Does He Believe That?

Does He Believe That?
Chapter 57
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Elena

The door didn’t feel like a barrier anymore. It felt like a lid, sealing me in a box with all my own chaotic thoughts. Kael’s silence after I walked out was a louder scream than any argument. He hadn’t come after me. He hadn’t denied it. He’d just let me go, and that… that was an answer all by itself.

I spent the night on the couch in my old sitting room, curled into a tight ball. The fabric smelled faintly of vanilla and loneliness. Every time I started to drift off, his voice echoed in my head. Is there something you need to tell me?

The question was a splinter buried deep under my skin, festering. How could he even think it? After everything. The mating ceremony, the bond, the baby… did it all mean nothing to him? Was I just a vessel for his heir, his property to be guarded and doubted?

A hot tear escaped and soaked into the cushion. Stop it. Stop crying. He’s not worth it. But the thought was a lie, and my heart knew it. He was worth everything, and that was why his doubt felt like a betrayal.

The morning sun felt like an insult. I dragged myself back to the main bedroom. It was empty, sterile. The bed was neatly made.

My stomach churned, a mix of morning sickness and pure, undiluted anger. I barely made it to the bathroom before I was sick, my body heaving until there was nothing left but acid and regret. I splashed water on my face, staring at my pale reflection in the mirror. The faint, golden mark of the mating bond on my neck seemed to mock me.

He doubts this. He doubts us.

A low growl built in my throat. No. I wouldn’t let him do this. I wouldn’t let her win.

I dressed mechanically, pulling on a simple sweater and pants. I had to act normal. I had to be the Luna. Even if my world was cracking apart, I had to show the pack a strong front. Especially now.

The pack house was quieter than usual. The usual morning chatter in the halls was subdued. I walked toward the kitchen, needing tea, needing something to settle my stomach, but I felt their eyes on me before I heard the whispers.

Two she-wolves from the cleaning staff were huddled by the linen closet. They didn’t see me approach around the corner.

“…just saying, the timing is weird, isn’t it?” one murmured, her voice low and gossipy. “I mean, she was with him for years. And then she jumps to the Alpha so fast?”

“And now a baby so quick?” the other replied, a knowing tone in her voice. “It does make you wonder. An Alpha’s seed is strong, sure, but… a firstborn heir? From a strange mate? It’s suspicious.”

My feet froze to the floor. The air left my lungs in a rush. It was one thing to know the rumors were out there. It was another to hear them, so casual and cruel, from people who smiled at me yesterday.

I stepped back, my heart hammering against my ribs. I couldn’t confront them. What would I say? Stop talking about me! I was their Luna, but right now I felt like a scared little girl.

I changed direction, abandoning my quest for tea. I needed air. I needed to not be inside these suffocating walls.

The garden was my destination, a place that usually brought peace. But today, the peace had been poisoned.

And there she was. Of course she was.

Elara was sitting on a stone bench amidst the rose bushes, a picture of serene contemplation. She held a deep red rose, slowly plucking its petals one by one, letting them fall like drops of blood onto the gravel path.

She didn’t look up as I approached, but a small, smug smile played on her lips. She knew I was there. She’d probably been waiting.

“Having fun?” I asked, my voice colder than I intended.

She blinked up at me, her eyes wide, her voice sounding sickly sweet and innocent. “Elena! Good morning. How are you feeling? You look a little pale.” Her gaze dropped meaningfully to my stomach. “The pregnancy treating you well, I hope?”

“Cut the act, Elara,” I snapped, my patience evaporating. The scent of the roses was suddenly cloying and overwhelming. “What are you telling people?”

She sighed, a dramatic, put-upon sound, and twirled the mutilated rose stem between her fingers. “Me? I’m not telling anyone anything. I’m just repeating what others are already saying. You know how packs talk. It’s so hard to stop a juicy piece of gossip once it gets started.”

“You started this,” I said, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. I could feel my nails digging into my palms. “I know it was you.”

She tilted her head, the picture of curiosity. “Does it really matter who started it? The truth always comes out eventually, doesn’t it?”

I wanted to lunge at her. I wanted to wipe that smug, poisonous smile off her face. I took a sharp step forward. “There is no truth to this. The baby is Kael’s.”

Her smile widened, all pretense of innocence gone, replaced by pure malice. “If you say so.”

I turned to leave. I couldn’t stand another second in her presence. But her next words slithered after me, freezing me in place.

“Does he believe that, though?”