Chapter 6: The Family Dinner
1211 Words
The dining room was large enough to host a dozen people, yet somehow it felt suffocating.
Maybe it was the silence between conversations. Maybe it was the weight of expectations sitting around the table. Or maybe it was because no matter where I looked, I could not escape the memory of Ryker.
I sat beside Damien, carefully smoothing my napkin across my lap while servants moved quietly around us, filling glasses and replacing empty dishes. Across from us, the Patriarch sat at the head of the table, his sharp gray eyes missing nothing.
The meal looked incredible. Roast lamb, buttered vegetables, fresh bread, and wine imported from the northern territories. Under normal circumstances, I would have enjoyed every bite.
Tonight, everything tasted like ash.
Damien reached for my hand beneath the table, his thumb gently brushing over my knuckles. He smiled at me, warm and reassuring.
I smiled back.
At least, I hoped it looked convincing.
Because every gentle touch from my husband reminded me of another pair of hands.
Hands that had no right lingering in my thoughts.
"Serena."
The Patriarch's voice cut through the room.
I looked up immediately.
"How are you adjusting to life as the new Luna?"
His tone wasn't unkind, but it carried the authority of someone used to being obeyed.
"The entire pack has their eyes on you," he continued. "You represent both your family and ours now. We cannot afford weakness."
I swallowed before answering.
"I'm settling in well," I said carefully. "There is still a lot for me to learn, but I understand how important this alliance is. I'll do everything I can to support the pack."
Damien gave my hand another reassuring squeeze.
"She's doing wonderfully, Father," he said. "The elders already speak highly of her."
The Patriarch studied me for a long moment before giving a slow nod.
"I certainly hope so."
He set down his wineglass.
"The Shadowfang pack has become increasingly aggressive along the eastern border. Viktor has been testing our defenses for weeks. He wants us distracted."
The room grew noticeably quieter.
"This family cannot afford division," the Patriarch continued. "Your marriage symbolizes stability. The pack needs to believe its Alpha and Luna stand together."
His gaze shifted between Damien and me.
"No cracks."
Then he added quietly,
"And no distractions."
My stomach tightened.
If only he knew.
The irony almost made me laugh.
Unity.
That single word echoed in my head while guilt settled heavily in my chest.
Because I was already hiding something capable of destroying everything this family had worked to build.
I lowered my eyes to my plate, pretending to focus on cutting another piece of meat.
Instead, my mind drifted.
To dark eyes.
To a crooked smile.
To the reckless confidence Ryker carried everywhere he went.
No matter how hard I tried to push him away, he kept finding a place inside my thoughts.
Without warning, another impossible image flashed through my mind.
Ryker stood in a bright kitchen flooded with morning sunlight, wearing an apron that looked almost ridiculous on him.
He glanced over his shoulder with a lazy grin while flipping pancakes.
"There you are, Queen."
His voice was softer than I had ever heard it.
Breakfast waited on the table.
Flowers sat beside my coffee.
The dangerous man everyone feared looked completely devoted, as though nothing mattered more than making me smile.
The picture vanished as quickly as it appeared.
I blinked hard.
What was wrong with me?
I reached for my water glass and took a slow sip, hoping no one had noticed how distracted I'd become.
Conversation moved back to politics.
The Patriarch spoke about neighboring territories, trade routes, and border patrols. Damien explained plans for upcoming council meetings and discussed strengthening alliances before winter arrived.
I listened.
I even answered a question or two.
But every few minutes, my thoughts wandered somewhere they shouldn't.
Back to the hallway.
Back to Ryker standing impossibly close.
Back to the way my pulse had raced when we almost got caught.
By the time dinner finally ended, my head was pounding.
---
The bedroom felt blessedly quiet.
Damien closed the door behind us before wrapping his arms around my waist.
"I barely saw you all evening," he murmured.
His lips brushed gently against the side of my neck.
"I've been thinking about you all day."
His touch was patient.
Careful.
The kind of affection any wife should appreciate.
I wanted to respond the way he deserved.
I turned and kissed him softly.
For a moment, I tried to lose myself in it.
Tried to remind myself that this was my husband.
The man I had married.
The man who had done nothing wrong.
But something inside me refused to settle.
Instead of leaning into his embrace, my body stiffened.
Every gentle caress only reminded me how different Ryker's had felt.
The comparison filled me with shame.
I stepped back before Damien could notice the change in my expression.
"I'm sorry."
My voice came out quieter than I intended.
"I'm just exhausted."
He searched my face.
"The last few weeks have been overwhelming."
I forced a tired smile.
"Could we just rest tonight?"
For the briefest second, disappointment flickered across his face.
Then it disappeared beneath that same understanding smile I had come to know.
"Of course."
He brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"You don't have to apologize."
Relief mixed painfully with guilt.
Damien had every reason to be frustrated.
Instead, he chose kindness.
That somehow made everything worse.
A little later, we climbed into bed.
The room was dark except for the faint moonlight spilling through the curtains.
Damien slipped an arm around my waist, pulling me gently against him.
Within minutes, his breathing slowed.
Steady.
Peaceful.
Safe.
I stared at the ceiling.
Sleep refused to come.
My wolf shifted restlessly beneath my skin.
She wasn't comforted by safety.
She craved something wilder.
Something reckless.
Something that should never have tempted her.
Another unwanted image appeared.
Ryker again.
This time he wasn't laughing or teasing.
He simply looked at me as though I was the only person in the world worth seeing.
The tenderness in his eyes made my chest ache.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Stop thinking about him.
Please.
A soft vibration broke the silence.
My phone.
I froze.
Damien didn't move.
Carefully, I reached toward the bedside table and picked it up before the screen could light the room.
One new message.
Unknown Number.
My pulse quickened.
I opened it.
I can't stop thinking about you.
A second message appeared almost immediately.
Meet me in the back garden. Ten minutes.
Then a third.
Please.
I didn't need a name.
I already knew.
Ryker.
Heat rushed through me despite every warning screaming inside my head.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
Delete it.
Forget it.
Stay in bed beside your husband.
That was the right choice.
The only choice.
Slowly, I turned my head.
Damien slept peacefully beside me, completely unaware that the woman lying next to him was already standing on the edge of betrayal.
I looked back at the glowing screen.
My thumb hovered over the keyboard.
For several long seconds, I couldn't breathe.
Then, before I could stop myself, my finger moved.
- Writer
