Discarded by My Mate, Claimed by My Adoptive Brother

7

KATHERINE

Morning came with a toxic mix of dread and gloating.

Dread because, that very day, I’d have to travel back to my pack for my foster mother’s birthday party – and Karen and I had never gotten along. Gloating because, that night, Lucian had come to sleep in my bed.

It hadn’t taken much, surprisingly: just some sniffles the night before and a rather heartfelt confession about how much I was dreading the party was all it took. I didn’t have to lie on that account: Karen had never hidden the fact that she didn’t want to adopt me. She had often called me a stray that Lysander, her husband and the man I called Dad, had picked up out of pity. She’d been the happiest when I married Lucian, both for the political importance of our match and because I was finally out of her hair.

I’d made sure to be particularly silent and anxious during dinner – enough than he would notice and ask me about it once we were on the couch. He was worried enough that he’d even waved off Diana when she’d tried, as it was now her usual, to insert herself in our conversation: that had made her angry to no end, which of course had made me rather satisfied.

Truth be told, Lucian had been very good at reassuring me: he’d even held my hand and assured me again he’d come.

The final, perfect touch of my plan had been a few well-timed sobs in the middle of the night. Lucian had come rushing to my bedroom – I’d “confessed” I had a nightmare, and he’d offered to stay in the room, to make me feel safe and protected.

That had been the very first time, in two years of marriage, in which we’d shared a bed.

Months, or even weeks ago, I would’ve been elated – would have welcomed him with true open arms: now, though … there was none of that.

He was being nice, now – good, even. But it wasn’t out of love, it was out of guilt: every time he touched me, every time I was near him, I could scent Diana’s sickeningly sweet perfume wrapped him like a cloud, no matter how many showers he took or how much cologne he used.

I might have even considered forgiving him for this newfound kindness had he not kept f*****g her at the same time.

Breakfast had been glorious: Diana had paled upon seeing us come downstairs together – upon realizing the reason of my smile, upon smelling a little more of me than what was usual on her lover. She had spent the entire meal glaring at me – and I had pretended not to notice, too busy making sure Lucian saw how nervous I was.

I finished putting together my look:a cream-white knit dress, sheer black stockings and knee-high black boots. My make-up was done, sharp but not excessively heavy, and my warm brown waves were held back by a gold-string headband.

A good ensemble for an upper, smart-casual party.

I didn’t even try to hide my triumphant smile when I saw Lucian’s gaze as I walked down the stairs: wide-eyed, shocked, as if he couldn’t quite believe his own eyes. It was the look he usually, now I knew, reserved for Diana – and, if her murderous expression was of any indication, she knew it too.

“I’m ready” I smiled, picking up my purse. “Hey, Mateo – the weather isn’t great to play outside today, so I’m giving you free rein on my Nintendo Switch” I added, winking at him. His face lit up, but not with the innocent joy of a kid: I already knew that Switch would be gone or broken by the time we got back. “We might even do a pizza night on the couch tonight, what you say?”

Mateo shrugged, but I didn’t let my smile fall. A perfect wife wouldn’t have.

Diana smiled tightly, her eyes fixed on my face – but Lucian welcomed the idea with open arms, grinning wide.

“That’s a wonderful idea” he smiled, laying a hand on the small of my back for a moment. Diana’s eyes thinned into two slits. “I knew we’d all manage to overcome our difference. Now, we’ll be late, honey” he informed me, gesturing with his head towards the door. His smile was the same one that had welcomed me on the altar when we’d married – but it no longer made my heart flutter.

I beamed back and took the arm he was offering me, feeling Diana’s gaze burning into my skull. “The best guests always are”.

The Lone Moon pack house came into view three hours later: and all of my worries about having to see Karen’s displeased face again vanished as soon as I saw my dad running out of the house to meet me.

“Pup!” he cheered, dragging me out of the car and picking me up in his arms as if I was still four.

All of a sudden, I felt safe, happy, loved: feelings I’d long since missed, especially in the last few weeks. I hugged him tight, basking in his warmth, in that feeling.

“Hi, Dad” I muttered, my voice muffled by his sweater.

“Hope your journey was fine” Dad smiled as we all walked into the house. “The snow has been relentless these past few days”.

“Lucian!”

The same way I’d been welcomed by my Dad, Lucian was by Karen: she’d always adored him – mostly because he was responsible for getting me off her handsAll I got was a quick, stiff nod and an ‘hello, Katherine’, before she returned to her guests, basking in the spotlight.

“Xander?” I asked Dad, honestly worried about his answer. He was the other person I’d been dreading to meet: we hadn’t seen, or talked to each other, ever since Easter, and even that meeting had been rather formal.

He shook his head. “Emergency meeting with the Silver Moon pack. Couldn’t make it”.

Part of me wondered if that meeting was real or if my brother had just made it up to avoid both the party and me.

I hated the part of me that felt relieved.

But I quickly hid all that, put on my best smile, and readied myself for the performance.

Katherine, the perfect wife and Luna, coming right up.

The party was very nice and elegant, in full Karen style: rare wines, curated hors d’oeuvres, expensive hams and cheeses imported from Italy, France and Spain. Everyone was dressed for the occasion, showing off their best manners: and for a good two hours, I entertained pointless, meaningless conversations with people I didn’t care about and who didn’t care for me.

Still, it was good to be back home. It was especially good to catch up with my Dad, who barely left my side – eager to hear all about my first few weeks as Luna. That had been the first time, in weeks, in which I found it hard to lie, simply because I never needed to with him, nor it had ever worked: he always knew when I was lying, as a child. This time, though, he didn’t catch me.

“And then …”

Everything came crashing down a second later – when loud gasps filled the room.

The crowd parted, and my heart sank.

The main door was flung wide: a man was sprinting out of it, as if his very life depended on it.

Lucian.

What …

I wasted no time in following him out the door – only barely managing to catch him when he hopped on the car.

“What’s going on?!” I asked, frantic. “Where are you going?!”

“Diana’s sick, they’re bringing her to the hospital” he quickly said. Coldly. As if he didn’t have time to spare for me. “I’m leaving”.

“You’re … no, you can’t!” I hissed, feeling my heart thunder in my chest. I was acutely aware of all the guests flooding the lawn – witnessing that scene. “We … we came here together! We can’t leave!”

“I have to go! She’s sick, I can’t waste my time at a stupid party!” he growled, shaking my hand off his arm. “I’ll see you at home!”

The tires screeched on the snow-covered gravel as I stood there, frozen, watching him speed off into the driveway – humiliating me in front of two-hundred people.