Werewolf

Genna's voice sank even lower. “Actually… while the Alpha was away at the border fighting the rogues, I saw the kitchen boy Jeff sneak into Catherine’s room more than once—after midnight. He wouldn’t leave until just before dawn.”
My hand lingered around the water glass. The cool surface did nothing to quell the shock that rose within me.
“Are you saying… Catherine and that servant were involved?”
My brow furrowed as I remembered Catherine’s defiant claim—“This is Devon’s child.” The hypocrisy is staggering.
Genna nodded quickly. “I wasn’t the only one who saw! Lucy from the laundry and Tom from the garden caught them, too. Nancy threatened us with a whip-saying that if anyone spoke she would cut off our tongues and feed them to the dogs! We were too scared to speak up.”
I leaned back on the sofa, my fingers idly tapping on the armrest. Why would Catherine, a Luna, risk everything with a

“Nancy said…” Jeff’s voice trembled, on the verge of tears. “She said once you’re gone, my child with Catherine could stay in the pack legitimately… and someday inherit the Alpha’s position!”
“So you admit the child Catherine’s carrying is yours—not Devon’s?” I pressed, my voice shrill with anger.
Jeff hung his head even lower, his words barely audible. “Yes… it’s mine. Catherine said Devon would not send her away as long as she had a baby. Once the child grew up… the whole pack would be ours…”
Over the loudspeaker, Jeff's cell phone rang from his pocket, shattering the tense silence.
I snatched it from him. An incoming call flashed on the screen-Catherine.
Holding the phone to his ear, I commanded in a low, firm voice, “Answer it. Put it on the speaker. And watch what you say.”
Trembling, Jeff nodded. I tapped accept and turned on the speakerphone. Catherine's saccharine voice emanates 

​
I did not wait-the moment Devon's form emerged from the darkness, I rushed forward and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist.
“What happened?”
My cheek was pressed against the warmth of his breast, and I felt the steady rhythm of his heart.
“I heard a car earlier…”
His arms closed about me and held me firmly. He rested his chin on my head, and his voice was still strained.
“They’re gone.”
“Who?”
I looked up. In the glow of the streetlamp his jaw was set, and the coldness in his green eyes had not yet faded.
“Catherine and Jim.” His thumb lightly stroked my back. “She was afraid I’d kill him, so she signed the divorce papers.”
“Are they eyes had not not coming back?” I searched his eyes, unable to believe that Catherine could give up so easily.
Devon took my chin in his hand, and his gaze held mine.
“No. My Beta watched them cross the pack boundary. They won’t return.”
He leaned closer, his breath warm on my lips, his tone softening with hope.
“Now that the trouble’s gone… we can get married.”
The word married sent a thrill through me. Instinctively I drew back, putting a little space between us. Devon’s hand hung in the air for a moment before falling. His expression shifted, and the warmth in his eyes cooled to confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not ready,” I said, avoiding his gaze. “And Catherine is still carrying your child. You can’t just pretend it doesn’t exist.”
He stepped forward and drew me back into his arms.
“Don’t worry.” His voice was low, and the scent of his cedar wrapped around me and soothed my uneasiness. “I won’t acknowledge that child. The future Alpha heir will only come from you and me.”
I leaned against him, but a weight was still upon my heart. I knew Catherine’s obsession better than anyone—how could she simply accept leaving with an “unacknowledged child”? That unborn life would inevitably become her weapon of return.
I stayed silent.
Devon, sensing my tension, loosened his grip and brushed his thumb across my cheek.
“Are you still thinking about that night before I left for the border?” There was a note of urgency in his voice, and his green eyes twinkled uneasily. “It was an accident. She drugged my drink—I don’t even remember what happened.”
“It’s not that,” I said, my voice tight. It wasn’t the past that troubled me, but the future—the chaos Catherine could still bring, the pack members who hadn’t accepted me.
“Then what is it?” His brow furrowed, and a brief flash of impatience flashed before he reined it in. “Aray, you’re my fated mate. We have to marry.”
“Now isn’t the time for this,” I cut him off abruptly and turned toward the bedroom. “I’m exhausted. I need to rest.”
I heard his quiet sigh behind me as I shut the door, but he did not follow.
The bedroom was lit only by a soft bedside lamp. When Devon came in later to change, his movements were quiet. He lay down on the other side of the bed, leaving space between us.
The light filtered through the blinds and cast slender streaks across the bedclothes. The room was so still that all I could hear was our breathing-not a word was spoken.
When I awoke the next morning, the sheet beside me held only a trace of warmth. Devon must have left early for the packing business.
Rubbing my temples, I walked into the living room just as the doorbell rang.
It was Genna, standing outside with a dinner cart, wearing a white kitchen apron and her hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. She smiled when she saw me.
“Good morning! The kitchen made blueberry pancakes and hot cocoa—Alpha Devon ordered it for you yesterday.”
She wheeled the cart inside and set the food on the table. Steam rose from the cocoa, filling the air with sweetness, but I had little appetite. I nibbled at a pancake, taking small bites.
As Genna tidied up, she noticed my distraction and hesitated before speaking.
“You seem upset, Luna. Is everything alright?”
“Don’t call me Luna,” I said, not in the not in the sharply. “I’m not in the Luna yet. Not everyone in the pack accepts me.”
Genna paused, then lowered her voice. “But the kitchen staff all say that with Catherine gone, you’re the true Luna now.”
“What else are they saying?” I set down the pancake.
She twisted the edge of her apron, hesitating before whispering, “They… they say you used tricks to drive Catherine away. That you were just a slave from the mines—unworthy of Alpha Devon, and unworthy of being Luna.”
A sneer escaped me, and my nails dug into my palms. So the sentence was already there.
“Don’t listen to them!” Genna said earnestly. “I told them if you became Luna, you wouldn’t whip us like Catherine did, or cut our pay like she did!”
I sighed. “I wish everyone thought like you.”
Genna was quiet for a moment, as if weighing a decision. Then she leaned closer, and her voice fell to a whisper.
“Are you worried about Catherine? I heard the servants say she was touching her stomach when she left, like she wasn’t done yet.”
My heart tightened. I let my guard down at last. “Yes. I am afraid she will use that child against Devon some day. It’s still Alpha blood. If she…”
“Actually…” Genna interrupted, her expression growing hesitant but determined.
“I know a secret about Catherine. It might help you.”

Genna's voice sank even lower. “Actually… while the Alpha was away at the border fighting the rogues, I saw the kitchen boy Jeff sneak into Catherine’s room more than once—after midnight. He wouldn’t leave until just before dawn.”
My hand lingered around the water glass. The cool surface did nothing to quell the shock that rose within me.
“Are you saying… Catherine and that servant were involved?”
My brow furrowed as I remembered Catherine’s defiant claim—“This is Devon’s child.” The hypocrisy is staggering.
Genna nodded quickly. “I wasn’t the only one who saw! Lucy from the laundry and Tom from the garden caught them, too. Nancy threatened us with a whip-saying that if anyone spoke she would cut off our tongues and feed them to the dogs! We were too scared to speak up.”
I leaned back on the sofa, my fingers idly tapping on the armrest. Why would Catherine, a Luna, risk everything with a kitchen boy? Unless…
“Aray?” Genna's hesitating voice broke upon my thoughts. She leaned closer, te

Her Secret