Three weeks into my second marriage, the cracks begin to show.
Not in me—in everyone else.
Kael is distracted. More than usual. He snaps at servants, forgets meetings, stares at his phone when he thinks no one is watching. The affair is consuming him, and he doesn't even realize it.
Sera is careless. She lingers too long in hallways, laughs too loud at Kael's jokes, touches his arm when she thinks I'm not looking.
And Aldric is nervous. The grey man who's spent decades hiding his true nature is starting to slip. He watches me too closely. Listens too carefully. Like he's waiting for me to make a mistake.
They're all waiting.
I'm waiting too.
The first crack appears at breakfast.
I'm eating alone—nothing new—when Kael storms into the dining room. His face is flushed. His tie is crooked.
"Where is she?" he demands.
"Who?"
"Sera. Where is she?"
I set down my fork. "Why would I know where my sister is?"
He opens his mouth. Closes it. Something flickers across his face—guilt, maybe, or panic.
"She was supposed to meet me," he says. "To discuss the harvest festival."
"At eight in the morning?"
"It's important."
I don't point out that the harvest festival is months away. I don't point out that Sera has no official role in pack planning. I just nod.
"I haven't seen her. Try her house."
He leaves without another word.
I pick up my fork and continue eating.
The servants exchange glances. They heard everything. They'll talk. By noon, half the pack will know the Alpha came looking for his Luna's sister at dawn.
Good.
Let them talk.
I find Mira in the infirmary, grinding herbs.
"You're getting good at this," she says when I pick up a mortar and pestle and join her.
"I'm getting good at a lot of things."
She glances at me. "You heard about the Alpha?"
"I was there."
"He's not subtle."
"No." I crush the herbs with more force than necessary. "He's not."
Mira is quiet for a moment. Then: "Why don't you leave?"
The question hangs in the air.
"Where would I go?"
"Anywhere. Your parents' house. A friend's. The city." She shrugs. "You're the Luna. You have resources."
"Do I?"
She stops grinding. Looks at me. "You don't trust anyone, do you?"
"I trust you."
"That's not what I asked."
I set down the mortar. "I trust people to be who they are. Kael is a neglectful husband. Sera is a jealous sister. Aldric is a liar. My parents are cowards." I meet her eyes. "The only question is what I do with that information."
Mira doesn't answer.
But she doesn't stop helping me, either.
That afternoon, I receive an unexpected visitor.
Elara—Kael's mother—sweeps into the pack house like a storm front. Her grey hair is pinned up. Her dress is severe. Her eyes miss nothing.
"I decided to extend my stay," she announces. "The pack house needs supervision."
"Of course, Luna Mother."
She waves a hand. "Elara. We've been over this."
"Elara."
She studies me. "You're thinner than last week."
"I'm fine."
"You're lying." She walks past me into the parlor, settles onto the couch like she owns it—because she used to. "I heard about this morning. Kael looking for your sister."
"News travels fast."
"News travels when people are stupid enough to make spectacles of themselves." She pats the cushion beside her. "Sit."
I sit.
"You know, don't you?"
"Know what?"
"About Kael and Sera."
The words land like stones in still water. I don't flinch. I don't deny.
"I know," I say quietly.
Elara nods. Not surprised. Not angry. Just… resigned.
"I suspected when he was a boy. He has no self-control. Never did. His father was the same." She looks at the window. "I spent thirty years looking the other way. Pretending not to see. It almost destroyed me."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you're not me." She turns back to me. "You're not going to pretend. I saw it in your eyes the moment we met. You're planning something."
I don't confirm. I don't deny.
"I don't know what you're planning," she continues. "And I don't want to know. But I want you to understand something." She leans closer. "Kael is my son. I love him. But I loved his father too, and that man broke my heart a thousand times before he died." Her voice hardens. "I won't watch another woman go through the same thing."
"So you'll help me?"
"I'll stay out of your way." She stands. "That's the most I can offer. The rest is up to you."
She leaves.
I sit in the empty parlor, staring at the spot where she was sitting, and wonder if I've just gained another ally.
Or another person who will look away when I need them most.
Night falls.
Kael doesn't come home. His car is still gone. His phone goes straight to voicemail.
I don't call Sera. I don't need to.
I know where they are.
The old Elena would have spiraled. Called every number. Driven to every place they might be. Made a scene.
The new Elena pours a glass of wine and waits.
At midnight, Kael stumbles through the front door. His shirt is untucked. His hair is disheveled. He smells like Sera's perfume.
"You're awake," he says, surprised to see me in the foyer.
"I couldn't sleep."
He sways. "I was—meeting ran late."
"Of course."
He squints at me. "You're not going to ask where?"
"Do you want me to ask?"
A long pause. Something shifts in his eyes—guilt, maybe, or the first stirrings of recognition that I'm not the woman he married.
"No," he says finally. "I don't want you to ask."
"Then I won't."
I turn and walk up the stairs. I feel his gaze on my back. He's confused. He expected tears. Accusations. A fight.
I give him nothing.
Because silence is a weapon. And I'm learning to wield it.
In my room, I lock the door.
The floorboard comes up. The notebook comes out.
Kael spent the night with Sera. He didn't bother to hide it. Elara knows about the affair and has chosen not to intervene. She says she'll "stay out of my way." That may be the best I can hope for.
Aldric is still watching. I need to be careful.
Mira is solid. She'll help when the time comes.
The time.
I write the words and stare at them.
When will the time come? Not yet. I'm not ready. The evidence isn't complete. The allies aren't secure. The plan is still forming.
But the cracks are spreading.
And soon, everything will break.