Chapter 0003

Iris POV

“What?” I asked, though I wasn’t any more shocked than I had been before opening the door.

Life had lost its context. This was just something on top of what had already occurred.

“May I come in?” she asked even as she strode past me with a whip of blond hair and whiff of expensive perfume. I watched from behind as she walked to the sofa, her long legs impeccably cased in black velvet pants and her top covered in wispy layers of purple silk. She set herself down.

“Do you have any coffee?” she asked.

“You’re going to marry Arthur?” I asked as I pushed the front door closed.

“Yes, and soon.” She looked smug. “At first, of course, when I heard he had some human lover he adored, I said no way, but then the situation was explained to me, and well, being Luna isn’t something one just turns down, is it?”

She frowned and looked at the armchair that so perfectly matched the sofa. “Aren’t you going to sit down?”

I walked over to the chair and sat. My feet felt a little numb, and so did my fingers.

“So,” she said the second I was in the chair, “he’s told me you’re pregnant, so obviously we need to talk about that. Also, do you have some sort of career you’re pursuing?”

“I think I need to talk to Arthur before you and I talk further,” I said.

“Call him,” she said with a shrug.

It was difficult to retrieve my phone from my pocket and dial Arthur with my numb fingers, but I managed it. It went to voicemail.

“I need to wait for him to see my number and call back.”

Selina snorted, looked at me with pity, and then pulled out her phone, which I saw she put on speaker after dialing a number. It rang twice.

“Yes, Selina?” Arthur’s voice asked, and my stomach sank. It was clear which of us Arthur took seriously.

“Honey,” she said, smiling at me in triumph. “What time are we going to see the engagement dress and rings tomorrow?”

Arthur sounded a bit impatient but replied, “Ten-thirty.”

“I’ve already booked the seaside mansion for the engagement party.”

“Do whatever you want,” he said, and I could see the expression easily on his face. “I’m hanging up.”

She made a little-girl face and spoke in a slightly higher voice. “Haven’t you told your little lover about this yet?”

“Her name is Iris.”

Selina raised her eyebrows at me as if to say I should be happy he admitted it. I didn’t care.

“And I told you, she doesn’t need to know.”

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll leave you once she finds out?”

“She needs my money.” Arthur’s response was quick and certain. “With student loans and a child on the way, how could she leave?”

Ah, I thought, and I found myself nodding as some things started to make sense, not the least was his offer of a million dollars to meet my “need.” That was evidently how he really saw me: not a future artist he was helping to meet her goals but just some gold-digging parasite. Did he think our child was a parasite too?

Selina was still talking into the phone “About the child, I’ve thought it over. I don’t want Iris to give birth before our wedding. It would be a scandal.”

“Forcing a woman to have an abortion is illegal, even a human one.” I noticed his tone was angry. He was probably worried people would find out and it would hurt his campaign. “Be careful you don’t end up in jail.”

So. Numb throughout my body now, I tried to make myself accept that Arthur didn’t want the child, and his only concern was avoiding legal trouble. I opened my mouth to tell him I was there and had heard every word, but Selina just made a kiss-kiss noise into the phone and ended the call.

“Well, I can’t force you, it’s true,” she said to me, “but you really need to scrape that thing out of you before it causes Arthur trouble. Besides, that my husband will have a human mistress is bad enough; I don’t need a child in the mix.”

She flung her hair behind her left shoulder, a well-practiced move. “Well, Arthur obviously doesn’t want to be the villain here, so as his fiancé, I will, but not heartlessly.” She laughed with a little trill.

“You’ll be living with us, I suppose, so the best story will be for you to be my assistant. I have one already, but another would be helpful.” She shrugged. “So, while I get a contract drawn up complete with NDA, get the fetus aborted and name your price.”

OK, even as a human facing an alpha, I had my limits about being humiliated.

“I’ll take a billion dollars at the end of the week to start, and then we can discuss my salary.”

Selina looked at me as though I’d peed on her shoe, which actually would be quite satisfying.

“I can’t get a billion dollars together in a week!”

I told her, “Then you can’t afford my child or afford me as your assistant.”

“This is ridiculous,” she announced, standing and flinging the strap of her Channel purse over her shoulder. “I’ll have Arthur deal with you.” In a few long strides of her legs, she left, slamming the door shut behind her.

Or rather, she would have, but I caught the door and called after her, “But don’t worry, I just want to talk to Arthur one more time. If Arthur really just wants to keep me as a mistress, I’ll leave soon.”

She didn’t bother to answer, probably thinking I was saying I’d leave to bargain for money.

I didn’t want money. I didn’t want some alpha woman smiling while she destroyed my life. I wanted an explanation, a conversation. I wanted to know my relationship with my fated mate wasn’t going to end so poorly.

But then Selina paused and turned with an even bigger smile than before. “You should attend the party this evening. There, you can talk to Arthur all you like.”

“Arthur said it was alphas-only.”

She laughed. “There will be plenty of your rank there, trust me.” Then she executed a perfect runway turn and walked toward a red sports car parked on the street.

I remembered the party would be at the Waldorf, so I didn’t have to ask anyone for the address.

Alone in the house, I bathed and shaved my legs and spent way too much time on my makeup. I had a very nice party dress in a red so deep it looked almost black, off the shoulder with a full skirt, a classic. I put it on almost defiantly, trying to find more strength inside.

I was going to a party, and I was going to enjoy it, damn it. I slid into my best shoes and called for an Uber.

The Waldorf was ablaze with lights and sparkling people. I went to the front door with my chin up and walked through the lobby refusing to make eye contact with anyone. At the door of the ballroom itself, however, I was stopped by a hotel employee dressed in red and black.

“Excuse me, miss,” he said. “Humans require an alpha escort beyond this point.”

That strength I had stoked up inside drained away. Even dressed to the nines, I was being rejected out of hand. I stared at his polite but distant eyes. He was an omega, it was easy to see. I wanted to touch him to see if he flinched from being sullied by a mere human like me.

This is Arthur’s world, I thought, something I had never thought before during all our time together. He thinks I have no place here. Maybe he’s right.

“Iris?”

A familiar voice called my name from behind me, and I turned in surprise.