GREYSON PACK HOUSE
Khaelis' POV
I prepared my husband's cloak as he readied himself for work. The room was awfully quiet, filled only with the sound of our labored breaths. Silence had become a third presence between us, heavy and suffocating.
"When are you coming back?" I asked, moving closer to brush nonexistent dust from his shoulder. I knew the answer before he inhaled and adjusted his tie
"I'll be late. Don't wait."
I'll be late. Don't wait.
Theron never tells me these kinds of things. In fact, he never really tells me anything… I'm like a trophy wife, but without adoration
"I know," I said softly, "but can you give me an exact time frame?" I pressed, taking two unconscious steps back. It was a habit I had developed whenever I felt I was asking for too much.
He glanced at me through the dressing mirror. I saw his jaw tighten, a flicker of something sharp passing through his cold blue eyes before disappearing just as quickly.
I had annoyed him.
Without another word, he picked up his coat, gave a brief nod in my direction, and walked out of the room.
Some mornings were like this. Others, when I was too drained or too tired of hoping, I didn't ask questions at all. I simply did what I was expected to do, serve and stay quiet.
I looked around the room, searching for something, anything, to distract myself from the emotions swelling inside my chest. Whenever he ignored my existence, I felt unbearably invisible and useless.
You'd think that after years of being treated like this by the people around me, by the Alpha I still foolishly hoped would love me one day, I would be used to it by now.
But no…
My heart still ached over the smallest things.
I reached beneath the silk pillows and pulled out my kerchief, dabbing gently at my face
"Luna! Luna!"
Andrea burst into the room just as I quickly tucked the kerchief away.
"I'm going to play with Aunt Isabella's cubs in the courtyard," she announced, panting as if she'd run the entire length of the pack house
I smiled and tucked a stubborn curl behind her ear.
I carried her. I bled for her. I served her.
Yet she looked nothing like me.
Her blue eyes. Her silver hair. All her father's. The curls crowning her head were the only thing that felt uniquely hers. Not even Theron had curls
"Luna, I need oxtail and pancakes when I'm back," she said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
She was already at the door when she added, without turning back, "It's rude to stare. Dad told me that."
I sighed.
Turning in the opposite direction, I headed toward the kitchen to relay the instructions my seven-year-old had just given me to the maids. I still knew so little about wolf dishes, even after all these years.
"Good morning… "
"Luna."
The maid corrected herself a second too late.
There was a time the servants envied me. They went out of their way to please me, hoping my favor would earn them protection or promotion. Now, they murmur greetings out of obligation, some watching me with poorly hidden pity.
I couldn't blame them.
My husband, the Alpha, treated me as though I ranked beneath them.
Sometimes, I felt like nothing more than a decorated maid.
Just without the work and pay
In the kitchen, I found two maids already working on Isabella's meal
"I really love the way Lady Isabella carries herself," the brunette maid said. "And she's so fertile."
"Yes," the other agreed easily. "Five cubs at once is no easy feat."
I stood by the doorway for a long moment.
Ten minutes passed.
No one noticed me.
Am I really that invisible?
When my legs began to ache, I cleared my throat.
"Andrea wants oxtail and pancakes for brunch."
"Oh," the brunette said flatly, still not turning around. "I didn't see you there."
"Luna," she added quickly when the other maid nudged her.
"Oxtail and pancakes," I repeated, already turning on my heels.
I had eaten enough embarrassment for one morning. I didn't need breakfast. Or brunch.
As I hurried toward the courtyard to greet Lady Isabella, I nearly collided with a manservant.
"I'm so—" I stopped myself halfway.
I wasn't supposed to apologize to the servants. Theron had warned me thoroughly. It made him look weak, so he said…
"L-Luna, forgive me," the man stammered, bowing slightly. "I didn't see you there."
AGAIN!
How many times would I hear that today?
For a fleeting, ugly second, I wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him until he looked at me properly. Then I noticed his size. Broad shoulders. Strong arms.
I swallowed the thought.
"What's the hurry?" I asked instead
"I've been asked to gather more hands to prepare the guest room," he replied, clearly anxious.
I waved him away. "Then go. Don't waste time."
Important guests were always coming and going. This was the Alpha's house, after all.
"Lady Isabella!" I called as I entered the courtyard. "How delightful to see you. Where are the cubs?"
She was the only one in this pack I didn't have to be careful around.
"Khaelis," she said warmly, striding toward me with open arms. "How are you?"
The sound of my old name on her lips loosened something tight inside my chest.
She was breathtaking as always. Smooth, glass-like skin. Straight red hair that caught the sunlight. Brown freckles dusted across her cheeks, framing eyes that were sharp and alive.
After a warm embrace and light pleasantries, we sat at the edge of the field, watching the children play.
For a brief moment, surrounded by laughter and sunlit fur, I almost forgot how small I felt everywhere else.
Almost…
We sat in silence, watching the cubs tumble over one another, their laughter carrying easily across the courtyard. Isabella followed them with her eyes, pride softening her features
"You know," she said casually, "the guest room being prepared isn't for just anyone."
I turned to her. "Oh?"
She nodded. "The Sentinel Fenris is coming."
My fingers stilled in my lap.
"Who?" I asked while absentmindedly admiring Andrea's curls
"She just completed her council evaluations," Isabella continued, lowering her voice slightly. "Passed them all. Every single one." She smiled then, something close to admiration in her eyes. "She's the only female who made it through this cycle."
I forced a polite smile, though unease had begun to coil in my stomach. "I didn't know we were expecting someone of that rank."
Isabella shrugged. "Neither did I at first. That's just what my husband told me. Apparently, she'll be here briefly. A private meeting with the council members."
Briefly
Private.
I glanced toward the pack house, my chest tightening. Theron had said nothing. No mention of a visitor. No warning. Just "don't wait"
"And… who is she?" I asked carefully.
Isabella hesitated, then shook her head. " She's an old acquaintance of this house and greatly protected by the Moon goddess"
A chill crawled up my spine.
As if summoned by the thought, a sudden hush rippled through the courtyard. The cubs slowed down. The servants straightened. Even the air seemed to shift, thick with anticipation…
I followed Isabella's gaze to the entrance of the pack grounds.
A sleek black convoy rolled past the gates, engines purring low and deliberate. It came to a stop.
The door of the lead vehicle opened
Before I could see who stepped out, a scent hit me.
Sharp, familiar and nostalgic
I had smelled it before…
I couldn't just remember when, and where…