I am the Luna

Chapter 4

Keral’s return turned Keral into a complete outsider inside her own home. Calling her a stranger felt too mild. She became little more than a bothersome fly that no one wanted around, something everyone seemed ready to brush aside.

Everything in the house now centered on Kate. Meals were cooked only according to her wishes. Kael slept in her room each night because she claimed she was too frightened to rest alone. He drove her himself whenever she needed to leave the house, saying she still felt uneasy around strangers. He even set aside his duties to the pack just to stay close and make sure she was well.

Keral kept a smile on her face through every moment. She knew that any complaint would only make people call her the jealous daughter.

Days slipped by and still no one learned about the pregnancy. Kael seemed to have forgotten that she had ever mentioned a visit to the hospital. Her parents acted as if she no longer existed now that Kate was home again.

They gave her the task of arranging Kate’s welcome party, and she used the work to keep her mind off how unwanted she felt. She threw herself into every detail. Instead of sending the maids she went out to buy the supplies herself. She needed her hands and thoughts busy so she would not keep picturing Kael and Kate together in that room all night or hearing their laughter drift through the walls at two in the morning.

At last the evening of the garden party arrived, the same party she had planned. Even though she was the host, she stood to the side while she watched her husband move through the crowd with Kate’s hand resting on his arm. He introduced her to every guest. People hugged her, said how sorry they were for the hard times she had faced, and told her they could not wait for her to settle back into pack life.

Kate laughed and tossed her head at the right moments, playing the perfect hostess. She looked like a queen in a long shimmering black gown covered in glitter that clung to her shape. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulders and hid parts of her bare back, making her stand out from everyone else.

She and Kael looked as if they belonged together. Their parents stood nearby watching them and nodding happily to their friends. The whole group appeared to be one joyful family. Once more Keral understood that she was the outsider. She could walk out of the house that very day and no one would notice she was gone.

The thought struck her so hard that her stomach twisted and her breakfast rose into her throat. She hurried to the outdoor toilets and barely made it inside before she emptied everything.

She rinsed her mouth, splashed water on her face, and tried not to look in the mirror, yet her eyes still caught her reflection. Dull eyes stared back at her above sagging skin and dark circles. She looked exhausted, as if she had grown ten years older in less than three weeks.

She knew she had to do something, but she could not decide what. This was her life, yet she felt like a stranger inside it. She had to take control somehow, one way or another…

A voice from outside the toilet wall cut into her thoughts.

“She is back at his side,” the speaker said with a low chuckle. “You should see him.”

Keral pressed her ear firmly against the wall so she could hear every word.

“He has not gotten over her even a little,” the voice continued. “Three years have passed and he has a wife now, yet he is still completely in love with Kate. Our plan should not take much longer to work. Do not worry. All the hard work and sacrifices you made over the years will finally bring results.”

What plan?

Keral pushed the toilet door open in a rush and spun toward the corner where the voice had come from. The space stood empty. No one was there. Guests moved about the garden, but none of them stood near the toilets. No one looked as if they had just hurried away, and no one glanced back to make sure their tracks were hidden.

She walked back toward the party in a fog of confusion, wondering if her mind had invented the words. That could not be true. She had heard every sentence clearly. So what was this plan? Who had spoken? Did the person know Kate? Were they working with her? Working on what? The pieces she held refused to fit together.

Her first idea was to tell Kael, yet she already knew he would not believe her. He would decide she was making the story bigger than it was or even inventing it to cause trouble.

“So what is going to happen now that you are back?” one of Kate’s friends asked when Keral returned to the gathering. The three women stood around a high table while the rest of the party continued with talk and laughter. Kate faced the direction where Keral stood, though she had not noticed her yet.

“Happen with what?” Kate asked.

“With your place as the Keral Queen,” the friend said. “You are home again. Things should change.”

A tight feeling rose in Keral’s throat.

“Oh come on, do not be silly,” Kate answered. “I was never the Keral Queen. My sister Keral holds that title.”

“Now you are the one being silly,” the friend replied. “Everyone knows Kael only married Keral because you vanished. He does not care for her, not even after three years. Anyone who watched the two of you today can see he is still in love with you.”

“Come on, Harper,” Kate said. “He is a married man, and not just any married man. He is my brother-in-law. We were chosen mates once, but that belongs to the past.”

“Married to a bore,” the second friend said sharply. “I mean, which Keral Queen throws a party this dull?” She waved her hand toward the guests who stood talking in small groups. “It has always been this way. Since you left, the women’s affairs unit of the pack has fallen apart. Social events almost disappeared. We need you to step forward again and put things right.”

Kate lifted her glass to her lips, a sly smile curving her mouth. Their eyes met across the space. Kate’s smile grew wider. Neither of them looked away. Keral had never said it out loud before, but Kate had never been as sweet as she pretended to be, and she had never liked Keral as much as she claimed.

“You do not have to become the Keral Queen if you do not want the title,” the friend went on. “But you can still take the position of women’s leader away from her.”

“She is the true Keral Queen, and that place belongs to her,” one of the friends said. “She should take it back. The woman who holds the title now has no heir and nothing that truly ties her to the role. Removing her will not be difficult at all.”

Kate’s sly smile grew wider as she took another sip from her glass. Her eyes stayed fixed on Keral.

“That is true,” the friend continued. “She never became pregnant once in those three years. Is that not strange for an alpha’s wife? Alphas are known to be fertile, and the first mating after the mark almost always leads to a child. She must be barren if she is still without one.”

“Or maybe the rumors are true,” Harper whispered in a low voice. “Maybe Kael never truly completed the marriage. That would explain why she never became pregnant.”

Keral’s hand moved on its own and rested protectively over her lower stomach.

Kate’s gaze dropped to that hand, and Keral was certain the smile on her sister’s face grew thinner.