Chapter 2

Nathan:

I didn’t even remember her name.

Mia? Something like that… I think.

She had said it once, I believe. It was to introduce herself.

But she didn’t even matter to me for me to think about remembering who she was.

She knew what it was, a one-night stand, nothing more. I paid her to make sure the lines didn’t blur. Clean exit. No awkward text the next morning. No fake promises. Plus, it would save her the fuss of whatever horrible situation she was living through. I mean, if she believed that the life she was living was considered a life… well, she was wrong.

But this wasn’t personal.

It was a simple release… for the two of us to say the least.

But the faster she realized it, the easier the outcome was going to be. Whether or not she liked it didn’t really concern me at this point. I was just thankful for the way out. And she was satisfied as much as I was. I didn’t choose to satisfy myself alone.

The city was quiet when I pulled into the garage, the hum of the car echoing against the concrete. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling long and slow. The scent still lingered faintly on my shirt, her. Sweet, smoky… desperate.

Tania was going to smell it. But I couldn’t care less. She never bothered with it anyway. She was used to it by now. At least, that was what I told myself. Plus, it is not like the two of us were anything more than a man and wife on paper. A mutual benefit for the two families, and a mutual alliance… one that she was gaining more from than I was.

I walked into the apartment like nothing happened. Lights dimmed. The sound of heels on hardwood. She was standing at the kitchen island, arms crossed, red wine in hand, waiting.

“Nathan,” she said, clipped. “You are late. One would have, at least, expected a call to tell me that you were safe. You know, it is the subtle thing to do given the fact that I am your Luna. And I am not around the pack to at least entertain myself with the others.”

“You’re still up.” I tossed my keys in the dish and didn’t bother to look at her, ignoring her remark completely. “I expected you to have been asleep. I didn’t think that you would be staying up to wait for me.”

“I am your Luna, Nathan. I would wait for you to come home because it is the right thing to do. It is not some leverage aspect that you think that I can just ignore.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. “And I was alone, which does not seem to bother you.”

“You could have gone out if you needed entertainment, waiting for me wasn’t a must. And it is not like you didn’t know that I was going to be late.” I said calmly, knowing well that she would be starting an argument.

“I got worried about you.” She said coldly. “I do believe that I have the right to be, and I wasn’t going to go out on my own, in a place that I do not know.”

“You shouldn’t have. It is not the first time that I was late out, nor is it going to be the last.” I said taking a step away from her, wanting to get away from this conversation all together. “And if you are so worried about being alone, by all means, you can always go back to the pack.”

She didn’t move, but the sigh that slipped her mouth and her pinching the bridge of her nose told me that she understood that this conversation wasn’t going anywhere that she liked. “It’s two in the morning. Do you really find it difficult to remember that you have someone waiting for you at home?”

I shrugged out of my coat. “Relax. You need to fuss about something that I am often doing.”

“No,” she muttered, almost under her breath. “You are often coming home smelling like another woman too, aren’t you?”

I stilled.

The silence stretched.

“What?” I said slowly, voice flat.

She turned away, rinsing her glass. “Forget it. You have to go and get some rest, you have work to do in the morning. Weekend or not, you have made it a habit to work, daily, and late into the night too. It is like my presence doesn’t matter. At this point, I am actually wondering why you chose to have me come with you when I could have been at home.”

“You can always leave if you want. No one is stopping you.” I said, making her frown.

“Of course, I can. It is not like you are going to care.” She said, giving me a cold smile.

No. She wanted me to hear it. That’s why she said it.

But I didn’t rise to the bait. I didn’t feel guilty. I didn’t explain. Because whatever Tania thought we had, whatever label she tried to cling to, it was never love.

It was convenience.

She was polished. Presentable. The Luna the pack expected.

And I as an Alpha had my own mental state with her, she knew to keep it without a fuss.

But she wasn’t fire. She wasn’t temptation. She wasn’t the girl from last night who clawed at my shoulders and looked at me like she hated how much she wanted me, who looked at me like I was the one thing that she could have gotten lost into.

She wasn’t my mate.

And that, somehow, pissed me off more than it should have.

“Would you, at least, get something to eat? I had the maids prepare something for you for dinner.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest as she saw that I didn’t bother replying.

“I’m taking a shower, the food can stay in the fridge, there is no need to reheat it.” I said coolly.

“You have to make it a habit to eat.”

“I do.” I said, making her pinch the bridge of her nose. “You can go to sleep. Rest assured, I am not going out until morning.”

No apology.

No lie.

Just truth, the way I always gave it.

She didn’t say a word as I walked down the hall.

And I didn’t look back.