Chapter 11
I fled the hallway. Seeing Leo’s face drawn in anger towards me hurt. Seeing Eva wrap herself around him like she actually cared was worse.
I just couldn’t stand it so I ran. I ended up in my room, just in time for my stomach to rebel and send me into the bathroom. I barely made it before a wave of nausea crashed through me.
Nothing I’d read about pregnancy had prepared me for how bad morning sickness really was. Then again, I’d mostly read journals about helping other women through the process. I’d never imagined I’d have my own pup.
When it was over, I washed my face in the sink. I saw some bloody scabs dissolve in the water. I looked up at the mirror in shock.
My scars had completely faded. Even tilting my face into the light, I could barely see them. How could they have healed so quickly? They hadn’t shown any signs of fading for years.
I’d never found anything that would hint my scars might actually heal in all my studies. I’d accepted them as just another part of myself. The best I’d hoped for was to fade them slightly with creams and salves. It felt strange to look at my face without them.
Someone pounded on my door. I yelped and scrambled out into the main room.
Why was someone looking for me? I’d finished my work, except for the hall outside Leo’s room. I couldn’t disobey an Alpha! What did they expect me to do?
“Tessa, I know you’re in there, open this door!” Eva shrieked through the door.
Oh no, it was her. My body froze in place. I covered my mouth in horror. What did she want?
My heart pounded in time to Eva’s knock on the door. I felt sick for reasons unrelated to the pup in my belly. If Eva saw my face, she’d be so furious.
She hated how much alike we looked. If she saw I didn’t have the scare anymore, she’d find new ways to hurt me. I couldn’t risk that. Not while I was carrying Leo’s pup.
I scrambled back into the bathroom and grabbed frantically for my make up. A heavy layer of foundation would hide the missing scars. I had to work fast. I could hear Eva growing more impatient outside.
My make up ended up caked on and streaky, but it would have to do. I hurried to open the door before Eva gave up and forced it open. She’d done that before and it never ended well for me.
“What took you so long?” Eva asked once she was inside and the door clicked closed.
“I, uh.” I scrambled for an excuse and wrapped my arm protectively over my stomach.
“Oh, right, that.” Eva pointed to my stomach. She tilted her head. “Puking again?”
“Y–yes,” I answered. Well, I had thrown up earlier.
“Huh. Glad I’m not dealing with morning sickness. It sounds awful.”
She was supposed to be dealing with it. She was the one who was supposed to carry Leo’s pup, not me. But somehow I couldn’t bring myself to be upset about that. I already loved my baby.
I shrugged. “It’s not too bad. Tea helps.”
“Tea, huh? I’ll make sure to drink some, too. Got to keep up appearances and stuff.” Eva shrugged. “Have the kitchen staff order extra.”
“I will,” I promised.
If it was for Eva, they’d get whatever they were asked. I was lucky to find a box no one wanted from the last trade agreement with a pack in the mountains.
“You did well last night,” Eva said, startling me.
“Thank you,” I said, trying to guess her mood.
It was weird for Eva to praise me like this. And she hardly seemed mad even though I’d made her wait.
“Whatever you did, Leo believes he was with me all night.” Eva grinned. “I think this arrangement will work out fine. So long as you keep doing your part.”
“O–okay,” I whispered.
Chapter 1
+25 Bonus
I wanted to protest, I did. I felt so guilty about how we were treating Leo. But what choice did I have, realistically? No one in my pack would listen to me. Leo hated me, he’d shown that quite clearly at the banquet. And if I even tried, they’d hurt my mother.
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