Chapter 11 Chapter 11
The door clicked shut behind me, and I sagged against it like my legs had forgotten how to work.
What the hell just happened?
My fingers drifted to my lips—still tingling and burning from how close his mouth had been. Another second. Maybe less. That’s all it would have taken for Alpha Zane to kiss me.
And I would have let him.
Goddess, I would have let him.
The realization made my stomach twist in shame. This man had forced me into a bond for a reason I never wanted. Marked me like property. Made it crystal clear that I was nothing more than a vessel for his heir.
And yet the moment he’d pinned me against that wall, the moment his breath had ghosted across my lips, I’d melted like I was made of wax.
Pathetic, I thought viciously. I am absolutely pathetic.
What did that make me? Some desperate fool who’d accept scraps of attention from a man who could barely stand to look at her? Someone so starved for affection that even his cruelty felt like something worth clinging to?
I pushed off the door and crossed to the bed, my body still humming with residual tension. The mate bond pulsed under my skin, satisfied by the proximity even if nothing had actually happened.
I hated it. Hated how my wolf had preened under his touch. Hated how even now, some traitorous part of me wished Beta Ezra hadn’t interrupted.
Get it together, I told myself firmly. He doesn’t want you. He wants an heir. There’s a difference.
Except… the way he’d looked at me. The roughness in his voice when he’d said he couldn’t keep his hands off me. That hadn’t felt like it was just about an heir.
But it didn’t matter. Because wanting someone’s body and actually respecting them were two entirely different things. And Zane had made it abundantly clear which category I fell into.
I sank onto the bed and that’s when my foot caught on something.
I looked down.
A handkerchief lay on the floor near the door, navy blue with a silver pattern embroidered in the corner.
Thinking back, I remembered that I had seen it in Kaius's pocket.
He must have dropped it when Zane had dismissed him earlier. I picked it up, running my thumb over the neat stitching.
The design on it seemed peculiar to Kaius. The only person in the pack house who looked at me like I was a person, and not some mere slave. Who made me laugh when I’d forgotten what that felt like and offered help without expecting anything in return.
The contrast between him and Zane was so stark, it made my chest tighten.
I folded the handkerchief carefully and set it on the bedside table. I’d return it to him when I saw him next. It was the least I could do after he’d carried me back from that nightmare treatment session.
My body ached at the memory.
And through it all, Zane had just… watched. Expressionless. Like my suffering was a mildly interesting scientific experiment.
But then he’d insisted on escorting me back himself. Had touched me with something that almost felt like concern before shoving me away the moment I questioned it.
Hot and cold. Push and pull. I was getting whiplash trying to keep up with Zane.
I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, exhaustion pulling at my bones. Maybe if I slept, I could stop replaying the feel of his body against mine. And the random speculations of what would have happened if that kiss had actually landed.
Stop wanting him, I thought desperately.
But my traitorous heart didn’t seem to be listening.
I woke to my stomach growling loud enough to echo off the walls.
The sun had set while I’d been lying there uselessly obsessing over a man who didn’t deserve the space he took up in my head. My last meal had been… when? Yesterday? This morning? The treatments had scrambled my sense of time.
I needed food.
I dragged myself up, splashed water on my face, and tried to make myself presentable. My reflection in the mirror looked tired.
I made my way downstairs, following the sound of voices toward the dining hall. As I approached, I heard laughter—the warm, genuine kind that made my chest ache with some chill I couldn’t name.
I paused in the doorway.
Zane stood near the long dining table, and he wasn’t alone.
A woman stood beside him, elegant in a way that made expensive look effortless. Her dark hair was swept up in a style that had possibly taken no time to put together, but looked perfect.
It was the kind of beauty that came from a messy bun, of course for people who had the charm.
Her dress was simple but despite being a servant girl once, I knew quality when I saw it.
And Zane’s hand was on her lower back.
Helping her into a chair, I realized dimly. But from where I stood, the angle made it look… intimate. Like they’d done this a thousand times before. Like his touch was familiar territory.
Some hot and ugly fluid circulated in my chest.
Of course. One of his former lovers, probably. Some beautiful she-wolf who actually fit the image of what an Alpha’s mate should be. Slim. Elegant. Everything I wasn’t.
And here I was, the fat servant girl he’d been forced to bond with, interrupting what was clearly a reunion.
The woman said something I couldn’t hear, and Zane’s lips curved into what almost looked like a smile. Not the cold, cruel expression he usually wore. Something softer. Almost… fond.
When was the last time he’d looked at me like that?
Never, my mind supplied helpfully. He’s never looked at you like that.
I lowered my gaze and slipped into the room, making myself as small as possible as I took a seat at the far end of the table. Maybe if I were quiet enough, they’d forget I existed.
They kept talking. Low voices, the occasional laugh from her. Zane responded in that same almost-warm tone, his attention completely focused on this woman who clearly mattered to him in ways I never would.
My hands clenched in my lap, nails biting into my palms.
Was this his plan? Parade his past conquests in front of me to remind me of my place? Make sure I understood that wanting me physically didn’t mean he’d ever actually want me?
The mate bond pulsed uncomfortably under my skin, picking up on my distress and amplifying it. My wolf whined softly in the back of my mind, confused by the conflicting signals. Our mate was right there, but he was focused on another female, and nothing about this felt right.
Get it together, I told myself firmly. You don’t own him. The bond doesn’t mean anything beyond the making of the moon goddess.
Except it did. At least to my stupid, traitorous heart.
The woman touched Zane’s arm lightly, and he leaned in to hear whatever she was saying. The gesture was easy.
I wanted to leave. To run back to my chambers and pretend I hadn’t seen this. But my stomach chose that moment to growl again, loud enough that I was certain they’d heard it across the room.
They didn’t react. Didn’t even glance my direction.
Of course not. Why would they?
I was just the Luna. Just his mate. Just the woman he’d almost kissed a few hours ago.
Clearly, I didn’t rate an acknowledgment.
The hot, ugly feeling in my chest intensified, and I recognized it for what it was: jealousy. Pure, irrational, humiliating jealousy.
I hated it. Hated that I cared. Hated that watching him smile at another woman made me feel like someone was squeezing my heart in a fist.
“Tiana!”
I jerked my head up.
Kaius stood in the doorway, his face lighting up the moment he spotted me. He crossed the room in quick strides, and the genuine warmth in his expression made some string in my chest unclench slightly.
“There you are,” he said, pulling out the chair beside me. “I was wondering if you’d join us for dinner.” He gestured toward the woman with Zane. “Tiana, this is my mother, Leila.”
The words took a moment to process.
His mother.
Not Zane’s former lover.
His mother.
Kaius’s mother. Which meant…
“Mom,” Kaius continued, oblivious to the relief flooding through me so fast I felt lightheaded. “This is Luna Tiana. Uncle Zane’s mate.”
Leila turned toward me fully for the first time, and her face broke into a warm smile. “Luna Tiana! Finally. I’ve been so eager to meet you.”
I managed a shaky smile in return, trying desperately to hide the fact that I’d just spent the last five minutes convinced this woman was Zane’s former lover and contemplating whether drowning myself in the nearest fountain would be an overreaction.
“It’s… It’s nice to meet you too,” I said, and my voice only trembled a little.
Kaius settled into the chair beside me, still grinning. At the head of the table, Zane had finally looked up from his conversation. His gaze landed on me for a brief moment, before returning to his plate.
Right.
I’d been jealous over nothing and worked myself into a state over his sister.
The hot feeling in my chest morphed into embarrassment, and I wanted to sink through the floor.
But Leila was already rising from her seat, crossing toward me with that same warm smile.
“I’m so sorry I missed the bonding ceremony,” she said. “I was dealing with pack business in the northern territory. But I’ve been counting the days until I could meet the woman who finally got my little brother to settle down.”
Little brother. Noted. Zane’s older sister.
I should have realized. Should have known Zane wouldn’t actually bring a former lover to a family dinner while I sat right there.
Except… would he? Did I actually know what he would or wouldn’t do?
Before I could spiral further into that particular anxiety, Leila did something completely unexpected.
She hugged me.
A hug that seemed somewhat genuine and lasted long enough for me to feel the warmth of it.
Experiencing it instantly felt like a mother-daughter warmth and I blinked back rapidly against the sudden burning behind my eyes of how I have longed to experience a warmth as this.
Leila pulled back, her hands still on my shoulders, studying my face with those warm brown eyes.
“Welcome to the family, Tiana.”