Chapter 159
Claire’s POV
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Ivan seemed hesitant to tell me anything, but I just kept my gaze on him, telling him without words that I wasn’t going to back down without some explanation. I’d been kept in the dark too long already. If we were going to be married, we needed to be able to communicate.
We were supposed to be friends. Friends didn’t keep secrets from each other, especially big ones like this.
Eventually, Ivan seemed to realize that I was serious about this.
“The Alpha King… George. He is my step–brother,” Ivan said.
My eyes went a little wide. “You never told me that.”
“It’s not something we share with a lot of people,” he said. “After moved away to start my own pack, we decided it would be best to downplay the connection.”
“But you are brothers…” I said, still in disbelief.
“Not by blood,” Ivan said. “I was taken in by his family at a young age. We were close at one point but not any longer.”
“What happened?” I asked. Now that I considered it, Ivan and the Alpha King would be about the same age. If they had grown up together, they must have been good friends. Yet, during this trip and during the banquet, they had acted like mere acquaintances.
Ivan didn’t even want to go to the banquet. For as long as I had known him, he skipped the Alpha King’s events, choosing instead to stay in his own pack, to isolate.
Ivan swallowed hard. “Many years ago, George and I fell in love with the same woman.” He looked at me. “This was a long time ago, before you ever came around.”
My conversation with Gideon sneaked into my thoughts. “Were you in love with the Luna Queen?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “In the end, she made her choice. And she chose George.”
“You left because you couldn’t stand it? Because you were jealous?”
“I left because she died.”
The statement hung in the air, heavy and pointed. We both seemed to allow it to sit there untouched, as if giving a moment of silence to the dead.
Then Ivan spoke again. “I was jealous she married George, but I loved her enough that I wanted her to be happy. I wanted to be near her, that was all, and to see her smile. But then she died. The world seemed to lose its shine. Colors dimmed. Birdsong sounded like shrill laughter. And George… He was the one who received the sympathy. As well he should have, certainly. But I was forgotten. I became a shadow in that place. So I left.”
My heart broke for him and all that he had suffered.
“That day changed everything for me,” he said. “But then I met you… Slowly, over these past few years, you have brought me back to life, leading me out of the darkness and into the sunlight again.”
I wanted to believe his words. They were such beautiful words. But the hurt in his eyes countered each and every one.
This man might be healing but he was not yet healed.
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14:56 Wed, Feb 4 GB.D.
Chapter 159
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And I still wasn’t sure that when he looked at me, he saw me. If truly looked like the old Luna Queen, maybe he was only seeing her shadow beside him where I should be.
However, I could tell that he wanted his words to be true. Beside the sadness was a desperation, and maybe that would be good enough. At least to start. We could build from that, couldn’t we? Our relationship could only grow from here.
Maybe someday he would say those words again and actually mean them.
“I understand,” I said.
“We can continue our engagement?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He exhaled long and slow, clearly relieved. Nodding slightly, he turned and looked out the window. I did the same, glancing out the other side. We did not speak again for a long time.
I had accepted the engagement, knowing in my mind that it was the logical choice.
Yet my heart told a different story.
I already had a few reasons to doubt this marriage. One was the lack of love. Two was the worry that I might be keeping Ivan away from any potential mate that might come along. And now three…
Ivan wanted me to be someone else.
But, no. He was moving past that now, and I could move with him. None of this meant that Ivan and I couldn’t have a future together where we at least were content. We didn’t have to be in love. We didn’t even have to be particularly happy.
Just content. Stable. That was all I wanted.
Everyone had a past, including me.
Gideon had expected this marriage to fail, but I would show him The desire to prove Gideon wrong helped steel my resolve.
I was going to marry Ivan. We were going to make this work. I didn’t care what Gideon thought.
Gideon’s POV
Hours later, Claire still hadn’t opened my message. Her lack of response made me annoyed. The way she was disregarding all of the concerns I had presented made me furious.
Even if she could accept Ivan as he was, surrendering herself to a loveless marriage where Ivan got to play out his fantasies of Lena, how could Claire put the children in a family like that? They deserved to see two parents in love. We were supposed to be their role models and their guardians.
I did not want my children to live in a house without love.
If Ivan only wanted Claire because she looked like the former Luna Queen, then would he expect our children to be some kind of stand–ins for those he never had with his lost love?
I didn’t want them exposed to that. In fact, the mere thought of it made me so mad, I could barely think straight. Meanwhile, Claire was just avoiding me. Avoiding the entire problem!
It wasn’t right. And I wouldn’t stand for it.
Before I knew it, my phone was in my hand and I was calling Claire.
14:56 Wed, Feb 4 GDB.
Chapter 159
For a phone call, at least, she answered.
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“Did something happen with the children?” she asked. The noise behind her on the call made it sound like she was traveling in a car. “That is the only thing I am willing to discuss with you right now.”
She was trying to blow me off again. That pushed me over the edge.
“You need to take my concerns seriously,” I said. She started to sigh, her exasperation clear. She wasn’t going to listen.
I was done. Just done.
So I snapped. “If you can’t do that, then I’m going to fight you for full custody of Nova.”
She gasped. She recovered quickly though, and started to growl. How dare you. You would do that to me because I won’t listen to you?”
“Because you don’t care about our children.”
“I care more than anyone!”
“Not as much as me,” I said coldly. “I will fight you for them, Claire. When I’m through, you won’t even be able see them. I’m not playing around.”
“You absolute asshole,” she said, a bite in her voice. “I won’t just roll over. I’ll fight for Leo’s custody myself.”
“You won’t win.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’m an Alpha.”
“I’m their mother.”
“Their mother who has been out of Leo’s life for six years. I’m going to get both children, Claire. You better accept that. And when I do, you will have no one to blame but yourself.”
I hung up the phone, confident my threat had hit home.
Only when I ended the call did I notice Nova standing in the doorway. Her face was red with anger. There were tears in her
eyes.
“I’m never leaving Mommy!” she shouted at me. “Never!”
AD
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