The sickened luna’s last chance

Chapter 87

Ella

The diamond necklace was admittedly beautiful. It hung delicately from Alexander's hands, tiny stones catching

the light and throwing rainbows across the vault walls.

But it could never replace Lilith’s locket. Nothing could.

Still, the gesture itself was touching. Alexander was trying to givehis great-grandmother’s necklace in an

attempt to make up for what had happened to Lilith’s locket.

“You don’t have to,” | said quietly. “It's a family heirloom-"

“I want to.” Alexander stepped closer and twirled one finger. “Turn around.”

I did as he asked, lifting my hair out of the way. His fingers were warm against the back of my neck as he clasped

the necklace, and | shivered at the contact. The diamonds settled against my collarbone, heavier than Lilith’s

delicate silver chain had been but just as warm.

“There.” Alexander's hands rested on my shoulders for a moment, warm and broad, before he took a step back.

“Perfect.”

| turned back to face him, one hand automatically going to the necklace. “It’s gorgeous. But Alexander, | can’t

help but wonder... are there string attached?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you expectingto wear this to the banquet? To show it off like skind of token of your...” | bit

my lower lip as i struggled to find the right words. “Your fake affection?”

“Ella, no.” Alexander stepped closer, close enough that | had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. “I'm not

giving this to you for political reasons. I'm giving it to you because you lost something important today, and |

wanted to give you something beautiful to take its place.”

The sincerity in his green eyes made my breath lodge in my throat. “You mean that?”

“I do.”

One thrum down the bond was all it took. One single pulse of promise, like a soft whisper caressing my mind,

and | knew he was telling the truth.

My shoulders deflated with a soft sigh, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. I couldn't seem to find the right

words, not when we were surrounded by all of these artifacts and he was looking atlike | was the most

valuable thing in the room.

“I'm sorry about the locket,” he said. “I know how much it meant to you.”

“It’s not your fault. Gabriel was the one who-"

“I should have told you what | was planning. If you'd known | wanted to surprise you with it, none of this would

have happened.”

Before | could answer, Alexander's hand cup to frmy face, and suddenly we were standing so close |

could feel the warmth from his body envelopinglike a cocoon. His eyes dropped to my lips, and mine

dropped to his. The bond pulsed again, or perhaps that was my traitorous heart playing tricks on me.

Suddenly, another sharp cramp shot through my lower abdomen. | gasped and doubled over, both hands flying

to my stomach.

“Ella!” Alexander's arms were aroundinstantly, although he hardly touched me, as if he were afraid | might

shatter. “What’s wrong?”

“Just a cramp,” | managed through gritted teeth. “I think the stress from earlier is catching up with me.”

Alexander's face went pale. “We need to get you upstairs. You need to rest.”

1/3

Chapter 87

He helpedout of the vault and up the stairs, one arm wrapped securely around my waist. By the twe

reached our bedroom, the cramping had mostly subsided, but Alexander insisted on helpinginto bed anyway.

“Should | call Dr. Evelyn?” he asked as leaned back on the pillows.

| shook my head. “I'm fine now. | think it was just the panic from being trapped in there.” | touched the diamond

necklace again. “The baby is okay.”

Alexander didn’t look convinced, but didn’t argue. Before | knew it, | found myself drifting off to sleep. And

Alexander stayed with me, his hand rubbing soothing circles across my belly until | nodded off..

When i woke up a few hours later, Alexander was gone, but there was a glass of water and scrackers on the

nightstand beside me. I sat up slowly, relieved when no more cramping followed, and reached for the water.

My fingers found the diamond necklace again as | drank. It just... given it towith no strings attached.

That was what confusedmost about all of this.

was beautiful. Delicate but substantial, clearly worth a fortune. And Alexander had

Alexander could be so sweet and tender at times, treatinglike | was his true love. The way he'd looked at me

in the vault, the way his hands had lingered on my skin when he’d put the necklace on me... it had felt real.

Genuine.

But then there were moments like that night when I'd asked about children, when he'd immediately fallen back

on the contract like it was the mos logical thing. Or the way he'd mentioned extending our contract when he'd

markedat the hospital.

| couldn’t figure out how he really felt about me. Did he care aboutas his mate, or was I still just a

convenient arrangement to him?

Sometimes | wished my mother were here. | wished | could ask her for advice.

Maybe if I'd had that kind of guidance growing up, things would have turned out differently. Maybe | would have

known how to recognize lo he saw it, or how to protect my heart from getting broken by someone who might

never truly want me.

But I'd never had that. My mother had died when | was an infant, and then my father and stepmother had

treatedlike an inconvenience at best, a burden at worst. They'd never cared enough about my happiness to

giveadvice about anything, let alone something as complicated as marriage.

To them, | was just a pawn.

The thought made my chest hurt in a hollow, throbbing sort of way, and | realized | was crying again. Not for the

locket this time, but for everything I'd never had. The mother who should have been there, the family who

should have supported me, the childhood that should have preparedfor moments like this.

But then I thought about Lilith, and the ache in my heart softened slightly.

1 did have someone. Lilith had been a mother to me. She'd been the one to comfortwhen I was sick, to hold