Until the photographer started asking for more intimate shots.

    “Alpha, could you ce your hand on Luna E’s stomach? We want to emphasize the pregnancy.”

    Alexander’srge hand settled over my belly, his fingers sying wide in a gesture that was both protective and possessive. I tried to ignore the flutter in my chest at his touch, the way my body immediately responded to his proximity, the bond flickering like a candle me.

    He was just ying his part. Nothing more.

    “Beautiful,” the photographer murmured, snapping away. “Now, Luna, lean back against him slightly. Like you trust himpletely.”

    My heart thudded violently, but I did as she asked and cautiously let my head rest against Alexander’s shoulder. I must have looked like a deer in headlights, because the photographer giggled and said, “No need to be shy, Luna!”

    “Here.” Alexander’s deep voice practically vibrated against my back as he tugged me closer, one handing up to stroke my hair.

    Goddess, I felt like I was going to die.

    But I would certainly die happy in this little lie we had built. Because for those moments, as the photographer snapped pictures of us in increasingly romantic poses, I could almost forget that it was all for show.

    Almost.

    Three dayster, the photos were everywhere, and we had hit our mark. The photographer had truly outdone herself, creating an image of a loving couple with an heir on the way. Before I knew it, the entire pack was buzzing with the news, and the incident in the hospital waiting room was exined away as early pregnancyplications that had been resolved thanks to my mate’s presence.

    And the pictures… They were everything the photographer had promised. Intimate. Elegant. Tender.

    Like a real couple in love and not… Whatever we were.

    I’d downloaded every single image to my phone and found myself scrolling through them at odd moments throughout the day. Not because I was narcissistic, but because looking at them felt like glimpsing into an alternate reality where everything I’d ever wanted was actually true.

    In the photos, Alexander’s eyes held warmth when he looked at me. His touches seemed genuine rather than performative. The way he held me looked like love instead of duty.

    I knew it was dangerous to torture myself this way, but I couldn’t help it. For just a few stolen moments, I could pretend that the tender expression on his face was real. I could let my silly little heart believe that when he’d whispered sweet nothings in my ear during the shoot, he’d meant every word.

    “E?”

    My head snapped up as Alexander stepped into the room. His eyes immediately flicked to the phone in my hand, where one such picture-one depicting us standing beneath the cherry tree, foreheads pressed together, fingers tangled over my belly-was on disy.

    I’d been staring at it. Again.

    Face flushing, I quickly shut my phone off and shoved it into my pocket. “Yes?”

    Alexander studied my face for a long moment without answering, and I fought not to squirm under his intense scrutiny. Could he somehow tell what I’d been doing? Could he sense my pathetic longing through our new mate bond?

    I’d tried my best not to show my emotions through the bond, of course. It hadn’t been easy,

    especially not with my wolf pining for that connection every chance she got, but I couldn’t let him see just how utterly and stupidly lovesick I was these days.

    me it on the hormones.

    Finally, Alexander stepped into the room, loosening his tie.

    “I just got off the phone with Liam,” he said.

    “Oh?” I sat up a little straighter, watching as Alexander crossed to the window. He looked out for a long moment, and the tension in his shoulders made my stomach sink. I braced myself for bad news.

    But then Alexander turned, and for the briefest of moments, a radiant smile flickered across his face. “He gave me a good score,” he said. “I’m advancing to the real election phase.”