Chapter 12 Chapter 12
I hoped it wasn’t obvious—the way I’d just exhaled like I’d been holding my breath underwater for the past ten minutes.
After Leila pulled back from the hug, I forced myself into some semblance of composure. My face felt hot, my hands clammy.
“Thank you, Leila.”
“Please, sit,” Leila said, gesturing to the chair beside her. “I want to hear everything about you.”
I glanced toward Zane instinctively, half-expecting him to object. But he didn’t even look up. Just continued cutting his food with mechanical precision, like we didn’t exist at all.
So I sat.
A servant appeared with a plate for me—roasted meat, vegetables and fresh bread. My stomach growled again, louder this time, and Kaius grinned.
“Sounds like someone’s hungry.”
“Mmm,” I admitted, and was rewarded with Leila’s warm laugh.
“Then eat, dear. Don’t let us stop you.” She settled into her own chair with the kind of grace that came from years of practice. “Though I do hope you’ll humor me with some conversation while we dine. I am so excited to meet you.”
I wanted to tell her to chill out. I really was not some sort of celebrity and she was making me feel like one.
I took a bite of the meat and tried to figure out how to be a person. How to make conversation with this woman who was technically my family now. Zane’s sister and Kaius’s mother.
“How was your journey?” I asked, because it seemed like a safe question.
“Long,” Leila said with a dramatic sigh. “The northern packs are beautiful, but the politics are exhausting. Everyone wants something, and they all think their problems are the most urgent.” She waved a hand dismissively. “But I’m here now, and that’s what matters, sister-in-law.”
Sister-in-law. The term felt foreign. Wrong. Like wearing someone else’s clothes.
“I’m sorry I missed the bonding ceremony,” she continued, and genuine regret colored her voice. “I tried to make it back in time, but the meetings ran longer than expected. Kaius told me it was… beautiful.”
I caught the slight hesitation before that last word and knew exactly what Kaius had actually told her. That Zane had abandoned me at the altar. That the ceremony had been a humiliation disguised as a celebration.
“It was fine,” I said quietly.
Leila’s eyes sharpened, but she didn’t press. “Well, I’m here now. And I brought gifts to make up for my absence.”
“You didn’t have to—”
“Of course I did. You’re family now.” She said it so simply, like it was an undeniable fact and I actually belonged here.
The burning sensation returned to my eyes. I blinked rapidly and shoved another bite of food into my mouth to avoid having to respond.
“So tell me,” Leila said, settling back in her chair with her wine glass. “How are you finding pack life? Is everyone treating you well?”
It was such a loaded question. How did I answer that honestly without insulting her brother?
“It’s… an adjustment,” I managed. “I’m still learning.”
“I imagine it’s quite different from what life felt like before.”
She said it matter-of-factly, without judgment, and somehow that made it easier.
“Very different,” I admitted.
“Well, you belong here,” Leila said firmly. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “And if they do, you come tell me. I’ll set them straight.”
Despite everything, I found myself smiling. “Thank you.”
“You have kind eyes,” Leila said suddenly, studying my face with an intensity that reminded me of Zane.
Heat crept into my cheeks. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do.” She took a sip of her wine. “And you’re beautiful.”
My heart stuttered. I glanced toward Zane automatically, searching for any reaction to his sister’s words.
Nothing. He was still focused on his plate like it contained the secrets of the universe. He acted oblivious to the fact that his sister was just complimenting his mate right in front of him.
The warmth from Leila’s words evaporated, replaced by that familiar hollow ache in my chest.
“Tiana?” Leila’s voice pulled me back. “Are you alright?”
“Fine,” I said quickly. “Sorry. Just a bit tired.”
Her expression softened with sympathy. “Ah, yes. Kaius mentioned that you are undergoing some treatment. I know a bit of it and I know it can be brutal.”
“It is,” Kaius confirmed, his voice tight. “I don’t know how she’s surviving them.”
“It’s a bit brutal but the pain does not stay forever. It passes on quickly,” I smiled nervously.
Leila’s eyes flicked to Zane, something unreadable passing over her features. But when she looked back at me, her smile had returned.
“Well, you’re stronger than you look. I can tell.” She raised her glass. “To strength. And to family.”
Kaius raised his glass too, and we had a quick toast even though the content of my glass was only just water
The conversation flowed easier after that. Leila asked about my background—carefully, like she understood the minefield she was navigating. I told her about my original pack, though I kept the details vague. About being taken in by Fangstain. About serving in the pack house.
“Eight years,” Leila murmured. “You’ve been here since you were fourteen?”
“Yes.”
“And now you’re Luna. That must feel surreal.”
“That’s one word for it.”
Kaius snorted into his wine, and even Leila cracked a smile.
“My brother can be difficult,” she said, and this time she didn’t bother lowering her voice. “Cold. Stubborn as a mule. He takes his responsibilities so seriously that he forgets people around him actually cares for him.”
I wanted to scream ‘oh, please tell him.’
I didn’t respond though, but something in my face must have given me away because Leila’s expression gentled.
“But he’s not all bad,” she continued. “There’s a softness in him. You just have to know where to look.”
I highly doubted that. But I kept my mouth shut.
“When he was younger,” Leila said, her eyes twinkling with mischief, “he used to be terrified of thunderstorms. He’d sneak into my room in the middle of the night and—”
“That’s enough.”
Zane’s voice cut through the conversation, sharp like a blade.
The sound of it made my body jerk slightly.
Across from me, Leila just grinned.
“See?” she said to me. “Soft, scaredy baby. Just like I said.”
“We’re eating,” Zane said tersely, his jaw tight. “In silence would be preferable.”
“You know I’m just teasing,” Leila said, even as her grin didn’t fade. “Besides, Tiana should know these things. She’s your mate now. Your secrets are her secrets.”
Zane’s eyes finally lifted, finding mine across the table.
For one brief, electric moment, we looked at each other.
Then he glanced away, that wall slamming back into place.
“Eat,” he said flatly. “All of you.”
Leila caught my eye and winked, and I felt my lips curve into a small smile.
Maybe there was softness in him somewhere.
I just didn’t think he’d ever let me close enough to find it.
We finished the meal in relative quiet, though Leila and Kaius filled the silence with easy banter that made the dining hall feel less of a prison and more like a home.
I watched them—this family that somehow included me now—and felt some unfamiliar emotions unfold in my chest.
Leila was warm. And Kaius had clearly inherited that from her, that ability to make people feel like they mattered.
How had Zane come from this and turned out so cold and closed off?
Or maybe he hadn’t always been this way. Maybe something had broken him, until all that was left was the hard, unyielding man who sat at the head of this table.
Stop it, I told myself. Stop trying to make excuses for him. I really could not believe that I was still doing that.
The servants cleared our plates, and just when I thought Leila was about to retreat into the room, she leaned back in her chair and smiled at all of us.
“Well,” she said. “That was lovely. Thank you for indulging an old woman.”
“You’re not old,” Kaius protested.
“I’m ancient and you know it.” She laughed. “But I’m not quite ready to retire for the evening. Shall we have tea? Or perhaps something stronger?”
“Tea sounds perfect,” I said, surprising myself.
Because regardless of the uncomfortable feeling of being sucked, not alone, in a corner with Zane, I didn’t want this to end.