued quickly. “She gave me the ‘eating me from inside’ line. She didn’t tell me anything about poison, just that she wanted me to make a scene!”

“The elevated heart rate was from nerves,” I put together, narrowing my eyes at him. He cowered.

“I am so sorry, Luna Olivia,” he said. “I would have never gone along with it if I knew what she was trying to do.”

“Enough,” Elroy said, projecting his voice so the whole courtyard could hear him. “This matter will be dealt with accordingly. No slight against our Luna will be tolerated—and she is your Luna.

“Remember; any action against her is an action against me. And I don’t take that lightly.” That sentence hung in the air for an ominous moment, and then Elroy turned to me.

“Come on,” Elroy said, putting his hands on my waist. “Let’s get you out of here, before the negativity can rub off on the pup.”

He looked so soft. So genuine. I wanted him to be genuine.

Rita’s words haunted me, and for the very first time, I wished I could use the Mate link to read Elroy’s intentions. If I could just know for sure that he was being honest, that he cared for me or even just cared for our baby, I could put this fear to rest.

Maybe you could ask, my wolf suggested.

I don’t know how he’ll react, I responded. What if he gets angry and locks me up until the baby’s born?

I could feel how much she doubted that outcome, but she just silently nodded. I can try to reach out through the link, she said. Just hold on.

But as soon as she tried, my legs buckled. Oh no, I took too much energy from you! I heard her say as my hearing faded out. Stay awake, Olivia!

The last thing I saw was Elroy’s panicked face before I lost consciousness completely.

“The baby has an abnormally strong energy for its short gestation,” the doctor said, reading off the clipboard. “That’s not a bad thing, of course, but it’s going to need more nourishment than you can provide on your own. Otherwise it will drain your energy like it did today, and that could become a serious problem.”

“How so?” Elroy asked sharply. He’d been pacing the wall since I’d woken up, clearly on edge in a way that made me tense.

“More fainting spells,” the doctor said calmly, “which of course creates a fall risk. You could develop more general fatigue if the drain is constant, as well as potential health problems if it’s prolonged.”

“So she needs me,” Elroy said. The doctor nodded.

“Yes,” she said. “I recommend taking an hour out of each day to allow the baby to gain nourishment from his father, which will increase the baby’s health as well as decrease the strain on your body, Luna Olivia.” I nodded, uneasy.

An abnormally strong child born between Moonshadow and Eclipse bloodlines? That sounded uncomfortably familiar.

“Stay with me,” Elroy said, pinning me with an intense stare. “In the Ruby Room—sleeping next to each other will have to help, right?”

“That’s a viable option,” the doctor agreed. I just nodded again, numb.

“I’d like to keep the Pearl Room, though,” I said. “I like having my own space.”

“Of course,” Elroy agreed instantly, taking my hand in his. “You’re not some caged bird, Olivia—I just want to make sure you and the baby have everything you need to stay healthy. I’m not going to take your privacy from you, just, please stay in the Ruby Room at night from now on, okay?”

I wanted to believe him. I really, really did. In the back of my mind, my wolf whimpered.

I agreed, though, willing to do anything for my baby. The idea that I wasn’t enough to keep my child healthy on my own stung, but my baby’s health and safety came before any bruised ego. Elroy looked incredibly relieved.

The doctor left us alone, recommending that we take a half-hour or so to let Elroy nourish the baby before I tried to get up. After a few silent minutes of Elroy’s hand on my stomach, which Elroy seemed to enjoy but I couldn’t, I blurted out a question.

“You said you were going to help me take back Moonshadow,” I said suddenly. “When that happens, which one of us gets the baby?”

I didn’t dare look at Elroy, but I felt the way his whole body tensed. He pulled me closer to him like he thought I was going to get up and run away with our child right then.

“The baby stays here,” he said quickly, brooking no room for argument. “We agreed he’d be Eclipse’s heir.”

“Of course,” I said, and then fell silent. Elroy stayed stiff behind me, but I just felt numb. Of course he wanted the child to stay here—his heir, his promised progeny. The prophecy had to be true.

Otherwise, why would he be so adamant on a mixed-blood heir?