Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

I couldn't feel my legs. The room tilted and Dante's hand on my elbow was the only thing keeping me upright.

"That's not legal," he said, but his voice was tight. "Council examinations require neutral physicians."

"Marcus filed the request three weeks ago." Lydia pulled a crumpled paper from her pocket. "Before any of this happened. He's been planning this for a while."

Three weeks ago. Before I found him with Lydia. Before I ran. He'd been setting this up while still sleeping in the same house as me, eating meals across from me, pretending everything was normal.

"Why three weeks ago?" I asked, my voice barely working. "What changed three weeks ago?"

Lydia wouldn't meet my eyes. "He started the affair with me about a month ago. He said he needed an exit strategy. A way to get rid of you without looking bad to the pack."

"So he planned to have me declared insane." The words tasted like poison.

"He was going to say you'd become obsessed with having a baby. That the failure was making you unstable. He had witnesses lined up to talk about your behavior, your isolation, how you barely spoke to anyone." Lydia's hands twisted together. "I didn't know how serious he was until yesterday. After you left, he got worse. Started saying if he couldn't have you, he'd make sure you had nothing. No pack, no standing, no rights to any children."

Dante's grip on my arm tightened. "The Council won't approve this. I'll fight it."

"You can fight it, but you can't stop the evaluation from happening. Marcus has the paperwork, the witnesses, and a physician willing to sign off." Lydia finally looked at me. "I know I don't deserve your trust. I know what I did was unforgivable. But I couldn't let this happen without warning you."

"How do we know this isn't part of his plan?" Adrian had appeared in the doorway at some point. "Send the sister to feed us false information while he does something else?"

"Because he did this to me when I told him I was done helping him." Lydia gestured to her bruised face. "He's not the charming Alpha everyone thinks he is. He's cruel and controlling and he'll destroy anyone who gets in his way."

I studied my sister's face. The bruises looked real. The fear in her eyes looked real. But she'd lied to me before. Betrayed me before.

"When is the evaluation scheduled?" Dante asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon. Two o'clock at the Council Hall." Lydia pulled out another paper. "This is the formal notice. They'll send it to you by official messenger this afternoon, but I wanted you to have warning."

Dante took the paper, his eyes scanning it quickly. His expression grew darker with each line. "This is a formal inquiry into Sera's mental fitness to maintain pack standing and any future parental rights. Witnesses include Owen, Gerald, and Sarah from Clearwater Pack."

"Owen is Marcus's Beta," I said numbly. "Gerald is his father. They'll say whatever he wants."

"Who's Sarah?" Dante asked.

"A healer." My voice was hollow. "She examined me multiple times when I couldn't get pregnant. She was always kind, but she's loyal to Marcus's family."

"They'll paint a picture of you as unstable, obsessed, possibly dangerous." Adrian's voice had lost some of its edge. "And if the Council physician confirms their testimony, they can strip your pack rights."

"Which means any child would automatically go to the father." Lydia looked at me. "Are you pregnant, Sera?"

"I don't know."

"Then that's the first thing we need to find out." Dante turned to Adrian. "Get our head healer. Now."

Adrian hesitated, then nodded and left.

The silence that followed was suffocating. Lydia stood there looking miserable and guilty. I couldn't look at her. Every time I did, I saw her with Marcus, heard his words about me being a mistake.

"Why did you do it?" The question came out before I could stop it. "Why him? Why betray me like that?"

Lydia's eyes filled with tears. "Because I was jealous. You had an Alpha who chose you, a pack position, a home. I had nothing. When Marcus started paying attention to me, telling me I was beautiful and strong and everything he wished you were, I believed him. I thought he loved me."

"Did he?"

"No." Her laugh was bitter. "He was using me to hurt you. To push you away so he could claim you'd abandoned him. Then he could take a new mate without looking like the villain." She wiped her eyes. "I was just a tool. Same as you. He doesn't love anyone but himself."

The healer arrived then, an older woman with gray streaks in her dark hair and kind eyes. Dante introduced her as Marie.

"I understand we need to determine pregnancy status," Marie said gently. "Sera, I'll need to examine you. It's not invasive, just some blood work and a physical check."

I nodded, too numb to argue.

Marie worked efficiently, taking blood samples and pressing her hands against my abdomen. Her eyes closed in concentration, and I felt a warm tingle where she touched.

"Well?" Dante asked after what felt like forever.

Marie opened her eyes and smiled. "Congratulations. You're pregnant. About four weeks along, which means conception happened roughly three to four weeks ago."

The room went silent.

Four weeks. That was impossible. I'd only been with Dante four days ago.

"That can't be right," I said. "We only—the bond only formed four days ago."

Marie frowned. "The bond is new, yes. I can feel that. But the pregnancy is older." She looked between me and Dante. "You're certain you haven't been together longer?"

"Positive." Dante's voice was hard. "We met four days ago in neutral territory."

"Then I don't understand." Marie checked her readings again. "The baby is definitely four weeks along. The growth patterns, the hormone levels, everything indicates one month."

My stomach dropped. Four weeks ago I was still with Marcus. Still trying to conceive with him. Still failing.

Except apparently I hadn't failed.

"It's Marcus's baby," I whispered. The room spun. "Oh god, it's Marcus's baby."

"No." Dante's voice was sharp. "That's not possible. You said you never conceived with him."

"I didn't think I had. But four weeks ago we were still—" I couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't say that four weeks ago I was still sleeping with my husband, still trying to give him the heir he demanded.

"This is perfect," Lydia said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her. "Don't you see? This proves Marcus knew. He knew you were pregnant before you even left. That's why he filed the paperwork three weeks ago. He knew and he was already planning to take the baby from you."

"How could he possibly have known before I did?" I demanded.

"Pack healers report to the Alpha. All examinations, all test results." Lydia's eyes were wide. "If you were pregnant and went to Sarah for anything, she would have told him immediately."

I tried to remember. Three weeks ago. Had I seen Sarah? I'd been feeling tired, slightly nauseous, but I'd blamed it on stress from my failing marriage.

Yes. I'd gone to Sarah complaining of exhaustion. She'd done a basic exam, given me some herbs for energy, sent me home.

She must have known then. Must have told Marcus immediately.

"He's known for three weeks that you were carrying his child," Dante said slowly. "So he set up this whole scheme. Push you away with the affair, make you run, then claim you're unstable and take the baby legally."

"But I didn't run to just anyone." I looked at Dante. "I ran to you. Found my true mate. That must have thrown off his whole plan."

"Not necessarily." Adrian had returned and was standing in the doorway. "If anything, it made it better for him. Now he can claim you abandoned your mate and unborn child to seduce his uncle during a vulnerable moment. Paint you as someone who would do anything for power and status."

"And if the baby is his," Marie said quietly, "pack law is clear. The father has primary claim unless the mother can prove she's fit and stable."

"Which is exactly what tomorrow's evaluation is designed to disprove." Dante's hands curled into fists. "He's been playing chess while we were playing checkers."

I felt like I was going to be sick. Everything was falling apart. The baby inside me wasn't Dante's. It was Marcus's. The man who'd betrayed me, manipulated me, and was now trying to have me declared unfit so he could steal my child.

"What do I do?" I asked, hating how small my voice sounded.

Dante was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "We fight. We go to that evaluation tomorrow and we prove that you're completely sane and capable. We expose Marcus's manipulation and show the Council exactly what he's been doing."

"With what proof? It's my word against his and three loyal pack members."

"Then we find more proof." Dante turned to Lydia. "You said you were helping him plan this. Do you have anything in writing? Messages, documents, anything that shows his intent?"

Lydia bit her lip. "Maybe. He burned most things, but I might have kept some messages. I'd need to go back to Clearwater territory to get them."

"That's too dangerous," I said immediately. "If Marcus finds out you're helping us, he'll kill you."

"He's going to kill me anyway when he realizes I came here." Lydia met my eyes. "Let me do this. Let me try to make things right."

I wanted to say no. Wanted to tell her she'd done enough damage. But we needed evidence, and she was offering to risk her life to get it.

"Okay," I said finally. "But you don't go alone."