Chapter 5

Myron strolls into the room past the other three men, his lips on the verge of a smile but his eyes setting off sparks of anger.

The man beside me wakes up too and looks at Myron, he gasps, “Shit…Emerald, who are these people?”

His mop of dark hair falls over his left gray eyes and he brushes it off, glancing at me. He pulls the soft silky covers over his lean, ribbed abdomen and gives me a questioning look again. “Emerald?”

“Who the hell are you?” I snap, pulling away from him.

He replies, “What?” his forehead creases.

Eli sighs, an embarrassed hand covering his face as he leans against the open door. The name of the situation hits me instantly like brick fresh out of the kiln: I've just committed adultery.

Myron's angry eyes fall on the succulence of my cleavage, a disgusting twist of his lips tells me all I need to know: he believes I'm guilty of this grave sin.

Who wouldn't? My dress is a clump on the floor, along with my boots, caked with mud—mud? I must be far from my home. And I'm stark naked with a swashbuckling guy, his male member poking at the covers.

I'm cooked.

Myron picks my dress off the floor, looks at it hatefully, then at Eli and Cliff who've been gazing out the window since they arrived.

“Look, Eli, look what my wife does every time she leaves our home.” His tone climbs, a gravelly growl as he glares back at me. “You whore!”

“Myron, please,” Eli says, grabbing my husband's hand before he grabs my neck. “Myron, let me handle this…”

Cliff, Myron's beta, grabs him too, together they pull him into the living room of the strange house. The man I'm supposed to have slept with doesn't even look familiar.

“Who are you?” I blubber, hot, flustering tears threatening to fall as I rush out of the bed and grab my clothes. “How did I get here?”

He winks at me. “We had a nice time.”

My flailing nerves harden immediately and a lava-hot rage bursts from within me. Jumping across the bed, claws out and teeth bared, I clutched at the strange man's thin neck.

“I wouldn't let you touch me if I was a whore!” I cried through gritted teeth. “Who are you!”

The man smiles even as his eyes bulge and he chokes under the strain of my grip. He makes no attempt to stop me as I raise my claws in the air, about to rip his head off for I discern he's a low tier werewolf, a wimp. Which makes me even madder.

“No, Emerald!” cries Eli's voice. He grabs my hand, pulling me off the helpless man. “It is pointless.”

“Pointless? What're you talking about?”

“It's done, Emerald. I'm sorry.”

I stumble past him into the living room but Myron and his beta are gone so I reel back at Eli who's leaning against the door, a calm stare on his face.

“I didn't do anything, Eli—”

“Myron doesn't think so.”

“You've got to believe me—”

The strange man comes pushing past Eli with a look on his face like a car salesman who's just made the deal of his life. He is buttoning the sleeve of a starched powder blue chambray worn over dark pants with creases so sharp they could cut skin.

I lunge at this fellow again but Eli catches me again. He shakes his head. “It's not worth it,” he whispers. To the strange fellow he barks, “Leave. Now.”

The man strolls to the door and without as much as a goodbye, exits the house. I get a glimpse of a weed strewn lawn outside, a bright day and trees dancing to the gentle song of winds.

Hot tears stream down my cheeks and wipe them with the back of my hand as Eli guides me to a lone chair by the window. He pulls another chair from the corner of the room and sits too. The gentle breeze brings the sound of engines floating from outside as a car leaves.

“What are you going to do?”

“What did he say?” I sniffle at Eli. “What'd Myron say?”

He shakes his head. “He said enough, Emerald.”

Of course. The pretext to end our turbulent marriage is finally served on a platter. I bury my face in my palms and try to remember how I got here—no, not how my marriage got here, but how I arrived at this house.

One minute I was walking away from the institute where I had the DNA test made, and the next I—

Grimacing, I feel around the back of my head and wince.

“Are you okay?” Eli asks, light green eyes bore into mine, his handsome face gloomy with worry. He starts to reach his hands to my face but holds back immediately.

I look sharply at Eli. “I’ve been set up.”

“Emerald…”

“It's true, Eli. I have to see Myron. He has to believe me. Someone attacked me at the Baymont Institute.”

“What were you doing out there?”

“I, I, it doesn't matter.” I jump out of the chair and head for the door. “I have to get home. Eli?”

He doesn't move his handsome bulk out of his chair. From there he gazes at me with pained eyes.

“I don't think it would be wise to do that. Our pack’s laws are clear on what follows in these circumstances.”

“But I didn't do it. I don't even know that guy,” I cry, gesturing at the grasses outside. “Eli, if anything, I should be divorcing him.”

“What are you talking about?” I begin opening my mouth but he cuts me off and adds rather brusquely, “Look, I'll drive you back to town. We can sort this out then.”

“You don't believe me…”

He pauses in front of me on his way out the door but his eyes remain averted. He sighs.

“I don't know, Emerald, I don't know,” he mumbles, the timber of his husky voice echoing in the house. “I'll wait for you in the car.”

The sound of the car door smashes with a thick thud outside and I jump. My life is tumbling out of control; Myron is waiting at home with balled fists ready to go to work on me.

Yesterday evening, I was in a hospital finding out my husband Myron has a child outside his marriage, and this morning I'm the one on the way out of her matrimonial home.

I wipe the last tears of pain off my cheek and join Eli in his car.