Chapter 98: The ChaseXENOISI pulled into our driveway, my mind racing with different thoughts.. "I'm having another DNA test done," I said as I turned off the engine, turning to look at her. I wasn't going to let this just ruin my life when I was innocent."A more thorough one. And I'm going to find out exactly how this happened.""Xenois—""And this arrangement is temporary," I continued, cutting her off, shaking my head. "Tonight only. And only because you don't have a home to go to. Tomorrow I'm taking you to a hotel while we figure out your housing situation. This is not you moving back into my life."As I helped her out of the car, I caught a scent that made my wolf instantly alert as I subconsciously growled. Another Alpha had been here, in my house. In my private den. The territorial instinct kicked in immediately, and I remembered that I had approved Alpha Zade's visit request. Damn it. This wasn't the time to deal with Zade. Nothing was going right for me now.The front do
Chapter 97: Denying The Harsh TruthXENOISI couldn't get the image of Lumina's face out of my mind as I left the hospital. The hurt in her eyes, the way she'd looked at me like I was a stranger, it made my heart ache and haunted me with every step that I took.But the evidence was overwhelming. The men who had attacked Sophia had confessed, under Alpha command no less, to make sure that they were saying the truth and not trying to frame an innocent woman that Lumina had hired them.But still, I had to know for certain.The police station was abuzz with lights, officers and murmured conversation as soon as they saw me and I demanded to speak with the attackers myself. Detective Morrison, a grizzled man who'd worked with our pack for years, led me to the interrogation room, without wasting my time."Alpha Xenois," he said quietly, trying to fill me in without the others hearing us, "I have to warn you, what they're saying about your wife... it's pretty damning."I nodded my head as I
Chapter 96: The EscapeLUMINA I stood up and took Ollie's hand, slinging his backpack over my shoulder as I said to him. "Come on, let's go downstairs."Riley followed us silently, not saying anything although I could feel his eyes on me, and I fought the urge not to look back as, his small footsteps were echoing in the hallway. When we got to the living room, I could hear raised voices – Thorne and Zade in the middle of a heated argument."–completely irresponsible," Thorne was saying as I got closer to make out the words that were being said. "You're helping her make the biggest mistake of her life.""I'm helping her escape a toxic situation," Zade replied calmly, refusing to budge on this matter as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Something you should be doing instead of enabling your Alpha's destructive behavior.""Destructive behavior?" Thorne's voice rose as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, taking two steps closer towards him. "He's trying to navigate an imp
Chapter 95: Tearing The Family Apart LUMINAI climbed the stairs to our bedroom with dread pooling in my stomach, each step I took felt like I was walking away from the life I'd built over the past five years. The familiar creak of the third step, the family photos that were lined on the walls, the scent of the lavender candles I always kept burning, everything felt like it belonged to someone else now.In our bedroom, I went straight to the closet and pushed aside the hanging clothes to reveal a small safe that had been hidden behind my winter coats and wears. My hands shook as I entered the combination, it was Ollie's birthday, the one date I knew I'd never forget. Inside were the things I'd been quietly gathering for months, knowing that a day like this might come, especially with the fact that I had been reborn.It was where I had kept my passport, birth certificate, the emergency credit card I'd opened in my maiden name, and the cash I'd been slowly withdrawing from our joint
Chapter 94: The Breaking Point LUMINAI laughed bitterly shaking my head as I looked at Thorne. "It doesn't matter anymore, Thorne. I give up. Sophia won fair and square. I'm done trying to save a marriage he clearly doesn't want either. I don't care about his excuses or his mistakes. I'm leaving.""Leaving?" Thorne's voice cracked, as he looked horrified at what he just heard."Lumina, you can't just leave. Where would you go? You can't leave the city without Xenois's permission – pack law—""That's what I'm here for," Zade interrupted, his voice, carrying the authority of an Alpha as Thorne looked at him with anger. "To give her that permission. To take her somewhere safe."I watched as understanding dawned in Thorne's eyes. He looked at me with a mixture of shock and betrayal as he looked between the both of us, probably wishing this was a prank. "You're leaving with him? Lumina, you can't be serious. You have a life here, a family—""What family?" I snapped angrily, infuriated th
Chapter 93: Safe Haven LUMINAI drove home through blurred vision as tears were flowing down my face as I held on tightly to the steering wheel with white knuckles. Riley was Xenois's son. My husband had a child with another woman, and I'd been caring for that child in my own home, loving him like he was my own nephew, while his mother plotted against me from the shadows.The worst part wasn't even the betrayal itself – it was the way Xenois had looked at me in that hospital room. No, I expected it, especially with the fact that I had been reborn. A part of me knew that I wasn't the most important person in his life. What broke me was the doubt in his eyes, the way he'd actually asked me if I was capable of hiring thugs to attack Sophia. My own husband believed I was a monster.I pulled into our driveway and sat in the car for a moment, trying to compose myself, taking deep breaths as I used my handkerchief to wipe my tears. Thank heavens, I didn't rub makeup before leaving. I could