My mother, Luna Daria, stared back at me, stunned into silence, her pupils widening in shock. Around the table, the Shadow Pack family’s expressions darkened, their displeasure almost palpable in the air. They all understood perfectly well what I meant. This catastrophic mess was something the Blood Moon Pack never wanted to be dragged into publicly. We could have distanced ourselves, preserved some semblance of plausible deniability.
But instead, my mother had confirmed the affair, insinuating that our packs shared some long-standing connection-implying that Cira and I were destined mates.
Everyone present knew the truth: this was a calculated move by the Shadow Pack family, manipulating my mother to their advantage.
[This is ridiculous,] Kael snarled sharply inside my mind. [They’re setting a trap for us.]
“No one forced me to say anything,” my mother finally answered, her chin raised defiantly. “I just realized things have gone too far. Cira deserves official recognition. If you two want a proper mating ceremony, we have to control the narrative. This was the only solution I could see-I’m thinking about what’s best for everyone.”
I narrowed my eyes, remembering how only days ago, after the disaster at the charity gala, she wouldn’t even allow Cira to set foot on Blood Moon territory. What could have possibly changed her mind so quickly?
Before I could respond, my father, Alpha Claude, intervened. “What’s done is done. Stop blaming your mother and focus on what needs to happen next.”
Before I could answer, Cira’s mother seized the moment. “Exactly, Alpha Claude. Matters of the heart never fall on just one person’s shoulders.”
Her voice was dripping with false sympathy. “Cira may be impulsive, but Alpha Xavien isn’t innocent either. We can’t expect a young female wolf to carry this burden alone.”
She leaned forward, eyes sharp. “Besides, my Cira thought Celina was just an ex-girlfriend. She had no idea about this secret marriage. If anyone was deceiving someone, it was Alpha Xavien hiding his marital status.”
Her tone grew colder, harder. “This whole mess has shattered my daughter. Our pack’s reputation lies in ruins. Alpha Xavien owes her proper restitution.”
While my father mulled over how to respond, I cut through the tension with icy clarity.
“I will not divorce my wife,” I said firmly. “And I will never take Cira as my mate. Ever.”
The color drained from Cira’s face. The room’s atmosphere dropped to a freezing chill. Every person around the table stiffened, the forced smiles and polite chatter now painfully ironic.
Alpha Garvin stood abruptly and pulled me aside, lowering his voice. “Playing the devoted husband is pointless now. Celina hates you-and everything the Blood Moon Pack represents. There’s no chance for reconciliation.”
His voice took on a persuasive edge. “Cira is devoted to you. She won’t accept anyone else. Taking her as your mate would only benefit you.”
I kept my tone low but unwavering. “I’ll say it again: I will never take Cira as my mate.”
“You-” Alpha Garvin sputtered, frustration etched into every muscle. “You pursued her, and now you reject her? Don’t you have any conscience? She didn’t force you into this relationship! This isn’t noble redemption-you’re being cruel to both women!”
I met his gaze steadily. “I never said I wasn’t at fault. But I love my wife.”
Alpha Garvin fell silent, unable to argue against that simple truth.
Though we had kept our voices low, fragments of our exchange had reached the others. I returned to the table, my face a mask of cold resolve.
“The mating ceremony will not happen. That’s final. As for our business partnerships, I’m willing to continue them-but I’ll understand if you want to end our agreements.”
I glanced pointedly at my mother. “Let’s move on. We have other matters to discuss.”
Namely, the disastrous press release that was now trending across all of Denver.
The Shadow Pack family erupted in fury. Everyone except the stunned Cira and the conflicted Alpha Garvin looked ready to tear me apart with their bare hands.
“Do you think the Shadow Pack is some weak prey you can toy with?” Beta Gray snarled. “You think saying ‘no’ will make this all go away? Dream on! Either you make this right for Cira, or forget the project-our packs will become mortal enemies!”
“If your pack dares to retract the statement, we’ll make sure Celina’s family disappears from Denver completely!”
Their angry outbursts battered my ears. I noticed my father wince as if each accusation struck him physically. My mother sat frozen, her world seemingly crumbling around her.
I merely laughed coldly. “Do whatever you want.”
I didn’t bother to explain how Cira had drugged my drink that first night she came along with Alpha Garvin for “business.” How she’d seduced me, using every trick imaginable to get me into bed.
There had never been love between us-only a sordid, shameful affair that I now regretted with every fiber of my being.
The Shadow Pack family, having laid all their cards on the table and seeing my unwavering refusal, found themselves trapped. Canceling our joint project would hurt them financially. Declaring war on the Blood Moon Pack would gain them nothing.
The stalemate hung heavy in the room.
Suddenly, Alpha Garvin’s assistant burst into the dining room, her face pale and drawn.
Ignoring all protocol about interrupting such a sensitive meeting, she rushed to Alpha Garvin’s side, whispering urgently, “The Silver Peak Bank has frozen the second installment of our joint project loan. They’re demanding a full re-evaluation.”
Alpha Garvin’s brow furrowed in disbelief. “That’s absurd. Did you contact their secretary? What reason did they give?”
“I did,” the assistant replied, her eyes flicking nervously toward the tense gathering. Her lips trembled as she recited the explanation word for word: “Due to recent negative publicity surrounding the project partners, concerns have been raised about the potential impact on the project’s viability and loan repayment capacity. Therefore, a complete reassessment is necessary.”
Alpha Garvin’s face twitched with frustration and disbelief.
We all sat in stunned silence, absorbing the weight of this unexpected blow.
Xavien
Alpha Sebastian’s words hung heavily in the room, sharp and unsettling, as if he had glimpsed a troubling future. His insight was unnervingly precise-he seemed to know exactly how everything would unravel: that the marriage negotiations between our two packs would shatter the fragile chance we had to collaborate on business.
I observed Alpha Garvin, who was visibly shaken, trying to regain his composure. Our eyes met briefly across the room, exchanging a silent understanding. The stakes were high; if this project fell apart, both our packs would suffer severe financial losses.
“We were bound to this project from the start, whether we wanted to be or not,” Sebastian said, his voice steady but heavy with meaning.
I kept my face carefully neutral, unwilling to betray the storm of thoughts swirling inside me. Around the table, the atmosphere grew thick with tension, and the faces of both families turned solemn.
A harsh, bitter laugh suddenly cut through the silence like a blade.
Everyone’s attention snapped to Cira, who fixed her glare on me as she slowly stepped forward until she stood directly in my path. The sharp scent of her anger-bitter and acrid-filled the air, making it hard to breathe.
“What good is loving Celina now?” she spat, her eyes flashing dangerously. “She’s already moved on, crawling into Alpha Sebastian’s bed. Why else would he defend her so fiercely?”
[She’s delusional,] Kael growled in my mind, bristling at the accusation.
My features hardened, voice icy and unyielding. “There’s nothing inappropriate between them.”
I had my own doubts before, but after reading Celina’s conversation with Harlow last night and hearing Alpha Sebastian’s words today, I was certain. Still, a stubborn doubt gnawed at me: with Alpha Sebastian so boldly defending her at every turn, could Celina eventually develop feelings for him? The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth, one I couldn’t swallow.
“Do you really think she’s that innocent? That she wouldn’t cheat?” Cira pressed, noticing my hesitation. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, her jaw taut with barely contained fury.
I looked her in the eyes-really looked-and felt only cold contempt rise within me. “Wasn’t I the one who cheated? I own that mistake. But Celina was always faithful. I was the one who betrayed her.”
The weight of my own confession hit me like a physical blow. People only truly appreciate what they have once it’s gone.
My mate-the woman who gave up her dream career for me, who endured the harsh judgment of my family, who stood steadfastly by my side through our marriage-was brilliant, strong, gentle, never losing her temper. She was extraordinary in every way, yet over time, I had grown bored of her. How foolish I’d been, trading paradise for purgatory.
Cira’s face twisted in a grotesque expression as my words sank in. “So if she’s the good one, that makes me the villain? What about everything we shared? What was that supposed to mean?”
I stared at her with hollow eyes, as if looking at something already dead. “You tell me…”
Suddenly, with a piercing scream, Cira grabbed a knife from the table and pressed it against her throat.
Her family lunged forward in panic, scrambling to wrest the blade from her trembling hands.
I didn’t even glance back. I’d witnessed this same desperate act too many times in recent days. If she wanted to end it, that was her choice. I turned and walked toward the door, disgust etched across my face.
My parents rose silently from their seats, their expressions grave as they followed me.
“Come back!” Cira’s voice cracked behind us, broken by sobs. “You’ll regret this! You’ll definitely regret it!”
I didn’t look back, not once.
Now, everything-both personal and professional-was tangled in an impossible knot.
–
Author’s Note
Contrary to what Alpha Garvin believed, Alpha Sebastian was far from omniscient.
He simply understood Alpha Xavien well enough. Recent encounters had given him a clear picture of the man’s temperament.
Today’s actions, though tinged with personal feeling, were mostly strategic.
Alpha Sebastian had followed the logical path: Xavien’s behavior the previous night, combined with his mother’s public statement earlier today, made one thing abundantly clear-they were not aligned.
If anything, they were fundamentally opposed.
Knowing Alpha Xavien-fiercely independent and allergic to manipulation-there was no way he would quietly accept whatever scheme his mother had cooked up.
Alpha Sebastian didn’t need to be a mind reader. He only had to do the math.
Outside his office, Vice President Wiley and a group of senior executives waited like vultures, eager to pounce on any sign of weakness.
Beta Sawyer, loyal as ever, had tried to send them away with an excuse about Alpha Sebastian taking his midday rest.
But they wouldn’t leave, choosing instead to linger just beyond the door.
Rumors whispered that Secretary Celina had earned the rare direct approval of Alpha Yardley himself.
Wiley, in particular, took note. Hearing her name triggered a memory-a video a business associate had shown him during a golf outing, featuring Alpha Sebastian alongside Shadow Pack’s Alpha Garvin and Blood Moon Pack’s Alpha Xavien.
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