He set a plate down in front of me without a word. No sarcastic comment. No drama. No accidental smirk. Just the clink of porcelain and tension so thick I could chew it.
We ate in silence.
It was easily the most awkward meal we’d ever shared, and that was saying something, considering our origin story involved pretending to be mated under the watchful eye of a pack alpha with emotional flare-ups that rivaled a telenovela.
Roman finally cleared his throat. “Lucien’s been calling and texting. He wants to see us.”
I set down my fork. “Okay…”
“He knows. Or at least, he suspects. He said, and I quote, ‘You really thought I wouldn’t find out?’”
My stomach dropped. “Shit.”
Roman didn’t even flinch. “Yeah.”
For a moment, I couldn’t speak. I just stared at him, trying to decide if I was more furious or heartbroken. Probably both. “When were you going to tell me?”
“I just found out this morning.”
“Still,” I said, voice sharp with something that sounded too close to betrayal. “You should’ve said something immediately.”
He stared into his mug as if it held answers I never would.
The silence stretched again. I couldn’t take it anymore. My chest felt like it was caving in on itself, and my heart was screaming at me to say something.
“I didn’t agree to try again with Eric.”
That got his attention. He looked up, and something flickered in his gaze. “Okay.”
“
Okay? That’s all you have to say?” Why was he not relieved?
“What do you want me to say, Maggie?” His voice didn’t rise, but it cracked.
“Are you not happy that I didn’t say yes to him?”
“Well, you didn’t seem too eager to tell him no.”
“I don’t know what the hell I said. I was in shock, Roman!” I slammed my hand on the table, making my coffee slosh over the rim. “You think I’ve processed a single thing since we got fake-mated and then real-exposed and then real-humiliated in front of your entire pack?”
Roman’s jaw ticked. “So process.”
“I am! I’ve been trying to figure out what I want, Roman. You want to know the truth?”
He didn’t answer, but his shoulders tensed. But before he could speak-before I could say more-there was a thunderous knock at the front door.
I froze.
“Romanus, I know you’re in there. You’re avoiding me, but it’s time to face the music. Open the damn door.”
Lucien.
Roman groaned, standing with the posture of a man walking toward a guillotine. I slid off the barstool and gave a half-hearted shrug.
“I’ll go to my room,” I whispered. “Give you privacy.”
He didn’t stop me. I slipped down the hall and closed my bedroom door, cracking it just enough to hear what was said, even if it made me feel gross. I wasn’t proud of eavesdropping, but self-preservation won out.
The front door opened, and Lucien’s voice roared inside like a storm.
“You really thought I wouldn’t find out? Roman, you are a terrible liar.”
There was a pause, heavy with implication.
“I should string you up by your tail,” Lucien continued. “But lucky for you, I have a proposition.”
Now I was really listening.
“I need someone I can trust,” Lucien said. “Someone with backbone. Nicholas is knocking on death’s door. He’s been holding that beta seat together with duct tape and sheer spite. When he’s gone, I’ll need a replacement.”
There was silence, and then Roman’s voice, low and hesitant. “I knew he was sick, but I didn’t know he was dying.”
“Of course not. He doesn’t want anyone to know. But your time to shine is coming, Roman. I’m offering you your rightful place-if you can prove you’re ready for it. That means settling down with a real mate. Not a roommate.”
The silence that followed that sentence could’ve shattered glass.
“I don’t want to be told who to mate with, Lucien!”
I almost gasped. I don’t think Roman had ever stood up to Lucien like that in his life. My hand trembled on the doorframe.
Lucien chuckled. “Let’s wait and see what you have to say about my choice. Look who I found.”
I held my breath. Then I heard a soft, feminine voice.
“It’s been years, Roman. But I’ve never forgotten you. I would be honored to stand by your side.”
“
Willow?”
And just like that, my heart sank into my stomach. Willow. The girl who got away. His one and only real love.
I stumbled back from the door, my breath catching in my chest.
Lucien clapped his hands like a man who’d orchestrated the end of a chess match. “Let’s get going. We can discuss business on the way to the mansion.”
I heard Roman hesitate. “Let me check on Maggie first.”
“No time,” Lucien said. “You can check on her later.”
There was a long pause before their footsteps moved toward the door. My head was spinning. I couldn’t stop hearing that voice. That name.
And then the door closed behind him.
Leaving me alone with a fresh, brand-new crack in the center of my heart.
I wasn’t thinking clearly, which was probably why I shoved an entire drawer of mismatched socks into a duffel bag like I was preparing for war.
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