The sickened luna’s last chance

Chapter 55

60%

lla

Iran through the forest, the leaves and trees blurring past as | raced toward my mate, | felt no fatigue, no pain.

My heart pounded, not from fear or exertion, but rather excitement.

My mate ran beside me, also in wolf form, chestnut fur catching the light of the full moon. We locked gazes for a

moment, and | could practically see his smile. | looked down, and saw not two feet but four, not pale skin but

instead gleaming, silky fur

My wolf had returned.

We cto a stop beside a babbling brook and shifted, laughing. We fell back onto the soft grass, arms

outstretched, the moon hovering above us like a disk in the sky.

Warm fingers intertwined with mine. When I looked over, Alexander's skin was bare, and so was mine. Still

smiling that shandsome, ethereal smile I'd seen in the hospital, he rolled over me, positioned himself

between my legs, and...

“Ella...”

“Ella!”

| jolted awake to the sound of shouting, and commotion and someone calling my name, | blinked, confused, Was

| still dreaming? Was | back in the forest with Alexander, making love beneath the moonlight?

But no. The smell of cleaning solution and the sound of beeping monitors quickly remindedthat | was still in

the hospital. The shouting, however, was real.

“You can’t be in here! This is a private room!”

“Just one photo! The public has a right to know!”

| sat up, blinking the sleep from my eyes just as a man with a camera burst through my door, followed closely by

two more. The flash went off, momentarily blindingso that | had to lift my arm to shield my face.

Oooo

“Luna Ella! Is it true you're not marked? Has Alpha Alexander rejected you?”

What the fuck? “Get out!” | yanked the blanket up to my chin. “What the hell do you think you're doing?”

More flashes. More questions being hurled at me. The room seemed to shrink as the photographers surged

around me.

“Have you been lying to the pack all these years?”

“Is your marriage a sham?”

Before | could respond, hospital security rushed in, physically removing the photographers despite their protests.

De Evelyn followed, face beet red with anger

“I am so sorry, Luna Ella” she said, shutting the door firmly behind the last security guard. “They somehow snuck

past the front

desk”

My hands were shaking as Flowered the blanket “What was that about? Why were they asking about my mark?”

Dr. Evelyn's expression shifted “Ah. You haven't seen the news, then” She hesitated, then pulled her phone out of

her pocket and

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16:34 Fri, 22 Aug

Chapter 55

began tapping on the screen. “I'm afraid someone leaked some... personal information about you.”

She held her phone out toward me, and | took it with shaking hands. The headline on the screen made my blood

run cold. “ALPHA ALEXANDER'S Secret shame: LUNA ELLA REMAINS UNMARKED AFTER FIVE YEARS?”

The article beneath it was filled with speculation and “anonymous sources” claiming that Alexander had never

markedbecause he didn’t truly acceptas his mate. There were quotes from supposed “close friends” of

the pack saying that our marriage was purely political, that Alexander was in love with someone else, and that |

was essentially just a placeholder until he could divorce

me.

That, combined with the gossip surrounding our last scandal, had created the perfect storm.

“Fuck,” | whispered, scrolling through the article with growing horror. There were even side-by-side photos of me

in various outfits over the years, all carefully chosen to show that my neck had never borne a mating mark.

“Is there anything | can do?” Dr. Evelyn asked gently.

| shook my head. “No. It's... it’s too late now. The damage is done.”

And what damage it was. In werewolf society, an unmarked mate was practically unheard of, especially after this

many years of marriage.

The mark was sacred-it wasn’t just a physical symbol of the bond between mates, but it quite literally locked in

the mate bond. Marked mates could speak via Mindlink, could feel each other's pulse, could sense the other's

emotions.

It was supposed to be given during the wedding night.

For an Alpha to not mark his mate... it was a scandal of the highest order.

This would destroy Alexander's campaign. His reputation. Everything we'd been working for.

“I'd like to be discharged today,” | said, handing her phone back. “I need to go home.”

Dr. Evelyn frowned. “Are you sure? After what happened yesterday-"

“I'm fine,” | insisted. “My vitals are stable, right? And | feel much better.”

It was a lie. Despite the surge of energy I'd felt last night, | was exhausted and in pain. But | couldn't stay here,

not with the paparazzi breaking in. It was better to go home.

After sdebate, Dr. Evelyn reluctantly agreed to dischargeearly, but only after running a final round of

tests to ensure 1 wasn’t in the danger zone.

By early afternoon, | was ready to leave, dressed in the clothes Lilith had brought for my discharge. | slipped

Alexander's sweatshirt on, but only to appease the paparazzi that | knew were waiting outside. At least, that was

what | told myself as his faint scent washed over me.

Lilith and | exited through the back of the hospital to avoid the paparazzi, although they had surrounded the

entire place. Thankfully, Liam was waiting right by the door with his car, engine running.

Alexander wasn’t with him. Of course. | didn’t expect him to cfortoday, even if | had turned my feet raw

and bloody from running after him last night.

“Quick,” Liam said, opening the passenger door for me. “Get in before they realize you're here.”

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16:34 Fri, 22 Aug

Chapter 55

I slid into the seat, ducking low as Liam hurried around to the driver's side. As we pulled away from the hospital,

| caught sight of a group of photographers rushing toward us, cameras flashing. Thankfully, we were already

accelerating down the street.

“How bad is it?” | asked, finally sitting up once we were safely away.

Liam grimaced. “Bad. It's all anyone's talking about. | don’t know who leaked it, but they did a thorough job.”

I leaned my head against the window, watching the town blur past. Would this impact Alexander's campaign?

Most importantly, would it impact our contract? If he didn’t make it through the election, would he refuse to

divorce me? | might as well die now if that were the case.

When we finally pulled up to the mansion, | expected chaos. Shouting matches between Alexander and Gabriel.

Frantic phone calls to PR teams. General panic.

What | didn’t expect was to find Alexander calmly sipping coffee in the kitchen, reading a newspaper as if it were

any other day.

He looked up as | entered. “Welchome.”

| dropped my bag on the floor and stared at him, bewildered. “That's it? ‘Welchome’? Have you seen the

news?”

“Of course | have.” He carefully folded the newspaper and set it aside. “I've been dealing with it all morning.”

“Dealing with it? How? Our marriage is a sham, Alexander. Everyone knows it now. Your campaign is over.”

lexander’s lips twitched, almost forming a smile. “Don’t be so tic. This is a minor setback, nothing more.”

Couldn't believe what | was hearing. “Everyone knows you haven't marked your mate! There's nothing ‘minor’

about that!”

“I have marked you,” Alexander said calmly. “And we're going to prove it.”

1 folded my arms across my chest. “Now you’re just not making any sense. You haven't marked me.”

Alexander stood. “No, | haven't. But they don’t know that; which is why we're going to give you a fake mark and

go out tonight to

show it off”

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