<b>Chapter </b><b>58 </b>


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    Alexander’s green eyes darkened as he knelt beside the bathtub. The spot where his hand met my shoulder


    was like a thousand tiny matches being struck at once, igniting the warmth that had begun to spread


    through my body.


    His nostrils red, and I knew he had scented it again.


    My arousal.


    This was exactly like the alley behind The Howling Moon all over again–that same maic pull, that same desperation. The way Alexander looked at me now, like he was starving and I was the only thing that could


    fill his belly, made me want to forget everything else. Made me want to pull him into the tub with me and


    finish what we’d started that night.


    Without thinking, I shifted slightly, water sloshing around me as I leaned toward him. Alexander’s pupils dted, and his free hand came up to brace against the edge of the tub, bringing his face closer to mine. I


    could smell the bourbon on his breath, could see the way that one pesky muscle in his jaw jumped.


    For a moment, the air between us crackled like a grassy field before a storm.


    But then reality came crashing back.


    This wasn’t love. This was lust, pure and simple. Biology and the fated mate bond working against my better judgment. Alexander had made it perfectly clear that our contract didn’t include sex or feelings, and I’d made the decision to stop wanting his mark.


    I wouldn’t let myself be fooled again by my body’s reactions to him.


    “What the hell are you doing?” I snapped, jerking away from his touch so quickly that more water slopped over the edge of the tub. I folded my arms over my chest in a futile attempt to cover my bare breasts. “Get


    out!”


    Alexander blinked, returning to his senses. He stood. “You were unconscious in the bathtub. I was making sure you didn’t drown.”


    “Well, I’m fine, so you can leave. You have no right to be in here.”


    Something flickered across Alexander’s face, but it was gone before I could be sure what I saw. He wiped his wet hand on his pants and looked down at me with that same cold expression he’d worn for years.


    “Now we’re even,” he said simply.


    I frowned. “What?”


    14:30


    bat, 23 Aug


    P


    “The forest. You saw me naked, now I’ve seen you naked. We’re even.”


    Heat flooded my cheeks as I remembered Alexander standing in the moonlight after his careless shift, every inch of his perfect body on disy. I’d been so worried about him being hurt that I’d barely processed what I was seeing until it was toote, but the memory had haunted my dreams ever since.


    “That’spletely different,” I sputtered. “You were the one who shifted carelessly and tore your clothes-”


    “And you were the one who fell asleep in a bathtub,” Alexander cut me off. “idents happen, I suppose.”


    Before I could respond, he turned and walked out of the bathroom.


    I stared at the closed door for a long moment, my heart still racing from our encounter. I couldn’t help but rey the way he’d looked at me, the way his hand felt on me. For just a few seconds, I’d felt desired. Wanted. Like I was something worth having instead of just a burden he had to endure.


    But that was exactly the problem, wasn’t it? Alexander didn’t want my heart; he only wanted my body, and even that was debatable. It was probably just his wolf pulling him toward me and nothing more.


    Shaking my head, I climbed out of the lukewarm tub and wrapped myself in a towel, shivering in the cool bathroom air.


    As I dried my hair, I reached deep within myself, searching for any sign that my wolf might be stirring. After what had happened in the forest, Dr. Evelyn had suggested that strong emotions might be the key to bringing my wolf back. And what I’d just felt with Alexander had certainly been strong.


    But there was nothing. Just the same hollow emptiness I’d been carrying around for months. My wolf was


    still dormant.


    The next morning brought news that made my already sour mood even worse.


    “A charity auction?” I asked, staring at the invitation Gabriel had delivered along with our breakfast. “Tomorrow night?”


    “It’s been on the calendar for months,<i>” </i>Alexander said without looking up from his coffee. “I assumed you


    knew.”


    I scanned the invitation with a sigh. The annual Ashw Children’s Hospital Charity Auction–quite the mouthful–was one of the biggest social events of the year. Everyone who was anyone would be there, which meant more cameras, and most of all…


    More pretending to be the perfect mated couple.


    Which meant more fucking makeup to create my fake mark.


    Dammit, I had only been home from the hospital for two days, and already I was exhausted. But Alexander and I needed to go to that event, especially with the recent media attention. It was a good opportunity to


    11:30 Sat, 23 Augu


    donate to charity, and it was also a chance to quell some more of the rumors.


    The rest of the day passed quickly. I had to sit through another session with Lilith carefully applying the fake mark, each brush stroke a reminder of everything I didn’t have.


    By evening, I was ready. The fake mark looked perfect, my dress was stunning, and my smile was utterly bulletproof. I looked every inch the devoted Luna,plete with my mate’s mark proudly disyed on my


    throat.


    also felt like aplete and utter fraud.


    “You look beautiful, dear,” Lilith said softly as she put the finishing touches on my hair. “But you seem


    troubled.”


    I met Lilith’s eyes in the mirror. “I’m just tired of all this pretending.”


    Lilith was quiet for a moment as she arranged a few loose curls around my face. Then she stepped back and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small jewelry box.


    “I have something for you,” she said, holding out the box with a smile. “Something that might lift your


    spirits.”


    Curious, I opened the box. Inside was a delicate silver locket, clearly old but beautifully maintained. The surface was engraved with intricate swirls and what looked like tiny flowers.


    “It’s gorgeous,” I breathed, lifting it carefully from the box. “Where did you get it?”


    Lilith beamed. “It’s been in my family for generations. My grandmother gave it to my mother, my mother gave it to me. I always nned to give it to my daughter someday.”


    My eyes widened as I met her gaze again in the mirror. “Lilith, I can’t-”


    “You can,” Lilith said firmly, taking the locket from my hands. “You are like a daughter to me, E. I told you that at the hospital, and I meant it. This locket belongs with someone who will treasure it, and I know you


    will.”


    Tears pricked at my eyes as Lilith fastened the chain around my neck. The locket settled just below my corbone, the silver color popping against my pale skin like it was made for me.


    “Thank you,” I whispered, touching the locket gently. “This means more to me than you know.”


    Lilith squeezed my shoulders. “You deserve to have beautiful things, dear one. You deserve to be cherished.”


    The simple words nearly broke me. When was thest time someone had told me I deserved to be cherished? When was thest time someone had given me a gift simply because they loved me, not because they wanted something from me?


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    11:30 Sat, 23 Aug


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    “I love you,” I said softly, and I meant it. Lilith had be the mother I’d never had, the one person in my life who truly cared about my happiness. Her eyes shimmered with tears at my words, and she reached out and brushed her thumb across my cheek.


    “Oh, my dear girl…”


    As if on cue, a knock at the door interrupted the moment. “E?” Alexander’s voice called from the hallway.


    “We need to leave.”


    I sighed and pulled away, turning toward the mirror onest time. The sight of Lilith’s locket on my throat seemed to lift some of the weight of the fake mating mark right next to it.


    With a nod, I grabbed my clutch and headed out.


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