Chapter 33

Elena

Tiffany looked like she wanted to peel off my skin when I asked her to keep my secret, but she agreed. My minor injuries weren’t serious enough to warrant intense medical attention, so her consciousness was clear in terms of bringing home a bloody Luna.

Her face told me she wished my injuries were more serious, fatal even, but I pushed aside my pride and pretended I didn’t know her thoughts. We seem to agree that neither of us wanted Killian to fuss over me and pay me unnecessary attention.

“The Alpha doesn’t need to be distracted away from his duties to care for your an invalid,” Tiffany said. “Today of all days.”

“Why? What else is happening today?”

Tiffany blanched, as if she had said something she shouldn’t have. Her eyes shot down to her phone, then she reset the stony look on her face.

“It is challenging every day to keep a Pack strong,” she said off-handedly. “And the impending election only highlights weaknesses among the ranks.”

This last line was directly for me, and I appreciated at least that she was blunt. I never had to sift through subtleties when it came to Tiffany.

The sun was starting to sink as we remounted our bikes and rode slowly home. My left hand was tender to the touch where it had been scraped, but I managed to hold the handlebar without too much difficulty.

When we arrived home, I went straight for the staircase to get cleaned up before I was seen by too many people.

I had just gotten into my bedroom and closed the door when there was a knock. I didn’t immediately respond, hoping I could feign ignorance.

“I just saw you go in there.”

Killian.

Knowing he wouldn’t leave me alone until I spoke to him, I opened the door partway, keeping my left hand behind my back and my other out of sight behind the door.

I must have looked worse than I thought, because his eyebrows migrated to his hairline when he saw me.

“Now what happened to you?”

“Nothing, just a busy day,” I said defensively.

“Did you go back to the farm?”

“No, why?”

“You’re filthy,” he said, reaching towards the shoulder of my shirt. “Is that blood?”

I flinched away from his touch. “What? No, it’s just dirt, or juice or something.”

“Juice?”

“I’m really tired, and clearly a mess,” I said, taking a firmer stance. “Would you mind leaving me so I can get cleaned up?”

He just stared at me for a moment, clearly not believing my excuses. I gave him a pointed look as if daring him to push the issue. He relented, sighing with annoyance. He wasn’t used to not getting his way.

“Fine,” he said. “I will see you for dinner.”

I didn’t respond, not sure if I had the energy to play house with him tonight.

“Are you sure you’re alright? You look paler than usual.”

“Yes, I’m fine,” I replied, trying not to grit my teeth.

My arm itched with discomfort at twisting it behind my back.

“Please don’t be late,” he said, chiding. “A Luna should stay on top of Pack business.”

He didn’t seem angry, just disappointed.

I watched him walk away, then closed and locked the door.

Killian

Elena was hiding something, and I needed to know what.

This was a new experience for me, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled to discover it. In the past, Elena lived such a mundane, even boring, lifestyle. I never wondered where she was or what was on her mind unless my wolf was craving her body.

Now, the more elusive she was the more I craved to crack her open and look at her soul. It was tedious, and frankly a bit humiliating. As Alpha, I did not have time to waste mewling over the woman I was already married to.

“Did anything happen to Elena today?” I asked Tiffany, finding her in my office when I came back downstairs.

Her eyes narrowed. “No, nothing, she’s fine,” she said as if she resented that fact.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course,” she seemed a bit shifty. “I always tell you the truth.”

“She seemed bothered, or uncomfortable or something,” I mused, “more so than usual. There have been so many changes in her lately it is hard to keep up.”

“Quite mercurial, yes,” my Beta said, “maybe she has an undiagnosed personality disorder.”

She smirked at her snide comment, but wiped it off her face when she saw me glaring at her.

“Sorry, sorry,” she said, playing it off as sarcasm,”just trying to keep it light. But honestly,

if she is continually so emotionally unstable, how can you expect her to meet her duties as Luna? It would be best for her to return to her role as your housewife, and let the rest of us get back to running things.”

I stared at her, letting the silence suck the air out of the room.

“You would be wise not to speak so ill of my Mate, Beta,” I told her, Alpha aura hitting her like a sturdy finger to the sternum. It was corrective, with the threat of something worse if she wasn’t careful.

Her face drooped almost all the onto her muddy shoes.

“But, Killian, I—“ she began, adjusting course when she saw my reaction. “Alpha. I apologize. I will amend my behavior moving forward.”

She held her hands in front of her, closing herself off as the hierarchy between us was restored.

“That will be all,” I told her, waving a hand towards the door as I walked to my desk.

“Fine,” she said, her mouth slighted pouting. “If she wants to run around the woods and get herself killed, maybe next time I won’t stop her!”

She turned quickly and went out in a huff, keeping her head held high.

Her head is getting too big for her body.

I hummed in agreement with my wolf, curious about my Beta’s reactions and responses to Elena’s odd behavior.

Elena didn’t appear for dinner that night, and I was informed that a maid had brought her food in her room. This only added to the mystery I was trying to solve, and I knew that both Elena and Tiffany were hiding something about their afternoon. I told myself I could wait until the morning and maybe Elena would be more eager to share after rest.

But as I lay down for bed that night, my eyes seemed incapable of closing and my mind wouldn’t settle. I even chastised myself for caring, which only made me feel worse. Recognizing that I felt too strongly to let it go, I got out of bed and wrapped a dressing gown around me.

It was quiet in the hallway, any activity in the house happening on the lower floors as staff closed down the house for the night. There was a faint light coming from under Elena’s door, so I knocked gently first, then a bit louder.

A small moan escaped the room. Thinking she might be awake, I carefully turn the knob and opened the heavy door.

A single small lamp had been left on in the corner by the window, as if she had fallen asleep accidentally. The tray of food that was brought to her sat on the desk, the meal mostly untouched.

She lay in bed, asleep, halfway under the covers. Her brow was slightly furrowed, her breathing even but quick, and I wondered what she was dreaming about.

Walking softly towards her bed, I gently pulled the sheets and draped them over her sleeping form. Her cheeks were flushed and heat was radiating off her forehead. She stirred, her left arm flopping open beside her.

At first I thought it was a trick of the dim light, but looking closer I saw I was mistaken.

She had a fever, and she was bleeding.