Nana Ashwick, the old nursemaid at her side, stepped forward. The sour undertone of stale dried herbs and tallow rolled off her in waves as she raised her voice for the crowd. "Bonded mate of Ferris Shadowmere, bearing pups for your mate is a she-wolf's most basic duty. You can't conceive yourself, haven't produced a single pup in years, and now our mistress carries the heir's flesh and blood. You ought to be on your knees baring your throat in gratitude, welcoming her through those gates with full ceremony."
"She's delicate. The young master never lets anyone cause our mistress the slightest distress. You stand there ignoring her, leaving her to kneel in the dirt. If something happens to the pup because of you, can you bear that responsibility?"
Whispers rippled through the crowd. I signaled Rosalind to draw back the curtain, then fixed a cold stare on the beautiful woman kneeling below the carriage. Something in her scent nagged at me. Honeysuckle and warm milk, sweet enough on the surface, but beneath it a thread of something overripe, like bruised peaches left too long in the sun. My wolf stirred, uneasy, hackles prickling along the back of my awareness. "How far along are you?"
Celeste answered with a demure blush. "This humble she-wolf was taken in by the heir nine moon cycles ago. The pup in my womb is eight moons along."
I looked at her with undisguised contempt. "So for nine moon cycles, the heir hasn't brought you into the pack estate. Why is that? Is your bloodline too shameful to speak of? Or is the pup not his?"
"If he truly treasured you, why would he keep you hidden away as a secret mate?"
The crowd murmured in agreement. It was a fair point. If a wolf truly cherished a she-wolf, he would have brought her before the pack and given her a proper bond long ago. Why wait until she was nearly due?
Celeste's eyes brimmed over, and she wept aloud. "Only because Celeste had to observe three years of mourning for her late father and could not take a mate during that time. That is the only reason it has been delayed. Celeste's virtue is beyond reproach. I am not that kind of she-wolf."
"Why must you humiliate me, my lady? Is it simply because I come from a lesser pack that I must be a she-wolf of loose morals? What do you take common wolves like us for?"
"She's right. This is too much."