Chapter 47 Chapter 47
Dinner was already waiting when Zarlia came downstairs.
The smell hit her first—roasted meat, herbs, something rich and earthy simmering beneath it all. Normally, it would have made her stomach growl. Tonight, it made her throat tighten.
The dining room was warm with low lights and soft shadows. Stetson sat at the head of the table, sleeves rolled up, posture tense but trying to look relaxed. Mimi sat to his right, wrapped in a blanket despite her protests that she felt fine. Luke leaned against the wall near the window, arms crossed, silent and shady as ever.
Zarlia paused at the doorway.
For a moment, it felt like she was looking at a painting. A family scene. One she didn’t quite belong in—but had been pretending she did.
“Hey,” Stetson said, his face lighting up when he saw her. “Come sit.”
She forced her feet forward.
As she took her seat beside him, his hand immediately found her thigh beneath the table—warm, grounding, familiar. The simple touch almost broke her.
Mimi smiled at her. “You look tired.” Zarlia returned the smile. “You should be the one resting.” Mimi was like her ticking time bomb, any moment she could reveal her secret to Stetson and he would have her check. She just needed to keep things calm and get thorough the remaining days in the house.
Mimi shrugged. “I slept for a week. I’m bored.”
Luke snorted quietly. “Doctor said no excitement.”
“Easy for you to say, you’re a very boring guy,” Mimi shot back.
Stetson chuckled softly, but his eyes lingered on Mimi a second too long, guilt flickering there like a bruise that wouldn’t fade.
They began to eat.
Zarlia pushed food around her plate, taking small bites when she felt Stetson watching. The meat tasted too strong. Too real. Her stomach twisted, but she swallowed it down, refusing to draw attention.
“So,” Mimi said casually, wiping her mouth. “I’ve been thinking.”
Everyone stiffened slightly—not everyone, just Zarlia. Her body tensed, hoping Mimi wasn’t going to reveal what she feared she would and in front of Stetson too. Her paranoia was getting worse by each day.
“That’s never good,” Luke muttered sipping his regular morning coffee. Mimi rolled her eyes. “I’m serious. About what happened.”
Zarlia’s heart skipped.
“The wolves,” Mimi continued. “They weren’t just angry. They were desperate.” She could still remember the gaze they held, it looked like they were going the right thing.
Stetson’s jaw tightened. “They crossed a line.”
“I know,” Mimi said gently. “But they thought they were protecting something.” Maybe their future, their identity or the pack—at least that’s Viktor wants them to believe.
Zarlia felt Luke’s gaze flick briefly to her. There was something about his gaze that was all knowing and that alone made her uneasy.
Stetson leaned back in his chair. “They attacked you. They attacked her.” His hand tightened on Zarlia’s thigh, rubbing gently “There is no justification for that.”
Mimi studied Zarlia carefully now. “You’re very quiet.” Her expression clearly saying ‘Why aren’t you backing me up?’
Zarlia lifted her head. “Just listening.”
Mimi smiled faintly, but there was something knowing in her eyes. “You always do that when you’re scared.”
The table went quiet.
Zarlia laughed softly, trying to mask it. “I’m not scared.” The lie tasted bitter. Everything tasted bitter now, she was in fact scared and instead of seeking refuge—she was running away.
Luke cleared his throat. “Eat,” he said to Mimi. “You need strength.” Mimi sighed but obeyed.
Conversation drifted after that—pack matters, repairs around the house, small things meant to pretend life was normal again. Stetson kept touching Zarlia in subtle ways: a thumb brushing her wrist, his knee pressing into hers, his shoulder leaning close.
Every touch felt like a thread tightening around her heart. At one point, Stetson leaned down and murmured, “You okay?”
She nodded instantly like how she programmed her body to. “Yeah.”
He searched her face, then kissed her temple. “You’ve been strong.”
The word nearly undid her. Strong? She’s been anything but strong, if only he knew what was really going on.
Dinner ended slowly. Mimi was ushered back to her room, Luke hovering like a silent guardian. Stetson helped clear the table, refusing her help.
“Go rest,” he told her. “I’ll be up soon.” She nodded and walked away before he could see her hands shaking.
In their room, she sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the wall. The laughter downstairs sounded distant now. Muffled. Like it belonged to another life.
She thought of the courtyard. The blood. The way Stetson hadn’t hesitated. She thought of the baby and her chest tightened painfully.
She picked up her phone with trembling fingers and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind her. She stared at Caroline’s name for a long moment, then she pressed call.
“Hey,” Caroline answered cheerfully. “How was dinner?”
Zarlia’s voice came out small. “Are you busy?”
Caroline paused. “No. What’s wrong?”
Zarlia closed her eyes. “I need to leave,” she said. “I need to go somewhere far. Another country.”
Silence.
“Zarlia,” Caroline said carefully. “What happened?”
“Can you help me book a flight?” Zarlia whispered. “Please.”
Another pause. Longer this time.
“…Okay,” Caroline said softly. “We’ll figure it out.”
Zarlia sank down against the bathroom wall, tears finally slipping free. “Thank you.” She ended the call and sat there in the quiet, one hand resting unconsciously over her stomach.
Outside the door, Stetson laughed at something Mimi said. If it was 8 months ago Stetson would be nothing but an emotionless robot, now she couldn’t count how many times she’s seen him laugh or smile. He found a reason to be happy—she gave him a reason to.
Zarlia pressed her forehead to her knees.
She loved him. And she was already leaving like the coward she was.
Suddenly a familiar pain erupted in her abdomen and she fell to the ground with her hands around her stomach. Blood splattering on the floor. “Shit!”, she cursed.
She was always lucky that she had the pain when Stetson wasn’t around. But next time she might not be so lucky.