The Morning After

I barely made it back to my hotel room before the weight of the previous night began to settle over me.

The moment I closed the door, I leaned against it and shut my eyes. I could still feel Kael’s hand against mine, the warmth that had spread through my body when our skin touched, and the strange sense of recognition that had stirred inside me. Even now, with several floors separating us, my wolf seemed reluctant to settle.

I pressed a hand against my chest, hoping the familiar gesture would help me regain control of my thoughts.

It didn’t.

I had spent seven years married to Adrian without ever experiencing anything close to what I had felt with Kael. My wolf had never reacted to my husband that way, never recognized something in him that made my entire body respond before I could think. Yet a man I had met only hours ago had managed to awaken an instinct I had known about all my life but never expected to experience myself.

The problem was that I didn’t know what to do with it.

I crossed the room and dropped my purse onto the chair beside the window. My suitcase remained where I had left it the previous night, half open, with clothes spilling over the edges. Looking at it reminded me that I had walked out of my marriage less than twenty-four hours ago, and somehow, in the middle of all that pain, I had ended up in another man’s bed.

I wasn’t ashamed of what had happened with Kael. That surprised me more than anything.

For once, I had made a decision without considering Adrian’s feelings, his expectations, or whether my choices would inconvenience him. I had wanted something, and I had allowed myself to have it.

But one night couldn’t erase seven years of marriage, and a mate bond couldn’t tell me what kind of life I was supposed to build next.

I went into the bathroom, washed my face, and changed into comfortable clothes before returning to the bed. I needed sleep, food, and enough time to think without another person demanding something from me.

Unfortunately, Adrian seemed determined not to give me any peace.

My phone began vibrating on the bedside table.

I glanced at the screen and felt the muscles in my shoulders tighten.

Adrian.

I let it ring until the screen went dark, then turned the phone facedown and pulled the blanket over my legs. A few seconds later, it started vibrating again.

I stared at it, trying to convince myself that I didn’t have to answer simply because he wanted me to.

When the call ended, a message appeared.

Where are you?

Another followed before I could decide whether to ignore it.

We need to talk. Come home.

I let out a humorless laugh.

Yesterday, when I had confronted him with the truth, he had looked me in the eyes and insisted that his money was his business. He had dismissed my mother’s medical treatment as though my pain were an inconvenience, then blamed me for the distance between us. Now that I had finally walked away, he suddenly wanted a conversation.

I picked up my phone and typed a reply.

I have nothing left to discuss with you.

I hesitated before sending it, wondering whether the message would start another argument. Then I reminded myself that I was no longer responsible for making every difficult moment comfortable for Adrian.

I pressed send.

His response arrived almost immediately.

Stop behaving like a child, Sera. You can’t just walk out of your marriage because you’re angry.

For a moment, I simply stared at the screen.

I had spent years trying to explain myself to this man, choosing my words carefully whenever I wanted something he might not agree with. Even when I was hurt, I had worried about sounding unreasonable. Even when I needed help, I had tried to make my requests small enough that he wouldn’t feel pressured.

I was tired of doing that.

I’m not coming home, Adrian.

I placed the phone on the bedside table again and forced myself to lie down.

For the next few minutes, the room remained quiet. I began to think that he might finally have understood, but then another call came through.

This time, I answered.

“What do you want?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

There was a brief pause before Adrian spoke.

“I want you to come home so we can settle this properly.”

I sat up against the headboard. “We already settled it yesterday. You cheated on me, lied to me about our finances, and spent money on another woman while telling me you couldn’t afford to help with my mother’s treatment. What else is there to settle?”

“You don’t know the full story.”

“Then tell me what part of it I misunderstood.”

He exhaled sharply. I could picture him standing in his office or walking around the house, irritated that I wasn’t giving him the response he expected.

“Celeste and I made mistakes,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean seven years of marriage should be thrown away overnight.”

I closed my eyes.

He was still doing it. Instead of acknowledging what he had done, he was making my reaction the problem.

“Seven years of marriage weren’t enough to stop you from betraying me,” I replied. “Why should one night be enough to make me forget it?”

“You’re my wife, Sera.”

The words landed between us with an ugly familiarity.

For years, that title had meant something to me. It had meant partnership, loyalty, and the promise that neither of us would have to face life alone. I had believed it was a bond we both protected, even when things became difficult.

Now Adrian was using it as though it were a claim he could make whenever he wanted me to obey him.

“I was your wife when my mother needed treatment,” I reminded him. “I was your wife when you told me the business was struggling. I was your wife while you were buying Celeste things you claimed we couldn’t afford. Being your wife didn’t stop you from treating me like I didn’t matter.”

He said nothing for several seconds.

Then his voice hardened.

“Come home, Sera. We can discuss this in person.”

“No.”

“You can’t stay in that hotel forever.”

“I’ll figure out what to do.”

“And what happens when you run out of money? Are you going to come crawling back to me then?”

The question hurt, but not for the reason he probably intended. It reminded me how often I had depended on the idea of our shared future to justify the sacrifices I made. I had never thought of myself as helpless, yet I had allowed Adrian’s choices to shape so much of my life that the thought of starting again felt frightening.

I swallowed the ache in my throat.

“If I ever need help, I’ll find a way to get it without begging you.”

“Sera—”

I ended the call.

My hands trembled as I lowered the phone, and I sat there for a while, listening to the silence that followed. Part of me wanted to cry. Another part wanted to call him back and demand answers to every question I had carried for years.

Instead, I put the phone on silent and lay down.

I needed to stop allowing Adrian to decide how the rest of my day would unfold.

Sleep came eventually, although it was restless. I woke several hours later with a dull ache behind my eyes and the uncomfortable feeling that I had forgotten something important. For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was. Then I saw the unfamiliar curtains and the suitcase beside the wardrobe, and everything returned.

I got up, showered, and ordered breakfast from room service. While I ate, I opened my banking application and checked my balance. I had enough money to cover the hotel and my immediate expenses, but I would need to think carefully about what came next.

I couldn’t keep paying for an expensive room indefinitely. Eventually, I would need to find somewhere else to live, sort out my marriage, and decide what I wanted to do with the future I had spent so long building around Adrian.

The thought of all those decisions made my head ache.

I had barely finished breakfast when my phone rang again.

This time, it wasn’t Adrian.

The unfamiliar number made me hesitate before answering.

“Hello?”

“Is this Mrs. Veyne?”

My stomach tightened at the sound of my married name.

“Who is this?”

“My name is Daniel. I’m calling from Silvercrest Pack’s administrative office. I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’m trying to reach Adrian Veyne, and he listed you as his emergency contact.”

I straightened in my seat.

“What happened?”

“Nothing has happened to him, ma’am. However, there’s an urgent matter concerning a family meeting scheduled for tomorrow. We were informed that Adrian has been trying to reach you, and he asked us to confirm whether you would be attending with him.”

I stared at the half-eaten breakfast in front of me.

A family meeting.

Adrian had never mentioned one.

“Why would I be attending?” I asked.

There was a brief silence on the other end.

“Because you’re his wife, ma’am. Your presence is expected, particularly given the nature of the matter being discussed.”

I tightened my grip on the phone.

“What matter?”

“I’m afraid I’m not authorized to discuss the details over the phone. Mr. Veyne will need to explain that to you.”

Of course he would.

Even now, Adrian was allowing other people to pull me back into his life without telling me what was happening. I wanted to refuse immediately, to tell the caller that whatever business Silvercrest Pack had with Adrian was no longer my concern.

But I knew how these things worked. Pack matters could become complicated, especially when they involved family obligations and public appearances. Ignoring the call wouldn’t make the situation disappear.

“Thank you for letting me know,” I said carefully. “I’ll speak to Adrian.”

I ended the call and sat motionless for several seconds.

My phone rang again before I could put it down.

Adrian.

I answered, my irritation already rising.

“What is this family meeting you’re suddenly expecting me to attend?”

He sounded almost relieved that I had answered.

“So you’ve heard.”

“Answer my question.”

“It’s a family matter, Sera. I’ll explain everything when you come home.”

I stared at the wall, fighting the urge to throw my phone across the room.

“I’m not coming home.”

“Then meet me somewhere. We need to talk before tomorrow.”

I wanted to refuse. I wanted to tell him that he had lost the right to summon me whenever he needed something and that I was done letting him pull me back into a life I had finally found the courage to leave.

But the call from Silvercrest Pack had made one thing clear: Adrian wasn’t going to leave me alone simply because I had walked out.

And whatever he was planning, he had no intention of explaining it unless I agreed to meet him.

I took a slow breath.

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll meet you, but don’t mistake that for forgiveness. I’m only agreeing to hear what you have to say.”

His silence lasted just long enough to make me wonder whether he had expected me to give in more easily.

“Good,” he finally replied. “I’ll send you the details.”

The call ended.

I lowered my phone and looked toward the window, where the city moved on as though my life hadn’t fallen apart overnight. I had wanted one quiet day to myself, one day when I didn’t have to answer to Adrian or anyone connected to him.

Apparently, that was too much to ask.

I didn’t know what awaited me at that meeting, but I knew I couldn’t keep running from every problem Adrian brought into my life.

If he wanted to talk, I would hear him out.

But this time, I would be the one deciding when the conversation was over.