Chapter 4 Married?

Lina's POV

My phone buzzed in my purse, Chloe's face lighting up the screen. I took a deep breath before answering.

"Hey, Chloe."

"Finally!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbling with excitement. "I've been dying to call you all morning! How did it go? Did Dad help? Was he able to give you some good advice?"

The enthusiasm in her voice made guilt twist in my stomach. I walked toward a nearby bench, sinking onto it as exhaustion suddenly hit me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked quietly, unable to keep the hint of accusation from my voice. "Why didn't you tell me it was your father you were setting me up with?"

There was a moment of silence before Chloe burst into laughter. "Oh my God, your face must have been priceless! I wish I could have seen it!"

"This isn't funny, Chloe!" I hissed. "I slept—" I cut myself off, not ready to tell her about what happened between her father and me yet. The thought alone made my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"Hey, hey, calm down," she soothed, though I could still hear amusement in her voice. "Look, I was hoping you two would get along well enough that you'd consider joining our pack. You know how much I've wanted us to live together!"

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again. The offer was tempting, especially given my current situation.

"Besides," she continued, "you needed support after that jerk Jasper, and our pack could really use someone with your skills. It's perfect!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. "You're insane, you know that?"

"Insanely brilliant," she corrected cheerfully. "So what do you say? Will you join us?"

"I... yes, okay. I'll join the pack."

"Yes!" Chloe squealed. "We're finally going to be pack sisters! Oh, can you help me practice some routines?"

"Sure," I agreed, though my stomach churned with guilt.

"Perfect! And don't worry about dating—I'll find you someone amazing in the pack. Someone who'll make Jasper eat his heart out!"

The image of Adrian flashed through my mind—his intense grey eyes, the way his hands had felt on my skin, the contract we'd signed.

My face burned even hotter with the secret I was keeping. "Chloe, that's really not necessary..."

"Nonsense! Leave it to me!"

I quickly tried to change the subject. "What do you need help practicing?"

She giggled. " My pack training assessment is coming up, and if I fail again, Dad's going to ground me until I'm thirty. Just some basic training. Please? Meet me at the campus in an hour?"

Despite everything, I found myself smiling. "Fine. One hour."

Back at my apartment, I changed into more appropriate clothes for training—dark leggings, a fitted tank top, and my sturdy boots.

True to her word, Chloe was waiting for me on the edge of campus where it bordered the woods—the perfect place for basic werewolf training exercises. The afternoon sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows across the clearing.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her toes with nervous energy. "I've been practicing my scenting, but I still can't distinguish between similar tracks."

I nodded, slipping into teaching mode. "Let's start with the basics. Close your eyes and tell me what you sense."

We worked for about an hour, with Chloe gradually improving her ability to identify subtle differences in scent trails. She was actually quite good—just impatient.

"Take a breath between scents," I instructed, placing various items with distinct smells around the clearing. "Let your wolf process one before moving to the next."

Chloe was in the middle of tracking a trail I'd laid when she suddenly stopped, her nose twitching. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she turned to me.

"Well, well," she said, eyebrows wiggling suggestively. "Someone had a very good time last night."

My face instantly heated. "Chloe!"

"What? It's not my fault you've got some very obvious marks on your neck." She circled me, still grinning. "So who's the lucky guy? Did you hit up some bar after dinner for a hookup?"

I slapped a hand over my neck, mortified. "Can we please focus on your training?"

"Absolutely not!" she declared. "I need to know everything! Was he any good?

I lunged at her playfully, trying to cover her mouth. "Chloe, please—"

She danced away, laughing.

Twenty minutes later, we paused for a breather, settling ourselves on fallen logs at the forest's edge.

"You should have seen Dad's face when I mentioned inviting you over for dinner," she said, grinning. "He looked like he couldn't figure out whether to be nervous or excited."

I was about to respond when a familiar scent hit me—sandalwood and citrus, a combination I'd come to associate with pain and betrayal. My stomach dropped and my muscles tensed involuntarily.

"Well, isn't this cozy."

Jasper stood a few yards away, his golden hair catching the afternoon sunlight, his handsome face set in lines of disapproval. He looked every inch the powerful heir he was—designer clothes, perfect posture, cold blue eyes. The sight of him still sent a pang through my chest, but it was duller now, more anger than hurt.

Chloe immediately stiffened beside me, a low growl rumbling in her throat.

"What do you want, Jasper?" I asked, proud that my voice didn't waver despite the anxiety churning in my gut.

He stepped closer, ignoring Chloe completely as his gaze fixed on me. "You've been avoiding my calls," he said, his tone somewhere between annoyance and concern. "This little tantrum has gone on long enough, don't you think? It's time to come home."

The audacity of his words sent a flash of heat through me—not desire, but pure rage.

"Home?" I repeated incredulously. "You mean the home where you were planning your engagement to Sophie while stringing me along? That home?"

His jaw tightened. "You're overreacting. I care about you, Lina. I always have. What Sophie and I have is... political. It doesn't change anything between us."

My hands curled into fists at my sides. How could I have been so blind? How could I have wasted years loving this man?

"It changes everything," I said quietly, standing up to face him. "But it doesn't matter anymore. I've moved on, Jasper. I'm married now."

His expression froze, then darkened with disbelief. "Married? Don't be ridiculous. Who would—"

At that moment, his phone rang, cutting off whatever insult he'd been about to deliver. He glanced at the screen, scowled, and answered with a curt "What?"

Whatever the caller said made his face pale slightly. He looked back at me, eyes narrowed in calculation before muttering, "I'll be right there," into the phone.

"This conversation isn't over," he warned me, backing away. "We'll talk when you're being more reasonable."

As he stalked off, Chloe turned to me with wide eyes. "Married? When were you going to tell me about that little detail?"