Chapter 3

We left things on a sour note that day.

Over the next two days, I cleared out the things I didn't need anymore, a little at a time.

Charles and I were under the same roof, but for once, I wasn't clinging to him the way I used to.

He didn't notice how busy I was. If anything, he liked me better this way.

"This is nice, actually. Quiet. I can finally get some rest."

The message was clear. Before this, I'd been disturbing his rest.

He took his time pulling a sandwich out of the fridge, frowning at it.

"Are you going to cook or not? I'm hungry."

I tossed a sausage to him without looking up.

"I'm on my period and I don't feel like cooking. Figure it out."

He opened his mouth, then thought better of it. As he turned away, he muttered, "What's with her lately? This isn't cute at all."

I laughed bitterly to myself. Once, even with a 104-degree fever, I'd dragged myself around the kitchen to make him a full dinner just so we could eat together.

He never cared. He took everything I did for granted.

The day I stopped, I wasn't cute anymore.

And Vivian?

She didn't have to do a thing and she was still adorable to him.

"Nova," Charles called through a mouthful of sandwich.

"The crew's getting together tonight. Come with me."

I turned and stared at him.

"You're taking me? Are you sure?"

He'd never taken me to one of these before. His excuse was that everyone on the crew was single, and the two of us showing up together would look like we were rubbing it in.

"I'm sure."

He nodded.

"Vivian's in town for a few more days. She's been getting along great with everybody, and she said she'd like to meet you."

So that was it.

I only got to come because Vivian wanted to meet me.

Before we left, Charles made a point of sliding the moonstone ring off his finger and into his pocket. He caught me watching and explained casually, "They're all single. I have to think about their feelings."

I nodded and took mine off too.

Charles studied my face for a long moment, then smiled, satisfied.

"Good. You're being reasonable about this."

Bitterness spread through my chest.

In all those years, he had hardly ever praised me for anything.

The most sincere compliment he'd ever given me was for taking off the ring that marked me as his mate. How ironic.

At the restaurant, Vivian opened her arms to hug me.

"Hi, Nova! So good to finally meet you."

I stepped back without drawing attention to it, leaving her arms to close around empty air.

"You too."

The private room went still for a second.

Charles poked me in the back.

"Don't be rude. Don't embarrass me."

When we ordered, Charles gave the server specific instructions. "No peppercorn sauce on the steak."

He pointed at Vivian.

"She doesn't like it. Red wine sauce instead. For dessert, bring her that chocolate mousse you're famous for, and go easy on the cream."

The server wrote it all down, then looked at me.

"And the lady here?"

Vivian and I were the only women there. The server assumed Charles was being a gentleman and asked about my preferences too.

Charles hesitated for a beat and closed the menu.

"Whatever. She's not picky."

The room had been loud a second ago. Now nobody was saying anything.

Everyone watched me with guarded, uncomfortable expressions.

Charles noticed the tension and cleared his throat.

"Bring her the seafood soup."

The server wrote it down and left.

Vivian propped her chin on her hand and beamed at me.

"You're so lucky, Nova. Men as thoughtful as Charles are hard to find."

One of their coworkers jumped in to tease her. "You're the one who's been lucky these past few days. At the hotel and on the ship, our captain has personally arranged all your meals!"

"Right? When you caught a cold at sea last month, he spent a fortune on a designer jacket for you at the ship's duty-free shop."

Vivian glowed as she sat there soaking it all up.

Even Charles smiled a little and gave Vivian an affectionate look.

That was when I remembered the call he'd taken before his last trip.

The jacket Vivian had been asking about. So that was where it came from.

I had to laugh at myself a little.

When I was accidentally poisoned with wolfsbane, all Charles did was tell me to see a healer.

"Why are you telling me this? Werewolves are tough. Just take some herbs for the wolfsbane.

"I don't have any herbs on me. If you won't see a healer, go sit in the moonlight. Crying about it doesn't fix anything."

So a werewolf didn't always have to be that tough.

For Vivian, one cold breeze was enough to earn her a jacket.

Vivian cut into her steak and went on. "You two have been together so long, Nova. Has Charles always been this thoughtful? You're so lucky."

She sounded envious, with just a hint of disappointment underneath.

I set down my knife and fork and dabbed my mouth.

"My arms and legs work just fine. I can take care of myself."

My sarcasm was obvious. Vivian froze for a moment, and her voice grew tearful. "Nova, I'm only saying I wish I had a mate as good as yours. Why do you have to be so harsh...?"

Charles threw his silverware down on his plate with a sharp clatter.

"Nova, that's enough. Don't ruin the evening!"

I tilted my head.

"You think this is going well?"

Charles nodded.

"It was fine. They're just jealous of our marriage. What do you have to be angry about?"

"Jealous, are they?"

I looked at Vivian.

"If you're that jealous, you can have him."

I stood to go. Charles reached the door first and braced it shut, his eyes blazing red.

"Nova, I warned you."

I put a hand on him and pushed him away from the door.

"Message received. Can I go now?"

I didn't wait for an answer. I opened the door and walked out.

Outside the restaurant, I let out a breath.

Ten years, and that was the first time I'd said what I thought without worrying about how it made Charles look.

For the first time, I felt like my own person.