Their Wife

Forty (Part 1)

A/N: Going forward, chapters will be divided into parts. The general length of updates will stay the same, I just won't change the ending of each update a little bit from what I had planned so it can be labeled it's own short chapter better. Book 2 has the same amount of updates as this one, but fewer chapters total.

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The chaos of the room faded as my eyes focused on the necklace. The snide remarks and petty comments made by the lavishly dressed men and women around me were of no concern, not when the gravity of the situation was weighing down on me.

I knew I would have faced consequences for Mia and Julia's lie, but not this. Whether Zev knew my origins or not, he had literally pushed me into a death sentence. All it would take would be them asking a few simple questions that I couldn't answer for them to realize I wasn't from here.

The shock must have been why I couldn't help but swing my wide, fear-filled eyes towards him when I managed to drag them away from the damning evidence the man in green was retrieving.

The man, who I hadn't realized I had expected so much from, was staring down at me with a blank face. He appeared nonchalant, but his pleasure must have been too great to disguise in full. The flash of mirth and the twitch of a smirk on his lips only made the sense of disappointment I felt grow.

It wasn't long before the other four men made their way to Zev's side. Jaxon sauntered up to his side and rested an arm on his shoulder as he smirked at me. He must have known. Cassius and Ezra on the other hand, might not have. It appeared as though Axel was unaware as well as he joined while eating a strawberry, but he didn't appear affected by the turn of events like the other two. No, he seemed to be looking on with interest, looking forward to how things would unfold.

Cassius was good at hiding it, but the jump of a vein in his temple and the set of his jaw was enough to indicate his anger and displeasure. The heated glare he sent Zev only served to make it clear.

While Cassius was angered by the surprise framing, Ezra seemed visibly distraught and fearful. The colour had drained from his face and he looked at me with panicked, wide eyes. Regret shone the brightest in the green depths just behind fear.

I couldn't help but give him a small, sad smile. He knew things were going to turn out well for me. I knew it too. Everyone around us did.

The noise in the large ballroom died down as the sound of heeled feet approaching sounded. The sharp sound resonated off the walls. The room seemed to be holding a collective breath as the owner of footsteps approached.

"My Queen," the green-suited man said, drawing my attention. He stood, bowed at the waist as he presented the necklace with two hands to the dark-haired woman I had spotted earlier. "It is indeed your lost necklace."

The woman cut her emerald eyes in my direction. They were as cold and hard as the jewel. Scanning me from head to toe, her expression that twisted slightly in distaste told me that I was a bit... lacking, in her eyes.

She flicked two fingers at the offered necklace, pushing it away. "It has been ruined. Have it harvested for materials," she flippantly said as her eyes leisurely shifted from me to the five men who stood behind me.

I choked back a gasp when the blacks of her pupils shifted into slits like those of reptiles. Her eyes narrowed on Cassius.

He stepped forward, his smooth movement didn't reflect the strain that could be seen in his jaw when looked at closely. He lifted a hand and placed it over his heart as he dipped his head in the Queen's direction. "My apologies, My Queen," he said, his deep voice as smooth as silk. His lips quirked in a slight smirk that was foreign on his typically cold, hard features. It felt surreal to witness it. My jaw couldn't help but drop, even with everything that was happening. "It seemed I've been providing my wife with the wrong jewels."