The Alpha’s Plus Size Obsession novel Chapter 22

My husband already belonged to someone else. 

Did the writer mean Ironclaw? 

Modric had made it clear that the pack came before everything. Before marriage. Before happiness. Before me. Perhaps the message was simply reminding me that his loyalty would always belong to his people. 

But the words sounded like they referred to a person. 

A woman. 

My mind returned to the wedding reception. 

I remembered the pitying whispers around me while Modric had disappeared. 

Poor Velvera. 

At the time, I had been too humiliated to question it. Guests had spoken her name as though everyone should know who she was. Someone important. Someone connected to Modric. 

Velvera. 

I repeated the name silently, searching my memory. 

It sounded familiar, but I could not place it. Perhaps she was a member of Ironclaw’s council. A 

relative. A childhood friend. 

Or the woman Modric had wanted to marry. 

My stomach tightened. 

I folded the message and pushed it into the folder holding my Hollowbrook documents. I refused/ to sit awake imagining my husband in another woman’s arms. 

He had never promised me affection. 

In fact, he had warned me not to mistake desire for it. 

Whatever Modric did when he left the pack house was his business. Investigating would only make me look like a jealous wife chasing a man who had never wanted her. 

I would not become that woman. 

The next morning, I carried the folder to my office and buried myself in work. 

The Unity Festival preparations had grown quickly. What had started as a small suggestion to bring the packs together now required food vendors, musicians, children’s games, ceremonial dances and security plans. 

The poisoning had not happened yet, but the tension between the two packs was already difficult enough. Some Ironclaw members refused to share tables with Mooncrest families. A few Mooncrest elders complained that the festival gave Ironclaw too much control. 

I spent the morning moving between meetings. 

By midday, my desk was covered in lists. 

Greta entered carrying a tray of tea and small meat pies. 

“You missed breakfast again,” she said. 

“I was busy.” 

“You were busy yesterday too.” 

She placed the tray directly on top of one of my papers so I could not ignore it. 

I smiled despite myself. “You are becoming very controlling.” 

“Someone has to make sure the Luna eats.” 

Her words brought the message back into my thoughts. 

studied her face as she poured the tea. 

Greta had worked in the pack house for years. If anyone knew who Velvera was, she would. 

The question rose to my lips. 

“Greta?” 

“Yes, Luna?” 

I hesitated. 

She looked at me expectantly. 

I could ask casually. Pretend I had heard the name during a council discussion. 

Who is Velvera? 

The words would be simple, but the answer might not be. 

If she was another woman, what would I do with that information? Confront Modric? Demand loyalty from a man who spent every day reminding me that our marriage was only political? 

I lowered my gaze. 

“Do we have enough servers for the festival dinner?” 

Greta nodded. “Kylian arranged twelve more from the western district.” 

“Good.” 

She waited a moment longer before leaving. 

Coward, a voice whispered inside me. 

“No,” I murmured once the door closed. 

I was not afraid of the answer. I simply refused to search for pain. 

For the next two hours, I focused on arranging the festival seating. The elders from both packs needed to be placed close enough to appear united but far enough apart to prevent old arguments. 

A knock sounded against my open door. 

Kylian walked in carrying rolled maps beneath one arm. 

“The final layout for the festival grounds,” he announced. “And before you ask, yes, I added more exits near the food tents.” 

“Good. We cannot have hundreds of people squeezing through one narrow gate.” 

He spread the maps across my desk. 

We leaned over them together while he explained the guard positions. I made notes near the children’s area and suggested moving the musicians farther from the infirmary tent. 

Kylian nodded. “That makes sense.” 

He reached across the table for a pencil. 

His arm brushed my folder. 

It fell to the floor. 

Several documents slid out. 

So did the folded message. 

My heart jumped. 

I bent quickly, but Kylian was closer. He picked up the note before I could reach it. 

His eyes caught the first line. 

Your husband already belongs… 

I snatched it from his hand. 

The movement was so sudden that he froze. 

For a moment, neither of us spoke. 

Then his expression hardened. 

“What was that?” 

“Nothing.” 

“That did not look like nothing.” 

I shoved the message back into the folder and gathered the remaining papers. 

“It is foolish gossip.” 

“Who sent it?” 

“There was no name.” 

Kylian’s easy manner disappeared. “How did you receive it?” 

“It was pushed beneath my door last night.” 

His face became even more serious. 

“Last night?” 

“Yes.” 

“Was this the first message?” 

I paused for too long. 

Kylian noticed. 

“Mary Ann.” 

“It does not matter.” 

“It matters if someone is entering the Luna Wing and threatening you.” 

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