She Knows Too Much.

Rebecca’s POV

My stomach growled as I crossed the university courtyard.

I stopped walking and pressed a hand against my stomach. I had left the apartment without eating breakfast because I couldn’t stand being in the same room with Davis any longer.

Now I was hungry, and it was entirely his fault.

Well, not exactly his fault. I was the one who had decided to run away instead of eating.

Still, blaming him made me feel better.

I headed toward the campus café, ordered a sandwich and juice, then found a seat beside the window. I had barely taken two bites when my mind returned to what had happened in the apartment.

That strange spark.

The moment my shoulder touched Davis’s, my whole body had reacted. My wolf had stirred, and for one embarrassing second, I had wanted to stay close to him.

I hated it.

In my first life, I had felt that same pull. I remembered the way Davis’s wolf reacted whenever I was near him, especially during the early days of our relationship. Back then, I had thought it meant something special. I had believed his attraction was proof that he had chosen me because he wanted me.

I had been wrong about so many things.

I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

I finished my breakfast, gathered my things, and returned to the apartment later that morning.

Davis was sitting on the couch with his laptop open. He looked up as soon as I walked in, and his eyes followed me while I dropped my bag beside the dining table.

“Good morning to you too,” he said.

I glanced at him. “It’s almost afternoon.”

“Nice to know you can tell the time.”

“Nice to know you can mind your business.”

He closed his laptop slowly. “Did you wake up this morning determined to argue with me?”

“No. I woke up determined to have a peaceful day. Unfortunately, you live here.”

His lips twitched.

I looked away before I could notice anything else about his face.

“What did Harper say?” I asked as I took out my notebook.

Davis’s expression changed. “How do you know about Harper’s call?”

I froze for half a second.

Of course he would ask that.

“I heard you talking on the phone before I left.”

“You were listening to my conversation?”

“I was standing in the apartment, Davis. Your voice wasn’t exactly a secret.”

He leaned back against the couch, studying me. “You heard her name, and you immediately knew she was coming back?”

I placed my notebook on the table. “You said she was coming to the university. Was I supposed to pretend I didn’t hear you?”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“And I don’t remember agreeing to answer every question you ask me.”

He stood up and walked toward the table. I kept my attention on my notebook, but I could feel him standing close to me.

“Why do you care whether Harper is coming back?” he asked.

I raised my head. “I don’t.”

“Then why ask about her?”

“Because I wanted to confirm what I heard. Now that I have, can we stop talking about her?”

He stared at me for a moment.

I stared back.

His eyes were annoyingly beautiful up close, and the faint smile on his lips made it worse. He looked like a man who was used to getting answers simply because he wanted them.

Unfortunately for him, I was no longer the woman who would explain herself just to keep him happy.

“You’re a difficult woman, Rebecca Browns,” he muttered.

“And you’re a very curious man, Davis Draven.”

“Only when someone is hiding something from me.”

“Then you must be curious about everyone.”

He laughed under his breath.

I hated that sound too.

No, that wasn’t true. I didn’t hate his laugh. I hated that I still noticed it.

Before he could say anything else, both our phones chimed.

I picked mine up and opened the university notification.

FIRST LEADERSHIP ASSIGNMENT: TEAM ALLOCATION AND PROJECT DETAILS

I read the message twice.

Finally, something useful to occupy my mind.

The assignment required us to work in teams on practical leadership problems involving territory management, security contracts, and disputes between neighboring packs. The teams would present their proposed solutions to a leadership panel at the end of the exercise.

I opened the attached team list.

Then I stared at the screen.

Team Three: Rebecca Browns, Davis Draven, and three other students.

I closed the notification.

Opened it again.

Same result.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Davis leaned over my shoulder to look at my screen. His arm brushed mine, and my wolf stirred before I could stop it.

I immediately moved away.

He noticed.

Of course he noticed.

“Interesting,” he murmured.

I turned toward him. “What is?”

“Nothing.”

“Then stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you know something I don’t.”

His smile widened. “Maybe I do.”

I picked up my phone and walked away before I did something stupid, like throw it at his head.

I called the program coordinator and explained that I wanted to change teams. The woman on the other end listened patiently before giving me an answer I didn’t want.

“The teams were selected according to the students’ different leadership strengths, Miss Browns. We won’t be changing assignments unless there’s a serious reason.”

“What if the students don’t work well together?”

“Then this is an excellent opportunity for them to learn how to cooperate.”

I closed my eyes.

Of course.

“Thank you,” I said stiffly before ending the call.

When I returned to the living room, Davis was standing beside the dining table, reading the assignment details on his laptop.

He looked up at me. “Did you manage to escape my company?”

“No.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“For both of us.”

He laughed again, and I hated how easily he did it.

I dropped into a chair and opened my notebook.

“Listen carefully,” I said. “I have no intention of allowing our living arrangement to interfere with my education. I expect you to take this assignment seriously.”

He pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down.

“I want the same thing.”

“Good.”

“But I have a question.”

I sighed. “What now?”

“When did I ever prevent you from making your own choices?”

The question caught me off guard.

I looked at him, and for a moment, I couldn’t see the young man sitting across from me. I saw the husband I had known in my first life, the man whose decisions had gradually become more important than mine.

His responsibilities came first. His family’s expectations came first. The pack came first.

And whenever I tried to tell him how I felt, there was always something more important waiting for his attention.

I remembered standing beside him at meetings, smiling while other people discussed decisions that affected my own life. I remembered how often I had convinced myself that being a good Luna meant accepting whatever he thought was best.

My fingers tightened around my pen.

“Rebecca?”

I blinked.

Davis was watching me.

“Are you going to answer me?”

I forced myself to look down at my notes. “You haven’t. Not yet.”

His eyebrows drew together. “Not yet?”

I had said too much.

I quickly gathered my papers. “Forget it. Just don’t make decisions for me during this assignment without asking.”

He studied me for another moment before nodding.

“Fine. We’ll discuss everything before making a decision.”

I looked up, surprised by how easily he agreed.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I said.

“You’re staring at me.”

“I’m wondering whether you hit your head this morning.”

He shook his head, smiling. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“For what?”

“For agreeing with you.”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t ask you to do me a favor.”

“No, you just threatened to make my life miserable before breakfast.”

“At least you remember something correctly.”

He laughed, and despite myself, the corner of my mouth lifted.

I quickly hid it behind my notebook.

His smile softened when he noticed.

For a second, neither of us spoke. His eyes remained on my face, and the teasing expression I was used to seeing disappeared. I had the uncomfortable feeling that he was trying to figure me out, and the worst part was that I wanted him to keep looking.

Then I remembered the gold ring on my finger in my first life.

I looked away.

“Let’s work,” I said.

Davis opened the assignment file. “Agreed.”

Our team had been given a case involving a powerful pack attempting to impose new conditions on a smaller partner. The stronger pack controlled most of the security routes in the region and wanted to increase its share of the profits while demanding more protection from the smaller pack.

At first glance, the arrangement seemed reasonable.

I read the proposed agreement again.

Then I frowned.

“This won’t work.”

Davis looked up from his notes. “Why not?”

“The smaller pack is being asked to pay more while receiving less control over the security routes. If they accept this agreement, they’ll become dependent on the stronger pack for almost everything.”

“That’s the point of a negotiation,” he replied. “The stronger pack has more resources. They can demand better terms.”

“Better terms for themselves, you mean.”

He leaned back in his chair. “What would you suggest?”

I turned my notebook toward him and pointed to the figures.

“Keep the security contract, but divide the costs according to the routes each pack actually uses. Give the smaller pack a fixed share of the profits and a say in any future changes. The stronger pack still earns money, but the smaller one doesn’t have to surrender its independence to survive.”

Davis glanced at my notes.

“And what happens if the smaller pack can’t meet its financial obligations?”

“Then they renegotiate based on actual losses, not demands made by the stronger pack before the agreement even begins.”

He tapped his fingers against the table. “You’re assuming the stronger pack will accept that.”

“I’m assuming they want a stable partner instead of an angry one.”

“Anger doesn’t always affect business.”

“No, but resentment does. A smaller pack that feels cheated will eventually look for another partner. Then the stronger pack loses the routes, the profits, and the security agreement it wanted to protect.”

I turned another page and showed him the alternative figures.

“You can force someone to accept a bad deal once. You can’t expect them to remain loyal to it forever.”

Davis went quiet.

I waited for him to argue, but he picked up my notes and read them again.

Then he looked at me.

“How did you come up with this?”

I frowned. “By reading the case?”

“Most people would have focused on how much the stronger pack could gain.”

“Then most people would have missed the problem.”

One of our teammates, a tall young Alpha named Kieran, pulled his chair closer.

“She’s right,” he said after reading my proposal. “The smaller pack would have no reason to remain in the agreement if another partner offered them fairer terms.”

Another teammate nodded.

I explained the remaining figures, pointing out where the costs could be reduced without weakening the security arrangement. Davis challenged two of my assumptions, and I defended them with the numbers in front of us. We went back and forth until the others began adding their own suggestions.

For the first time that morning, working with him didn’t feel like a punishment.

He listened when I spoke. He questioned my reasoning instead of dismissing it, and when I pointed out a weakness in his argument, he didn’t pretend I was wrong just because I disagreed with him.

It was frustratingly easy to work with him.

When we finished, Davis studied the revised proposal before closing the file.

“This is the solution we’ll present.”

I nodded. “Good.”

He turned toward the others. “Rebecca will present it to the leadership panel.”

My head snapped up.

“What?”

He looked at me. “You developed the main argument. You should present it.”

I stared at him, my pen still between my fingers.

“You could have asked me first.”

His expression shifted. “Would you have said no?”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?”

I pushed my chair back and stood.

“The point is that you don’t get to decide what I should do just because you think it’s a good idea.”

Davis stood too. For a moment, we faced each other across the table, close enough that I could see the confusion in his eyes.

“I’m not trying to control you, Rebecca,” he said quietly. “I thought you would want the opportunity.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

Because that was exactly what made him dangerous.

The Davis I remembered had rarely asked what I wanted. But the man standing in front of me had listened to my arguments, respected my intelligence, and offered me an opportunity because he believed I deserved it.

My wolf stirred at the sound of his voice.

I hated how much I wanted to believe this version of him was real.

I gathered my notes and looked him directly in the eyes.

“Next time, ask me first.”

He held my gaze for a moment before nodding.

“All right, Rebecca. Next time, I’ll ask.”

I turned away before he could see how much those words affected me.

Because if I wasn’t careful, I might start falling for him all over again.