Page 20 of Abandoned By My Alpha Husband

Time crawled.

He's not coming, my wolf said, almost crying. I know, I said. The whole ceremony he looked at me like I was furniture.

My wolf whimpered. My heart sank with it. Lucifer. My mate. He didn't recognize me. And my son didn't know I was his mother. But at least now I knew his name—Liam. I'd heard his father call him that at the wedding.

My child.

The thought made my chest ache. Liam. He'd grown so much. Thick light brown curls stuck to his forehead. Deep gray eyes, just like his father's. When he ran onstage and grabbed Lucifer's leg, shouting "Daddy," my vision blurred. Thank God for waterproof mascara, or my tears would've run black. That was my child. The one I'd left at the guard station five years ago. The one whose tiny fist I'd had to pry open, finger by finger, from my own. The child I'd been searching for.

And he stood before me, threw mud at me, told me to go away, and called me the bad guy.

And I couldn't even explain. I was "the Gray daughter" now. A sudden marriage arrangement. A stranger invading his home. If I said "I'm your mother," would he believe me? Even if he did, then what? What about Lucifer? The Elder Council? A half-blood as Reserpine's Luna, with a half-blood bastard—if that got out, what would they do to Liam? I didn't want to think about it.

But at least I'd seen him. He was right there, alive and jumping and calling for daddy—and throwing mud, my wolf added bitterly, curling into a ball. But he's being taken care of, I thought. Dressed neatly. Round cheeks. Not hungry, not cold.

That loosened the cord I'd been wound around for five years. Just a little.

My child was alive. Healthy. Growing.

Even if he didn't know me. Even if he hated me. Even if I'd missed so much.

But he was alive. I still had a chance. Maybe one day I could make Lucifer believe I was his mate, Liam's mother. Even if we couldn't tell anyone, maybe the three of us could be together.

"I believe we can reach him," I said after a pause. "And Lucifer."

Yeah, my wolf mumbled, not enthusiastic but not quite defeated either.

I lay down and closed my eyes.

The next morning, I woke early. Changed into a clean dress—pale green, modest neckline, not too tight. Dignified. Quiet. Luna of Silver pine material. I pinned up my hair. The hallway light made me squint as I stepped out. I walked through the corridors and asked a maid where the kitchen was. She curtsied and led me through a maze of hallways to a door.

"What do you need, ma'am?" she asked, curious.

"I want to see the menu. Especially Liam's."

I needed to know what he liked, what he didn't. Did he pick at his food? That wouldn't do.

The maid brought over a menu. I studied it carefully. Every day was different. "His Majesty hired a nutrition team," the maid explained. "Every meal is carefully planned."

She wasn't kidding. Every meal varied, balancing protein, vitamins, and fats. Notes in the margins—make the food look like things Liam liked, like dinosaurs or airplanes. Don't overcook certain foods or they'd hurt his chewing development.

My heart warmed. My mate cared about our child.

Liam wasn't a picky eater either. Almost every dish had five stars next to it, wobbly and crooked—clearly Liam's handiwork.

I couldn't help but smile. Closed the menu and handed it back.

"And where's His Majesty?" I asked, throat dry.

The maid gestured for me to follow. She led me forward and pushed open the dining room door. My heart pounded.

Lucifer was there. Sitting at the head of the long table with black coffee and a stack of papers. Silverware lined up precisely on either side of an untouched plate. He wore a black casual jacket, hair not slicked back like at the wedding—a few strands fell across his forehead. He looked slightly... less like a statue than yesterday.

Even a little lazily sexy.

My heart raced faster.

Mate. My wolf inhaled his scent, almost greedily.