Chapter 12

(Julia's POV)

I drew back from Ronan quickly, not wanting to get the attention of anyone else in the room. I turned to Bianca, who was staring at us, open-mouthed. Finally, she spun on her heel and stormed off, melting into the rest of the crowd.

“Not that I’m questioning your judgement,” Ronan’s low murmur in my ear caused goosebumps to break out on my skin. “But why did you kiss me just then?”

And just like that, my face was on fire again. “I don’t — I mean, it was really —” I pushed my hair out of my face and straightened my shoulders. “Did I mess things up? Bianca was pretty upset; will that affect our alliance with PackIncorporated?”

Ronan waved me off. “Who cares if Bianca was upset? You’re mine. My Luna. Whatever you do here, I’m behind you completely.” And to my surprise, he chuckled. “And besides, it’s not like you said anything wrong. Great performance, Julia. Looks like our rehearsals have paid off.”

He took a drink from a tray of cocktails circulating through the party, and lifted it to his lips, taking a sip. “It is said, though. PackIncorporated really used to be something, you know? They had power. Nothing compared to us, but still.”

Ronan shook his head and sighed. “They begged for our alliance. They thought it would help put them in a higher position. But they never did anything with the power we gave them, and they ended up worse than they started.” He snorted. “I’m not about to sell myself to keep a relationship like that going.”

He set his drink down on the table and put his hands on either side of my waist, slowly pulling me closer to him. Ronan’s eyes swept over my body, taking in every part of me. My heart started to beat faster.

“Did she hurt you at all?” He asked, brow furrowed. “Bianca can be…difficult, especially when she doesn't get what she wants.” A smile broke out over my lips. Ronan had such a harsh demeanor, and yet, when he was with me, he showed me a softer side.

From his concern over my, and the baby’s wellbeing, to his full-hearted support of me in my little showdown with Bianca, Ronan was supporting me, 100%. I had never really experienced that before. It was nice.

“No,” I shook my head, widening my smile so he knew everything really was alright. “The baby isn’t that fragile. And for that matter, neither am I.” My words were intended to soother Ronan, but his frown just deepened.

“You need to get used to things like that happening,” he warned me. “Now that you’ve made an appearance with me, people will start digging into your life. They’ll gossip about mistakes you made decades ago, and tell lies about things you never did. They might even interfere with your duties as Acting Beta.”

Ronan continued, “And it’s not just outsiders. Our old Alpha has already…expressed doubts about you as my mate.” I raised an eyebrow quizzically and Ronan explained, “Your attendance tonight was…sudden. He’s surprised, and he doesn't like to be surprised.”

He paused, then blurted out, “I think you should move in with me.” I startled, mouth dropping open. Before I could argue, Ronan quickly said, “It’s really in your best interest. I’ll protect you from the unwanted attention and the gossip, and it will make our relationship look more convincing.”

I hesitated. He was right, and I knew that. I mean, hadn’t Bianca just used the fact that we didn’t live together as proof that this relationship was fake? And I knew he was right about the gossip, too.

Becoming an Alpha’s mate meant having a spotlight on you at all times, putting all your mistakes and missteps under a magnifying glass. Ronan was right; all my past mistakes were fair game for the rumor mill.

I hadn’t even thought about how it would affect me at work, beyond everyone treating me differently; my sudden rise to Acting Beta, then Luna, would surely raise some eyebrows around the office.

But living with Ronan meant getting even more tangled up in him and his life, his world. The more time we spent together, the closer we came to the truth coming out — about the mystery woman he was still searching for, and about the baby growing inside of me.

Besides, our relationship was all fake! If I moved in with him, my family would find out, and have a million questions about the whole thing, and how would I answer them? And I loved my house. I didn’t want to move out just yet.

Almost as if he could sense the wheels turning in my brain, Ronan said quietly, “Look, I know it’s a lot to ask. And I understand if you have doubts. But I meant what I said about protecting you — and the baby.”

“In custody disputes, female werewolves are almost always the weaker party,” he added. “I know you’re an amazing businesswoman, and I know you’d fight hard for your child, but you’d be starting at a disadvantage that Kevin wouldn’t face.”

Ronan’s voice softened, his eyes looking deeply into my own. “If Kevin finds out about the baby, he might come for it. He might try to take it away from you. I can protect you from that. I can keep you and your baby safe.”

Ronan’s words turned my blood to ice and my limbs to stone. In all my wild overthinking and planning and worrying, I never — never, not in a million years — thought about what the father of my child might do to get our baby.

Children were prized above all else for werewolves. They served as a flesh and blood symbol to the rest of the world, showing a werewolf’s power, strength, and the legacy they would leave behind once they were gone.

If Ronan found out the child was his, what lengths might he go to to gain custody? I shivered slightly. I knew. Ronan was a ruthless businessman, doing whatever it took to get what he wanted. Who’s to say he wouldn’t use those same tactics with me?

“Would you?” I finally asked. He raised an eyebrow, a signal for me to go on. “If it was your child, being carried by someone you weren’t mated to…would you fight to take it away from her?”

Ronan was nodding before I even finished my question. “There’s no question. Of course I would fight. I would never let a pup of mine be left out in the world, alone and cut off from its father.”

With every word he spoke, my heart sank further and further. Part of me had known the answer, knew that Ronan would fight for his child the same way he fought for PackHouse, but hearing him say it was a whole other matter.

Now, I knew for sure what he was willing to do for his own child, our child. Like me, he was willing to do anything. That information should have pleased me, but these weren’t normal circumstances. He wasn’t my mate, and he could take my child away from me like it was nothing.