The Alpha’s Plus Size Obsession novel Chapter 20

20-1 

Mary Ann’s POV 

I barely slept after hearing Modric’s truck leave the pack house. 

The roar of the engine had cut through the darkness, followed by the fading sound of tires carrying him farther away from me. I had stood behind my curtain for several minutes, watching the red taillights disappear through the gates. 

He wanted me to hear him leave. 

He wanted me to understand that nothing had changed after our kiss. 

By morning, I had forced the hurt into a locked corner of my heart. Modric could spend his nights wherever he pleased. He had made it clear that his personal life was none of my concern, and I had made it equally clear that I no longer expected affection from him. 

Today was not about being his wife. 

It was about becoming Ironclaw’s Luna. 

Greta entered my room shortly after sunrise carrying a formal navy dress. Silver embroidery decorated the neckline and sleeves, forming small claw marks mixed with crescent moons. 

“The council meets in an hour,” she explained as she placed it across the bed. “Alpha Viktor requested your presence.” 

“My presence?” 

Greta smiled. “You are the Luna.” 

From the hesitation in her voice, I could tell not everyone agreed with that statement. 

I changed into the dress and stood before the mirror. The fitted bodice hugged my full breasts and curved over my soft belly before falling loosely around my thick thighs. A few years ago, I would have searched desperately for a shawl to hide beneath. 

Today, I straightened my shoulders. 

Let them look. 

Let them whisper. 

I had spent too many years making myself smaller for people who would never be satisfied. Greta helped pin my curls away from my face before handing me a slim folder. “These are the reports Elder Mira thought you might need. The council will discuss the northern settlement today. 

I opened the folder as we walked. The settlement, called Hollowbrook, sat near Ironclaw’s rocky northern boundary. Nearly four hundred pack members lived there, most of them farmers, miners and retired warriors. 

Their stored grain was running dangerously low… 

A poor harvest had reduced their supplies, and the approaching winter would only worsen the problem. Several families were already skipping meals so the children could eat more. 

By the time I reached the council chamber, my nervousness had transformed into determination 

The large double doors stood open. Inside, a long black table stretched across the center of the room. Silver claw symbols had been carved into its polished surface. Twelve elders sat around it, dressed in formal dark robes. 

Alpha Viktor occupied the seat at the head. 

Kylian sat to his right. 

The seat on his left, Modric’s usual place, was empty. 

Every conversation stopped when I entered. 

Some elders looked curious. 

Others did not bother concealing their displeasure. 

I walked into the room with my chin raised. 

“Good morning,” I said. 

Kylian stood first. “Good morning, Luna.” 

Several elders followed reluctantly. Others remained seated. 

Alpha Viktor gestured toward an empty chair near him. “Sit, Mary Ann.” 

I had barely taken a step when an elderly man with narrow eyes cleared his throat. 

“Forgive me, Alpha Viktor, but this is an official Ironclaw council meeting.” 

“I am aware, Elder Gregor,” Viktor replied. 

Gregor’s gaze swept over me. “Then perhaps the new Luna should be excused. She has been here less than two weeks and knows nothing about our internal affairs.” 

Another elder nodded. “The alliance gives her a ceremonial title. It does not automatically grant her access to sensitive information.” 

My fingers tightened around the folder, but I refused to react. 

Alpha Viktor leaned back in his chair. 

“The marriage agreement is clear,” he said. “Mary Ann Sterling is Luna of Ironclaw. The position grants her full council authority, including access to pack finances, welfare reports and diplomatic  decisions.” 

Gregor frowned. “She remains the daughter of Mooncrest’s Alpha.” 

“And Modric remains my son,” Viktor said. “Marriage does not erase blood, but it changes duty. Her duty is now to Ironclaw as well as the alliance.” 

The emphasis in his voice ended the discussion for the moment. 

I took the seat beside him. 

Kylian offered me a reassuring nod. 

The meeting began without Modric. 

Reports were read regarding patrol schedules, repairs to the eastern watchtower and a recent increase in rogue tracks near the northern border. I listened carefully, writing notes in the margins of the documents Greta had given me. 

Almost thirty minutes passed before the chamber doors opened again. 

Modric walked in. 

He wore black trousers and a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hair was slightly disordered, and there were faint shadows beneath his eyes. He looked as though he had barely slept. 

The moment he entered, the bond pulled tight inside me. 

My wolf stirred. 

I forced my attention back to the papers. 

He did not apologize for arriving late. 

“Continue,” he ordered. 

There was an empty chair beside me, the one normally reserved for the Luna’s mate during joint meetings. 

Modric ignored it. 

He walked around the table and chose the seat directly opposite mine. 

A few elders exchanged glances. 

The message was obvious. 

We might share titles, but we were not united. 

I refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing my embarrassment. I kept my eyes on the report while Viktor summarized what Modric had missed. 

Modric leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. 

Yet I felt his gaze on me several times. 

Every time I looked up, he was studying someone else. 

“The final matter concerns Hollowbrook,” Alpha Viktor said. 

An elder slid several documents across the table. 

“The situation has become serious. Their food stores will last eight weeks at most. Less if the winter arrives early.” 

“How much grain can we redirect from the central storehouses?” Modric asked. 

“Not enough,” Kylian answered. “The festival and recent border disruptions reduced the surplus. Emptying the central stores would leave the rest of Ironclaw vulnerable.” 

“We can purchase supplies from Frostfang,” Elder Gregor suggested. 

“At three times the usual cost,” another elder said. “Their traders know we are desperate.” 

“What about hunting?” Modric asked. 

“The herds are already moving south,” Kylian replied. “Increasing the hunt would damage next season’s breeding numbers.” 

The elders began talking over one another. 

Some suggested rationing. 

Others proposed moving families out of Hollowbrook for the winter. 

That idea immediately caused arguments about housing, territory and the cost of relocation. 

I looked through the harvest figures again. 

The problem was familiar. 

Mooncrest had faced a similar shortage five years earlier after flooding destroyed several farms. My father’s agricultural council had introduced winter–root crops and converted unused grazing land into sheltered growing fields. 

It had not solved everything overnight, but it prevented families from starving. 

“I may have a suggestion,” I said. 

The room became quiet. 

Gregor’s expression tightened as though he had smelled something unpleasant. 

Modric’s gray eyes settled on me. 

I opened the folder. “Mooncrest experienced a comparable shortage several years ago. We developed a method that combines protected winter planting with controlled grain redistribution.” 

Gregor scoffed. “Mooncrest farming methods will not work here.” 

“Why not?” 

“Our soil is different. Our Winters are harsher.” 

“I am aware of that.” 

He looked surprised by my answer. 

I turned one of the reports around so the elders could see it. 

“Hollowbrook’s lower valley has the same mineral–rich soil found along Mooncrest’s western fields. It has not been used recently because Ironclaw grows most crops on open land. But the valley is surrounded by stone ridges. With covered planting frames, the ground would retain enough heat to grow winter potatoes, turnips and frostroot.” 

One of the elders leaned forward. “Covered frames would require timber.” 

“There is unused timber stored near the abandoned western mine,” I replied. “According to your inventory, most of it was intended for tunnel supports before the mine closed.” 

Kylian took the report from me and scanned it. 

“She’s right,” he said. “There are at least two hundred treated beams still in storage.” 

Gregor’s mouth thinned. 

“You have been studying our private inventories?” 

“The covered fields would produce their first harvest within ten weeks. The frames could be reused for several seasons. If Hollowbrook plants the full valley, the settlement would not only feed itself next winter but could supply part of Ironclaw’s central stores.” 

“How she became my wife is irrelevant. She carries the Luna title, and you will show that title respect.” 

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