The Sickened Luna's Last Chance - Chapter 88: Chapter 88

Ella
The midnight blue gown fit me just as perfectly now as it did that day in the shop. I smoothed my hands over the bodice one last time, turning this way and that and watching as the skirt flared around my legs and the diamond necklace Alexander had given me glinted around my neck.
I looked like a Luna. More than that, I looked like someone who belonged on the arm of a future Alpha King.
Too bad none of it was real…
Right?
Lately, I wasn’t so sure. Things felt… different since that day in the vault. I didn’t know where exactly Alexander and I stood anymore. Lovers? Partners? Still enemies? Or something else entirely?
“Ella, are you ready?” Alexander’s voice called from outside the door. I jumped slightly at the sound and turned to go.
“Coming!” I called out, and it was then that my eyes caught something behind the dresser. Something small and dainty.
I bent to see what it was, and my eyebrows shot up when I saw the tiny bracelet that I’d thrown there months ago in anger. My breath caught as I carefully picked it up, flicking some of the cobwebs off.
Seeing the little bracelet now, knowing that it had been Alexander’s way of showing me he cared more than he let on, made my chest turn warm with an emotion I hardly dared name. Without thinking, I clasped the bracelet around my wrist and hurried out of the room.
Alexander was waiting for me in the corridor, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. When he saw me coming, he straightened, green eyes sweeping across me with what looked like appreciation.
“Beautiful.” The word came out so simply and matter-of-factly that it made my chest flutter, and when I moved to walk by him, he grabbed my wrist and held it up to inspect the bracelet. “I didn’t know you kept this.”
I quickly looked away, cheeks warming. “Yes, well… You seem to like showering me with jewelry lately.”
Alexander didn’t respond to that, although as we made our way downstairs and out to the waiting car, I couldn’t help but notice what almost looked like a faint smile tugging at his lips.
As we pulled up to the entrance of the banquet hall where the party would be held tonight, I could see the crowd of reporters and photographers already gathered outside. Flashes started going off the moment our car stopped.
“Here we go,” Alexander muttered under his breath. “Stick to the plan.”
I nodded, my heart sinking slightly as I recalled the “plan” we’d discussed for tonight. Remaining by one another’s sides. Smiling for the cameras. Showing off the mating mark and my belly, although it was still flat, as much as possible.
Another reminder that despite everything, our marriage was purely business.
The valet opened my door, and immediately the cameras started flashing faster. I took Alexander’s offered arm and we walked up the red carpet together, ignoring the questions from the press about my pregnancy and our relationship but stopping occasionally to make sure they got a few good pictures of the happy couple.
Inside the ballroom, the atmosphere was electric. The Alpha Council had pulled out all the stops for this event—crystal chandeliers, white tablecloths, centerpieces containing roses and gold accents. The most powerful wolves in the territory were all here, dressed in their finest formal wear.
But what surprised me was the reaction we got when we entered.
People actually turned to stare as we passed. Heads whipped our way, fans lifted to conceal whispers, and a few daring guests even pointed directly at us.
Alexander’s hand tightened on my arm, and suddenly, the bond between us flared to life. I bit back a gasp as his voice slipped into my mind like velvet.
“Looks like we’re the star couple of the night.”
The sound of Alexander’s voice in my mind sent a shiver scuttling up my spine, and the sensation of his hand on the bare skin of my back did nothing to quell it.
Tonight was going to be easier said than done. If he used our mindlink like that too often, I might melt right at his feet like the lovesick, pregnant fool I was.
“And maybe try not to turn into a puddle every time I use the bond to communicate,” he chuffed.
My cheeks reddened, but I quickly snapped back, “It’s still new. I just need to get used to it.”
“Right…”
Just as we were making our way toward the refreshments table, a young woman in a pale pink dress approached us. “Luna Ella! I just had to tell you, your love story is absolutely magical. The way Alpha Alexander marked you at the hospital when you needed him most… it’s like something out of a fairytale.”
I had absolutely no clue who this woman was, but I managed a smile at her praise. “Thank you. That’s very kind.”
“And the baby!” She clasped her hands together and peered at my belly. “How are you feeling? You’re glowing.”
“I’m feeling wonderful, actually.” That part, at least, wasn’t a lie. “Alexander’s been taking such good care of me.”
The woman beamed. “Of course he is. When I saw those maternity photos… Goddess, the way he looks at you! How did you know he was the one?”
My mouth opened and closed wordlessly, and I glanced at Alexander, who was watching me with his head tilted, red hair falling across his forehead. Was that a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth?
He was enjoying this, wasn’t he? Watching me get flustered?
I bit the inside of my cheek, deciding that two could play at this game.
“He’s always been incredibly thoughtful,” I sighed dreamily, touching his arm with one hand while I touched my necklace with the other. “He showers me with gifts even though I tell him I don’t need them.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “He gave you that necklace?”
I nodded hastily. “Yes, he did. And this bracelet, too.” I held up my wrist, turning it to show off the dainty chain. “Said it was a token of his love. Isn’t that right, dear?”
Alexander’s lips parted as if he didn’t expect me to play my role so well, but he managed to snap his features back into a mask of utter bliss. “Yes. It is.”
“And when I told him about the baby…” I placed my hand on my stomach, still looking up at him with adoration. “He was so gentle. He told me I was going to be the most beautiful mother, and that our child was going to be so lucky to have me.”
None of it was true, of course. Mostly. But as the words left my mouth, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of such a romance. What would it be like if Alexander really said those things to me? If he really looked at me the way these people thought he did?
“You’re a natural at this.”
“I’ve had plenty of practice.”
“Practicing your blush in the mirror, too, I take it?”
My cheeks burned hotter as I realized I’d been caught flushing like a smitten schoolgirl over a damn fantasy, and when I glanced up at Alexander, he was watching me with that damnable smirk ghosting the corners of his lips.
But then, suddenly, everything changed. Alexander’s eyes snapped up over my shoulder, and his face dropped. When I followed his gaze, my heart nearly stopped.
Fucking Sophia.
She was making her way through the crowd with an easy gait, dressed in a stunning red gown that showed off her perfect figure. Brunette hair was perfectly curled, makeup dark and sultry. For all the world, she looked like a red serpent.
And she was coming straight toward us with venom in those eyes.
My heart rate spiked as she got closer. What was she doing here? After everything that she and her family had done, why would she dare show her face at this event?
“Sophia.” To my surprise, Alexander stepped in front of me just as her cold eyes had begun to narrow on me. “What are you doing here?”