Chapter b193 /b

    E & Alexander

    E

    I woke up on the morning of the coronation to find three women standing in my bedroom. I gasped, bolting upright and clutching the nkets to my chest.

    “Who the hell are you?” I blurted out.

    “Luna E.” One of the women bowed her head sharply while the others‘ faces turned red with embarrassment. “We’re here to get you ready for the coronation. Alpha Alexander hired us…?”

    Right. I almost pped myself in the forehead–damn pregnancy brain making me forget things. It wasn’t even seven o’clock in the morning, but I had to get started on my preparations for the coronation already. I forgot to set my rmst night,, too.

    “Sorry,” I managed with a small smile, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. “You just startled me, that’s all. Let’s begin.”

    The women, for their part, looked unfazed by my blunder. They just began setting up their styling tools and got right to work.

    For the next four hours, they washed and styled my hair into an borate updo, did my makeup, and picked out all of the right essories. It was actually kind of nice being pampered–they even painted my nails a pretty nude color that looked perfect against my skin, and by the time everything was

    finished, I felt like a more beautiful version of myself.

    But then they pulled out the dress, and my smile fell.

    The ceremonial Luna Queen coronation gown was… a lot. Heavy midnight blue fabric with intricate gold

    embroidery, long sleeves, a high neckline, and an enormous train. It was beautiful, sure, but it was

    massive.

    And even more than that, when they put it on, the fabric stretched tight across my belly. The gown

    clearly wasn’t tailored to a pregnant body.

    “Are you sure this will fit?” I asked, gasping for breath as one of the stylists struggled to fasten the corset in the back, her motions tugging me this way and that. “I thought I’d wear something tailored to my

    current size.”

    The stylists exchanged looks in the mirror. “It’s tradition,” one said, wringing her hands nervously. “Every Luna Queen for over a century has worn this exact gown for the coronations. If we were to tailor it… Well, bit /bcould permanently affect the garment.”

    I sighed and shook my head, forcing a smile. “It’s alright. I don’t want to alter such a historical piece. I just

    b1/5 /b

    hope my belly doesn’t tear it.”

    Finally, after at least twenty minutes of tugging and stuffing and holding my breath, they managed to fasten the corset withoutpletely restricting my belly. But when I turned to look at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but feel my heart sink a little at my appearance.

    “I look like a stuffed sausage,” I muttered, alone now that the stylists had left.

    “You look radiant, dear,” Lilith’s voice replied. I looked up to see her standing in the doorway in the mirror’s reflection. There was a soft smile on her face.

    “I look pregnant,” Iughed, smoothing my hands down over the bodice.

    b“/bYou are pregnant.” Lilith walked over and adjusted the neckline of my dress. “And you’re glowing. That’s my grandchild you’re carrying, after all, so be kind to yourself.”

    I blinked. “What?”

    Lilith’s hands stilled on my dress, and for a moment she looked almost panicked. “I… It’s a figure of speech, sweetheart. You know how much I care about you and the baby.”

    “Right.” I turned back to the mirror and nodded. “I didn’t mean to insult myself, it’s just… I don’t know. I guess I’m still getting used to the idea of carrying this baby inside of me. And it’s weird, seeing your body change before your eyes.”

    Lilith’s face softened. “Well, if it’s any constion, you’re going to be the most beautiful Luna Queen anyone’s ever seen–and your beautiful belly only adds to it. Alexander won’t be able to take his eyes off

    byou/b.”

    The mention of Alexander made my stomach flutter. We hadn’t talked much since our night together- he’d been buried in coronation preparations for the past three days, and I’d been trying to give him space

    to focus.

    But I was hoping that today, after all the pomp and circumstance was over, we might finally have a chance to figure out what we were to each other. Maybe we could have a discussion about what had happened and things could begin to move forward.

    It felt like the natural progression of things at this point–something had clearly shifted in a positive direction since our night of passion.

    Before I could say anything else, one of the staff members knocked on the door and peeked her head in. ” Luna? I’m afraid the Alpha has already left for the venue.”

    bMy /bheart sank. “Alreadyb?/bb” /b

    “He said…” The woman looked ufortable. “He said you were taking too long and he couldn’t wait any longer.”

    The words hit me like a p to the face. Taking too long. Like I was some kind of burden, some inconvenience that was holding up his big day.

    Maybe our night together hadn’t meant as much to him as I’d thought. Maybe he was already pulling away again, retreating back into that cold distance that had defined our marriage for five years.

    “I see,” I managed. “How am I supposed to get there?b” /b

    “There’s a car waiting for you downstairs. The driver will take you directly to the venue.”

    The car waiting for me was sleek and ck, but I didn’t recognize the driver. Usually, Alexander and I were driven by Gabriel, but I assumed Gabriel had been the one to take him to the venue. I smiled at the

    new driver as I approached.

    “Luna,” he said, opening the back door for me. “Ready to go?”

    Nodding, I gathered up my skirts and climbed into the car, trying not to think about how Alexander had

    left without me.

    The drive to the venue should have taken about thirty minutes. For the first fifteen, everything went smoothly. I stared out the window at the countryside, trying to calm my nerves and prepare myself for what was going to be a very long, very public day.

    But then the engine started making a weird rattling sound. Then there was a grinding noise. Then, with a final shudder, the car rolled to a stop on the side of the road.

    “Shit,” the driver muttered under his breath.

    “What happened?”

    He turned the key in the ignition a few times, but the engine just sputtered and refused to turn on.

    b“/bI think the engine seizedi,/ii” /ihe said, rubbing his hands over my face. “I’m going to have to call for another

    car.”

    “How long do you think that’ll take?”

    “Thirty minutes, at least.”

    I stared at him in disbelief. “But the coronation is supposed to start in twenty minutes.”

    The driver winced. “I’m sorry, Luna.”

    Sighing, I pulled out my phone to call Alexander, but we were in the middle of nowhere, so I had no signal.

    Great.

    Alexander

    I checked my watch again and frowned. We had fifteen minutes until the ceremony was supposed to

    start, and E wasn’t here.

    The venue was packed. Alphas from across the territories filled the massive stone cathedral, along with

    their Lunas and Betas and various other pack dignitaries. Everyone was ready and waiting for the event

    to begin.

    But my Luna was missing, and she wasn’t even answering her phone.

    I was starting to get worried.