5.

For one long, disorienting second, I forget how to breathe.

Soren Wystern is kissing me.

The same Soren Wystern who has looked at me like I’m the most irritating person he has ever had the misfortune of meeting. The same man I was almost certain would throw my contract in my face.

And now his lips are on mine.

His hand rests firmly against my waist, holding me close enough that I can feel the steady rise and fall of his chest. His other hand supports my chin, tilting my face toward his. He kisses me with a confidence that suggests we have done this a thousand times before, and I have absolutely no idea what I am supposed to do.

My fingers curl instinctively against his chest.

The black fabric of his shirt is soft beneath my palms, stretched over a body that is every bit as solid as it looks. Soren has always been annoyingly handsome, but standing this close to him makes the observation feel like a personal inconvenience.

His jet-black hair is styled away from his forehead, although a few strands have fallen out of place. His features are sharp, from the straight bridge of his nose to the defined line of his jaw. And his eyes…

Those golden eyes.

They are closed now, but I remember how they looked at me moments ago, bright and almost electric beneath the warm lights of the VIP lounge.

I should push him away.

I should slap him.

I should do something other than stand here like a woman who has forgotten every thought she has ever had.

Instead, I let him kiss me.

Perhaps because I am still stunned. Perhaps because I know exactly what this looks like to everyone watching.

Or perhaps because, for the first time since I walked into this hotel, Kaiden Jackson cannot reach me.

The thought is so satisfying that I nearly smile against Soren’s mouth.

When he finally pulls away, I am left staring at him, my heart beating far too quickly for someone who knows this man dislikes her.

He studies my face for a brief moment before turning toward the room.

“Let me make this clear.” His voice carries effortlessly across the lounge. “Carrie is with me. Whatever arrangement the two of you had is now over, and I suggest you respect that.”

The silence that follows is almost comical.

A few guests are openly staring. Others pretend not to, although they have all stopped talking. Even the servers standing near the bar seem to have forgotten what they were doing.

I cannot blame them.

Soren Wystern has just claimed me in front of half of Silver Moon Pack city’s elite.

Kaiden is the first to recover.

His face has turned an alarming shade of red, his dark blue eyes fixed on Soren with an expression that promises violence.

“You have some nerve.” He takes a step forward. “You think you can walk in here, touch my mate, and-”

“Your former mate,” Soren corrects mildly.

“Shut up!”

“I will not.”

Oh, God.

I turn my head toward Soren.

Is he deliberately trying to get himself killed?

Kaiden is an Alpha, and while Soren is one too, that doesn’t mean challenging him in a crowded room is a sensible decision. Strength varies between Alphas, but most people would rather not test those differences in public. No one wants the humiliation of a strength contest they’re not sure to win.

Unfortunately, Kaiden has never been particularly good at controlling his temper when he feels humiliated.

He lunges forward.

Soren doesn’t even flinch.

Instead, he shifts his body slightly, keeping me behind him while looking Kaiden up and down as though he is deciding whether the interruption deserves his attention.

That tiny movement does something strange to my chest.

He is protecting me.

The realization is so unfamiliar that I almost don’t recognize it.

“Kaiden,” I say before he can make another move. “Stop.”

His eyes snap toward me.

“Carrie, move away from him.”

“No.”

The word comes out quietly, but it lands harder than I expect.

His expression changes.

“Excuse me?”

“I said no.” I draw a breath, forcing myself to hold his gaze. “I’m leaving with Soren.”

“You cannot be serious.”

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”

For a moment, I see the man I married in my previous life, not the charming Alpha who knew how to smile for photographs or the devoted mate he pretended to be when other people were watching. I see the man who believed that loving me gave him the right to own me.

My stomach twists.

Seven years.

I gave that man seven years of my life, and in the end, he killed me.

I will not spend another minute allowing him to believe he has any claim over me.

“You’ll regret this,” Kaiden says.

Perhaps he means it as a warning. Perhaps he intends it as a promise.

I no longer care.

“Then I suppose I’ll have to live with that.”

Soren’s hand settles against the small of my back.

“Come on, darling.”

I nearly trip over my own feet.

Darling. Again.

I shoot him a look, but he merely gives me that infuriating half-smile before guiding me toward the exit.

We pass the long bar, where crystal glasses gleam beneath gold pendant lights. The VIP lounge is decorated in expensive shades of charcoal, cream, and bronze, with velvet seating arranged around low marble tables. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the city, where the evening traffic crawls between illuminated towers and glass-fronted buildings.

Usually, I would appreciate the view.

Tonight, I can feel dozens of eyes following us.

Whispers begin as soon as we pass the first table.

I catch fragments of conversation.

Is that Carrie Llothair?

Didn’t she just get engaged to Kaiden?

Was she cheating on him with that guy?

I keep my chin up.

Let them talk.

For once, I am perfectly happy to give the city something to gossip about.

Behind us, Kaiden shouts my name.

I stiffen.

Soren notices. His hand presses briefly against my back, steady and reassuring, before he glances over his shoulder.

“Stay where you are, Jackson.”

There is no raised voice. No dramatic threat.

Just four quiet words delivered with such casual certainty that even I pause.

Kaiden stops.

I don’t know whether it is the crowd, the embarrassment, or the fact that Soren has never been a man who backs down from a confrontation.

Whatever the reason, it gives us the few seconds we need.

Soren leads me through the lounge doors and into the hotel’s quieter corridor.

The noise fades behind us.

Only then do I realize how tightly I have been holding my breath.

I release it slowly.

“Thank you,” I say.

He doesn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he looks at me with a peculiar expression, as though he has only just remembered that I am standing beside him.

Then he mutters, mostly to himself, “What the hell did I just do?”

I blink.

“I’m sorry?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re talking to yourself.”

“I’m aware.”

I stare at him.

He looks back at me.

Then, with a faint scowl, he starts walking again.

I have to hurry to keep up.

For a man who just kissed me in front of an entire room of people, Soren Wystern seems remarkably displeased with the experience.

And for some reason, that makes me want to laugh.

I manage to hold it in until we reach the elevator.

Barely.

The parking lot is considerably quieter than the lounge.

Cool evening air brushes against my face as we step outside, carrying the faint scent of rain on warm pavement. The hotel stands behind us in a sweep of glass and pale stone, its entrance illuminated by rows of recessed lights. Cars line the paved driveway, their polished surfaces reflecting the city glow.

A valet hurries past with a set of keys.

Soren walks toward a black car parked several spaces away. I follow him, my heels clicking against the pavement, while my mind races through everything that has happened in the last fifteen minutes.

I came here to end my engagement.

I rejected my mate.

I offered a business arrangement to the man who hates me.

And somehow, I have just been kissed by that same man in front of an audience.

My second life is already proving considerably more complicated than I anticipated.

Soren stops beside his car and turns to face me.

“Why didn’t you wait?”

I frown. “Wait for what?”

“For me to respond to your offer.”

“Oh.”

He folds his arms across his chest.

“You gave Emerson your little contract, announced that you would wait, and then walked straight back into Jackson’s arms before I could say anything.”

“I wasn’t planning to walk into his arms.” My brows furrow.

“By standing close enough for him to grab you?”

I open my mouth, then close it.

“I thought you would reject me,” I admit.

His eyebrows rise slightly.

“Did you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

I give him a look.

“Do you genuinely need me to explain that? You hate me, Soren.”

His expression goes still.

I immediately regret how bluntly I said it, but there is no taking the words back now.

“You have made it abundantly clear that you hate my family,” I continue, quieter this time. “And I’m part of that family. I know what my mother did to you. I know what she took from you, even if I wasn’t the one who made the decision.”

He looks away, his jaw tightening.

I glance at his car, then back at him.

“I honestly didn’t expect you to agree to anything. I thought you would tell me to get lost, and I was prepared to accept that. But I couldn’t keep hoping I had the option of relying on you.”

“Hmm,” he repeats.

“Kaiden isn’t going to accept the rejection quietly. Neither is my mother. You saw how he reacted there.”

“I noticed.”

“And if I return home tonight, they’ll surround me with people who will tell me I’m making a mistake until I either give in or they find another way to make the decision for me.”

My throat tightens.

I hate how easily I can imagine it. My mother’s disappointment. My older brother, Wilmot’s disapproving lectures. Lyra’s smug little smile. Kaiden’s insistence that everything can be fixed if I simply apologize.

I’ve lived through it before.

I know precisely how it ends.

“I need a way out,” I finish. “You need money and connections for your company. I can provide both to an extent. We help each other, and when we’re done, we go our separate ways.”

Soren watches me for a long moment.

Then he exhales.