Chapter 5 A surprise

Lina's POV

I didn't know what to say. My mind raced with how to explain what had happened between her father and me. The words felt stuck in my throat, tangled with fear and uncertainty.

"It just happened. Today, actually," I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper.

"To who?" she demanded.

I took a deep breath, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Your father," I said, the words feeling surreal even as I spoke them. I braced myself for her anger, her disgust, her feelings of betrayal.

After all, I'd just become involved with her father in the most permanent way possible. I'd stepped into her mother's place without warning. What kind of friend does that?

Chloe fell silent, her expression unreadable.

I braced myself for the worst. "Chloe, I'm sorry, I know this is weird—"

"Weird? This is perfect!" she threw her head back and laughed until tears streamed down her face. "Jasper is going to lose his absolute mind. You just mated with the most powerful, most perfect wolf in our pack. The one man he could never compete with or measure up to!"

I stared at her in bewilderment. Why was she reacting like this?

"You're not angry? I mean, I'm your friend and he's your dad and now I'm your... your stepmom." The word felt foreign and wrong on my tongue.

Chloe looked genuinely confused. "Why would I be angry? You literally saved my life. If it wasn't for you finding me in those woods and healing me, I wouldn't be here. You're the only person I'd trust with my dad's happiness."

My throat tightened with emotion. I hadn't expected this acceptance, this easy embrace of such a complicated situation.

"My best friend is my stepmom!" she crowed, dancing around me in circles. "This is perfect!"

Then she suddenly stopped and gave me a mischievous grin.

"So... Mommy," she said, drawing out the word with obvious delight. "Should I start calling you that everywhere now?"

I nearly choked. "Absolutely not! "

"Why? You're technically my stepmom now," she teased, eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Chloe, please," I said, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. "Home and everywhere else, we're still just Lina and Chloe. Nothing's changed between us."

"Fine, fine," she conceded, but the grin remained plastered on her face. "But you have to admit, it would be pretty funny to see everyone's faces if I started calling you 'Mom' in the middle of the campus cafeteria."

Before I could respond with the appropriate level of horror, her phone chimed with a text message. She pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and her expression shifted to something more secretive.

"We need to go," she said, suddenly grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the parking lot.

"Go where?" I asked, stumbling to keep up with her sudden burst of energy.

"It's a surprise," she replied cryptically, her eyes bright with excitement. "Trust me, you'll want to see this."

"Chloe, after everything that's happened today, I'm not sure I can handle any more surprises."

She just laughed, pulling me along faster. "This one's different. I promise you'll thank me later."

---

Adrian's POV

I watched Lina walk away from the courthouse, her slender figure disappearing around the corner before I allowed myself to get into my car.

My wolf Raze paced restlessly inside me, wanting to follow her, protect her, claim her properly. With considerable effort, I restrained those instincts and drove to Storm Enterprises instead.

Once in my office, I immediately called for Ethan and Taylor, my two most trusted friends.

Ethan is the heir to the Alpha of the Silver Ridge Pack in the north, known throughout werewolf circles as an incorrigible playboy with a new she-wolf on his arm every month.

Taylor, Alpha of the Crescent Pack to the east Valley, had successfully courted his Mate against impossible odds—his emotional intelligence was something I desperately needed right now.

"This better be important," Ethan grumbled as he strode into my office, Taylor close behind him. "I was in the middle of reviewing territory reports from the northern—"

"I found my Mate," I interrupted, the words feeling strange on my tongue. "And I married her this morning."

The silence that followed was deafening. Ethan froze mid-stride, while Taylor's usual stoic expression cracked into one of pure shock.

"You did what?" Ethan finally managed, dropping heavily into one of the chairs across from my desk.

"Her name is Lina Ward," I continued, ignoring his outburst. "She's a friend of Chloe's from university. And I need your help figuring out how to make her fall in love with me."

Taylor let out a low whistle. "Back up. You found your Mate, married her, and now you're asking for dating advice? Did I miss something?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "It's complicated. We're legally married, but she doesn't know we're Mates. She thinks it's just an arrangement."

"Why wouldn't you tell her?" Ethan asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "Being Mates is sacred—it's a gift from the Moon Goddess herself. Not to mention the powerful offspring that could come from such a union."

"Because she's wounded," I said quietly, remembering the pain in her eyes when Jasper Lockwood's name had been mentioned. "She was betrayed by someone she loved, and she's only agreed to this marriage to escape her past. If I tell her we're Mates, she'll think I only want her because of some predestined bond, not because I choose her."

"And do you?" Taylor asked sharply. "Choose her, I mean. Beyond the Mate bond."

"Yes," I answered without hesitation. "There's something about her... she's different. Strong yet vulnerable. Kind but not weak. I want to know everything about her, protect her from every harm, make her smile..." I trailed off, realizing how unlike me these sentiments were.

Ethan and Taylor exchanged stunned glances.

"And as for children," I continued firmly, "I already have Chloe. I won't pressure Lina into bearing children unless both she and Chloe are completely on board with the idea. That's non-negotiable."

Chloe was the unexpected gift the Moon Goddess had given me twenty years ago. I'd been just eighteen, participating in a humanitarian mission in Africa.

When I brought Chloe home, I'd made a solemn promise never to let anyone into our lives who might become a harmful stepmother to her.

Until Lina. Something about her was different. Worth the risk.

My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. It was Derek, my Beta.

"Alpha," he said, his voice tense with excitement. "We secured the property. The mountain lodge outside White Pine that Ms. Ward's family used to own—it's yours now."

I felt a surge of satisfaction. "Any complications?"

"Just one," Derek replied. "Alpha Jasper Lockwood was also bidding on it. Aggressively. We had to go considerably above asking price."

My grip tightened on the phone. "Alpha Jasper? You're certain?"

"Yes, sir. His name was on the competing offer."

I ended the call, a low growl building in my chest. Jasper's interest in Lina's childhood home confirmed what I'd suspected—his feelings for her went far beyond what was appropriate for someone who'd grown up as her foster brother.

"I have to go," I told Ethan and Taylor, grabbing my jacket. "I need to get to the university."

"What's happening?" Taylor asked, alarmed by my sudden intensity.

"Alpha Jasper is making moves I don't like," I said simply, already heading for the door. "I won't let him anywhere near her again."

I didn't wait for their response, hurrying out to my car with determined strides.

I would do whatever it took to make him see that she belonged with me.