CHAPTER 36: A FAMILY AFFAIR 1

CIAN

The afternoon sun slanted through the windows of my study. I’d been working for hours. Trade reports. Border patrols. The usual business of running a pack. My mind had finally stopped circling back to breakfast. To the empty chair. To Fia’s absence.

I was almost calm.

Then a knock shattered that calm.

"Enter."

One of the gate guards stepped inside. Young. Nervous. The kind of nervous that came from bearing news he knew I wouldn’t like.

"Alpha." He bowed quickly. "There are visitors at the gates."

I set down my pen. "Who?"

"Luna Isobel of Silver Creek. And her daughter Hazel."

The words hit me like cold water.

I stood slowly. Carefully. Keeping my expression neutral even though my mind was racing. "They’re here? At Skollrend?"

"Yes, Alpha. They’re requesting entry. Luna Isobel says she comes in peace. That she wishes to pay her respects and..." He hesitated. "And her daughter wishes to see her sister."

Of course she did.

I walked to the window and looked out over the grounds. From here I couldn’t see the gates but I could picture them. Isobel in her formal traveling clothes. Hazel beside her. Both wearing expressions of concern and grief. Both playing their parts perfectly.

This was too soon. Too convenient. The wedding had been a day ago. Barely enough time for them to miss Fia. And with what had trasnpired, why would they even miss her?

Through the bond I felt something shift. A spike of emotion that wasn’t mine. Fear. Sharp and sudden. Fia knew. Somehow she knew they were here.

The feeling was strong enough that I actually pressed a hand to my chest. Like I could physically push it away. But the bond didn’t work like that. It just kept pulsing. Kept feeding me her terror.

"Alpha?" The guard was still waiting.

I turned back to him. "Show them to the formal receiving room. I’ll be there shortly."

He bowed and left.

I stood alone in my study and tried to think clearly. Tried to separate what I felt through the bond from what I actually thought.

Hazel was Fia’s sister. Luna Isobel was her mother. There was no reason to deny them entry. No reason to suspect anything sinister. If Hazel wanted to see her sister, that was natural. Expected even. Family checking on family after a traumatic situation.

But Fia’s fear suggested something else entirely. I wonder if it stemmed from guilt. Facing what she had did to Hazel again. Or was it genuine terror because she had not actually been lying?

I checked my watch. Nearly two in the afternoon. I’d been working through lunch without noticing. My stomach was empty but I barely felt it. Too much else was competing for my attention.

I left my study and walked through the halls toward the receiving room. My boots echoed on the stone floors. I passed servants who bowed and stepped aside. Everything looked normal. Everything felt wrong.

The receiving room was one of the formal spaces we kept for important guests. High ceilings. Expensive furniture. Windows that overlooked the gardens. It was meant to impress without being intimate. Perfect for political visits.

I pushed open the doors.

Luna Isobel stood near the windows. She was elegant as always. Dark hair pinned up. Clothes that screamed desperate to cling to wealth and status. She turned when I entered and gave me a warm smile.

"Alpha Cian. Thank you for seeing us on such short notice."

Hazel was beside her. And goddess help me, she looked devastated. Her eyes were red. Her face was pale. Her whole posture screamed grief and worry. She looked like someone who’d been crying. Like someone genuinely torn apart by what had happened.

I almost believed it.

Almost. Fia’s feelings wouldn’t stop singing in my head.

"Luna Isobel. Hazel." I nodded to each of them. "This is unexpected."

"I know." Isobel stepped forward. Her expression was apologetic. "We should have sent word ahead. But Hazel has been beside herself since the wedding. She insisted we come immediately."

Hazel moved then. Rushed toward me with her hands clasped together. The tears in her eyes looked real. Felt real. "Alpha Cian, please. I know this is improper. I know I have no right to ask anything of you after what my sister did. We are lucky you even spared Silver Creek. But I need to see her. I need to know she’s safe."

The words were perfect. The delivery flawless. Concerned sister worried about her sibling despite the terrible choices that sibling had made. It was exactly what anyone would expect in this situation.

But I’d spent years reading people. Years learning to spot lies and manipulation. And something about Hazel’s performance now felt rehearsed. Like she’d practiced this speech on the journey here. Like she knew exactly which words would have the most impact.

Was this me finally seeing things as they were, without the rage of my burst ego or was this Fia’s words and her emotions making me see through rose colored glasses?

"Fia is safe," I said carefully. "I’m not a monster. Despite what happened, despite the circumstances behind our bond, she’s my Luna. She’s treated with the respect that position demands."

Relief flooded Hazel’s face. Or at least the appearance of relief. "Thank you. Goddess, thank you. I’ve been so worried. Fia can be impulsive and foolish but she’s still my sister. I still love her."

There. That small emphasis on still. Like loving Fia was difficult. Like it required effort. Like Hazel was being generous by maintaining any affection at all.

My jaw tightened.

Isobel moved to stand beside her daughter. Put a comforting hand on Hazel’s shoulder. "We understand this is a difficult situation for everyone involved. Fia’s actions have caused pain to many people. But family is family. We couldn’t rest without knowing she was being cared for properly."

"She has her own quarters," I said. "The Luna suite. She’s been given everything she needs."