Chapter 21

Elara

Before Alaric could utter a word, his mother strode up to me, her sharp eyes narrowing as she circled me like a predator assessing its prey.

“This won’t do... This simply won’t do...” she muttered, clicking her tongue with disapproval while she walked around me.

My back stiffened under her scrutiny, every muscle in my body tensing as she began prodding at me. “Your posture is atrocious,” she snapped, tapping between my shoulder blades with her weathered index finger. “Stand up straight.”

I lifted my chin, trying to comply without showing how much her words stung. Her gaze traveled down to my attire next, and of course, she had an issue with that as well. “And what is this you’re wearing?” she scoffed. “Casual clothes in the Alpha’s household? Unacceptable. Utterly unacceptable.”

Alaric finally sighed heavily. He looked weary, as if he had dealt with this sort of thing far too many times before. “Elara, this is my mother, Grace. Mother, this is my wife, Elara.”

Grace curled her lip at me as a sneer spread across her elegant features. “So, this is the new disgrace to our family,” she muttered. “If she were at least pretty, I could look past the other things.”

Heat rose to my cheeks, a heady combination of embarrassment and annoyance bubbling up inside of me. I wanted to tell this woman off, to defend myself, but I bit my tongue. As an Omega, I was still far below her in status, and she was the mother of my husband. Causing a scene now could just ruin everything Alaric and I had worked so hard for. And I couldn’t risk putting the girls in jeopardy.

Thankfully, when I shot him a pleading glance, Alaric stepped forward and put himself between us. “Mother, that’s enough,” he said, his voice authoritative. “Don’t insult my wife.”

But she merely waved a dismissive hand in his general direction, clearly unfazed. “Nonsense. If this... girl is to be presented as your Luna, she needs a complete transformation.” She turned back to me, her eyes somehow even colder than before. “I will not have our family name tarnished by a low-class woman.”

I glanced at Alaric, searching for some support, but his jaw was set hard. I could sense that he didn’t often stand up to his mother. Maybe he couldn’t stand up to her.

Grace clasped her hands together as if pleased with herself. “I’ve decided I’ll move in,” she said matter-of-factly.

“What?” Alaric and I exclaimed in unison.

She raised an eyebrow. “You both seem surprised. Did you think I would leave the future of our family in the hands of an untrained Omega? Elara will need extensive training if she is to be even halfway decent as a Luna.”

“Mother, you know that’s unnecessary,” Alaric protested. “Elara is fine. We can handle things on our own.”

She gave him a pointed look. “Clearly, you cannot. Look at her—she’s unprepared, unrefined. This is for the good of our pack.”

I swallowed hard, feeling a knot forming in my stomach as I adjusted the still-sleeping Zoe on my hip. I was glad both girls were still fast asleep so they wouldn’t have to hear these insults. “Mrs. Donovan, I appreciate your concern, but—”

She cut me off sharply. “It’s Lady Grace to you. And I wasn’t asking for your opinion on the matter, girl.”

I bit back a retort, my nails digging into my palms.

Alaric took a deep breath. “Mother, perhaps we can discuss this later.”

“There is nothing to discuss,” she declared. “I’ll have my things moved in by tomorrow. And I’ve already instructed your housekeeper to prepare a room for me—right across the hall from your own.”

Great, I thought bitterly. As if having her in the house wasn’t bad enough, she was going to be mere feet away from where I slept.

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.

I stared at her fading form, unsure whether I should laugh or cry. “Is she serious?” I whispered, turning to Alaric. But he was already making his way up the stairs with Ella perched on his hip.

That night, after putting the girls to bed, I quietly made my way to Alaric’s bedroom. He was still awake when I entered, loosening his tie as he sat on the edge of the bed. I moved to walk past him and head straight to the bathroom to shower, but I paused in the doorway and chewed my lip for a moment.

Finally, I turned and blurted out, “Does she have to move in?”

Alaric rubbed the back of his neck. “One thing about my mother is this: if she has her mind set on something, it’s often easier to just let her have her way.”

I frowned. “So you’re just going to let her take over our lives? What about the girls?”

He glanced over his shoulder and briefly met my gaze. His eyes were just as weary as before. “It’s complicated,” he said blandly.

“Is it?” I challenged, crossing my arms. “I thought you were an Alpha, but you’re letting her traipse all over you and your entire family.”

He sighed. “Elara, please. It’s been a long day.”

I shook my head, biting my lip to keep from saying something I might regret. “Fine,” I said with a scowl. “But I’m not going to pretend that I’m okay with this.”

Alaric didn’t answer. Turning away, I headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower. But even as I stepped into the hot water, I couldn’t be soothed. Alaric’s mother had left a bad impression, to say the least—she seemed cruel, cold, and judgmental, and her son didn’t seem keen on standing up to her. I didn’t feel good about a woman like that being around my daughters.

But I didn’t have much of a choice but to do what she wanted. If I had to suffer through her presence for the sake of Zoe and Ella, then I would. I just hoped that things wouldn’t get out of hand.

By the time I finished showering and stepped back into the bedroom, Alaric was fast asleep on his side of the bed. I crawled under the covers on my side, careful not to wake him.

Sleep didn’t come easily that night; I spent a long time staring at the ceiling, my mind whirling relentlessly. When I did finally drift off, I dreamed about Zoe and Ella pulling each other’s hair, tears streaming down their cheeks. I dreamed about Zoe being carried away from me over Alaric’s shoulder, her little hands reaching for me.

And most of all, I dreamed about a cruel woman holding a whip in her hands, her stern eyes scrutinizing my every move as I tried to push a boulder up a never ending hill.

The next morning, I was jolted awake by the sound of the curtains being yanked open, the harsh morning sunlight flooding the room. I squinted against the brightness and groaned, disoriented by the sudden light.

“Rise and shine,” an all-too-familiar voice commanded.

Blinking rapidly, I looked up to find Grace standing at the foot of the bed, her arms crossed and a stern expression etched into her face. Alaric was nowhere to be found, of course.

Before I could ask what she was doing here, Grace strode forward and, without warning, yanked the blankets off of me.

“Get up!” she barked. “You’ve got a lot of lessons today, Omega!”