lexander


    omething was wrong with E.


    H


    nd I wasn’t just talking about the hospital visit. No, something was seriously, deeply wrong. omething far more than exhaustion, or a bug.


    but all


    ‘d noticed it throughout the evening, not just when she nearly copsed into me, ight. She looked drawn and pale, her hands shook, and she thought I didn’t notice, but I saw he way she always reached out to hold onto the wall or a table or something, anything, to eep herself upright.


    med myself.


    t had only been two days since she’d been discharged from the hospital, and here I was ragging her to a charity auction because it was good for my campaign and because I needed o show off that damn fake mating mark.


    What kind of husband did that make me?


    The contractual kind, I reminded myself. But even so I could have been more considerate. I hould have let her rest. I didn’t have to love E, but I definitely needed to make sure she idn’t die on my watch.


    Alexander?” Liam’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. We were standing in the parlor, and ‘d been staring at the firece for the past five minutes. “Are you alright?”


    Sorry. I’m fine. Just tired,” I said. “What did you want to discuss?”


    The in-pack evaluation is wrapping up. I’ll probably be moving back to my own ce within he week.”


    S


    i


    I


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    nodded. It made sense-Liam had been staying with us for over a month now, observing ack dynamics and my leadership style as part of the official assessment process. I was a little elieved that he was leaving.


    1


    I wanted to thank you,” Liam continued. “For your hospitality. I know having me here hasn’t xactly been convenient, especially with everything else going on.”


    V


    blinked, surprised.


    It… wasn’t a problem.”


    iam’s mouth twitched as if he didn’t believe me, but he nodded. “Well, I hope the evaluation oes well for you,” he said. “You’re a good Alpha, Alexander. Your pack is lucky to have you.”


    Thepliment caught me off guard. We’d been circling each other like rivals for weeks, and et he was being kind. Thanking me for my “hospitality”. Complimenting my leadership.


    Hoping that I would make it through the evaluation phase of the campaign.


    “Thank you,” I managed. “It’s, uh…” Dammit, why was I having such a hard time finding the right words? “It was a pleasure having you.”


    Now, Liam was the one who looked surprised. His face broke into a smile, and for a moment, I saw what E saw in him: a kind young Alpha who had once been her best friend.


    “Perhaps we can… Grab a drink sometime,” he said.


    “Perhaps.”


    After Liam headed upstairs, I lingered in the parlor, pouring myself a bourbon and settling into one of the leather chairs. The house was quiet except for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.


    “Good news about Liam leaving,” Gabriel said, appearing in the doorway. “Finally.”


    I looked up from my drink. “He’s not that bad.”


    Gabriel snorted. “Maybe not, but it’ll be good to have our privacy back. And E can move back to her own room once he’s gone.”


    The words made my shoulders tense, although I couldn’t say why. Of course E would move back to her own room. The only reason she’d started sleeping in mine was because having Liam in the house made it necessary to maintain the illusion that we were a normal married couple.


    And yet…


    “Right,” I said, taking a sip of bourbon. “Back to normal.”


    Gabriel seemed pleased. “No more pretending to be the loving couple. You’ll be morefortable without her in your space.”


    Her. As if she were… What? A stranger? An enemy?


    I didn’t know what E was to me anymore. Once she had been all of the above and so much more. Buttely, the lines were blurring. Lately, I didn’t see a spy or the daughter of the people who had had my parents killed, but instead a woman who had been roped into this life just as much as I had.


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