Chapter 35

Elara

“Aren’t you going to wash my stained trousers, cleaner?”

My eyes widened at Asher’s words. It wasn’t even the request itself that bothered me—I would have happily done it had he asked nicely and sincerely—it was the blatant condescension in this tone.

I knew exactly what this was: an attempt to punch down at me. And I wasn’t having it.

“I’m not going to wash your trousers, Asher,” I said with a bitter laugh, crossing my arms across my chest.

He cocked his head and gave me an innocent look that was clearly a facade. “Why not?” he practically purred.

“Oh, I don’t know.” I shrugged one shoulder and tapped my chin with my index finger. “Oh, I know! Maybe it’s because you’ve never once shown me the respect I deserve as your Luna? And every interaction we have is overshadowed by you being a condescending, insufferable little prick?”

Unfortunately, my words did nothing to assuage Alaric’s brother. His smirk only deepened.

“It was Zoe, the kid you raised, who spilled the juice,” he said as calmly and slowly as ever, as if he were explaining something to a toddler. “As the woman who raised her, shouldn’t you at least apologize on her behalf? I mean, her lack of table manners is hardly her fault. She can’t help that she was brought up in an Omega’s household where utensils are even a rarity.”

My jaw tightened at the blatant insult directed toward my daughter, but I refused to look away from his hard gaze. “I won’t apologize for Zoe spilling juice on your trousers because, frankly, you deserved it after how rude you were at lunch. In fact, I hope that stain never comes out.”

His laugh was low and sharp, a sound that sent a ripple of irritation down my spine. “My, my. You’re getting more and more interesting by the day, Elara,” he cooed as he pulled something out of his pocket.

With a flourish, he extended the object toward me—it was a business card, pristine and embossed with the Donovan crest. It had his name and number on it. “If you ever need anything, feel free to contact me,” he said coolly.

I stared at the card for a moment before rolling my eyes. With a pointed sigh, I took it between my fingers, barely sparing it a glance before shoving it into the pocket of my dress. “Thanks, but I doubt I’ll need your help. I’ll have fun burning this later, though.”

“Suit yourself,” Asher simply replied, stepping back with an infuriatingly amused expression plastered across his face. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Luna.”

I didn’t bother with a response and just shut the front door right in his face. The sound of it closing brought me a sliver of satisfaction, although it did little to ease the simmering irritation that was still bubbling under my skin. I heard his chuckle from the other side of the wood before he made his way to his car.

Once I saw him pull out of the driveway, I headed upstairs to change my shoes before my tea party with the girls. But as I stepped out of the bedroom a few minutes later, I noticed that Alaric was nowhere to be found.

I frowned, glancing around before deciding to search for him. It didn’t take long to figure out where he had gone—his office door was slightly open, and through the narrow gap, I caught sight of his broad shoulders hunched over his desk.

Curiosity pulled me closer, and I leaned in to get a better look. Alaric was fiddling with something small, his brows knit together in concentration. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see what he was doing, but it was too small to make out from this distance.

Suddenly, he cursed under his breath and jerked his hand back. A bead of crimson blood welled up on his fingertip, but before I could react, it faded, the cut closing almost instantly thanks to his Alpha healing abilities.

He shook his head and sucked the blood away, muttering to himself before returning to… whatever it was he was doing.

My breath caught for a moment as I took in the scene. It was rare to see Alaric so unguarded, so focused on something other than paperwork. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I had seen him like this since we’d met. I was terrified that he’d turn around and see me, and that the spell would be broken.

“Mommy, what are you doing?” Zoe’s voice suddenly rang out behind me, making me jump. I spun around to find both Zoe and Ella standing in the hallway, holding a basket of tea party supplies.

“I’m not doing anything,” I said quickly, moving away from the door so as not to disturb Alaric. “What are you two up to?”

Ella grinned and held up the basket. “We want to have our tea party in the garden! Can we do that, Mommy?”

I hesitated, glancing back toward Alaric’s office, but the sound of Zoe’s excited giggle made my decision for me. Besides, it was a beautiful day outside. And with Grace still lurking around in the shadows somewhere, I didn’t really want to stay inside today.

“Alright,” I said, smiling down at them. “Let’s go have a tea party.”

The girls cheered, each taking one of my hands as we made our way outside. The sunlight was warm against my skin as we stepped into the garden, the soft buzzing of bees and the rustle of leaves instantly soothing my frayed nerves.

I set the basket down on a small wicker table near the flower beds and began helping the girls arrange their little porcelain cups and plates, making sure to leave space for the various dolls and stuffed animals they’d brought as ‘guests’.

But despite the warm air and the sound of birdsong, I couldn’t shake the bitterness from my little encounter with Asher. My teeth ground together involuntarily as his words replayed in my mind, but then Zoe’s sweet voice broke through the storm in my thoughts.

She was singing a nursery rhyme. “The itsy bitsy spider…”

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched her sing while she poured the imaginary tea.

“Mommy, sing with me!” she said suddenly, looking up at me.

I hesitated, glancing toward Ella, who was singing along as well. “Please, Mommy?”

With a sigh that quickly turned into a laugh, I relented. I joined in, my voice blending together with theirs as we set up the tea party and sang together. For a moment, all the tension from the day melted away, replaced by the simple joy of being with my daughters.

As the song ended, I leaned back in my chair, my heart feeling lighter than it had in days.

But then, just as I was about to suggest another song, a shadow fell over the table. I looked up to see Alaric standing in the center of the garden, his dark suit contrasting sharply with the bright flowers around him.

He didn’t say anything at first, simply walked over to us. In his hand, he held a small box, and as he drew closer, I realized it was a ring box. My breath caught as he stopped in front of me and extended it toward me without uttering a word.

Then, with a soft click, he opened the box, revealing a wooden ring nestled inside.