He glanced around, his eyes landing on the open suitcases and the scattered papers on the floor. “What are you doing? What’s all this?”
I forced a smile, keeping my tone even. “Just rearranging my closet.”
His brows furrowed. “Rearranging? It looks like you’re moving out.”
“If I were,” I said softly, folding another piece of clothing, “would it matter?”
He hesitated, but before he could answer, another scent invaded the air, sweet, floral, nauseatingly familiar.
Hannah. I froze. My hands curled into fists as she stepped into the room behind him, her belly barely showing but glowing with arrogance. The mate bond between Jeremiah and me pulsed painfully, warning me of the betrayal standing beside him.
Every part of me screamed to lunge, to rip her apart, to tear that stolen heart from her chest, my daughter’s heart.
But I didn’t move. I couldn’t.
Instead, I lifted my gaze, meeting hers. My voice came out cold. “Why is she here?”
Jeremiah shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat. “Hannah will be staying with us for a while.”
The words didn’t make sense at first. I blinked slowly, my mind struggling to process them. “What?”
“She’s… she’s pregnant,” he said finally, his tone careful, as if waiting for me to explode.
I looked at him, then at her. Hannah’s lips curved into a shy smile, her hands resting over her stomach.
My heart went silent. Then, quietly, I said, “And?”
Hannah’s smile faltered. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”
I laughed under my breath, the sound sharp and bitter. “Happy?” I echoed. “Yeah, sure.”
Jeremiah’s expression hardened. “Zera, that’s enough. Why are you even acting this way? You should be happy your bestfriend is expecting a baby.”
“Are you sure that baby isn’t yours, Alpha? Because you seem so concern,” I said, standing now, meeting his eyes head-on.
His aura flared, the weight of his Alpha power pressing into the room. “No. I don’t know what the heck you are talking about. Hannah needs us, that’s why I offered our home,” he said firmly. “There’s no one else to take care of her. She’s carrying life.”
I clenched my jaw. “And that’s supposed to make me agree with this setup?”
He growled softly, frustration flashing in his eyes. “I’m not a monster, Zera. I won’t turn her away just because of your bitterness.”
My laugh came out like a blade. “Bitterness? That’s what you call it, Alpha?”