Chapter 6

I didn’t cry.

Didn’t scream.

Didn’t shift into my wolf and go on a well-deserved rampage through the house.

Instead, I packed.

Clothes, shoes, books—anything that I could shove into my suitcase. My wolf huffed in the back of my mind as I tossed out anything that carried even a whiff of Beta Max’s scent. The pretty dress I wore on our first date? Trash. The necklace he gave me last year? Trash. That expensive candle he once said "smelled like me"? Oh, definitely trash.

I didn’t want any trace of him in my life.

Before I left, I made one final call—to a real estate agent.

This house had been a gift from Grandpa, originally meant to be my wedding home. Now, it was nothing but a haunted museum of bad decisions and shattered dreams.

I didn’t hesitate. List it. Sell it. I don’t care who buys it—just get it out of my name.

That night, I checked into a hotel.

Tomorrow, I would go to Grandpa.

Where I should have been all along.

I called Alpha David first thing in the morning.

Because if I had to be awake and dealing with the wreckage of my love life, then so did he.

"Mmph?" His voice was barely human when he answered.

"Get up. I need you."

"Louis… it's the middle of the night—"

"It’s six-thirty."

"Exactly. The middle of the night."

I rolled my eyes and dialed my best friend. She had no patience for sleepy alphas and no issue dumping a bucket of ice water over David’s head if needed. Five minutes later, he called back—very much awake and very much unhappy about it.

"You are evil," he muttered.

"You love me."

"Questionable."

"You owe me."

"Fine. What do you need?"

"A fake husband."

Beat of silence.

"…Excuse me?"

---

David and I put together a quick cover story on the way to the hospital.

Because here was the problem—Grandpa knew about Max. He knew I was supposed to marry him. And I refused to let him waste his precious energy worrying about me.

So David, agreed to play along.

What I didn’t expect… was that Grandpa actually liked him.

Not just tolerated him.

Liked him.

The two of them hit it off instantly, reminiscing about the "old days"—back when packs were built on grit and claw, not politics and social media. They swapped war stories, debated training tactics, and discussed pack management like they were long-lost brothers.

By the time we were leaving, Grandpa looked downright reluctant to let us go.

He took my hand in his weathered one, giving it a gentle pat. "Louis, this one's good. Much more dependable than Max ever was."

I froze.

Oh, Moon above.

I forced a smile. "Grandpa, maybe you're just confused. This is Max."

Grandpa leveled me with the kind of look only an elder wolf could master—the kind that stripped away all my nonsense in a single second.

"Your grandpa may be old, but I’m not senile." His tone was firm. "I know who’s who. The only thing I don’t know is whether I’ll still be here when you finally hold that wedding banquet…"

Cue instant panic.

Before I could think it through, I yanked open my bag and pulled out the marriage certificate David and I had signed in a moment of sleep-deprived insanity.

"Don’t worry, Grandpa—we’re already married. The wedding banquet’s in the works. You’ll be there, I promise."

Grandpa squinted at the certificate through his magnifying glass.

A long, excruciating moment passed.

Then, he nodded with satisfaction. "Just as I thought. Not that Max brat. His name is David, isn’t it? Now that’s a strong name."

I rolled my eyes and quickly excused myself before he could start picking out baby names.

Out in the hallway, David was waiting for me—

And judging by his scowl, he had just had an argument with someone.