Chapter 37

I picked a nightgown out of the open suitcase.

It had been sitting on the floor all week, since I’d packed up to submit my resignation, but found Adrian having fixed my problem instead.

I hadn’t unpacked the suitcase, since I was still intending to leave. I was just taking clothes out of it as I needed to wear them. Two weeks later, it was now almost empty.

And as I put the silk nightgown on and felt it skim over my hips, I knew I was almost out of time before people started to realize I was pregnant.

When I looked down, I could see the curves of the growing bump. Still small, but starting to be noticeable.

I jumped at a knock at the door.

I went to it quickly, worried it was a problem with the school.

Or worse, bad news about grandmother.

I flung it open.

Hunter.

He didn’t speak, just looked down at me. I watched his gaze skate up and down my body. I sucked my stomach in.

I watched the slight flare of redness at the base of his collarbone that meant I was turning him on. The tense grip he had on his jaw showed me that he didn’t want to be turned on.

Or not by me, anyway.

I didn’t speak, but opened the door wider and gestured that he should come into the room. I wondered if he was there to congratulate me on the schools plans being approved. It would be out of character compared to our interactions lately, but it was a big deal. It would be great for the pack, and it was something that no one would have thought could be done before I did it.

I blinked up at him, wondering what he was about to say.

He looked hesitant, like he hadn’t decided yet himself.

I let myself look at him. Really look.

I’d been ignoring his physical appearance as much as possible lately. But it still got to me whenever I did look at him. The strong shoulders that extended out, his body coming down in a perfect triangle to narrow hips. I thought about the low-slung jeans he was wearing: all the times I’d unbuttoned them and pulled them down over his boxers and straining cock—

“I’m going to bring Maya to the Alpha ball this year,” he said finally. I froze, totally sidetracked from my lusty thoughts.

“Oh,” I said stupidly. I shouldn’t have been surprised. And I wasn’t, entirely.

I always came with him. It was one event where we could appear together without arousing suspicion about our secret marriage. It was the formal, traditional type thing where you had to have a partner for an opening dance. It wasn’t necessarily taken as a sign of romantic involvement, at least in our case. As the Alpha, Hunter was expected to arrive with a partner. As his Chief Delta, I was the only one who made sense when he didn’t have a Luna.

But that had been before he had a fated mate.

But whereas it didn’t arouse suspicion for me to go with him, it would be very different with Maya. The departure from the tradition of bringing me would be noticed.

It would be the same as publicly declaring that he was with Maya now.

“I didn’t realize you were ready to go public with that,” I said finally. I tried to keep the judgment and hurt out of my voice, though I wasn’t sure I’d succeeded.

He hesitated, then spoke.

“I’ve decided there’s no reason to wait any longer. She’s mature enough, and has been in the pack long enough. I need to start making things more formal.”

My stomach dropped. The cavity in my chest opened another degree.

So he wasn’t necessarily here to tell me he was taking her to the ball, but that he was finally ready for a divorce. I wondered why he couldn’t just tell me that straight.

I looked at his face. There were lines around his mouth and under his eyes. Telling me this was costing him something. At least he wasn’t going to skip off into the sunset with her and forget I’d ever existed. At least, it didn’t seem like that was how he felt.

I nodded, slowly.

“Okay,” I replied. “I understand.”

“I’d like you to come along as well,” he continued. “Maya’s going to need someone to guide her through the event and I won’t be able to stay with her the whole night. There will be Council members I need to talk to. But I don’t want to abandon her every time I need to have a private conversation with someone.”

My shoulders sank, deflated. After my triumph earlier in the day, this was humiliating. It added insult to injury that I was essentially being cast aside, but also asked to come along for the ride.

But I couldn’t say no to him. Despite everything, he still needed me. And some small, idiotic part of me, somewhere down deep, probably still wondered if he was going to come to his senses about Maya, and realize I was all he’d ever needed. I knew that would never happen, but I still couldn’t get the idea completely out of my head.

What if he changed his mind, and wanted me again? What if, when that happened, I was gone?

I felt a little guilty as I nodded, thinking of what grandmother had said about where my loyalty should be.

I didn’t have a choice, though, not really.

I agreed to go with Maya to the ball.

I was surprised again the next day to find Adrian sitting at my desk.

“This is becoming a pattern,” I said brightly as I walked up to him, making him jump slightly. “You already saved my ass with the pack school screw up. Are there any other big catastrophes I don’t know about?” I grinned, surprised but pleased that I could already find some humor in the situation.

He grinned back at me.

“No catastrophes. Just a visit.”

“Can I get you a coffee then?” I asked. I didn’t wait for an answer, but walked toward the break room.

I was surprised how glad I was to see him. I couldn’t believe that I’d been feeling so low the last time he’d visited me, and so much better now. Everything was still admittedly a disaster, but something about seeing Adrian made it seem better.

We chatted, and I was surprised to find that I felt somewhat nervous around him. I babbled, accidentally mentioning what Hunter had said about the Alpha Ball.

“Oh,” he said softly. “I don’t usually go, but I’ll be there this year.” He looked down, somewhat embarrassed. It wasn’t an invitation, but still.

I wondered—

Could there be something between us, after all this time? After how strongly he’d rejected me? It didn’t make much sense, but there was something different, that I couldn’t put my finger on.

And I still felt almost no pregnancy symptoms when I was around him. I was starting to wonder if there could be a reason for that. Maybe if the situation with Hunter was worsening them and causing complications, the possibility of a new relationship—even if I didn’t think it was really a possibility—was easing them.

More importantly, maybe Adrian could be my way out.

He spoke again.

“I was wondering if you’d want to go to the Gamma camp tomorrow and investigate the rogues.”

I shouldn’t. That was when I’d scheduled my next prenatal appointment. But between my symptoms feeling better for the moment and how much I’d enjoyed our last mission, I desperately wanted to say yes.

“I’d love to,” I replied.