Chapter 24: Twenty Four

SOLANA

Steeling my resolve, I walked towards them. Zamora was taken aback. She probably thought I was going to yell and attack her. But, honestly, I didn't have the energy to do that. Roman would give me an answer to all the questions brewing in my mind once he was sober enough. But for now, I needed to take care of him because I was still his wife. So, I reached for him and pulled him away from Zamora.

She stumbled, lost her footing, and fell, whining like a two-year-old. I ignored her, concentrating on helping my six-foot-something husband, made of pure masculine strength and muscle, to our room.

He groaned, leaning heavily against me.

"Smells like my flower," he slurred, and I swallowed hard, tears pricking my eyes.

No.

I couldn't be weak now.

With sheer willpower, I finally made it to our bed. My husband groaned, his eyelashes fluttering slightly.

"I'm late. Take me to my wife. Please," he murmured, and I froze halfway through reaching for his shirt.

"My flower will be sad, she's waiting..." his voice trailed off, a low moan escaping his lips as he brought a hand to his head.

Biting my lower lip to keep from falling apart, I leaned in and pressed a trembling kiss to his forehead. He sighed softly, his body relaxing under my touch, completely unaware of the chaos tearing me apart inside.

My fingers worked in silence, undoing the buttons of his shirt one by one. And when I caught sight of the hickey again, I froze. I tried not to imagine the worst, but the tears fell anyway. I wiped them away as quickly as I could.

Crying only meant that I was pathetic. Alpha Roman had given me enough. Why should I be...greedy?

With shaky hands, I removed his shirt and unbuckled his belt. Then I tucked him in, leaving the room to go and sleep in the sitting room. My back hurt from moving my husband, but I guess it was just a price to pay.

When I woke up, my eyes felt swollen, and there was a figure crouching...no, kneeling by the couch.

I sat up right away, startled when I realized that it was my husband. His hair hung over his face, with dark circles under his eyes.

"What are you—" The words died on my lips when I saw how dejected he looked.

His shoulders were slumped, his head hanging low.

"I'm sorry," he croaked, his voice hoarse.

"Alpha—"

He looked up at me, and I faltered when I saw that his eyes were bloodshot.

"I didn't do anything with Zamora. She tried to..." His voice trailed off, and he squeezed his eyes shut, his hands clenched tight into fists on his thighs.

"You didn't tell me you were going with her," I whispered, and anguish crossed his features.

"The council demanded it. I didn't think the situation would escalate the way it did."

I had so many questions.

How did he end up drunk? How did he get the hickey?

However, I had a feeling that knowing everything would only hurt me.

So, I reached for him, cupping his pale face.

"How long have you been kneeling here?"

He blinked. "Two hours, I think."

"Stay for another two hours. I might forgive you then," I said with the intention to tease him. I didn't trust myself not to burst into tears right then, especially with the way he was staring at me with those green eyes.

What I didn't expect was for him to take my hand and kiss my knuckles.

"If that'll give me a shot at forgiveness, I'll take it," he said, and my breath caught in my throat.

My heart throbbed in my chest, threatening to explode right out of my chest as I took in the sight of him being vulnerable for me.

"I need to be alone for a while," I said softly. My voice didn't waver, but inside, I was barely holding myself back from caving in.

If I wanted to grow, I needed to learn to make tough choices, right?

"Solana—"

"Please," I croaked.

He nodded once, his jaw tightening as he looked down again. And for a fleeting second, I didn't see the Alpha, but the man who didn't know how badly his actions could hurt others. The clueless one who was struggling so hard to understand empathy.

I turned away before my resolve could crack. My legs felt heavy as I walked towards the door, the silence between us thick enough to drown in.

When I stepped into the hallway, the air felt colder. I pressed a hand to my chest, taking a steadying breath.

I proceeded to go through my morning routine. Then I headed to the garden and crouched by the roses, gently stroking the petals. I itched to go back to my husband already. I was barely hanging on.

Goddess, I already missed his touch, his kisses, and his voice.

"What do I do with you, Alpha Roman?" I sighed, tapping the rose lightly.

"How can you be so endearing and frustrating at the same time?" I groaned.

Letting out a sigh, I straightened, stretching my hands above my head.

"You look way too comfortable here in this pack."

I spun at the sound of Elder Maeve's gritty voice. Her expression was as cold as usual.

She hated me. I was sure of that.

Taking a deep breath, I walked towards her. What would Alpha Roman ask me to do if he was here?

Cower? Certainly not.

Okay, here goes.

"Shouldn't I be? I'm the Luna, aren't I?" I said, and her features tightened into an expression of disdain.

"You truly are shameless. That title belongs to Zamora. You stole it from her," she spat.

I stared at her, my throat constricting. I was so sick of hearing that name. Didn't she ever get tired of defending that woman?

"Really? Should I apologize for that, Elder Maeve?"

She clenched her jaw.

"I don't know what your mission is, but I'll find out. I'll get enough evidence to ensure that you rot in jail for the rest of your life," she spat.

I nearly flinched.

I had to dig my nails into my palms to stay calm.

"Do you really want to know what my mission is? If you come over here, I'll whisper it in your ear nice and clear. What do you think?" I say, flashing her a smile.

"You brat—"

"That's no way to talk to your Luna, is it?" I said coldly, and her expression faltered.

"That's what I thought," I breathed.

As I walked past her, she spoke again, her voice laced with venom.

"Don't taint us all with your bad luck. The best thing you can do is leave the pack. If you are even the slightest bit grateful for Alpha Roman's kindness, you should leave."

Tears pricked my eyes, a lump forming in my throat. Those words hurt. Maybe it's because of the deepest part of me. The part that agrees that I've been cursed with bad luck.

Still, I squared my shoulders, refusing to let her see me fold.

"Be careful what you say, Elder Maeve, I might just convince my Alpha to strip you of your title and ban you from showing up in our home," I said and walked away, not stopping to see her reaction.

By the time I was a good distance away from her, I was breathless, all of my pent-up emotion stirring in my chest.

Only then did I decide to go back to my husband. I didn't want to be petty, seeing as his apology had seemed sincere.

When I got to the sitting room, I was shocked to see that he was still kneeling right where I'd left him.

I tried not to grin like a fool.

Did I really have this much power over him?

With the biggest grin on my face, I moved over to him, intending to sneak up on him, only for me to freeze when I heard the soft pants leaving his lips.

Heart sinking, I hurried over to him, my eyes going wide when I saw that he was sweating buckets, his eyes slipping closed no matter how hard he fought to keep them open. Astonished, I placed a hand on his forehead, flinching when I felt the scalding heat radiating off him. Just then, his eyelids fluttered open.

I let out a gasp when I saw the golden rings surrounding his irises. His pupils were dilated, and his scent seemed to have been amplified.

Realization hit me instantly.

"Alpha, y-you're in rut?"