Chapter 11

Killian & Elena

Killian

“You’re auctioning off the jewelry I bought you?” I whipped my head toward Elena as righteous anger surged through me. For the past three days, I thought my gift had pacified her, that she had finally come out of whatever funk she was in, only to find out that she had just used it as another weapon against me.

Why did she hate me so much lately? I hadn’t done anything wrong, other than mistakenly accusing her of digging up Natalie’s grave, but hadn’t the tens of thousands of dollars worth of diamond jewelry made it up to her?

But Elena’s face remained impassive as she gently fanned herself with her auction card. “I did it for you, Killian.”

I blinked, shocked, but snapped my mouth shut when I noticed some people nearby staring at us. I then did something I rarely did with her: I used our mind link. We never used it unless we really had to, but I couldn’t risk causing a scene in public.

“I don’t know what your problem is with me, but you must stop it. Grow up, Elena.”

Elena stiffened slightly, clearly not expecting me to speak to her telepathically. The method of communication always felt too… much, as if it was a harsh reminder of the unwilling mate bond we shared.

For me, it should have been a bond I shared with Natalie. Not that that was Elena’s fault, but it still ached to use the communication channel that I had never gotten to share with my first true love.

Elena quickly composed herself and kept her eyes on the auctioneer as people began bidding on the jewelry. “I am being mature. If you must know, I decided to auction off the jewelry to help you build a good reputation for your election.”

I clenched my jaw together so hard I thought my teeth might crack. “Really?”

She turned and looked me square in the face, red eyes glowing faintly like two burning coals. “Yes. Really.”

I studied her face for a long moment, searching for some form of deception. But if she was lying, and this was really just another plot to spite me for some reason, I couldn’t see it.

“You could have at least told me you were planning this.”

“Would you have listened?”

I pursed my lips, staring at her for a second longer, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth arguing over.

Finally, I sighed and turned back to face the stage, choosing to accept her explanation for now. I still didn’t understand why she was so different now, though; she had always treasured my gifts, even hoarded them to a degree.

Giving away something as flashy and expensive as an entire diamond jewelry set…

It wasn’t like her.

Lately, I was beginning to wonder who I had really married.

After the auction portion of the night, refreshments were served and the guests mingled a bit. I split away from Elena, as I often did at events like this, and joined a group of other Alphas who were conversing near the bar.

I couldn’t help but notice that Elena was still awkwardly standing by herself, wringing her hands slightly, while the other Lunas were happily chatting as a group. Some even glanced her way and wrinkled their noses at her new dress.

I frowned as I noticed this, and wondered if it had always been like this for her before or if this was a new development. Was she an outsider to the other women?

If it had been a pattern before, I was certainly only just noticing now. It was hard not to notice everything Elena did these days, after all; she usually blended right into the background of every setting, especially with her muted clothes and the way she always tied her hair back tightly as if trying to minimize its appearance.

But now, standing there in a vibrant red dress with her hair piled atop her head like a mound of snow…

I didn’t realize I had begun to move toward her until, as I was halfway across the room, another figure moved through the crowd and struck up a conversation with her. My wolf bristled at the sight of the tall, brutish man with the emerald ring who was leaning in and smiling at my mate.

Jaxon Adler.

…

Elena

“I suppose there’s no need to hide my face when we speak now that you apparently know my real identity.”

I was standing by myself, as usual, when a tall shadow passed over me. Jaxon’s face was no longer hidden behind a fox mask. I recalled that he had always been quite handsome—square-jawed, roguish features, a cleft chin peeking out from beneath neatly maintained stubble. The sort of man you’d ironically see in a superhero comic, if only he weren’t actually a master of shadows.

“No,” I said, “I suppose not. Although you might want to consider wearing less distinctive jewelry if you’re really trying to hide your identity.” I gestured to the emerald ring.

“Noted,” he said, his lips curving into a smirk. “I’d say you might want to consider wearing a wig, little rabbit, but I suppose you never really attempted to hide your identity from me.”

His implication was clear. “I’ve grown bolder as of late,” I countered.

“I can see that.”

Jaxon’s yellow eyes swept over my dress for a moment, and I resisted the urge to shrink beneath his gaze. The dress was new; I had purchased it and another outfit with my own pocket money yesterday, needing some new outfits to wear to the upcoming events since I had gotten rid of so much. Maeve had helped me pick it out. It was a far cry from my usual choice of clothing, and made me feel simultaneously confident and self-conscious.

Finally he picked up two glasses of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and extended one to me. I hesitated briefly, but accepted anyway. If he was going to perform sleight of hand to slip poison into my drink, he wouldn’t do it so publicly. And deep down, I knew Jaxon wasn’t evil. Outside of his Alpha duties, he dealt in the business of trading information—technically not criminal. That didn’t mean that the people who came to him weren’t criminals.

“So,” he said, swirling his champagne around in his glass, “Believe it or not, I’m not just here to mingle. I wanted to thank you for the information you provided. I looked into it, and you were right; someone was adding a little ‘something extra’ to my dinners.”

I nodded and sipped my drink. “And…?”

“And,” he sighed, scratching his stubble, “I looked into that crest. I’m still searching.”

“How elusive can a single crest be?”

Jaxon’s eyes glimmered. “I’m a fox, not a weasel. I can only slink around so much.”

I exhaled slightly, realizing he was right. “Well, promise you’ll let me know as soon as you find anything.” For good measure, even though I didn’t think it was necessary, I added, “And betray me, and you’ll finally understand why there are more rabbits than foxes.”

Jaxon laughed at that, loud and full-bellied, making no attempt to hide it. I couldn’t help but smirk slightly behind my glass.

“I have half a mind to steal you from Killian, you know,” he snorted. “With humor like that, you’d fit in perfectly with my social circles.”

“She’d be charmed, I’m sure.”

The familiar, gruff voice caused us both to turn, but before either of us could say anything, Killian swept in with a thunderous look in his black eyes. When he wrapped his arm around my waist, his grip was so strong I knew he wasn’t just here to chat.

“Killian,” Jaxon said, eyes still gleaming with humor, “Elena and I were just—”

“I know what you were doing,” Killian cut him off. His arm tightened possessively around me. “And she is mine.”