Chapter 83

Sienna’s POV

I’m staring at myself in the mirror, scrutinizing every fold of my dress against my body, careful to make sure that no one could notice any kind of bump.

My dress was another slim-fitting black silk one, and I was absolutely hyper focused on my stomach. What if I walked in and other women somehow knew?

I was already under a huge amount of examination. Not only had I been called out for not having my wolf — which thankfully hadn’t been questioned any further — I was now the face of the news, the wife —ex? — of the long lost Prince Alaric.

This level of attention was not what I’d imagined for myself. While I’d never imagined life in Nightwind to be perfectly peaceful, this one I was living now was otherworldly.

I shook off the plague of negative thoughts, re-focusing on my reflection. No one could possibly notice my secret.

A firm knock on the door pulled my gaze from the mirror, and I heard Simon murmuring with Lucius in the front room. He was here to take me to the Alpha gathering.

My heart was pounding so uncomfortably in my chest, the stress certainly not good for the baby slowly growing inside me. Seeing Lucius would calm me down, that soft, velvety voice of his a soothing sound on its own.

After all, Lucius was the only one who knew my secret.

I strolled out of my room and down the hall, my breath catching in my throat the moment I laid eyes on Lucius.

He was so handsome. This same reaction had been happening to me now for months, like I was seeing him for the very first time when we were together.

There was a moment where I didn’t breathe, my eyes raking over his chiseled features, the hard lines of his toned body never failing to disappoint. No matter what he wore, there was never any doubt about the muscles beneath the fabric of his clothes.

Why is this man still not mated? The question always surfaced when I saw him, because it was mind-blowing to me that someone like him could still be single.

I suppose that’s what he wanted — if he’d had feelings for anyone, they’d be at his side. No one in their right mind would turn him down.

“Beautiful as always, Sienna.” Lucius’ smile reached his eyes, alighting them with that familiar, spine chilling admiration he harbored for me. It stirred something in my gut, something I didn’t want to acknowledge.

“Simple and classy,” I said, returning his smile. “Simon, you’re coming, right?”

“Of course,” he nodded, straightening his tux as well as his posture.

I could feel Lucius eyeing me, inspecting me for any signs of distress. What he didn’t know was that I’d gotten really good at hiding things like that.

“Are you ready?” Lucius asked, still sensing my nerves. His hand moved to rest on my shoulder, the warmth quickly soothing me.

Asher — Alaric — had once done that for me.

I pushed the tragic thought out of my mind, focusing back on Lucius. His eyes were so concentrated on me, making me feel…almost too seen. Sometimes I was absolutely convinced that he saw through me and into my very soul.

That felt wrong, because I didn’t feel that way about him, necessarily. Instead, I’d seen into Asher, who I was struggling to call Alaric.

“As ready as I can be,” I finally answered, giving him a tight smile. I knew that he was aware it was all a facade, but there was no point in pushing me on it.

“This is your first big public appearance since…everything,” Lucius murmured, leading us out the front door.

“I know people are going to talk and stare and point,” I shrugged, becoming immune to those things. “There’s not much I can do.”

“I’ll be right by your side.” Lucius gave my hand a brief squeeze, a momentary beat of comfort settling on my shoulders.

We were in the calm before the storm, and there wasn’t much left of it.

The walk down to the city was quiet, the wind fluttering the loose folds of my dress. The smallest bit of tension lingered in the air, and I knew Lucius was thinking about my secret, wanting to ask but refraining.

Whispers started the second we crossed through the city gates, heads turning, ducking to whisper to their friends and dates. Why they all cared so much was beyond me, but I guess people just gravitated towards whatever drama they could find.

“Pay them no mind,” Lucius whispered to me, familiar with such attention in a way that I wasn’t. He’d spent his life under a microscope, just as Asher had, and I was lucky to have him next to me.

“I don’t get why they care so much,” I muttered, keeping my eyes trained forward, not letting them stray anywhere other than the road ahead.

“Boredom, nosiness, jealousy. All of those things.” Lucius let out a soft chuckle, keeping my arm looped with his. “Soon they’ll move on to something else.”

“That is extremely wishful thinking,” I grumbled. “You know this is one of the biggest things to happen in history.”

Lucius couldn’t deny that, but the subject was still touchy. He knew how hurt I was about the lies, even though I’d forgiven him. Lie to me once and it’ll sit in the back of my mind like a gnat for the rest of my life, buzzing back up at just the right time.

“I’m afraid to see him,” I whispered after a long beat of silence, knowing I needed to let my fears out before we got to the gathering, else they’d bottle up and explode sometime later in the night.

“He will be respectful.” There was a hint of possessiveness in Lucius’ words, which made butterflies erupt in my stomach.

I almost told him about the letter, the words on the edge of my tongue before I stopped them, thinking it best not to stir the pot too hard.

The two of them were obviously in a big falling out over everything, and I wasn’t going to make it worse. Lucius was, for now, choosing my side, and I was endlessly thankful for that.

Ahead, the entrance to the gathering caught my eyes, decorations fluttering in the breeze, all the colors of our packs represented. I was seconds away from seeing Asher again, the words of his letter flaring in my mind.

Lucius and I walked in, ignoring the stares, whispers, and fingers, and entered the main ballroom, which was beautifully covered in the packs varying colors again.

It didn’t take long for me to spot Asher. My eyes scanned the room desperately, needing to get the moment over with.

There, something in me whispered faintly, and I startled when I realized it wasn’t my own voice for once.

Go to him. It urged, making my heart skip a beat.

I froze mid-step, my breath caught in my throat. For months, I’d been talking to myself, so used to the lonely voice in my head. But this time, it wasn’t me talking.

This time, it was my wolf.