<b>Chapter </b><b>23 </b>


    E


    Thewn went quiet. Alexander’s hand tightened on my lower back. I felt like I was going to be sick all over again as every onlooker and journalist fell silent, waiting for our answer.


    But how were we supposed to answer that?


    We weren’t actually sleeping together, let alone trying for a baby. We had only just begun to share a bedroom after years of marriage, and that was only out of necessity, not desire. The very thought of sleeping with my husband, an experience that every happy wife should have, just made my heart pound with anxiety and embarrassment.


    But Alexander, always the politician, leaned toward the microphone without missing another beat.


    *If you must know, we are actually trying for a baby,” he said confidently. The crowd murmured, ncing at one another.


    “An heir to Ashw,” someone in the front row said, ncing over at me. “That would be a miracle at this point.”


    I fought to keep my expression neutral even as my stomach turned in on itself. It wasn’t a miracle; it was just another fucking lie. How many more would we have to tell before this damn press conference was over?


    The journalist scribbled something on her notepad, then looked back up at us. “But you’ve been married for five years,” she said, tilting her head. “Most fated mates conceive within the first year. Is there perhaps a… fertility issue on either end?”


    My cheeks burned. This wasn’t just embarrassing–it was dangerous. In our world, a pack’s Alpha and Luna were expected to be strong, virile, and capable of producing heirs. If the pack thought we couldn’t have children, then they would question Alexander’s ability to lead Ashw.


    And that wasn’t even including how it might impact his election.


    Alexander’s fingers dug into my spine. “Well, these things simply take time, and we’ve only got so much energy,” he said with <b>a </b>light chuckle. “But we’re both young, so we’re in no rush.”


    “But if you’re truly in love, as you im to be,” the journalist prodded, “then why wait so long to start a family? It’s quite unusual, even for people of your


    age.”


    Another journalist raised his hand and stood before Gabriel could call on him. “There are rumors that you sleep in separate bedrooms. Is that true? is that why you haven’t been able to conceive?”


    “You’ve also never been seen showing affection in public,” a woman near the back called out.


    “Is this just a political arrangement after all? Are you lying to us?”


    The questions came faster now, ovepping each other. The crowd, which had been rtively calm before, had begun to stir once more, everyone shouting over <i>one </i>another until it was one big cacophony of voices. My head spun as I tried to keep up with the questions, but it was impossible.


    “How often do you and Luna E actually spend time together?”


    “Have you consulted fertility specialists?”


    “Is either one of you having an affair? What about Lady Sophia, Alpha Alexander? You two seem close!”


    My jaw clenched at the mention of Sophia. I nced at Alexander, whose own face had hardened somewhat. He maintained a mask of calmposure, but up close like this I could see the faint lines that had formed around his eyes, could feel his anger radiating from his skin even through his suit.


    “Our private life is just that–private,” he replied curtly. “Just because we don’t unt our rtionship doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”


    But the journalists weren’t satisfied. They continued firing off questions, one after the other after the other. I felt my hands begin to shake, and for a


    Chapter <b>23 </b>


    <b>moment</b><b>, </b>I wondered if I might faint right there on the steps.


    All the while, the female journalist who had started it all continued to stand, her armis nové folder across her chest. Her eyes were bulking into ti va <b>she </b>could see straight through my skull and into my very thoughts.


    “How can you prove that this marriage isn’t just for show?” a man near the front suddenly shouted “How can y


    1 you prove that gens truly live with an er


    Prove it? How the hell were we supposed to prove something that didn’t exist?


    I looked up at Alexander, who for once seemed at a loss for words.


    to that moment, I knew what I had to do. It was risky and potentially humiliating and might even backfire spectacrly. But it was the antyw? dot


    them up–for now.


    Before I could second–guess myself, I reached up and grabbed Alexander’s tie. His eyes widened in surprise as yanked him down toward me


    And then I threw my caution to the wind and kissed him.


    Deeply. Desperately.


    The sort of kiss a woman might give a man she truly loved.


    It was the way I had imagined kissing my fated mate a thousand times before, in the privacy of my lonely bedroom on nights I would rather forget.


    Our first kiss.


    Even on our wedding day–which was a small, private affair–we hadn’t kissed. We had simply signed our contract and slipped on our rings in front of Gabriel, our officiant.


    And then he had taken me to that tiny guest room on the opposite side of the mansion, and that was that.


    But now his lips were on mine, and they were warmer and softer than I ever imagined. And his scent was enveloping me, blotting out everything else like a thick nket shielding us from the rest of the world.


    Even with a dormant wolf, the mate bond between us seemed to hum to life. I swore I could feel his pulse through the kiss, or maybe that was just my own frantic heartbeat hammering beneath my skin.


    I hadn’t expected this. I hadn’t expected the rush of heat that flooded through me, the way my body instantly melted against his, the sudden desperate need for more of this.


    Most of all, I hadn’t expected Alexander to kiss me back.


    But he did. After a moment of stunned frozenness, his hands came up to cup my face. His touch was tentative at first, but then became firmer as he ever so slightly tugged me closer. I stumbled slightly against him, my handsing up to clutch at his chest, but the kiss didn’t break.


    During those moments, I forgot about the journalists. I forgot about the cameras. I forgot about the contract and the divorce and the fact that I was dying, For those few, beautiful seconds, there was only Alexander and me and the electrifying sensation of our first kiss.


    When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard. Alexander’s eyes were wide, his pupils dted. He looked as shocked as I felt.


    It was only then that I noticed the chaos around us. Cameras shing. Journalists shouting. Some people were even cheering.


    Alexander blinked, seeming to remember where we were. He cleared his throat and turned back toward the microphone. “Well,” he said, “if that won’t prove that my mate loves me, then nothing will.”


    The crowd erupted into even more cheers andughter. More camera shes, More questions. But Gabriel was already moving toward us, signaling that the press conference was over.


    Alexander took my hand and led me back inside without another word. I followed, still dazed from the kiss, my lips tingling, my heart hammering <b>so </b><b>hard </b>


    <b>Chapter </b>23


    I was certain <b>the </b>entre trowd could hear it


    <b>But </b>the moment we were inside with the door flimly strut behind us, before ring eyes even had a chance to dapet to the dan light, ka tiimapen res Wit had burned him.


    Before I could react, Gabriel stepped forward and whispered something in Alexanvier’s day, Alevaniter Hodded and walked many wonint a vunm me standing in the hallway, confused.


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