The Sickened Luna's Last Chance novel Chapter 74

+25 BONUS

Chapter 74

Ella

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, warming my face and pulling me from a deep sleep. I blinked groggily, taking a moment to register that I was in bed, tucked beneath the covers and still wearing the black dress from last night.

I had no memory of getting here. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in the car.

Had Alexander carried me to bed and tucked me in?

The thought made my stomach flutter before I could tamp it down. I couldn’t help but picture Alexander carrying me, his arms strong and secure around my body, just as they had been that day Sophia had pushed me out of the hayloft.

Stop it, I scolded myself. It didn’t mean anything. He probably just didn’t want to wake me up. Or he even had Gabriel carry me instead.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder about him-and most of all, his promise from last night. Was he really going to stop sending money to my father, just because I asked? That would be… unprecedented. Alexander never broke contracts, especially not for my sake.

But there had been something in his eyes when he promised. Something soft and sincere. And the

way he had smiled afterward… I felt heat creep into my cheeks just thinking about it.

What was happening to me? One moment I was fantasizing about my freedom, about the day Alexander would reject me and my wolf would return, and the next I was blushing like a schoolgirl over a simple smile.

My feelings toward him were becoming more ambiguous by the day, and I hated it. It was dangerous for me to think like this. Alexander would never choose to mark me instead of divorcing me, and it was better if I didn’t let my imagination run wild.

I’d learned early on in our marriage that false hopes would get me nowhere. And with my current condition, they’d just wind up killing me in the end.

With a sigh, I pushed myself out of bed. I peeled off the black dress and tossed it in the hamper, then took a shower, dressed in comfortable clothes, and headed downstairs in search of Alexander, I wanted to ask him directly about his promise, but he didn’t seem to be home.

Finally, I found Lilith in the kitchen. She was cooking something on the stove that smelled delicious. “You slept late,” she said without even turning around, as if simply sensing I was there she’d always been good at that. “It’s nearly noon.”

“Where’s Alexander?”

“He left early this morning. Something about a meeting.” Lilith spooned some scrambled eggs onto a plate and handed it to me. “There’s coffee, too.”

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Chapter 74

+25 BONUS

I yawned and thanked her, taking my seat at the kitchen island. The eggs were perfectly cooked, just the way I liked them, and the coffee Belped with my mild hangover. I’d had more to drink last night than I anticipated the stress of the evening had made me need something, to take the edge off.

“Oh, and a package arrived for you,” Lilith added gesturing to a cardboard box on the counter. “Judging from the address, I think it’s that gift your stepmother was talking about last night. So far, I haven’t heard any snakes hissing inside,

I stared at the box suspiciously. Margaret had never given me a single gift before. And after her strange behavior last night, talking about sending a gift to “improve” my relationship with Alexander…

Setting down my fork, I pulled the box toward me and lifted the lid cautiously, genuinely wondering if it was booby trapped.

Instead, I found layers of tissue paper, and beneath that…

My mouth fell open.

“What is it?” Lilith asked, leaning over my shoulder.

I quickly closed the box before she could see. “Nothing. Just… clothes.”

Lilith raised an eyebrow but didn’t press the issue. “Well, I’ll be in the garden if you need me. There’s more coffee in the pot.”

As soon as she left, I reopened the box and pulled out the contents, holding them up with disbelief.

Lingerie. Several pieces of extremely expensive, extremely revealing lingerie. Black lace, red silk, sheer mesh-all of it designed to leave very little to the imagination.

What the actual fuck? My stepmother had sent me lingerie? The woman who had never given me so much as a birthday card had sent me… this

I immediately recalled her words from last night “I promise it will improve your relationship even more.” The implication was clear enough. Margaret thought this would somehow fix my marriage. As if sexy underwear was all it would take to make Alexander suddenly fall in love with me.

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