Chapter 106

Kayla

Nora’s voice sliced through the quiet kitchen, causing me to turn. She was standing in the doorway, her hands clenched tightly into fists at her sides.

I didn’t know what to say at first. I had hardly even seen Nora in the past few weeks, let alone spoken to her. And now here she was, starting fires just for the sake of watching things burn.

“What do you want, Nora?” I finally asked, schooling my face into as much cool indifference as I could muster. I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing me upset, even though I was pretty sure she had already seen the way my shoulders had been trembling, the white color of my knuckles as I gripped the edge of the counter.

She shrugged one shoulder and crossed her slender arms over her chest. “Nothing. Just stating facts.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, thanks for that. If you’re quite done, you can go now.”

But Nora didn’t leave. She wasn’t finished, apparently, because she said, “Now you understand my pain. Having to watch a crush who was once within your reach turn toward another.”

There was no hiding the scoff that escaped my lips at that. “Nicholas isn’t just a ‘crush’, Nora,” I said with a bitter tinge to my voice. “He’s my husband. And even if he were turning toward another—which he isn’t—that’s none of your concern.”

Nora just blinked at me, clearly not buying it. “But he’s not really your husband, is he?” she asked, taking a step forward. Her voice dipped to a near whisper, and her upper lip curled to reveal a sneer.

My stomach clenched.

“Oh, that’s right,” Nora purred, narrowing her eyes. “I know all about your little ‘arrangement’. I know that your relationship is fake, and it always has been. And I know that you deluded yourself into thinking that it would ever be real that night he fucked you.”

Before I could answer, Nora continued, “Furthermore, I know that you know that you deluded yourself.”

The silence left in the wake of her words was oppressive and heavy. I didn’t know how to respond, or how to even breathe, for that matter.

Because I knew Nora was right. More right than she may have ever been about anything, honestly.

Finally, I managed in a surprisingly steady voice, “You have no clue what you’re talking about, Nora.”

She scoffed. “Sure I do. I also know that, even if your relationship ever did somehow become real, it wouldn’t last long. He’ll cast you aside once he’s bored just like every other woman he’s been with, but even more quickly because of what you are.”

“And what am I?” I asked, clenching my jaw. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

“A wolfless weakling who brings nothing to the table.”

All at once, I began to see red. The last thing I needed right now was to be reminded of my position in this world. And maybe that was why I blurted out my next words before I could stop myself.

“That’s awfully rich coming from someone whose ass I kicked in a spar. Wolf or no wolf, I’m still far stronger than you’ll ever be.” I took a few steps, closing the distance between us. My voice was hardly more than a hiss as I ground out, “Do you want a repeat of that day? Do I need to kick your ass again just to put you in your place?”

Nora stiffened, a muscle feathering in her jaw. It was clear that she wasn’t expecting me to bring up her past embarrassment from the spar, as if I would just roll over, expose my neck, and let her sink her fangs in.

But then her eyes flicked up behind me, and her sneer returned. It was subtle, but it was there. And I knew I had fucked up when I turned and saw Nicholas and Anna both standing in the doorway.

Before I could say a word, Nora slipped away, leaving me standing there in the middle of the kitchen with the astonished-looking Anna and the disappointed Nicholas.

They must not have heard Nora inciting the argument. But they had certainly heard my threats.

Nora got what she wanted, it seemed. Anna looked horrified, one hand rubbing across her swollen belly while the other tenderly touched the bruise on her neck.

Nicholas cleared his throat. “Kayla, Anna is going to be staying with us for a little while—at least until the media storm blows over. I said she could have the spare room at the end of the hall. Would you mind showing her where it is? I have some matters to attend to.”

I nodded, and with that, Nicholas turned on his heel and left. The front door clicking shut behind him cast the house into an eerie silence.

Anna’s eyes flitted over me, and I could practically smell the distrust on her skin. No doubt she thought I was a brute of a so-called ‘Luna’, threatening my inferiors like that. Something that a poised, elegant woman like Anna likely never would have done.

After that, I quickly showed her to her room. It was a comfortable guest suite with its own bathroom, where she would have everything she needed during her stay. I put on my best smile and told her to ask me if she needed anything, anything at all, and she nodded stiffly.

But I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be the one she came to if she needed something. The chances were already slim before, and after that little display in the kitchen, they were pretty much zero now.

By mid-afternoon, a courier arrived with a few bags of Anna’s things, which I brought up to her room. She sounded like she was in the bath, humming sweetly to herself as she washed. I left her bags on her bed and left her alone again.

I was just heading outside, eager to be by myself in my shed, when I ran into Nicholas. His hair was mussed, his motorcycle helmet tucked under his arm.

“I spoke to the local news station,” he said by way of greeting. “You and I will have to do an interview tomorrow to discuss the situation with Anna. If we make an impassioned plea for our supporters to stop harassing Anna, it should help.”

I nodded, even though my stomach felt sick. The idea of yet another televised interview wasn’t exactly something that sparked joy. If anything, it just made me feel exhausted. And cornered.

It didn’t help any, either, when Nicholas said next, “Kayla, you have to be careful now that there’s a guest in the house. Threatening Nora like that…”

My eyes narrowed. “She started it.”

Nicholas sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair, tousling it further. There was a slight stubble lining his jaw, which hadn’t been there before. It seemed these past weeks—or perhaps months—were finally getting to him.

“I know she started it,” he whispered. “And I just gave her a formal warning. But you’re also expected to uphold a certain… image when others are around. You can’t be a firecracker all of the time.”

“Why can’t I?” I blurted out, feeling my tempers begin to rise yet again.

“Because you’re a Luna,” Nicholas replied abruptly. His voice took on a harder edge now, and he looked… frustrated.

I suddenly felt even sicker. I wanted to argue, to tell Nicholas to shove his expectations somewhere dark and vulgar, but I knew he was right. I wished he wasn’t, but he was. My position as Luna of Bluemoon and Nightshade was already shaky enough as it was.

My position in his life was already shaky enough as it was.

Finally, after quelling my boiling blood, I nodded stiffly and strode past him. I didn’t say anything else, and he didn’t, either. By the time I retreated to my little shed—the one safe haven I had left, it seemed—Nicholas was gone.

Good. I wanted to be alone, anyway.