#Chapter 6 Suspicions

How could I possibly smell like Leo? We'd been together one time, days ago. Oh. The pup. He was smelling our pup on me. I thought that was just old stories, that alphas could smell things like that. Certainly Alpha Arthur never showed that kind of awareness of his wolves. But Leo was a different kind of Alpha. Eva glared at me behind Leo's back. I had to come up with an answer quickly. “I, uh,” I scrambled for some kind of excuse. “The laundry!” “Laundry?” Leo repeated, tilting his head slightly. “Y-yeah. I gathered all the laundry. To wash.” “So?” Leo asked. “I dropped a basket and had to pick it all back up. It must have been yours,” I explained. “That must be how your scent got on me.” I dared to glance up at Leo and froze at the disdainful sneer on his face. He didn't believe me. “I've never let a strange maid into my room,” he said. “You're lying.” “I... no... why would I lie to you?” I stammered. “I'm sure you think you have your reasons,” Leo growled. “I was just trying to help,” I whimpered. Leo's anger was like ice in my veins. How was this the same man who I'd shared that one wonderful night with? “You weren't trying to help anyone but yourself,” Leo snarled. “You think you're the first woman to try and slip into my bed?” I stared. He knew? No, he couldn't know. It took me a minute to realize. He thought I'd tried to wait in his bed to seduce him. And gotten his smell on me that way. “I'm a married man,” Leo growled down at me. “If I catch you in my room again, I'll have you banished. Do you understand me?” I nodded, too miserable to speak. Leo's anger hurt. I didn't dare try to defend myself. Eva smirked. She always enjoyed seeing me put in my place. Even when I was in trouble because of her. “Get back to work,” Eva ordered. Her tone made it clear that I'd better not mess up again. I bowed as low as I could and hurried away. I stayed out of sight until the banquet ended. Eva found me in one of the kitchen supply closets and dragged me back to her room. I cringed, but Eva was all smiles and she patted me on the head. “You did well tonight. That laundry excuse was kind of pathetic, though.” “I-I tried,” I protested. “I know, you're just a stupid half-blood.” Eva shrugged. “It's fine. He thinks you want to seduce him, but he doesn't know you're the one he slept with.” “Oh. That's good, right?” I chewed my lip. “He didn't really look at me.” It hurt, actually, having Leo so close and realizing he didn't see me. Eva nodded and started to undress. She tossed her dress in one direction, her shoes and stockings another, and her jewelry ended up in a tangled heap on her vanity. Hairpins flew in every direction as she took her hair down from it's elaborate style. I hurried to straighten everything up before the expensive dress was wrinkled and ruined. I picked up about a hundred hair pins and dumped them on the dresser. I placed the priceless wolf necklace into her jewelry box. “You know, if you keep this up, I might actually feel generous enough to let you visit your mother,” Eva said. “Really?” I tried not to sound too hopeful. This wouldn't be the first time Eva had taunted me with the promise of a visit, only to change her mind later. “Yeah, maybe. But I need a favor from you first.” I slumped and nodded. There was always another favor. “I have a date tonight. Help me get ready.” “A date? With Leo? But you were just at the banquet together.” “Not with Leo, stupid.” Eva bopped me on head. “With Zane.” She sighed. “I wish Zane was the Alpha already. He'd make a much better mate.” I didn't think there was anything all that special about Zane. He just looked like another wolf to me. He was handsome enough, sure, and strong, but he was nothing compared to Leo. I couldn't understand why Eva preferred Zane to Leo. Sure, Leo was injured. But he was healing! And he was the hero who had defeated the King of the Rogues. I knew better than to argue with Eva, though. She rifled through her wardrobe. She decided to stick with gold, but this time she chose a short, slinky slip dress. The black lace of the hem teased the top of her thighs and the narrow straps slipped off her shoulders. I refreshed her make-up, making the eye-shadow a little darker and adding a shinier gloss to her lips. I stared into the mirror. With my scars and her in heavy make-up, we didn't look as identical as we used to. “Hm. If you're going to convince Leo that you're me now that he can see, we're going to have to work harder,” Eva said. I cringed. She was right. But did I have to do it again? I hated lying to Leo. “You do want to see your mother again, don't you?” Eva demanded. I nodded. “Then get to work hiding that hideous scar.” Eva shoved her make up tray at me and stood up. She rifled around in her wardrobe again while I worked on my face. Hiding scars was harder than bruises. The skin's texture had to be disguised, not just the discoloration. It took a few minutes before I looked just like Eva again. “There we go,” Eva said. She tossed me her second favorite nightgown, and held up a bottle of her perfume. I changed quickly, and closed my eyes while she spritzed me with the perfume. Between wearing her clothes and the perfume my scent should be safely disguised. Eva tousled my hair and checked my make up from a couple different angles. “You'll do,” she declared. “Just keep him busy and he won't notice anything. Keep your head up, too. You always slump when you're Tessa the maid.” “Okay,” I agreed. I really didn't want to do it again. I shivered, remembering just how cold and angry Leo had been at the banquet. What would he do to me if he figured it out? “Get going,” Eva ordered, and I went. “And be careful. Don't mess this up.” I didn't know what Leo would do to me if he learned the truth, but I knew what Eva would do if I refused. I couldn't risk my mother's life. My feet dragged as I walked from Eva's room to Leo's. They weren't far apart but it felt like miles. My heart pounded as I stood outside Leo's door. Should I knock? It was his private room, but I was supposed to be Eva. Eva would just walk in. She was his wife, after all. Someone cleared their voice behind me. I froze. “Why didn't you just go in, Eva?” Leo asked. His arms wrapped around my shoulders. He felt so warm, I just melted into his grip. He buried his nose in my hair. “What are you thinking, love? Why are you just standing out in the hall like this?”