A lot of things change when I stayed in the Alpha's room. My life is quiet but I feel caged.
Jacob had not left me alone since the night of the gathering. Which makes me feel more at ease in his presence.
If he wasn't in the room, his guards were. If I moved too far from the Alpha's quarters, someone shadowed me. Every meal was brought to me under his orders. Even when I tried to step outside for air, I felt his invisible leash pulling me back.
It was suffocating.
He claimed it was for the child. Always for the child.
But the way his eyes followed me—every flicker of movement, every breath I took—I knew it was more than that. He didn't trust me not to run. And he didn't trust anyone else to be near me. He thinks that someone might attack me and kill me. That's what I feel but I don't know why. It seems a dark shadows engulfing his mind whenever I leave his sides or went out from his quarters.
Tonight, however, was different.
"You will dine at the Alpha's table," Jacob announced that morning, his voice firm, brooking no argument.
My stomach twisted. The Alpha's table wasn't just a meal—it was politics, tradition, hierarchy. Only the Beta, Delta, Gamma families sat with the Alpha. I had no place there.
"I don't belong—" I started, but his sharp look silenced me.
"You belong where I tell you," he said, his voice like iron. "And tonight, you will sit beside me."
The dining hall was vast, its walls lined with torches that bathed the stone room in golden light. A long wooden table stretched across the center, already filled with chatter and the clink of silverware.
When Jacob entered with me at his side, the room fell silent.
Dozens of eyes turned toward me—some wide with disbelief, others narrowed with open hostility. I felt their stares burn into my skin, peeling away what little dignity I had left.
I wanted to disappear.
But Jacob's hand pressed against the small of my back, guiding me forward with quiet dominance. He didn't let me falter, didn't let me shrink away.
He seated me directly beside him, at the head of the table.
Gasps echoed down the hall. I lowered my head, wishing the ground would swallow me whole.
The Beta and his mate sat across from us, their polite smiles strained. The Delta couple kept their eyes on their plates, clearly uncomfortable. The Gamma leaned forward curiously, but even his mate whispered behind her hand.
And then… Selene.
She glided into the seat to Jacob's right, her every movement calculated grace. Dressed in a gown of deep crimson, she looked every inch the Luna candidate she had always believed herself to be. Her eyes, sharp as daggers, flickered to me and then back to Jacob.
"Alpha," she purred softly, her lips curving. "It's been too long since we've shared a meal together."
Jacob didn't eat here? then where did he eats when he is not with me?
Jacob didn't respond, his focus instead on filling my plate before his own. The action was simple, but the weight of it sent ripples through the table.
An Alpha serving anyone—let alone me—was unheard of.
Selene's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she recovered. She leaned closer to Jacob, her perfume heavy in the air. "The pack has been restless," she continued smoothly. "They crave stability. They crave… a Luna."
Her words were carefully aimed, her gaze flicking toward me like a blade.
Jacob's hand stilled on the table, his jaw tightening. "The pack has what it needs," he said coldly. His eyes slid to me, lingering on the slight curve of my belly. "My heir."
Heat rose to my face, humiliation and confusion tangling in my chest. I wanted to vanish, but Selene's dagger-like glare rooted me in place.
The Beta cleared his throat awkwardly. "A strong heir will indeed strengthen the pack," he said, trying to ease the tension. "Congratulations, Alpha. And… to the mother."
The word mother made my heart ache, a fragile warmth blossoming against the chill of the room. My hand drifted to my stomach, instinctively protective.
Selene noticed. Her eyes darkened, a flash of something cruel crossing her expression.
She shifted closer to Jacob, resting her hand on his arm. "But an heir needs more than blood," she said sweetly. "He needs a Luna's guidance. A proper Luna."
The entire table held its breath.
Jacob's gaze flicked to where her hand touched him. Slowly, dangerously, he peeled her fingers away, placing them back onto her side of the table.
"I don't recall asking for your guidance, Selene," he said, voice dripping with warning.
A hush fell over the room. Selene's jaw tightened, though she masked it with a smile. "Of course, Alpha. I only wish to serve the pack."
But her eyes burned when they landed on me, a silent promise that this was far from over.
The rest of the meal passed in tense silence. My food sat mostly untouched, my nerves too raw to eat. Every word, every look at that table was a battlefield I didn't know how to survive.
When Jacob finally rose, the others followed suit instantly. His hand once again found mine, pulling me to my feet.
"Come," he ordered softly.
I followed him out, my heart pounding in my chest. The eyes of the pack leaders followed me, heavy with judgment. Selene's stare in particular seared into my back like fire.
The moment the doors closed behind us, I let out a shaky breath. "Why did you make me sit there?" I whispered.
Jacob stopped, turning to face me. His gaze locked onto mine, sharp and consuming. "Because they need to see who you are."
My lips trembled. "And who am I to them?"
He stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. His hand brushed against my stomach, lingering with a possessive claim.
"You are mine," he said, voice low and dangerous. "And so is the child. They will never forget it."
His words wrapped around me like chains, heavy and unbreakable.
And in that moment, I realized the truth—Jacob wasn't just protecting me from the pack. He was binding me tighter to him, in ways I couldn't escape.