Chapter 2

Bianca

A couple of days later, I was buried so deep in paperwork that I didn’t even hear the door to my office open at first. It wasn’t until I caught a whiff of expensive cologne that I looked up and saw Isaac standing there, dressed in a tailored navy suit that hugged his broad shoulders in all the right places. His golden hair was styled perfectly, and he was wearing his favorite watch—the one he only wore for going out.

“Going somewhere?” I asked, setting down my pen and leaning back in my chair. My back ached from sitting for so long, and I groaned slightly as I stretched.

“Ethan’s yacht party,” Isaac replied with an easy grin. “He invited a bunch of people. Should be a good time.”

I glanced at the clock on the wall, then back at the stack of documents I still needed to review for the Shelter Project. With the Elder Council’s rejection, there was so much more work to be done. I had to find another way forward, which meant reviewing everything I’d done so far to look for alternatives.

“What’s the occasion?”

Isaac shrugged. “Just a get-together. I’ll probably be out all night, so don’t wait up.”

A prickle of frustration ran through me. Here I was, working late into the evening on a project that was supposed to involve Isaac, while he was heading off to party on a yacht. Zane’s words from the other day had never felt more true.

But I swallowed my frustration, recalling Isaac’s rough past. I couldn’t expect him to change completely in the span of a week. The trauma he had from the Queen’s cruelty was the sort of thing that took years for some people to battle.

“Well. Have fun,” I said instead, already turning back to my paperwork. “Don’t drink so much you fall overboard. Or do. You’re a good swimmer.”

Isaac laughed. “I’ll do my best.” He hesitated for a moment, as if he might say something else, but then just gave a small wave. “See you tomorrow, Princess.”

“Mhm,” I muttered, already refocusing on the document in front of me. I heard the door close behind him as he left.

For a while, I tried to continue working, but my concentration was shot. I kept thinking about Isaac out there having fun while I was stuck here, pregnant and exhausted, trying to salvage a project that had been rejected because of his reputation.

It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair.

With a frustrated sigh, I pushed back from my desk. I needed help, and I knew exactly who could provide it. I’d been resisting the idea for days, not wanting to burden Zane with more work, but at this point, my pride wasn’t worth the exhaustion.

I picked up my phone and sent Zane a quick text, asking him to come help me. He arrived at my office less than ten minutes later, laptop in hand and looking surprisingly alert for someone who’d already put in a full day of work on Silvermist affairs.

“That was fast,” I said as he entered.

“I was just in my room, reviewing some timber reports,” Zane replied with a shrug. “This is a welcome break, honestly. There’s only so many spreadsheets a person can look at before their eyes start to cross.”

I gestured to the mountain of paperwork on my desk. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but there are plenty more spreadsheets where that came from.”

Zane pulled up a chair beside my desk. “Bring it on. I’m all yours for the night.”

“Great,” I said, handing him a stack of files. “You can start with these. I need to identify every potential funding source we listed in the original proposal. We’ll need to approach them directly if we can’t go through the Elder Council.”

Zane nodded and got to work without complaint. For the next hour, we worked in comfortable silence, the only sounds the rustle of papers and the occasional comment when one of us found something noteworthy.

And, Goddess, it was so much easier with a second person. Tasks that would have taken me hours alone were cut in half with Zane’s help. I appreciated his company, too. It made the fact that Isaac was out partying while I hadn’t been able to enjoy a single glass of wine in months feel a little less frustrating.

“How about we take a break?” Zane eventually suggested, glancing at the clock. It was nearly nine o’clock already, and we’d been working steadily for almost two hours. “I’m getting hungry. Are you hungry?”

As if on cue, my stomach growled loudly, making us both laugh.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Zane said. “What do you feel like eating? I can run down to the kitchen and see what’s available.”

I shook my head. “No need. The kitchen staff deserves their evening off. Let’s just order something.” I pulled out my phone. “There’s a great place nearby that delivers. They have the best pizza in the city.”

“Pizza?” Zane raised an eyebrow. “Like, greasy, cheesy, get-sauce-all-over-your-clothes pizza?”

“Yup.” I glanced up at him as I placed the order. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

He shrugged and grinned. “Nothing, it’s just I figured the Lycan Princess wouldn’t be much of a pizza person.”

“Well, you’d be incorrect. I’m ordering garlic knots, too. And fries, because I’m pregnant and I can do whatever the hell I want.” I’d still been good about eating healthy lately, even with Isaac easing up on the hovering, but the cravings sometimes hit hard. And I think I deserved a treat.

“Fair enough,” Zane laughed.

When the food arrived, delivered straight to my office by a very confused servant, we moved the stacks of papers from the center of the room to the edges, creating a makeshift dining area on the plush carpet. I grabbed some cushions from the window seat and tossed them on the floor for us to sit on.

“Very fancy,” Zane teased, taking a seat on one of the cushions.

“Hey, I’m a princess now. I have standards.”

The food was just as artery-clogging and fucking delicious as I’d hoped, and soon we were practically stuffing ourselves on the floor, laughing over the messes we were making of ourselves. The baby gave a kick at one point when I laughed particularly hard, and I smiled, placing a hand on my belly.

“You okay?” Zane asked, tilting his head.

“Yes, I’m fine. The baby is just kicking like crazy. I think he approves of our dinner choice.”

Zane smiled. “Smart kid. Takes after his mother.”

I felt my cheeks warm slightly at the compliment. “I don’t know about that. Sometimes I think I’m making a mess of everything. The Shelter Project, Silvermist, this pregnancy…”

“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Zane said firmly. “Look at what you’ve accomplished already. The timber agreement is bringing jobs back to Silvermist. The Shelter Project has already helped dozens of families, even without the adoption program. And as for the pregnancy…” He gestured to my rounded belly. “That seems going pretty well too.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I suppose you’re right. It’s just… sometimes I feel like I’m carrying everything alone, you know?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I immediately regretted them. It wasn’t fair to complain about Isaac to Zane, especially when Isaac wasn’t here to defend himself.

But Zane just nodded. “It’s a lot for one person to handle. That’s why I’m here. To help lighten the load.”

“And I appreciate it,” I said softly. “More than you know.”

We finished our meal talking about lighter topics—funny stories from Silvermist, palace gossip, the latest books we’d read. It was so easy, so comfortable, that for a while, I forgot about all the stress of the past few days. It felt good to have a friend here; one who didn’t give a damn about palace etiquette. No offense to Zelda, but she would have died if I suggested eating three carbs at once while sitting on my office floor.

“Alright,” Zane said once we’d packed up the food containers. “Back to work?”

I nodded, feeling reinvigorated. “Back to work.”

The next few hours flew by. With full stomachs and renewed energy, we tackled the remaining paperwork with unexpected efficiency. By midnight, we had made a sizable dent in the pile, although we were both too exhausted to continue working.

With that, we said goodnight and returned to our respective rooms. After a quick shower and my nighttime routine, I practically dove into bed, yearning for a good night’s sleep.

Out of curiosity, I checked my phone to see if Isaac had texted me during his wild night out.

Nothing. Just as I suspected.

With a sigh, I set my phone on the nightstand and turned off the light.