#Chapter 9: Without Her

Evander’s POV

"Your light should be all fixed by now."

I look Mira up and down carefully as I deliver the news. The Omega is just now packing up his toolkit, and the lightbulb in the chandelier is burning brightly.

It was flickering when I first entered the room, but there was something almost… artificial about the way it wasn’t working.

Something manufactured.

It’s fine. I’d only gone into Mira’s room to check on the light and ensure it got repaired swiftly. Now that the task is completed, I turn towards the door, ready to make my way back to Tessa, when Mira suddenly grabs my arm.

"Thanks so much for coming here with me," she says breathily.

My voice remains impassive. "No problem."

"It’s very… moving, you know," Mira continues. Her hand starts to creep up my arm. "Your passion. Your devotion. Even to that little wife of yours, considering how sickly she is…"

"Right," I say slowly.

Mira leans in, looking up at me through her lashes. "I mean, don’t get me wrong. It’s so honourable that you want to care for her, but you don’t have to be married to do that. Why don’t you just divorce her already?"

She’s looking deep into my eyes. She’s wearing nothing but a lacy night slip. Her chest is flushed, rising and falling with every breath.

I know what this is.

But something about the way it feels–

Not yet.

I meet her gaze dead-on. Where her voice is sweet and sultry, though, mine is as cool and distant as it’s ever been.

"The merger of Tessa’s father’s back and business hasn’t been completed yet. If Tessa and I were to divorce now, it would cause complications that would make things worse for all three of us," I can always find a quick and solid explanation when necessary.

For just a moment, Mira’s face twists into a vicious scowl.

But then that oiled-honey veneer slips right back into place.

"So we have to wait?" She asks, heart-shaped lips sculpted into a perfect pout.

"Not for much longer," I assure her quickly.

Mira shakes her head. "I don’t understand what you’re so hung up on–not her, surely. Besides, businesspeople only care about profit, not about how your marriage to Tessa could potentially affect things. Nothing will change because of your marital status.

I shake my head. "I’ve already made my decision," I tell her firmly.

"Oh, decisive," Mira grins.

She leans even closer towards me, chest angled in my direction with her cleavage damn near spilling out of her nightgown.

"I like a decisive man, myself," she continues, voice lowered to her whisper.

Mira’s lips are millimeters from my neck, and I can feel her hot breaths against the shell of my ear.

"We should turn on the lights so you can show me just how decisive you really are," she breathes out.

My heart begins to race.

Though I’ve already marked Tessa, the pull of a Fated mate can often be strong enough to break the bonds of the mark. There’s a magnetism I feel towards Mira, an undeniable attraction.

And here she is, body pressed up against mine, practically coiled around me like a snake.

Mira is stunning–there’s no denying it.

I want her.

I cup her face in my large hands and look her over carefully, She presses herself against my every touch. Her hands land flat on my chest, and she begins to walk me towards the bed.

The backs of my shins hit the baseboard. I land against the mattress, sitting down heavily. Mira’s nails rake into my forearms. She sits on my lap and twines her legs around me, looking down at me with wicked, ravenous eyes.

Her lips are so, so close to mine.

My eyes flutter shut. The warmth of her body against mine is intoxicating. I begin to lean towards her–

And suddenly think of Tessa.

Her laugh. Her smile. Even the way she kisses, the way she moans, the way her body arches beneath mine when we–

My eyes snap open. In an instant my hands are on Mira’s shoulders, pushing her away from me lightly.

The cool facade of detachment settles over me once more.

I shove Mira off me and stand up as her body splays out on the mattress.

"What the hell?" Mira huffs as she desperately tries to fix her hair and regain her composure.

"It’s not the right time," I say coldly.

"Evander–" She begins.

But I’ve already left the room.

As I roam the hallways, there’s a sense of unease and restlessness I can’t seem to shake. My first instinct is to return to the bedroom I share with Tessa, but I get the feeling that going back to see her would only add to my frustration.

I run into Carol in the hallway. "Have the study prepared for me to sleep in tonight," I instruct her briskly.

Carol nods, then hesitates. "You won’t be spending the night with Mira?"

I shake my head.

"Sir," she begins tentatively, "Mira’s background and her Fated mate status are far superior to Tessa, especially because she’s just a deaf woman. Mira and her family can offer you more support than Tessa’s ever could–especially seeing as Tessa is an orphan! She has no real power to influence the merger process. You should divorce her as soon as possible."

The more the Beta drones on, the more exasperated I can feel myself becoming, until I cut her off sharply with a glare.

"Don’t interfere in my marriage," I snap, a warning rumble to my voice.

Carol’s eyes widen in horror. "Of–of course, Alpha," she says quickly. "I’m so sorry."

I scowl. "You’re dismissed."

She rushes away, and I stand there alone for a moment.

During dinner, I’d kept one eye trained on Tessa throughout the evening, as much as she usually fades to the background. She’d seemed particularly anxious, her fragile demeanor even more brittle than usual.

She’d even tried to speak a few times, but her slow speech kept being cut off. The sight of her in such a vulnerable state, especially after her accident, especially with the added turmoil of the changing marital status…

I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with all of it.

I’d always thought that Tessa, who loved me so much, so loyally, would plead with me not to divorce her. That she’d try to hold onto our marriage.

But she’s hardly brought it up at all.

That night, as I’m sprawled out on a mattress on the study’s floor, I try to fall asleep.

But something’s wrong.

I keep tossing and turning, and I can’t seem to lie down just right. The blankets twist around me. Everything feels strange and unusual and different, in a way I absolutely can’t stand.

There’s a strange sense of being unsettled. Of something simply being off.

It’s getting on my nerves.

I try to convince myself that it’s just sleeping in an unfamiliar room, or that the mattress is wrong. But I know all I’m doing is lying to myself.

I know why I can’t sleep.

It’s because Tessa’s not with me tonight.