Chapter 70

70 The next Morning

Mara

The next morning, we set out for breakfast in the right wing of the mansion. The atmosphere was calmer than expected, but the undercurrent of tension still lingered.

Lucian told me Tina was under watch-his orders. If she truly drank poison and endangered the baby, she wouldn’t be walking away from this without consequences. But deep down, I didn’t believe she took anything dangerous. Maybe something mild to slow her heart rate and make a scene. She was too self-absorbed to die for Lucian. What she wanted was attention. What she got was the opposite.

Lucian had been clear: next time, he’d let her die.

We arrived at the table, and Tiffany flashed me a knowing smile. I didn’t need to guess what it meant-everyone likely knew my heat had just ended. I avoided eye contact, choosing instead to focus on the glassware like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Darian was absent, and in that moment, I envied him deeply. Skipping this breakfast suddenly felt like a brilliant idea.

“Lucian, I must commend your effort,” Alpha Vander said, loud and unapologetic. “Being your first heat and all.”