Chapter 37 Suspicion
The safe house felt like a fortress, sterile, impersonal, with its gray walls closing in like a vice. I'd paced the small living room all morning, the unknown text glaring up from my phone screen like a dare. Aunt Elara. Sibling.
The words dangled possibility like a poisoned apple, excitement twisting with doubt in my gut. A family beyond Mom and Lily? Someone who might explain the shift, the power that had erupted from me last night? It thrilled me, a spark of hope in the chaos, but skepticism smothered it fast. Traps were everywhere now, Moonclaw, Ben, secrets lurking in every shadow. Who was this Elara, really? A lure to draw me out?
I deleted the message without replying. Alexander had enough weighing him down, the pack war brewing like a storm on the horizon, Moonclaw's survivors no doubt regrouping for another strike, and the ceaseless demands of being CEO. Board meetings, damage control from the estate attack, whispers of instability rippling through his empire. He didn't need my half-formed mysteries piling on. I'd handle this alone, at least until I could think straight. Wrap my head around the claws that had torn through flesh, the fur that had prickled my skin like a second self. Talking about it now would only crack open more questions I wasn't ready to answer.
He'd left early, kissing my forehead with a promise to return by lunch. "Pack scouts are tracking Moonclaw leads," he'd said, voice tight. "Stay inside. I'll handle it." His eyes had lingered, sensing my turmoil through the bond, but he hadn't pushed. Good. I needed space to breathe.
I sank onto the black couch, staring at the blank TV. The fight replayed in flashes, the silver-haired woman's sneer, my body betraying me with that feral surge. I'd killed. The thought made bile rise, but a dark undercurrent thrilled me too: power. Control. Something I'd never had in this fake marriage mess. But heir? Sibling? If it was real, it could change everything. Excitement flickered again, imagining a brother or sister, someone to share the weight of this awakening. But skepticism won. Scams targeted the vulnerable; I was a walking target now.
My phone buzzed, jolting me. Not Elara. Ben.
I hesitated, thumb hovering. Answer? Ignore? The bond tugged distantly, Alexander focused elsewhere, no help here. I swiped accept.
"Darling," Ben's voice purred, too smooth, too casual. "Checking in. How's my beautiful wife faring without me?"
I rolled my eyes, pacing to the window. Snow melted in dirty patches outside, the yard a barren square.
"I'm fine, Ben. What do you want?"
A pause, then a chuckle that grated like nails on glass.
"Straight to the point. I like that. Actually, I wanted to hear about your little city jaunt yesterday. Running into you and Alexander at that restaurant, quite the coincidence."
My stomach knotted. There it was, the real reason. "It wasn't a big deal. We needed some things from town."
"Things?" His tone sharpened, laced with that oily suspicion. "Like a full wardrobe and intimate dinner in a high scale restaurant? And the way he held your hand across the table, very... intimate for a stepfather-in-law and his son's wife."
Heat flushed my cheeks, anger sparking. "It's not what you think. And even if it was, I don't owe you an explanation."
"Oh, but you do, Maddie." His voice dropped, turning cold. "Don't forget, this marriage is a deal. Fake or not, you're playing the part. If I find out you're screwing around with him…"
"Stop," I snapped, gripping the phone tighter.
"The marriage is fake, Ben. Remember? Your idea. Your leverage for that board seat you're so desperate for. What I do, or don't do, with anyone is none of your business."
He laughed, bitter and sharp. "None of my business? If you're sleeping with Alexander, it blows everything up. I'll expose him, the affair, the scandal. His image as the untouchable CEO? Shattered. The company's stock will tank. Investors will flee. And our deal? Over. You'll get nothing, no money for your family's hospital bills, no clean divorce. Think about that before you spread your legs for him."
Rage boiled over. "Go to hell, Ben."
I ended the call, hurling the phone onto the couch. It bounced once, screen cracking slightly.
My hands shook, not from fear, but fury. The nerve of him, threatening me like I was his property, like the fake vows gave him control. But underneath the anger, unease stirred. He was suspicious, probing. If he dug deeper, found proof... it could destroy everything Alexander had built. The pack, the company, us.
I paced again, mind racing. Ben wouldn't stop. He'd poke and prod until he found a crack. But I couldn't tell Alexander, not now, with Moonclaw circling and the pack war looming. He had enough battles.
The door opened mid-afternoon; Alexander stepped in, snow dusting his shoulders, face lined with exhaustion. He pulled me into a hug without a word, holding tight as if sensing my turmoil through the bond.
"Rough day?" I asked, voice muffled against his coat.
He exhaled. "Moonclaw's den was empty, abandoned. They're going underground, planning something bigger. Pack's on high alert." He kissed my temple. "You?"
"Fine," I lied, forcing a smile. "Just... thinking."
He searched my face but didn't press. "We'll stay here a few more days. Safer."
We ate a simple dinner, a takeout he’d picked up, and ate at the small table. Conversation was light: estate repairs progressing, pack scouts reporting no immediate threats. I avoided the shift talk, the text, and Ben's call. Not yet.
That night, as we lay tangled in bed, his arm heavy around me, sleep evaded me. The sibling message haunted, excitement whispering possibilities of connection, family secrets unlocked. But skepticism shouted louder: trap, lie, danger. And Ben's threat echoed, a venomous promise. He'd plot, dig for evidence. God forbid he found any.
I glanced at Alexander, sleeping deeply, face relaxed in repose. The looming war, CEO pressures, now this. I couldn't add more weight.
Tomorrow, I'll decide. For now, I closed my eyes, willing the shadows away.
But they only grew longer in the dark.