Chapter 18

(Julia’s POV)

The rest of the day passed in a blur of paperwork and meetings and emails. I tried to put the conversation I had overheard between Ronan and the Gamma out of my mind, but whenever I got a free moment, my head spun.

Could he have discovered the truth? Does he know it was me? Does that mean he realized my pup is his as well? Luckily, the logistics of the pack merger were consuming enough to keep my mind off of my troubles over the next few days.

I worked hard on the merger, and the process was made all the more difficult by having to balance my work meetings with my doctor’s appointments.

But while keeping busy was good for my head, it was bad for my body. I felt more weak and nauseous than ever, and nothing helped. What I really needed — what I really wanted — was Ronan. Just his presence was enough to make me feel calmer and safer.

However, Ronan was nowhere to be found. Despite living together, I saw him less than ever. He spent most nights after work locked in his study, coming to our bed long after I had already fallen asleep.

The way he was avoiding me made me even more sure that he had found something out about me and that night and our pup. He didn’t trust me anymore, that was clear, and it stung more than I thought it would.

After Ronan had told me about his mother’s death, I thought we were really connecting. I thought we both felt the same spark of electricity between us. But now, we spent the few moments we had together in silence, and it was driving me crazy.

The hormones from the pregnancy weren’t helping things. I felt like I was constantly on the verge of tears — or about to start throwing things at his head.

Things came to a head at dinner one night. We sat down to eat, as usual, but the thought of passing yet another night in this strained silence was too much for me. I set my fork down with a clatter and waited for Ronan to look at me.

“So,” I tried to sound cheerful. “What have you been up to? You’ve spent so much time in your study, I’ve hardly seen you lately.” Ronan took a bite of his food and chewed slowly. I tried not to sweat as I waited for him to answer.

“It’s a private matter,” he finally said. “And it doesn’t concern you. We are living together, yes, and you are my Luna to the public, but don’t forget your place. This is all contractual, nothing more. Please remember that.”

With every word Ronan spoke, my heart dropped further, and by the time he finished, I felt like I was going to be sick. I shoved my plate away from me and stood up, but Ronan’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Really?” He said, eyes dark and voice cold. “This is how you’re choosing to conduct yourself?” Ronan paused to take a sip from his wine glass, then said, “Is this how you plan to take care of your child?”

I flinched at his words, full of reproach and accusation. Ronan was so cold, so distant from me, and it hurt. I had really thought we were becoming, if not true mates, then friends, but it was clear to me now that he saw me as nothing more than an incubator for the baby.

(Third person POV)

Sandy had been on her best behavior at work after that slap-down from Ronan. She had shown up on time, left late, and turned in all her paperwork by its due date. She was the model employee, and it was driving her crazy.

She knew Julia was up to something, but with all the extra work from the merger, Sandy hadn’t had time to spy on her. She was constantly in meetings, or working on files for Ronan, and Sandy was coming up empty on the search for clues about her mysterious sugar daddy.

Sandy laid eyes on her sister for the first time in days at lunch. Julia was sitting at the large break room table, where everyone was gathered to eat their lunches. “Hi, guys,” Payton, one of the accountants, smiled as he sat down a few seats away from Julia.

Almost immediately, Julia’s face turned green. She put a hand up to her mouth, and looked at Payton’s plate. Sandy followed her gaze to see that he had brought a piece of salmon in for lunch today. She looked back up at Julia, who was now visibly gagging.

“I’m sorry, I have to—” She got up and left the table before she even finished the sentence. Sandy watched her go, brow furrowed. Julia had been acting strangely lately, but Sandy had assumed it was because of the break-up, then the merger, then the sugar daddy boyfriend.

Now, though…now, she thought it might be something different. You know, Julia’s stopped wearing heels to the office, which is odd because she once said only slackers wear flats to work. And I caught her dozing off during that accounts meeting the other day.

The gears started turning in Sandy’s head, and by the time Julia had returned to the table, she had a plan in place. “Hey, sis,” she said quietly, leaning over to smile at Julia. “I’ve been feeling really badly about how we left things. About how I left things.”

“I want to apologize to you. For real, this time, and not just because you’re threatening to blackmail me.” Sandy laughed lightly, as if she was joking. Julia remained stone-faced, so Sandy tried again. “Maybe we could get drinks? Tonight, if you’re not too busy.”

Julia pressed her lips together, then shook her head. “No. No, I don’t think so, Sandy. I’ve got too much going on with the merger, and besides, I don’t think I’m quite ready to hear your apology just yet.”

She got up and headed back to her office soon after, but Sandy had gotten what she wanted. She knew Julia was going to say no, and she was pretty sure why. Now, she just needed to confirm her suspicions.

The next day, during lunch hour, Sandy snuck back up to the office floor and hurried to Julia’s office. She only had a little bit of time to snoop around before Julia would be back, and she needed to find something concrete that would support her theory.

There was nothing on her computer but work stuff, and the contents of her desk were no better; just more paperwork, pens, paperclips, and rubber bands. Finally, Sandy turned to her bag, not expecting to find anything there, either.

She dug around in the totebag, coming up with tissues, a day planner, and a tangled set of headphones. Sandy was about to give up when her hand brushed against a slip of paper. She pulled it out and read it quickly, a smile spreading across her face.

APPOINTMENT: WEDNESDAY 10:30 AM, the piece of paper read. PRENATAL CHECK-UP FOR JULIA (5 WEEKS PREGNANT). Sandy slipped the paper back into Julia’s bag and went back to her desk. This is how I win.