Chapter 5

ELENA.

When I walk through the penthouse door, Vivian practically runs to me.

"Thank the Goddess. She's gotten worse."

Mira is on the couch, flushed and whimpering. Her little wolf is too young to help regulate her temperature the way adult wolves can.

I kneel beside her, pressing my hand to her forehead.

"Hey, sweetheart. Auntie's here."

Mira's amber eyes open. "Make it better?"

"I'll make it better. I promise."

I spend the next hour treating her with a healing tea made from herbs I keep stocked. Omega healing isn't as strong as a true healer's, but it's enough for a child's fever.

When Mira finally falls asleep, Vivian touches my arm.

"Thank you. You're so good with her." She pauses. "Have you and Dominic talked about having pups?”

"We've discussed it." What I don't say: We've discussed it while he refuses to complete our bond, which makes conception impossible.

Vivian smiles. "You'll be an amazing mother someday. Mira adores you."

I smile back, because that's what Omegas do. We smile and nurture and pretend our hearts aren't bleeding.

Three years of swallowing my pain. Three years of being understanding.

I'm done.

"Vivian," I say carefully, setting down the tea cup. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Did you know? About Dominic's feelings for you?"

The color drains from her face like someone pulled a plug.

"I…Elena, I don't…"

"Yes or no," I say, my voice still soft, still controlled. "Did you know my husband has been in love with you?"

Her amber eyes fill with tears.

"Yes."

The word came like a slap on my face, but I don't let it show.

"How long have you known?"

"Elena, please!"

"How long, Vivian?"

She wraps her arms around herself, a defensive posture. "Since before your mating ceremony."

I nod slowly, like she's confirming something I already suspected. Which, in a way, she is.

"So you knew he was in love with you, and you watched him marry me anyway."

"It wasn't like that.”

"Then what was it like?" I stood up, rage booking under my skin, "Explain to me how you could let him do that. How you could stand there at our mating ceremony, smile at me, welcome me into the family, knowing what you knew."

"I told him no!" Vivian's voice breaks. "When he first told me how he felt, I said it was impossible. I was mated to Sebastian. I loved Sebastian with everything in me. But Dominic? he said if he couldn't have me, he'd at least prove he could be loyal. He'd marry someone appropriate, someone the pack would accept, and never act on his feelings."

"Someone like me."

"I told him not to drag you into it! I told him it was cruel!"

"But you didn't stop him."

Vivian's tears spill over. "How could I? The engagement was announced so quickly. Your packs were thrilled. The alliance between Nightshade and Ashford was what everyone wanted. If I'd spoken up, what would I have said? 'Don't marry her because your brother-in-law is obsessed with me'? It would have destroyed everything."

"So you let him destroy me instead."

She flinches.

I walk to the window, looking out at the Seattle skyline. Behind me, I can hear Vivian crying softly.

"I thought he'd fall in love with you eventually," she whispers. "You're perfect, Elena. Beautiful, kind, strong. I thought once you were mated, once you bonded, he'd forget about me. I thought I was doing the right thing by staying quiet."

I turn back to face her. "Did Sebastian know?"

Her face goes white. "No. Sebastian could never know. It would have killed him."

"But killing me slowly over three years was acceptable."

"I never wanted to hurt you."

"You just didn't care enough to stop it from happening."

Vivian is shaking. "What do you want me to say? That I'm a terrible wolf? I am. I know I am. But I loved my mate. I loved Sebastian so much it hurt. When Dominic kept confessing his feelings, I thought distance would help. I thought your marriage would fix him."

"Instead, he avoided me for three years." My voice is hollow. "Three years, Vivian. Do you know what it's like to sleep next to someone who can't bear to touch you? To have your wolf crying for a bond that will never be completed?"

Her eyes widen. "You mean you've never... he hasn't..."

"Completed our bond? No. Never."

"Oh, Goddess." She covers her mouth. "Elena, I didn't know it was that bad. Dominic always said you were happy that the marriage was working."

"Because I made sure everyone believed it!" My voice rises, and Mira stirs on the couch. I force myself to calm down. "I played the perfect Omega Luna because what else could I do? Admit that my Alpha finds me so insufficient he can't even bring himself to mark me properly?"

"He doesn't think you're insufficient."

"He thinks I'm not you."

The words hang in the air.

Vivian is crying openly now, "I'm so sorry. Elena, I'm so, so sorry."

"Are you, though?" I tilt my head, studying her. "Are you sorry for what you did? Or are you just sorry I found out?"

She opens her mouth. Closes it. Can't answer.

And that tells me everything I need to know.

My phone rings. Dominic.

I decline the call.

It rings again immediately.

"You should answer that," Vivian says quietly. "He's been worried about you."

"Has he?" I pick up my phone, staring at his name on the screen. "Or is he worried about you being alone with me now that I know the truth?"

Third call.

I answer.

"Elena." Dominic's voice is tight. "Where have you been? I've been calling for hours."

"I had pack business."

"What pack business? You're not Nightshade anymore."

"Aren't I? I was born Nightshade. Just because I took your name doesn't mean I stopped being my father's daughter."

Silence.

"Are you coming home?" he asks finally.

Home.? As if the penthouse is our home. As if anywhere with him has ever felt like home.

"I'm already here. With Vivian and Mira."

"Is everything okay? You sound... different."

"Everything's fine. Mira had a fever. I treated it."

"Thank you. I—can I come by? I need to talk to you."

About what? About how he's in love with the woman sleeping in my guest room? About how our entire marriage is a lie?

"Not tonight," I say. "I'm exhausted."

"Elena?"

"Goodnight, Dominic."

I hang up before he can say more.

Vivian is watching me with wary eyes, like she's seeing me for the first time.

"You've changed," she says softly.

"You keep saying that like it's a bad thing."

"I didn't say it was bad. Just... different."

"Three years of being lied to will do that to a wolf." I whispered into her ears, walking toward my bedroom, then paused at the door.

"Vivian? One more thing."

"Yes?"

"When Dominic opens his birthday present in two weeks, I want you to know this was never about punishing you. This is about saving myself."

Her brow furrows in confusion. "His birthday present?"

"You'll see."