Page 8 of Ruthless Moon

Waiters bring us food. Wine.

“Are you excited about the wedding, Gen?” Aunt Kate catches my gaze. Her brown eyes are soft. She knows we both live in a world where men make all the rules. “How long have you been seeing Aiden?”

Fuck.What has my father told them?

“Yes, darling. How did this surprising alliance come to be?” Uncle Dave asks between calm sips of wine.

Don’t panic. Don’t show surprise. Don’t show fear.But I am panicking and surprised and fucking terrified. My father will make me suffer if I answer the questions wrong. And why the hell is Uncle Dave even here acting as if he doesn’t hate my father’s guts for this alliance? He’s pissed. I can feel it, but he’s playing nice...or trying to trap me into saying something he can use against my father.

I drink, needing the aid of liquid courage to shore up my walls. I try to wash down the growing knot in my throat, but it doesn’t move and I almost choke. I have no words. Nothing.

Anything I say will backfire. Anything I say will be wrong.

“We met randomly on the road, actually.” Aiden speaks up, saving me from throwing up in my lap. “Her car had a flat. I passed by. Stopped to help her. And it’s been a whirlwind since.” He puts a hand over mine where it’s resting on the table, trembling.

I know Aiden means it as comfort and a show for my suspicious aunt and uncle. I know the lies he just told were only to protect me. But my stomach still tightens more and another wave of nausea rolls through me. My father could still punish me for choosing to say nothing. I can hear the chains clinking and feel the cold steel around my wrists. The stink of sweat and piss in the basement is the only thing I can smell.I’m not going to make it through this dinner...

The steak might as well be a rock on my plate.

“Going to eat that?” Finn asks a second before his fork comes toward my plate from across the table.

Aiden launches from his chair and stands over me, both his arms on the table, one on either side of my place setting. Protecting me. The feeling is so foreign. No one ever protects me but me. “Leave it.”

“She doesn’t want it.” My brother isn’t used to being told no either.

“Leave it. You’ll treat her with the respect an alpha’s wife deserves. Are we clear?”

Brave, honorable man.It won’t last, though. My father will beat the courage out of him. And his honor will be stolen away with tiny slices. Each one so small he won’t even see he’s changing.

Finn doesn’t argue back again. He glances at our father briefly, but even dear old dad doesn’t say anything against Aiden’s claim. Just shrugs off his son and continues chewing his mouthful of steak.

Aiden waves down a waiter and instructs him not only to pack up my steak, but to make sure I have a serving of chocolate cake boxed to go as well.

Aunt Kate’s eyebrows rise slightly. She’s watching me. They all are. But I’ve played this game my whole life. My father is a cruel but genius political mastermind. I grew up with him. I’ve learned how to survive.

Damn Aiden for being so nice, though. If he were like every other male in my life, cruel and manipulative, I’d know how to respond. But with him, it’s different. He’s kind, and thoughtful, and it’s throwing me off-balance.

Not too much, but enough that it’s casting shadows of doubt.

But I can’t let my guard down, not after everything I’ve been through. My father has used feigned kindness before to lure me into a trap, and I can’t shake the feeling that this guy is up to something similar.

When Aiden puts his hand on my arm, I tense. I don’t want to flinch, but I can’t help it. The fear and uncertainty are too great. My heart races, and my breath comes in short, shallow gasps.

He notices my discomfort and pulls his hand away without a word. Bonus points to him with that small show of awareness.

“I understand,” he says, keeping his voice very quiet so the rest of the table won’t notice. Except he’s not used to the men at the table the way I am. He’s not used to my father.

“You understand nothing.” Spittle flies from the corners of my father’s mouth. His cheeks are red and his eyes spark gold from his wolf. “You don’t have to understand anything. Don’t let her convince you otherwise. She’s a snake in the grass and you’ll need a firm hand to keep her in line.”

The words cut deep, and my muscles tense. He’s rarely this mean in front of others. But his brother’s here and that always brings out the worst in him.

I glance at Aiden, strangely hoping to find some support or understanding, but he looks as shocked as I feel. He certainly didn’t expect my father to be so cruel and controlling. No one ever does.

“I expect grandchildren soon, Imogen.”

Bring more children into this toxic family?I want to scream and shout that I never want children. I never want him to touch them or see them or control them the way he does me. I’ll die old and childless just to spite him and save others from his cruelty.

But instead of making a scene, I continue staring at the tablecloth in front of me, arguing with myself inside my head over the merits of staying or fleeing the restaurant. But I know the only way I survive is to stay calm, keep my head down, and wait for the storm to pass.

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