Page 34 of Abandoned By My Alpha Husband

Liam pressed his lips together harder. He hesitated, then trotted over and stopped beside my bed. Quickly, he placed whatever he'd been hiding onto my blanket, then ran off.

It was a folded piece of drawing paper, made into a card.

"Liam worked on it for a long time," the maid said, smiling. "He said it's for you, but he's shy."

I opened it. When I saw what was inside, I couldn't help laughing. The paper showed a crooked stick figure—huge head, tiny body, limbs just lines. The figure had long hair. Next to it was a flower with white petals and green leaves. The lines wobbled everywhere. The paint bled outside the edges.

In the corner was a line of words, written with obvious effort, like he'd just learned how—"Thank you."

And a little heart.

I stared at that flower for a long time. It was the flower I'd drawn for him on the studio floor. He'd remembered.

"What is it?" Lucifer's curious voice came from beside me.

I flipped the paper to show him the drawing. He looked down at it, then back at me, sounding puzzled. "Is this... you?"

"Yeah," I said lightly, holding up the picture. "I've seen him draw before. This is how he draws people—big heads, small bodies."

My smile wouldn't fade. Liam didn't reject me anymore. He'd drawn me a picture.

"You really like Liam." Lucifer watched me quietly for a moment before speaking.

"Yes." No hesitation. "Of course I like him. I'm his mother—I mean, I'm the Luna, so... naturally, I think of him as my own, uh, because I married you—" God, what was I saying?

Lucifer's expression froze for an instant, then he stood abruptly, sounding flustered. "I-I need to go to the study. Rest well."

He turned and strode out, shutting the door.

I covered my face. So hot. What had I just said? "I married you." It was true, but in that context, it sounded so...

I buried my face in my hands.

My wolf spun in circles, tail wagging. Don't be embarrassed, it snickered. Your confession was a little roundabout, but it was sweet. You made Lucifer blush.

"Stop..." I flopped back down, surrendering, and picked up Liam's drawing.

But my lips curved up anyway. They were starting to care about me. Accept me.

A few days later, I could get out of bed. The wound still hurt, but I could walk slowly without help. A maid draped a coat over my shoulders. I said I wanted a walk in the garden.

The sunlight was warm. Dew on the grass had dried. The air smelled of earth and leaves. I walked slowly along the stone path, my skirt brushing my legs when the breeze picked up. Cool.

Then I heard voices. Children's voices, several overlapping, like they were circling something. I turned past the corner of the holly hedge and stopped.

Liam stood in the middle of the garden, head down, fists clenched. Three children surrounded him, half a head taller, wearing Silver pine noble uniforms. They held hands, circling Liam, singing—I recognized the tune, but they'd changed the words.

"Little bastard with no mama, gray-eyed mutt with dirty fur, your daddy didn't want your mama, your mama was a dirty whore—"

Liam stood there, fists clenched, his small face burning red, lips trembling. He wasn't crying, but his shoulders shook. His fists clenched tighter.

"I have a mom!" he shouted, his voice cracking.

The kids exchanged glances. The leader pointed at Liam. "Liar! Lina isn't your mom!"

Then he shoved Liam hard.

I ignored the pain and strode forward.