In the bedroom, the silence was even worse. Marisol moved around the suite; drawing the heavy curtains and lighting the lavender candles. She looked at me through the mirror as she unzipped the back of my dress.
"You're hurting, Luna. I know I'm just the girl who scrubs the floors, but we've grown up in this house together. We're the same age. I see you like a sister... and it breaks my heart to see you carrying a mountain on your back."
I sat on the edge of the bed, in a silk robe with my eyes fixed on the flickering candle flame. "It's a burden too heavy for you, Marisol. Just... just do your work."
"Is it about the accident?" she asked, kneeling before me so I had to look at her. "Did the crash take more than just the little prince, Elowen? Did it take... your future?"
I looked at her, and for the first time in weeks, my vulnerability killed my secrecy. Maybe it was her age, or the way she looked so genuinely devastated for me, but the secret came spilling out like a wound that wouldn't stop bleeding.
I swallowed a sob. "Yes. My womb was destroyed, Marisol. The doctors... they had to remove it to save my life. I'm a Luna who can't provide a pack. I'm a failure."
Marisol gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She squeezed my knees. "Oh, Elowen... the pack... they wouldn't understand. They're so traditional. They'd be so cruel if they knew."
She paused and I watched her eyes dart toward the television. "Hold on. Let me put that on, so other wolves don't hear us."
I nodded.
She nodded back and continued: "But maybe... maybe that paper wasn't just trash."
She stood up and walked over to the TV, clicking it on. "Sometimes the world moves faster than the Elders want us to think."
The screen flickered to life. It was a late-night talk show, a medical segment even. My throat dried up as I recognized the face on the screen. It was Dr. Aris, the same woman who had treated me in the hospital… the one who had looked at Gideon with such discomfort when she told me about the "choice."
"...the future of every species depends on our ability to adapt," the doctor was saying…
"Surrogacy isn't just a human trend anymore. For high-ranking she-wolves who have suffered combat trauma or internal damage, or vampires who are incapable of conceiving, it is the only way to ensure their genetic line continues. It is safe, it is legal, and it is the new frontier of the supernatural elite. The Rogue King has been one of the biggest investors in this new medical frontier."
My jaw dropped at the stark coincidence. I could feel my heart thumping.
"The Rogue King?" I whispered, hugging myself.
"If even a man like him sees the value in it," Marisol whispered, leaning closer to me, "perhaps it isn't 'filth.' Perhaps it's a weapon. A way to win. Gideon is too noble to ask this of you, Elowen... but maybe you have to be the strong one. For the Goldbane name. If you did it secretly, he wouldn't have to carry the shame. You could save him. You could save everything."
I looked at the screen, swallowed by cold chills. I hated the idea. I hated the thought of another woman carrying my child. But Marisol's words were like a slow-acting venom, making my own hesitation feel like weakness.
If I don't do this, I lose my father's house, I thought. Gideon is too proud to save us. I have to do it for him.
"I'd be a fool not to listen," I murmured, watching the doctor's calm face. "Wouldn't I, Marisol?"
Marisol smiled comfortingly. "You'd be a savior, Elowen."
"Marisol, look at the screen! Do you see her? That's Dr. Aris. She's the one who… she knows my medical history. She knows everything." I whispered with desperate hope.
Marisol obeyed and inclined toward the screen, her eyes reflecting the blue light of the television. On screen, the doctor was explaining the genetic compatibility of shifter DNA with any type of surrogate vessels.
"It's a sign, Elowen," Marisol murmured, her hand coming up to rest on my shoulder. "The Moon Goddess doesn't give us coincidences; she gives us paths."
"But… Gideon would lose his mind. The Council would call it a desecration of the Alpha bloodline." I fretted, my fingers twisting the silk of my robe
"They don't have to know," Marisol countered. "The doctor is human. Her clinic is in the human city, just across the border. Humans live on NDAs and legal silence. They don't care about pack politics, they only care about bank transfers."
I looked at the television, then at the fireplace as if it were where the crumpled flyer lay. This wasn't just about a baby; it was about the Goldbane name. It was about making sure my father didn't die for nothing.
Nyla's voice suddenly reverberated in my mind. It was clearer now, stronger, and no longer the pained whimper from the hospital bed. "She might be right though. Gideon is a wet blanket with the personality of a damp cellar. If we wait for him to permit us, we'll be collecting dust in a retirement home for disgraced Lunas."
I nearly jumped. Nyla? You're back?
"I was never gone, love. Just napping. Healing is exhausting, and frankly, listening to your husband talk about 'budgets' and 'quotas' is a great sedative. But this? This is interesting. Let's go."
I took a deep breath, encouraged by Nyla's support. My wolf was probably trying to see me happy. "I need to go see her. Tonight."
"Tonight?" Marisol blinked, startled. "But the Alpha is in his study. He'll come to bed eventually."
"No, he won't. Not if he thinks I'm throwing a tantrum. Go to him when he finishes. Tell him I'm overwhelmed. Tell him I've moved into my father's old suite for the night because I can't stand to be in our room. He'll be relieved. He hates it when I'm 'difficult.'"
Marisol nodded, pressing her lips together. "I'll handle him. I'll make sure he stays in the west wing. But Elowen, ma'am… be careful. The world outside the walls isn't as kind as it used to be."
"I'm a Goldbane," I said, throwing off my robe. "Kindness isn't what I'm looking for."