Pursuing My Rejected Luna by Cara Anderson novel Chapter 115

Chapter 115

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I’m in the kitchen, stealthily digging through the pantry for my favorite pregnancy snack of peanut butter and chocolate chips, when Mikhail finds me. He doesn’t comment on my armful of goodies, though I’m sure I catch the corner of the stoic man’s mouth turn up in a knowing smirk at the sight. But he quickly hides it away again before I can be sure.

Instead, he delivers a message in his precise, careful way. And it’s the last thing I expect him to say. My ex- husband, the man who professed his undying love for me after I left him, only to run back to my sister, is now bringing two council members here tomorrow for a formal inquiry. And there is only one thing left between us he has to question.

The tub of peanut butter and back of chocolate chips slip through my hold, hitting the ground with a thud as, I stare back at Mikhail. I’m not sure how long I stand there, mute, words completely failing me as I try to process what’s happening.

Then I mutter with remarkable calm, “He’s really doing this.” And run back to my room empty-handed, my appetite gone.

Nicolai makes it to my wing within five minutes. Mikhail must have told him what he told me because he’s already thought through the angles-I can see it in the controlled set of his shoulders, the way he balls his fist and clenches his jaw.

I hiccup a sob and the sound has barely left me before Nicolai is there, sweeping me into his arms. He carries me across the room, sitting on the edge of my bed with me in his lap.

“Shh, it’s okay.” He whispers, pushing my head into his neck where his calming scent is strongest while stroking up and down my back soothingly.

“I can refuse entry,” he breathes in my ear. “They have no formal jurisdiction here. Woolf territory operates under its own council structures. I have three lawyers who would enjoy making that argument.”

“Don’t.” I pull back to look at him and he scans my face, waiting for me to explain.

“If you refuse, it looks like we’re hiding something.” I keep my voice steady. “We let them come. We answer every question. We cooperate completely and courteously. And then we make absolutely clear it will never happen again.

“Skye-” He starts to argue, and I love him for it, knowing he only wants to protect me. But I can’t let him. Not

this time.

“I mean it, Nicolai.” The shock is subsiding and the fury is rising now. I can feel it, cold and precise, running underneath everything. “I’ve spent three years running from accusations I didn’t earn. I’m done. We open the doors. We stand in the light. And we let his accusation collapse under its own weight.”

He studies me for a long moment. “You’re sure.” It’s not a question.

“I’ve been accused of things I didn’t do my entire marriage.” My voice doesn’t waver. “I’m done hiding from it.”

What I don’t say what I don’t need to say because Nicolai reads me well enough by now-is that I also learned something from three years with Jaxon Vale. Cold fury is more effective than heat.

I spend a restless night in Nicolai’s arms. Even his normally steadying presence doesn’t stop me from tossing and turning. The baby flips and stretches inside me almost constantly, seeming to share my anxiety.

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“You’re accusing me of infidelity. Based on what? Cassandra’s word?” I let the name sit there. “The woman who faked a paternity test. Don’t look so surprised, of course Nicolai found out and told me. That’s the woman you let point her finger at me and you jumped to call the council.”

“The inquiry is standard procedure when-” His voice is shaky as he tries to defend his choice and it almost makes me feel sorry for him. Almost.

“Nothing about this is standard.” My voice is quiet. Level. “You know that. The elders know that.” I turn to Elder Patricia. “I was faithful to my mate bond every single day of my marriage. Even when my mate was not faithful to the spirit of it. I was faithful when he was cold and when he was cruel and when he put another woman in our home. I was faithful when I had every reason not to be and no one would have blamed me.” I return my gaze to Jaxon. “I will submit to any test this inquiry requires. So will Alpha Woolf.”

Now the ball is in Jaxon’s court.

The room holds its breath while we await his next move.

Cara Anderson Author

Thank you for reading!

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