Chapter 65

Iris

When I finally work up the courage to emerge from the coat closet, I’m both surprised and relieved to find that the event is going on just the same as it was before. The walls aren’t burning down and no one looks at me as I make my way back to the main area, so I suppose that means that whatever form of damage control Arthur used on Selina actually worked.

However, just as I’m walking over to the bar for a much-needed drink—preferably straight vodka—I’m accosted by Alice.

“Don’t go over there,” she commands, looping her arm through mine and guiding me away.

I frown, trying to look over in that direction, but she yanks me away before I can. “Why not? What’s going on?” I ask.

Alice gives me a sympathetic look. “They were kissing just now,” she says, her voice low. She doesn’t need to say their names for me to know who she’s referring to.

My stomach turns inside out.

“Oh,” I mutter before I can control myself. I can’t seem to find anything else to say about it, even though my mind is racing. Arthur was kissing Selina? Who kissed who first? How long did they kiss?

I want to ask all of these questions and more, desperate for answers. Right now, all I can imagine is Selina finally confessing her feelings, Arthur returning them, and that’s the end of that. No more mate bond, no more sneaking around, no more secretly wanting each other.

It would make things simpler if he chose to do that. Honestly, even if he chose to mate with Selina simply to ease the pain of our separation, I couldn’t blame him. Wolves can choose new mates, whereas humans cannot, and frankly, I’m surprised he’s remained marked to me all these years when a woman like Selina clearly wants him.

Alice turns to me. “Are you alright?” she asks, touching my arm.

I nod, even though I feel like the floor is tilting beneath my feet. “Yes, I… I’m just really tired,” I admit with a small, empty smile. “I think I’m going to call it a night.”

She looks at me, obviously not buying it, but then sighs. “Alright. Want me to drive you home?”

I shake my head, already heading for the door. “I’ll call a cab. Goodnight, Alice. I had fun.”

Once outside, I hail a cab, my limbs heavy and weak. I climb into the back seat and give the driver my address, then slump down as he pulls away from the curb.

Tonight was my own damn fault, I keep telling myself. If I hadn’t allowed myself to soften so much toward Arthur, if I had only kept my head screwed on tight rather than letting tender moments like seeing him sleep with Miles on the couch get to me, then I wouldn’t be in this position.

Once again, I harden my heart into a block of ice, willing the pain to go away. It’s best if I find another living situation for myself and Miles as soon as possible, I decide. It’ll be better for all of us. Even Selina, who’s clearly in love with Arthur and far better for him than I could ever be.

That’s the part that hurts the most, though—knowing that she is a much more viable companion for Arthur. She’s beautiful, an elegant and poised werewolf woman from a well-to-do family, perfectly suited to be the Luna of Ordan.

I’m just… a human. Only fit for closet trysts, making out in alleyways, wearing disguises in public. A burden, not a blessing.

If Selina truly does love him, and he loves her back, then they should be together. I don’t want to stand in the way of that.

Sighing, I pull my phone out of my purse and check the camera app again. My heart sinks as I see Miles still sitting at the dining table, the room now dark save for one lamp, his dinner untouched in front of him.

“Shit,” I whisper, sitting up straight in my seat. He hasn’t moved or eaten, and the nanny has just… left him there.

The moment the cab pulls up to the building, I shove a wad of cash in the driver’s hand and bolt out of the car, sprinting inside. Cliff is already off for the night, replaced by the night guard, and I rush past, jamming my finger on the elevator button.

When I burst into the apartment, Miles is still sitting there, staring at his plate of plain vegetables and steamed tofu. The sight breaks my heart, and I whirl toward Mrs. White, who’s sitting in the armchair in the living room with her arms folded and a smug expression on her face.

“He wouldn’t—” she begins, but I cut her off.

“How care you let my son sit here all night, going hungry?” I bite out, trying not to yell just for Miles’ sake. “It’s been hours!”

The nanny’s lips press into a flat line. “I told him very clearly that if he ate his dinner, he could watch an educational film. He wouldn’t eat, so he didn’t get to leave the table.”

“This is abuse,” I hiss, scooping Miles up into my arms. He whimpers softly, burying his face against my neck. Huffing, I hurry into the kitchen, where I gently place him on a stool at the counter. “What are you hungry for, little wolf? Chicken nuggets?”

Miles sniffles, his eyes swollen and red-rimmed from crying. “PB&J,” he mutters.

Without hesitating, I quickly throw together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some apple slices on the side. The nanny glares at me from the kitchen doorway the whole time, and by the time I place the plate in front of Miles, she looks like she’s going to be sick.

“Peanut butter and jelly have a lot of sugar—”

“He’s five,” I cut her off, gripping the edge of the counter. “It’s worse if he doesn’t eat at all than if he eats something decadent.”

Mrs. White’s face reddens, her eyes flicking over my gown. “Typical,” she mutters, folding her arms. “You think you’re one of us, waltzing around in expensive clothes and going to our events?”

My eyes widen. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You don’t even know how to feed a healthy werewolf child, let alone exist in our society,” Mrs. White grits out. “You and your… your people are going to ruin our next generation of Alpha kids. You’re stunting his growth!”

I roll my eyes. “He’s growing just fine.”

The nanny glances at Miles, wrinkling her nose at the sandwich he’s currently nibbling. “Hardly. The boy acts like there’s something wrong with him. A werewolf child shouldn’t have any of the developmental problems he obviously has.”

I stare at her, stunned and unable to believe what she’s just said. “First of all,” I growl, stalking toward her, my heels clicking on the kitchen tiles, “don’t you dare speak about my son like that, especially not right in front of him. And second, he’s a human, just like me. So you’d best get your facts straight before you start making assumptions about how he should be raised.”

Mrs. White looks more confused than anything. She opens her mouth to respond, but I cut her off, pointing at the front door. “Get out.”

Her eyes flash. “You don’t employ me. Alpha Arthur does.”

“I don’t care. Get—”

“Get out, Mrs. White.”

The low, rough sound of Arthur’s voice causes us both to turn. “Daddy!” Miles shouts with glee, reaching for him. Arthur strides up to him, ruffling his hair, but his eyes are hard as steel as they fix on the nanny.

“A-Alpha Arthur, I was just—”

“I said, get out,” Arthur growls. The cold authority in his voice is enough to make even me flinch, and I’m not as susceptible to his Alpha voice like werewolves are.

The nanny stares at him for a moment, incredulous, before she storms upstairs. As she bangs around in her room, gathering her things, Arthur turns to Miles. “You okay, buddy?”

Miles nods. “Better now that you’re here, Daddy.”

Arthur’s mouth twitches, and my heart turns to a stone, sinking down as if my belly is a cold lake. But the feeling is gone just as quickly as it came, because Arthur then brushes past me without a word and heads upstairs.

The last thing I hear from him is the sound of his bedroom door firmly shutting.