Laurica, mistake of my former past.

Kent’s voice carried a strained calm, though the effort was obvious. His words echoed across the bright, tastefully decorated room.

“What exactly did you say to her, Laurica? Don’t tell me you told her you’re my girlfriend.”

Laurica didn’t answer. She stood by the wide window, arms folded, pretending to lose herself in the view outside, as if his question hadn’t reached her at all.

“You and I are finished, Laurica,” Kent continued, his tone soft but firm. He stood in his nightgown, the pale fabric catching the room’s light. “Yes, our fathers once had plans for us, but that arrangement failed long ago. You can’t just barge into my home—into my room—without permission. You didn’t even bother to tell David, my housekeeper.”

“You’re a fool, Kent!” Laurica snapped suddenly, spinning toward him with the sharpness of a striking serpent. Her eyes blazed with fury. “Do you really think I’ll just sit back and watch you run into the arms of that slut? Never!”

Kent drew in a slow breath, startled by her defiance.

“You took my love for granted,” Laurica said bitterly, pressing her palm against her chest. “We lost our son because of me… because of that miscarriage, and you treated it like nothing.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Kent replied quietly. “But one night of weakness doesn’t give you the right to destroy the rest of my life. I’ve moved on. I’ve found someone I truly love. What we had in high school… it was a mistake. A mistake I’ve accepted, one I’ve tried to make up for by paying you five million rubies every month.”

Laurica’s lips curved in a painful half-smile as she stepped away from the window. “You think that’s what I want?” she asked softly. “I don’t need your money, Kent.” She approached slowly, her heels tapping against the polished floor until she stood right before him. Her hand settled on his shoulder, the other sliding gently through the hairs of his beard. “I need you. I want the life we once had back. I want you to be mine again.”

For a moment, Kent faltered. Her shining blue eyes held him, reminding him of a past he had tried to bury. He found himself caught between two women—Laurica, who once carried his child, and Caroline, the woman from a rival pack who had captured his heart completely.

But the hesitation passed. He shook himself free of her touch and stepped quickly to the door. With a swift motion, he unbolted it, the creak of the hinges breaking the tension in the room.

“No,” he said firmly, turning back to her with a hard expression. “You need to understand, Laurica—I don’t love you. I love Caroline, and I intend to marry her soon. From this moment forward, you are not welcome here. If you force your way in again, I’ll report you to the police for burglary.”

Laurica froze, disbelief flashing across her face.

Kent’s tone only hardened. “And I’ll stop your monthly allowance. I don’t care if your father is one of the pack’s elders. Leave. Now.”

Her jaw clenched, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she grabbed her golden purse from the bed. As she passed him at the doorway, her eyes locked onto his, dark with fury and pain. “I’ll go,” she said in a low voice. “But mark my words—you and that whore will regret this.”

Kent held his silence, unwilling to fuel her venom any further. Laurica swept out of the room, her heels clicking down the hallway, down the stairs, and out onto the porch until the sound of her departure finally faded.

Only then did Kent release a heavy sigh. “David! David!”

His housekeeper appeared quickly from the corridor, a man in his forties with a neat posture. “Yes, sire.”

“You know Laurica has been coming here unannounced?” Kent asked, his face still stern.

David hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, sire. I warned her a few times not to enter when you weren’t home, but… she seems to have keys.”

“Exactly.” Kent’s jaw tightened. “Tomorrow we’ll have the locks changed. I’ll also get someone to fix the security cameras. From this day forward, Laurica is banned from this house. Be on guard at all times.”

“Yes, sire,” David replied firmly. He already knew Laurica had once meant much to his master, but now she was dangerous—more dangerous than most, for she was a werewolf. Protecting Kent from her would take vigilance.

“I’ll inform the cook as well,” Kent added. “That will be all, David. You may go.”

David bowed, then walked away with measured steps, every movement sharp and deliberate, as though already standing guard against the storm that Laurica had promised would come.