Chapter 4

{Alexander's POV}

“I want you to end our marriage and release me from the position of Luna.”

For a second, I said nothing.

My wolf surged against the walls of my mind so violently that my vision flashed yellow.

No.

The answer came from both of us.

My fingers tightened slowly around the glass in my hand. I set it down with care before my strength could break it.

“No,” I said.

“I said I want to end this marriage,” Seraphina repeated. Her voice remained calm. “I don't want to be your Luna anymore.”

Her calmness disturbed me more than tears would have.

“I heard you.” My voice remained low. “My answer is no.”

“Are you saying this because of Barbara?” I asked. “You are my Luna. Ending this marriage will affect both packs. You cannot use our bond as a threat because you are jealous.”

“This isn't a threat.”

“Then what is it?”

“I have a family too. My father has been missing for years, and my mother and brother need me. I can return to my old pack and build a life that doesn't depend on waiting for you.”

The thought of her returning to that family made my wolf push forward again.

When she tried to withdraw her hand from the table, I reached across and closed my fingers around her wrist.

“No one is stopping you from visiting your family,” I said. “But you are married to me. You are the Luna of this pack. This is your home.”

For one dangerous moment, I almost told her that I could not let her go.

The words reached the back of my throat and stayed there.

I remembered my father's body. I remembered the name in the investigation file. Caleb Fisher. Her father.

I released her hand.

“You are making this decision because you are angry,” I said instead. “Take some time to calm down. You will not feel the same way once this situation with Barbara has settled.”

Seraphina stared at me for a long moment.

In the past, she would have argued. She would have asked me to explain. She might even have cried and begged me to reconsider.

This time, she only nodded.

“I understand.”

She pulled her hand away and walked toward the restroom.

Every instinct demanded that I follow her.

I remained in my chair and watched until the restroom door closed behind her.

She only needed time. Seraphina loved me. She valued our mate bond more than anything.

She couldn't truly leave me.

Three years ago, after discovering that Seraphina was my mate, I received a call from the Pack's Safety Management Chief.

“Hello, my Alpha. Regarding the case of your father's death, we have a new suspect at hand.”

“Who?”

“Caleb Fisher,” the chief informed me. “We suspect he has something to do with your father's death, but the evidence surrounding this discovery hasn't been cleared yet. So, we can't say for certain whether he actually killed your father or not.”

My father's death was connected to Caleb Fisher—Seraphina's father.

The evidence wasn't strong enough to prove that Caleb had killed him. But it was strong enough to prevent me from trusting his daughter with my life, my wolf and my pack.

Rejecting my fated mate immediately would weaken my wolf and create instability in the pack. Letting the daughter of our main suspect return home while the investigation was open was also a risk I couldn't take.

So I married her.

The marriage kept her under my protection and allowed me to watch her family's movements while the investigation continued.

I never claimed her as my true mate because I couldn't afford to have the daughter of the man who might have murdered my father as my mate.

So, I used suppressants to create a fake mate mark between us and kept her in the Luna's Wing.

It was for the safety of the pack. And for mine as well.

I needed to uncover the entire truth about my father's death before I could fully complete the mate bond with Seraphina.

That was why I had asked her to live in the Luna's Wing.

Distance was supposed to make everything easier.

But every time I entered the Luna Wing, her scent affected my wolf. Every time she looked at me with hope, I had to remind myself whose daughter she was.

I told myself her messages annoyed me. Still, I read every one of them. I knew when she brought food to the main house, when she waited for me to return from a mission and when she stayed awake because I was injured.

For three years, her attention had always been there.

Now it had stopped.

She no longer asked whether I had eaten. She no longer waited for permission to speak to me. She had disappeared from the Luna Wing without telling me and had just asked me to release her.

The emptiness she left behind disturbed me more than it should have.

I told myself it was only because I needed to keep control of the investigation. I told myself my wolf was reacting because an Alpha did not willingly lose his Luna.

There was nothing more to it.

At least, that was what I wanted to believe.

Just then, another voice echoed through my mind.

“Alpha, I have some information regarding your father's death case.”

It was my Beta, Ezekiel, trying to contact me through our shared mind.

My eyes shimmered yellow, a sign that I had accepted the mind-link.

“You have some news on the case? What is it?”

“Alpha, new information shows that on the night your father was killed, Caleb Fisher also fled the city.”

My fists clenched.

“Your father was murdered shortly after two in the morning. Less than two hours later, Caleb Fisher's private plane left for North America. New airport records confirm that he was on board. He may have fled the country after the murder.”

The information made my anger increase. I wished I could get my hands on Caleb Fisher myself.

“Keep the investigation going, Ezekiel. And tell the team to tighten their research.”

“Yes, my Alpha.”

Just then, someone stroked my back in a seductive manner.

My body reacted before I turned.

For a brief second, I thought Seraphina had returned and touched me.

But when I looked around and saw Barbara, the feeling disappeared.

I stepped away from her hand.

Her eyes moved toward the bag on the chair beside me before she spoke.

“I didn't mean to interrupt your brunch with Luna Seraphina, but I just returned from the hospital. I needed to confirm the doctor's arrangements and security plans at the main house with you.”

“Take a seat, Barb. We will discuss it quickly.”

She dropped the prenatal examination results on the table. I picked them up to review the doctor's instructions. Then she moved Seraphina's bag to the next chair and sat in the seat where Seraphina had previously been.

I frowned at the liberty she had taken, but someone waved at me before I spoke.

It was Maria Thurlington, my very good business partner.

She walked over to our table, and I gestured for her to take a seat.

Maria hadn't even settled down when she saw the document in my hands.

“Oh, Alpha Alex. I guess you were so excited to discuss the baby that you almost forgot our meeting this afternoon?”

I looked down at my hand.

Only then did I realize I was holding Barbara's prenatal examination results.

Maria didn't know who my true Luna was.

She had probably seen me holding the prenatal results and assumed Barbara was my Luna.

“Congratulations, Alpha!” she exclaimed. “You must both be very happy.”

Before I could answer, Barbara moved closer to me.

“Thank you,” she said. “We just needed to make sure the baby was stable before we announced anything.”

The word *we* made my gaze turn cold.

Barbara lowered her eyes, but Maria had already drawn her own conclusion.

“I understand now, Alpha. The Luna and the baby should come first. You have such a lovely Luna as your wife!”

I set the prenatal results on the table.

“Maria—”

She suddenly looked toward the entrance and stood up with a smile.

“Alpha Alexander, meet my mate!”

The young man Maria called her mate was standing beside Seraphina.

My gaze fixed on Seraphina.

How long had Seraphina been standing there?