28
POV: Morticia
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It had been days since that night in the garden, the night where I let my guard down, where Jake and I crossed a line that was impossible to erase. Since then, something had shifted between us. I felt it in every stolen glance, every fleeting moment we happened to share the same space. There was always a tension, an invisible thread that connected us, only for him to break it by looking away first, as if the connection itself was a betrayal.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him, no matter how hard I tried. The way his eyes held both warmth and conflict, the brief touch of his hand against mine when he passed by, and the moments when our gazes would meet across the room. There was a force between us, something deeper than I could explain, and it filled me with both hope and dread.
The wedding loomed ever closer, and it felt like a dark shadow creeping over everything. Jacob was cordial, even polite, but he was distant, his attention elsewhere. Usually with Brianna. I knew it, and he knew I knew, but we played our parts, dancing around the inevitable truth.
★
Lunch at the Grand Hall
Today, lunch was a grand affair, more crowded than usual. The dining hall buzzed with the low hum of conversations, the clinking of utensils against porcelain, and the occasional laugh that punctuated the otherwise formal atmosphere. I sat in my usual spot at the long table, with Jacob to my right and a few other pack members filling the seats further down. Brianna sat across from me, eyes sharp as she observed everything around her.
Jake entered the room last. He moved with the quiet confidence of someone used to leading but now constrained by his role as the palace’s Alpha. Our eyes met briefly when he stepped inside. His expression was unreadable, and before I could find any meaning in it, he looked away, choosing a seat that was far enough to maintain distance but close enough that I could still sense his presence.
Jacob, seemingly oblivious or just uninterested, engaged in a conversation with one of the older council members. I forced myself to eat, taking small bites and washing them down with water, barely tasting anything. The chatter around the table ebbed and flowed, with moments of laughter that felt hollow in my ears.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jake. He was speaking to one of the guards, his jaw set in that way it always was when he was focused. But there was something else — a flicker of unease in the tightness of his mouth. Every now and then, his eyes would dart in my direction, only to shift away the moment I caught him. It felt like a game we were playing, one neither of us wanted to admit to.
“Morticia?” Brianna’s voice snapped me back to the present.
“Yes?” I replied, trying to sound attentive.
“I asked if you’d like to join me in choosing the flowers for the wedding, tomorrow,” she said, her tone light but her eyes dancing with mischief.
I forced a smile. “Perhaps. We’ll see how the day goes.”
Jacob glanced at me briefly, an unreadable look crossing his face before he turned back to his conversation.
I couldn’t help but wonder if he, too, noticed the tension. Or if he was simply too preoccupied with Brianna to care.
We didn't want the wedding, but there was nothing we could do.
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After lunch, I excused myself, needing an escape from the suffocating atmosphere. The library was quiet, a haven filled with the scent of old pages and polished wood. It was one of my favorite places in the palace, a place where the world outside could be forgotten, if only for a while.
I trailed my fingers along the rows of books, their spines worn with years of use. Picking one at random, I settled into the armchair by the window, the sunlight casting a warm glow on the open pages. The book was some old text on the history of our pack, the words familiar but comforting in their predictability.
Yet, no matter how much I tried to read, my mind wandered. It strayed to the upcoming wedding, the vows I’d have to make, and the life that awaited me afterward. A life with Jacob — a life I knew would never be filled with love, at least not the kind I craved. The image of Jake’s face surfaced again, unbidden. The way his eyes softened when he looked at me, the way his voice dipped low when he spoke my name. The memory of his touch, warm and grounding, sent a shiver down my spine.
I turned the page, my eyes scanning the text without absorbing a word. The silence of the library only magnified my restless thoughts. Why was Jake avoiding me? What had changed? I thought back to our last encounter, the way he had pulled away and the regret that flashed in his eyes. Was it guilt? Fear? Or something deeper?
Before I could dwell on it further, the sound of footsteps interrupted my thoughts. I looked up, expecting to see one of the maids or perhaps Brianna, but the room remained empty. The library doors were still closed, and the hall outside was silent.
A strange sense of anticipation settled in my chest, as if I were waiting for something — or someone. I closed the book, unable to focus, and leaned back in the chair, staring at the beams of light streaming through the high windows.
The silence allowed my thoughts to roam freely, drifting back to moments I had tried to push away. The night in the garden with Jake, the way his arms had felt around me, and the unspoken promise in his gaze. The ache in my chest grew, heavy and unrelenting.
“Why am I doing this to myself?” I whispered, the sound swallowed by the vastness of the room.
The answer was simple yet complicated: I was falling for him. Despite the engagement, despite everything, my heart was reaching out for someone it shouldn’t. And now, he was pulling away. I needed to know why or maybe I already knew why. He was the alpha, and Jacob his beta. They are friends and he wouldn't want to be with his Beta's fiancée. When I thought he was a palace guard, it was better. Now? Now it's just an absolute abomination to be seen with him.
But even more than that, I needed to know if there was a chance — a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same. If he was restless like me. If he had even a little feeling for me, and maybe, just maybe, I might stop.
I stood up, the book slipping from my lap and landing on the floor with a thud. The noise echoed in the room, startling me into action. I had spent too many days waiting, too many nights lying awake, replaying the moments in my mind. It was time to find answers.
With a steadying breath, I walked out of the library, my heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination. The corridors were quiet as I made my way down the hall, each step bringing me closer to the questions I had been too afraid to ask.
I reached my room in record time, not crossing any maid and I wonder if I had stayed out too late. I sighed as I took off my dress and petticoat, donning one of the nightgowns. Letting my hair fall free, I laid on my bed and let sleep overtake me. My imaginations, my dreams, they were all better than this reality.