A Gift From Whom?

LENA POV

Julian stood quietly for a few seconds, and when he didn't answer, I began to regret asking the question.

Then his face returned to the calm expression I had become used to, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Why are you asking?"

That was not a denial.

I folded my arms. "Because your aunt spent half our conversation looking at me as if she knew something I didn't. Then I overheard her talking about a Silvercrest woman you once noticed."

His gaze sharpened slightly. "You were listening outside doors?"

"I was about to knock."

"Convenient."

"I didn't plan it."

"No," he said. "You usually plan better than that."

I narrowed my eyes. "You make that sound like an accusation."

"It's an observation." He said.

"You seem to have many of those about me."

"You give me material."

His answer annoyed me more than I wanted to admit, especially because he seemed so pleased with himself.

This was the same Supreme Lycan who made even powerful Alphas careful about what they said around him, yet here he was, standing on my grandmother's terrace and teasing me as though we had known each other for years.

Sera shifted again, unsettled by the ease of it.

"So there was someone?" I pressed on.

Julian looked toward the trees beyond the terrace. "There are many women in Silvercrest."

I scoffed. "That's not an answer."

"It is the one you're getting."

Sera stirred with frustration beneath my skin.

I studied him. "Was it me?"

His eyes returned to mine.

For one terrible second, I thought he might answer.

Instead, Julian stepped closer and lifted one hand toward the necklace on my neck. His fingers did not touch my skin, but he turned the red stone slightly between them, watching the light move across it.

"You ask dangerous questions for a woman who still has another man's mark on her."

The warmth I had been feeling in my chest suddenly disappeared.

I knew exactly what he meant. The ceremonial mate bond between Ethan and me was still there. It had grown weak and painful, but it hadn't completely broken yet.

"That wasn't my choice."

"I know." His voice was softer now, but there was still no kindness in it.

I remembered the petition, the three days I had been given, and the northern rogue lands waiting if Ethan succeeded. I also remembered the certainty in my father's voice when he told me Silvercrest would not shelter me.

"My agreement with you buys me time," I said. "It doesn't solve the problem."

"No."

"I need more than that." I requested.

Julian's gaze remained on me. "Then ask for more."

I swallowed. "Stop Ethan from dissolving the bond."

He didn't answer immediately.

"If I order him to withdraw the petition," he said at last, "what happens the next time he decides he wants you gone?"

I hated that he had asked the exact question I had been avoiding.

"He won't dare." I muttered quickly.

"Fear isn't loyalty, Lena."

"I don't need his loyalty."

"What do you need?" He asked.

I looked back toward the glowing windows of Silvercrest Pack House. My own bloodline was inside, laughing, drinking, and celebrating while my mating bond with Ethan slowly fell apart right before their eyes.

"I need enough time to make sure that if Ethan throws me away, I don't lose everything with him."

Julian watched me for several seconds. "Better."

I frowned. "Better?"

He shurgged. "That's the first honest thing you've asked me for."

Before I could argue, he leaned closer, his voice dropping. "After the banquet, one of my guards will come for you."

My pulse changed. "Why?"

"You agreed to paint my portrait."

"Tonight?"

"You said you needed time." The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "I'm giving you some."

Then he walked back toward the hall before I could decide whether that was generosity or another trap.

Sera waited until he disappeared through the door. 'You still didn't get your answer.'

'No.'

'But Julian hadn't denied it either.'

---

By the time I returned to the main hall, Julian was preparing to leave.

Grandmother stood beside him while my father thanked him for attending, and half the room had somehow found reasons to gather close enough to watch. Julian offered Grandmother a final birthday wish before turning toward the entrance.

His gaze passed over me once and continued.

If I hadn't spent the last ten minutes alone with him, I might have believed I was no different from anyone else in the room.

Ethan certainly did.

He followed Julian to the doors and stayed with the other Lycans until the last black vehicle drove through the gates. By the time he returned, he seemed much happier.

A council representative stopped him near the drinks table. "You seem quite familiar with His Majesty."

Ethan laughed softly, trying to appear humble. "We've known each other for some time."

That was true, but only if you looked at it a certain way.

The man looked impressed. "I wasn't aware."

"Ethan doesn't like to make a show of his connections," Madam Wynne said, appearing beside them before he could answer. "His Majesty has always taken an interest in him."

I nearly choked on my drink.

Ethan shot his mother a warning glance, but the damage had already been done.

Within minutes, the story had changed from Julian merely accepting Ethan's invitation to the Supreme Lycan personally guiding Ethan's rise through the Alpha ranks.

By the time the rumour reached another group of pack members, some were already wondering whether Julian had taken Ethan under his wing as his protégé.

Ethan should have corrected them, but he didn't.

Instead, he smiled and said, "His Majesty prefers to keep certain matters private."

Sera made a disgusted sound. 'He lies badly.'

'He believes half of it. That's worse.'

Across the room, Lady Rosalind had heard everything, too.

She closed her eyes for a moment before looking at me. I simply raised my glass, and the troubled look on her face grew worse.

I was starting to like her.

The situation became more entertaining when my mother entered the hall.

Two Silvercrest pack attendants followed her, carrying several long jewelry cases.

My mother had clearly learned more than I realized after our earlier conversation. The pleasant expression on her face did not fool me. She had spent years handling Silvercrest's most difficult relatives without raising her voice, and whenever she became this polite, someone usually regretted it.

She stopped beside Madam Wynne's table and smiled. "Madam Wynne, I was hoping to speak with you."

Madam Wynne's entire posture changed. "Of course."

Mother signaled to the pack attendants, who immediately stepped forward and opened the cases.

Inside were several treasured pieces from the Somers bloodline's collection: moonstone bracelets, diamond earrings, silver chains, and an old emerald necklace I remembered seeing at formal dinners when I was a child.

People nearby stopped talking, and Madam Wynne stared at us without trying to hide her surprise.

Mother turned toward me. "I noticed earlier that Lena has been wearing very little of the jewelry she took with her after mating into Shadowfang. I assumed she had simply changed her taste."

I said nothing while Madam Wynne shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Then I learned she gave away one of her better pieces recently because she felt uncomfortable keeping it for herself."

That part wasn't true.

I had never given Madam Wynne Julian's necklace.

But Mother didn't know about Julian's gift, and I wasn't going to correct her interpretation in front of everyone.

"That won't do," she continued. "Lena represents both Shadowfang and Silvercrest now. If she appears neglected, people may misunderstand the situation."

Madam Wynne's smile became strained. "Ethan provides perfectly well for his mate."

"I'm sure he does."

Mother's smile widened. "These are not for Ethan. They're for Lena."

Madam Wynne blinked.

My mother looked directly at me. "Your grandmother and I decided the Silvercrest Bloodline's collection has been locked away long enough. Choose whatever you like, and if there's anything else you need, just ask."

The room had gone quiet enough that I could hear someone set down a glass.

For the first time that day, Madam Wynne seemed to understand what Silvercrest's wealth actually meant.

She looked from the jewelry to me, then to the red necklace already resting at my throat.

"That one isn't from these cases," she said.

My stomach tightened.

Mother glanced at the necklace. "No, it isn't."

Ethan, who had just approached, heard the exchange.

His eyes settled on the gemstone. "Then where did it come from?"

His question was loud enough for several people nearby to hear, and they turned to look at us.

I could have lied, but instead, I looked him straight in the eyes.

"It was a gift."

"From whom?" He asked.

Sera lifted her head.

Before I answered, Lady Rosalind appeared beside us.

"What a lovely necklace," she said, examining it with exaggerated interest. "The workmanship looks Lycan."

Everyone fell silent, and the look on Ethan's face changed.

Lady Rosalind simply smiled at me, acting as though she hadn't just said something that could cause a huge argument.

"Very distinctive."

My mother looked from me to Lady Rosalind, while Madam Wynne had completely stopped smiling.

Deep inside me, Sera began to laugh.

I knew I should be worried, but all I could think about was how Lady Rosalind had answered one of my questions and left me with so many more.

Just then, my phone vibrated inside my bag.

I took it out and saw a message from an unknown number: North gate, ten minutes. Come alone.

There was no name, but I already knew who had sent it.

I raised my head and looked around.

Ethan was still staring at the necklace.

For the first time since I discovered his petition, he looked less like a man preparing to discard his mate and more like a man wondering whether someone else had already decided to claim her.