Olivia’s POV


    I smelled it. I turned around, and there he was.


    Alpha Ethan.


    I nced at him, then looked past him to the low velvet sofa behind. Chole Windsor sat there, legs crossed, ss in


    hand.


    Her smile was gone. The way she stared at me her eyes shing with the territorial aggression of a she-wolf ready to defend her im – made it clear she would’ve ripped my throat out if she could get away with it.


    —


    That’s when it clicked.


    This wasn’t some coincidence. They were here together. Chole, Ethan, and their usual circle – people I once thought of as allies. This was their private little gathering. From the way they talked earlier, it clearly wasn’t their first. They didn’t even care to hide their rtionship. Maybe they never had.


    Ethan walked toward me.


    Behind him, the group scrambled back to life. One of them stepped forward quickly. “Olivia, we were just messing around-none of it was serious. We were just talking nonsense.”


    Another added, “Really sorry. We didn’t mean anything by it.”


    I didn’t respond.


    Ethan reached for my wrist.


    “Let’s go,” he said, already trying to pull me out of the room.


    I didn’t fight.


    Instead, I grabbed my drink and threw it in his face, a clear challenge in the presence of his pack.


    The room fell intoplete silence again. Someone gasped. I could hear the ice clink against his cheek as the liquid ran down his jawline.


    I smiled faintly, “Please, Alpha, continue enjoying yourself with your beloved. I won’t interrupt again.”


    Then I lowered my head, tried to pull my hand back from his.


    His grip only tightened.


    His face had gone dark. Without another word, he bent down, grabbed me, and threw me over his shoulder like a


    0.0 %


    13:18


    |


    sack.


    I kicked instinctively. “Ethan-put me down!”


    He didn’t respond.


    We walked into the hallway, and I struggled on his back, but Ethan didn’t loosen his grip. The elevator had just ar- rived on the floor. As he stepped inside and turned around, my upside-down view caught a pair of polished ck leather shoes. Then ck suit pants, long legs, and pale hands each finger slender, the joints sharp and defined.


    The air felt still. Quiet but awkward.


    ―


    —


    Ethan walked out of the elevator just as I looked up and met a pair of deep, steady eyes.


    Sharp and captivating.


    They held mine for a second too long. I looked away, suddenly embarrassed to be seen like that. Slung over Ethan’s shoulder like some helpless object.


    Suddenly, Yve stirred inside me, her instincts sharpening, the primal awareness of another strong wolf nearby spark- ing her curiosity.


    I didn’t know why I felt that way. But I didn’t like it. It unsettled me.


    Ethan dragged me out of the club and down the steps to his car. He opened the back door, tossed me in, and climbed in himself.


    My head spun. Being carried upside down and then thrown like that.


    He grabbed a wet wipe from the glovepartment and began wiping his face silently.


    Then he finally spoke. “Why were you there? You came to catch me, didn’t you?”


    As he wiped his cheek, I noticed something just behind the tissue box.


    A foil wrapper


    A condom.


    –


    gold, neatly tucked behind the tissue box.


    The sight of it made my stomach turn. I looked away immediately and reached for the door handle.


    “I’m not staying in this car,” I said.


    He pulled me back roughly. “Where do you think you’re going?”


    “Home,” I said, my breathing uneven. “I want to go home.”


    “Stop making trouble, Olivia. My patience is running out.”


    I didn’t answer. Just sat there, breathing hard.


    23.6 %


    13:18


    “Harold!” Ethan called out toward the club. “Drive.”


    Harold came out a minuteter, nodded, and got into the front seat.


    The ride was silent. I stayed pressed against the farthest side of the car, arms crossed, staring out the window.


    By the time we reached the house, I opened the door and got out before the engine had fully stopped.


    Inside, I went straight to the kitchen and poured a full ss of ice water. I drank all of it in one go.


    Only then did I feel something close to normal.


    When I walked back out, Ethan was sitting in the living room. I didn’t ask why.


    I sat down across from him.


    It was quiet for a while. Then he said, “I was there to talk business. A new project.”


    I said nothing.


    “You showing up and making a scene like that – it embarrassed me:”


    He kept going. “You looked ridiculous. Screaming, throwing drinks. Like a jealous shrew.”


    I stared at him.


    He looked back at me, like he expected me to deny it.


    “Is that all?” I asked.


    His brows drew together. “If you want our rtionship to work, you need to stop being paranoid all the time. I don’t have time for your insane suspicions.”


    I nodded. “Got it. Anything else?”


    He stared at me. “Do you know how annoying you are right now?”


    I stood up slowly.


    He won’t be annoyed much longer.


    I went upstairs, changed into pajamas, and got into bed without another word.


    He came up about an hourter and found me already asleep.


    After showering, he got into bed quietly. I turned my back to him and inched closer to the edge, making sure our bod- ies wouldn’t touch.


    That didn’t stop him.


    He hugged me from behind and yanked me back into his arms, rough and without a word. He was tall, his Alpha strength undeniable, the raw power of a pack leader. With barely any effort, he held me in ce, his grip unyielding,


    48.6 %


    13:18


    making it clear that resisting would be pointless.


    I spent the night stiffly, barely moving.


    By morning, I hadn’t slept at all. I went downstairs and made breakfast for myself milk. I sat alone at the dining table and started eating in silence.


    – toast, boiled eggs, a ss of


    Ethan came down a little whileter, dressed for work. He nced toward me but didn’t say anything at first. He walked halfway to the door, then stopped. A few seconds passed before he turned around and walked over.


    He leaned in close to my car.


    “This weekend,” he said gently, “let’s go out to sea. Just the two of us. Clear our heads a little.”


    I took a sip of milk and replied without looking at him. “Hmm.”


    That was it.


    On Friday, he broke the promise.Said he had to fly to London for a project. An urgent meeting, supposedly.


    I wasn’t surprised. I didn’t feel anything- – no disappointment, no anger. Just nothing.


    Maybe he hasn’t noticed we haven’t shared a meal in weeks. We don’t talk. We don’t go anywhere. We don’t spend time like people in a marriage – not even like people who live under the same roof.


    He


    says divorce is out of the question, but I already feel like someone who doesn’t exist to him.


    If I disappeared tomorrow, I genuinely doubt he would even notice.


    Over the weekend, I started moving books out of the study. Stacked them into a suitcase and took them to my new apartment. The ce was smaller. Simpler. But it felt like mine.


    While I was organizing the shelf, my phone rang.


    Melina.


    I hesitated, then picked up. “Hello, Luna Melina.” Ever since I married his son eight years ago, she still asks me to


    call her luna.


    She snorted arrogantly. “Come over now. We need to put down in writing what we discussed earlier.”


    I paused. “Is that really necessary?”


    She didn’t hesitate. “If I say so.”


    “Fine. I’ll go back this afternoon,” I answered.


    Yet, she wasn’t satisfied. “Come back at noon.”


    73.59%


    13:18


    Olivia’s POV