Chapter 306

The next morning came quicker than I anticipated, the first rays of sunlight sneaking through the curtain gaps and casting patterns on the bedroom wall. Despite the emotional whiplash of last night, sleep had granted me a temporary reprieve. But as my eyes fluttered open, reality quickly reasserted itself.

I had barely stepped out into the hallway when I almost collided with Nathan, who was already fully dressed, his expression unreadable.

“I’m heading out to take the paternity test,” he announced without preamble.

The suddenness caught me off guard. “Oh, um, okay. Do you want me to come with you?”

Nathan looked mildly surprised, as though the thought hadn’t crossed his mind until now. “If you want to. You don’t have to.”

“Of course I’ll come,” I said, a little more forcefully than I intended. If this was a crucial moment for him, it was for me as well.

Once the twins were situated with Clint—who was recovering but still pretended he was just fine—I grabbed my purse and keys, and we headed out. Our next stop was the hotel where Layla was staying. She hopped into the back seat with her sleeping son in his car seat and a nervous smile on her face.

“So,” Nathan began as we pulled onto the road. “Is anyone hungry? There’s a diner up ahead. Breakfast is on me.”

My stomach growled at the mention of food. “I could eat.”

“Me too,” Layla chimed in from the back.

We parked and made our way into the diner. A little bell above the door jingled as we entered, announcing our arrival. The place was halfway full, mostly with older folks enjoying their morning coffee and reading newspapers. A waitress led us to a booth near the back. The cushioned seats had seen better days and the table bore the marks of countless coffee cups, but it felt welcoming nonetheless.

However, as we sat down and began looking at our menus, I sensed eyes on us. Subtle stares, hushed whispers. Even the waitress seemed a bit too curious when taking our orders. I tried to shake it off, telling myself that I was just being paranoid.

But then, as the waitress walked away, I caught fragments of a conversation from the booth behind us. “...can’t believe the Alpha’s here...with two wives no less.”

My face flushed, a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance boiling within me. Nathan must have sensed my discomfort, his eyes locking onto mine as he leaned over the table.

“Let them talk,” he said, his voice low. “They don’t know anything about us. Don’t let the gossips get to you.”

Layla seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you for not making a scene, Nathan.”

We ate mostly in silence, punctuated by forced small talk. The atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension, each of us grappling with our own swirling thoughts. Finally, we finished our meals, and Nathan picked up the tab. The sooner we got this test over with, the better.

We made our way to the clinic, a squat, unassuming building that smelled of antiseptic and disinfectant. A receptionist took down Nathan’s information and pointed us toward the waiting area. Layla decided to accompany Nathan, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a stack of outdated magazines.

I picked up one, flipping through pages of celebrity gossip and summer recipes. But my concentration was broken by a cluster of nurses congregating by the reception, engaged in what seemed like a rather lively conversation.

“You know,” one of them said, eyeing me covertly as she spoke, “this is going to cause problems. The Alpha having too many wives isn’t good for anyone.”

My fingers tightened around the edges of the magazine, their words echoing in my ears as if amplified by a loudspeaker. There it was, the brutal judgment, the blatant misunderstanding of our lives reduced to mere town gossip.

For a moment, I just sat there, my knuckles white as I clenched the edges of the magazine. The audacity of their gossip pricked at my composure.

“I know, right?” another nurse laughed back, his eyes glinting with mischief. “I wonder what it’s like in bed…”

“Oh, they must rotate,” another nurse chimed in with a smirk. “I wonder which one is the favorite, though…”

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. With a deep breath, I set the magazine down on the table and stood, making my way over to the group of nurses.

“Excuse me,” I said, my voice as polite as I could muster. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. For the record, Layla is not Nathan’s partner. I am. Alone.”

The nurses exchanged uneasy glances before one, a woman in her mid-thirties with strawberry blonde hair, finally spoke. “Well, it sure doesn’t look like it, does it? The three of you come in here together, and the Alpha is taking a paternity test with her and leaving you in the waiting room. What are people supposed to think?”

“The situation is complicated, yes,” I conceded, my eyes narrowing, “but it’s not what you’re making it out to be. Nathan and Layla have history, and we’re here to clear things up. It’s a personal matter.”

The strawberry blonde nurse smirked, a sly sort of expression that set my teeth on edge. “Even if she isn’t his wife, it’s still a confusing situation though, isn’t it? Especially for the kids. How are they supposed to understand all this when they’re older?”

“As if that's any of your business,” I muttered under my breath, the words a low growl that only Jade would truly appreciate.

“And besides,” another nurse piped up, an older woman with graying hair, “there have been rumors going around that the Alpha’s been staying by himself at his cabin. If you’re his mate, why aren’t you with him? Naturally, people are going to talk.”

Their words felt like a series of tiny jabs, each one poking at a sore, vulnerable spot. It was true; Nathan had been staying at the cabin, separate from me and the kids. But they had no idea what we had been through, the depth of our pain and struggles.

My heart pounded in my chest, the sound almost deafening in my ears. This was exactly why Nathan and I needed to figure things out; not just for our sake, but for the twins and possibly for Layla’s son, depending on the results of this test. Gritting my teeth, I realized there was no way I could win against their ignorance.

“Good day,” I said tersely, turning on my heel. I snapped the magazine shut and threw it back onto the table, my earlier interest in its pages completely extinguished.

Pushing the exit door open, I stepped out into the daylight, taking in large gulps of fresh air as if I’d been suffocated. The sun was high in the sky, and the clinic’s small parking lot was nearly full.

But none of that seemed to register fully, my mind still wrestling with the snide comments and judgmental whispers.

I found a somewhat secluded spot near a spindly tree and sat on the curb, distancing myself from the prying eyes and wagging tongues.

The texture of the asphalt was rough through my jeans, and tiny pebbles dug into my palms as I rested my hands beside me. It was uncomfortable, but that discomfort felt grounding, pulling my thoughts away from the spiral they were keen on following.

“Ignore those gossips,” Jade said, her tone comforting. “They know nothing about your life.”

“That’s the thing,” I replied mentally. “They don’t. And yet, it seems as though everyone always has something to say. Instead of paying attention to Nathan’s amazing work as Alpha, they focus on the drama.”

“And they always will.” Jade paused a moment. I could practically feel her sighing inside of me. “Unfortunately, this is the life of a Luna. People will talk. It’s your choice whether to listen or not.”

My wolf’s words filled me with a slight warmth. Luna. I was the Luna, despite my current situation with Nathan. Not only that, but I had the blood of the Ancient Wolf in me, and I had bigger matters to deal with.

I sighed, tilting my head back and letting the sun warm my face.

No matter what, I had to be strong. I had to stay above all of the petty drama. Maybe today would be a good day to start.