Page 23 of Impregnated By the Alpha

“You’re out of line, Diana,” I said calmly. “I earn my own money, as you know, and these purchases are for Penelope. Nile specifically said I should take her out today. You really should think twice before disrespecting your luna.”

“Is that a threat?” Diana demanded.

“It’s a fact,” I replied. “Nile wouldn’t like hearing you speak like that to his mate.”

I hoped that my calm, no-nonsense demeanor would end the conversation. Instead, Diana seemed to take it as a challenge.

“His mate? Oh, please. You’re nothing but a warm body in his bed. Jana was his true mate and always will be,” Diana said unkindly. “I’ll speak to you however I please. I am the grandmother of Nile’s daughter, after all. And what are you? Just a guest in my family’s home.”

I could tell she was trying to goad me into having a reaction that she could use against me later, but I refused to rise to her bait. More importantly, Penelope was still sitting a short distance away. As much as I disliked Diana, I knew that Penny loved her. I would do anything to prevent her from witnessing an argument between us, so I chose to remain silent as she finished her tirade.

“It’s just a matter of time before Nile sends you back where you came from,” Diana continued. “And I’ll still be right here, keeping the memory of my beloved Jana alive. You have no right to be here. He’ll see that, soon enough.”

I took a deep breath and tried to center myself while I did my best to ignore the terrible things she had said.

“Always a pleasure to see you, Diana,” I said.

I turned abruptly and joined Penelope at the table. Diana scoffed behind me but didn’t follow me. As I’d hoped, Penelope was blissfully unaware of the interaction between us.

“Violet, you haven’t eaten any of your ice cream,” Penelope said. “It’s going to melt!”

“You’re right!” I said, matching her urgency.

I placed the bags on an empty chair and began to eat my ice cream. She smiled at me and took a big bite of her own, smearing chocolate across her top lip like a mustache. I smiled and passed her a napkin. Kids always had a way of helping to distract me from more serious matters, but even Penelope’s cuteness couldn’t get rid of the thoughts swirling in my head.

Diana’s confrontation had drained me. After the emotional high I felt yesterday with Nile and the peace of spending the day with Penelope, the subsequent low I was experiencing now felt even worse.

It was a given that Diana would always feel that her daughter had been Nile’s true mate, but what bothered me about her words was that I couldn’t be sure Nile didn’t agree with her. Maybe he also thought I could never measure up to Jana. Maybe I would never be good enough to be his wife and Penelope’s stepmother.

Last night’s date with Nile had been the best evening I had spent with him since arriving in Pinedale, but he had left the room when I had started to open up to him. Was it because he had finally decided not to pursue me? Did he realize that I was just a random she-wolf who had become his mate by happenstance? Was his attraction for me gone?

You need to stop thinking about things like that,I reminded myself.

No good could come of it. Our marriage was an act, but both of us had started acting a little too well lately. It was getting more confusing by the day, and I could no longer tell where the line was between my real feelings and what I was putting on for an audience.

Chapter 12 - Nile

The girls came home before lunch, laden with shopping bags and looking enthusiastic about their day together.

“Look at my dresses, Daddy!” Penny said gleefully, pulling them out of the bag.

“Wow, those are beautiful,” I told her. “You’re going to look just like a princess. Did you tell Violet thank you for taking you shopping?”

“Thanks, Violet!” she chirped.

“Why don’t you go put those up in your room,” I suggested.

Something seemed off with Violet, and I wanted to figure out what was going on inside my mate’s head. As soon as Penny left the room, I held Violet’s hand tenderly.

“Is everything alright? Was she a handful on your outing?” I asked.

“No, not at all,” Violet assured me, withdrawing her hand from my grasp. “She was perfect, like always.”

I wasn’t entirely convinced but decided to let it go for now. When Penny came back downstairs, I decided to see if I could cheer Violet up by taking them out for lunch.

“Who’s up for a trip to the diner?” I asked.

“Yes, please!” Penny said.

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