E

    Election day came sooner than I anticipated. On the morning of, I woke to find Alexander already out of bed and nowhere to be found. I discovered through Lilith, as I scarfed down a te of toast and eggs, that he had left at the crack of dawn to handlest–minute meetings and preparations.

    “Do you think he’s going to win?” I asked around a mouthful of eggs as Lilith sipped her coffee across from me.

    She shot me a look. “Do you think he’s going to win?”

    “You’re deflecting,” I chuckled.

    Lilith sighed, then nodded. “I think he has a very good chance. Thanks to you.”

    Right. Thanks to me. Not the baby I was carrying in my belly. “Sometimes, I think the growing bump gave him a little push.”

    “In more ways than one,” Lilithmented.

    My brows shot up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

    b“/bbYou /bdon’t think he’s been acting differently?i” /iLilith asked. “He certainly seems to be looking at byou /bin a new light.”

    I couldn’t help the blush that spread across my face at her words. It was true; things felt… different between ustely. Even now, days after the pic, I could still picture the look on his face when he felt our kicking. He’d looking almost… loving.

    But of course, there was the matter of the contract. We hadn’t had a chance to talk about it since that night, seeing as how busy he was preparing for the election, but thest conversation we had was nothing short of confusing.

    Alexander had said that he wanted to extend the contract to include the first eighteen years of our child’s life. And yet, when I asked if he really intended to have a fake rtionship for that long, I could have sworn I saw something almost hesitant in his gaze.

    I didn’t want to read too much into it, but it was easier said than done.

    bI /bneeded a distraction.

    Pushing away from the table, I said, “Let’s bake a cake.”

    Lilith looked surprised, but she wasn’t the type to pass up the opportunity to bake something. For the next few hours, we worked side by side, measuring ingredients and mixing batter. The familiar rhythm of baking was soothing.

    “You know,” Lilith said as she greased the cake pansb, /b“I really haven’t seen Alexander smile as much as

    he hastely.”

    I concentrated on folding chocte chips into the batter. “The campaign’s been going well.”

    “Mm–hmm. I’m sure that’s all it isb./bb” /b

    I poured the batter into the prepared pans with a sigh. “Listen, I just don’t want to get my hopes up too much, alright? So maybe we should change the subject.”

    “Very wise of you.”

    Gabriel’s cold voice from the kitchen doorway made us both jump. I turned to find him leaning against the frame, arms crossed, watching us with that usual sour expression of his.

    “Excuse me?” I set down the mixing bowl and turned to him.

    b“/bYou’re wise not to get your hopes up. About Alexander, I mean.i” /iGabriel’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t want to mistake political necessity for something more meaningful.”

    Something snapped inside of me. I’d endured years of Gabriel’s nonsense, and I was fucking done with it.

    “You know what, Gabriel? I’m getting really tired of your attitude.” bI /btook a step closer, letting my Luna authority bleed into my voice without even meaning to. “You seem to have some kind of problem with me, so why don’t byou /bjust say what you really mean instead of dancing around it?”

    Gabriel’s jaw tightened, and I could tell he was trying to resist my Luna Voice, just as he had that one time in the alleyway. But my wolf wasn’t dormant anymore, rendering it nearly impossible for him.

    “You don’t deserve him,” he finally grit out. “You’ve never deserved him, and everyone in this pack knows

    it.”

    “There it is.” I smiled sweetly. “Was that so hard? Now everyone knows exactly what kind of Beta you really are.i” /i

    Gabriel’s face went red. Behind me, Lilith made a small sound that might have been a snort.

    “At least I’m loyal to this pack,” Gabriel snarled.

    “Is that what we’re calling it now?”

    Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out.

    After a moment, he recovered enough to sneer at me. “We’ll see who’sughing when this is all bover/b.”

    With that, he stalked out of the kitchen. Only once he was gone did I notice how my fists were shaking at my sides.

    “Well,” Lilith said after a moment. “That was overdue.”

    I shrugged, already dismissing the encounter. Gabriel had hated me since the day I’d married Alexander, and his bitterments weren’t anything new. If anything, I felt better for finally telling him exactly what I thought of him.

    “Come on,” I said, sliding the cake pans into the oven. “Let’s finish getting ready for tonight.”

    By eight o’clock, our guests had gathered in the living room. Liam had arrived with beer, and several

    other pack members had joined us to watch the resultse in.

    I’d changed into a soft sweater and jeans. The chocte cake Lilith and I had baked was hidden in the

    kitchen, waiting for the right moment.

    Alexander was perched beside me on the couch, his leg bouncing as the news anchors discussed turnout

    numbers and early projections. I could feel the tension radiating through the bond, and without thinking,

    I reached over and touched his hand.

    He startled slightly, then looked down at our joined hands before his fingers tangled tightly with mine. I

    tried not to show just how shocked I was that he hadn’t yanked his hand away.

    “I think you’ll win.”

    Alexander’s eyes snapped toward mine, surprise briefly flickering through them at the fact that I’d used

    our mindlink before it settled into something tender–something that was a little bit like the way he’d looked at me at the pic.

    F

    “Thank you,” he said aloud, looking away. “I appreciate it.”

    “Quiet, everyone!” Liam called out. “They’re about to announce the results!”

    The room fell silent as the news anchor appeared on screen, holding a piece of paper that would

    determine Alexander’s future.

    “After a record turnout and an incredibly close race,” the anchor began, “we can now project the winner of

    this year’s Alpha King election.”

    My heart hammered violently. I hadn’t realized just how invested in this election I truly was, even now

    that our contract had been extended. But deep down, I knew this feeling. I did want Alexander to win.

    Despite everything, I knew he would be a good leader.

    “The new Alpha King is… Alpha Alexander of Ashw.”

    The room erupted. Pack members cheered and pped, and someone popped open a bottle of champagne, white foam spraying across the coffee table.

    But I only had eyes for Alexander. His face had gone nk with shock, mouth hanging open.

    “Alexander, you did bit/bb!/bb” /bI eximed. “You really did it!”

    Alexander blinked, and then the reality of it seemed to hit him. He turned toward me, and before I could

    react, he’d pulled me to bmy /bfeet.

    “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

    I didn’t have a chance to respond before he was dipping me low and crashing his lips against mine.