Chapter 17
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Eva shrugged and tilted her head as she studied me.
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“Leo’s wolf went wild last night. He barely held it back from hurting me.” She shrugged. “That’s why I came and switched with you, I figured it was better for him to rip you apart than his actual wife, right?”
I stared at her, stunned and somehow a little hurt, I knew she hated me. She always had. But she’d set me up to be ripped to pieces by an out of
control wolf?
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Eva asked. “Whatever, you’re fine. How’d you do it, anyway?”
“He said being with me calms his wolf,” I said.
“Huh. That’s weird.” Eva studied me. “There’s nothing special about you. Maybe it’s the pup.”
That actually did make sense. I curled one hand over my belly, which was just showing the slightest hint of a bump. If you looked at the right angle.
“What about the pup?” I asked. “What if he had ripped
me
apart? It would have killed his heir.”
The heir that was the key to all her and her parents‘ schemes.
Eva blinked, startled, and then shrugged. “I guess it‘
a
a good
Leo
But he hadn’t controlled it for Eva? He thought I was Eva. So he
Wontrolled his wolf, then.”
have tried, and hadn’t been able to until we switched.
Eva snarled and slapped me across the face.
“Don’t look so smug,” she said. “He doesn’t know it’s you! He loves me. It’s just that whelp you’re carrying that calmed him down.”
“You’re probably right,” I said, holding my stinging cheek.
I was mostly glad she’d slapped the side without the make up.
“Whatever,” Eva sneered. “I won’t need you to switch out with me for the next few nights. Zane is away on pack business and I’ll be spending the time with Leo.”
I nodded and bowed my head. Inwardly, I was conflicted. I wanted the time to study, and to see if it was possible to unlock some of my healing powers my wolf had promised me. But a small part of me was sorry I wouldn’t be able to feel Leo’s hands on me, to sleep curled against his warmth.
Eva shoved me towards the door. “Hurry up. You’ve got work
“What? Why?” I asked.
- do. And I have some extra jobs for you.”
“Because you’ve been slacking off. Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” Eva said.
“I haven’t,” I protested. “I’ve just been tired.”
“Because of the pup, yeah, yeah. You think you’re so special because you got knocked up. What a load of crap.” Eva smacked me on the back of the head. “Wolf women get pregnant all the time and they don’t shirk their duties.”
I cringed. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was having a harder time than them because I was part human. I knew better than to bring that up though.
“Now get to work. And if I see you hiding someplace not working, I’ll make you regret it.”
I nodded and hurried to find my cleaning supplies.
LEO
The next evening after Leo’s wolf decided to make trouble, Leo and Eva were sharing a quiet, intimate dinner. It was nice, being alone with his wife instead of eating with her family and many of their mixed pack.
Not that Leo didn’t enjoy eating alongside his pack. He did. And he relished the chance to get to know his new pack mates, too. But, well, he wanted more time with Eva. And if they were alone, he got to see the real Eva instead of the haughty mask she wore with everyone else.
He cherished those moments.
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Chapter 17
But something felt off that evening.
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Leo listened intently as Eva talked about her day. He watched her face as she described how she was taking more responsibility for running the pack’s manor, because she was a Luna now. And that was good. He was happy that she was settling into her new role.
“And I had to assign Tessa extra work since she’s been slacking off so much,” Eva continued.
“Tessa?” Leo asked.
“The maid with the scars,” Eva explained. “You ran into her the other day.”
