My heart was a cold cellar, but for the sake of my pup, I had no choice but to play along. Somewhere beneath my ribs, my wolf lay flat and silent, offering nothing. She had not stirred since I'd heard the truth.
"Hadeon, what if... I'm just saying what if... you don't want this pup. I'll raise it on my own. I won't be a burden to you. Would that be all right?"
Something guarded flickered behind his eyes, but he forced a smile. "What are you talking about? How could I not love a pup you gave me?"
"Come on, stop overthinking. Let's eat."
I looked at the table laden with dishes and turned my head away. His scent was close, black walnut bark and iron filings and that faint sweetness underneath, and my wolf flinched from it like a burned thing.
Hadeon picked up a piece of blanched greens and set it in my bowl, his voice soft. "Just a few bites. The pup needs you to eat."
He looked so devoted. How could any of it be an act?
But I knew. All of it was a lie.
"I really can't..."
His patience snapped. "You won't eat, but the pup has to. Stop acting like a child!"
He seized my jaw, fingers digging in, and tried to force the greens into my mouth.
I wrenched free, but I understood his resolve now.