Mag-log inEight years as an invisible wife, and all I had to show for it was a room full of designer dresses I never wore, a pack that treated me like dirt, and a husband who just brought his mistress to my charity gala. Alpha Barnabas thought I was the weak, compliant Luna who would swallow his public humiliations forever. He was wrong. Hidden inside those mundane administrative papers he carelessly signed this morning was a legally binding divorce decree. I did not just leave him. I stripped his pack of three hundred million dollars, doused him in red wine, and walked out into the rain. But freedom has a price, and the Richardson pack does not let their scapegoats walk away alive. When their hired rogues ambush me, I expect death. Instead, I find him. Jeremiah Shawn. The untouchable, ruthless Ghost Alpha of the multi-billion-dollar Shawn Group. A man who rules the corporate world and the supernatural territories with absolute, cold power. He wraps me in his tailored jacket, crushes my enemies with a single look, and offers me a job as his chief secretary. Now, my ex-husband wants me back, the Pack Council demands my submission, and a hidden pregnancy threatens to change everything. But they are too late. I am no longer their broken Luna. With the most powerful man in the city backing my play, I am coming for the boardroom, the crown, and the ultimate corporate revenge.
view moreSalome’s POV
"You look like you're drowning in paperwork, Barnabas," I said, my voice as smooth as the polished mahogany of his desk.
I didn't wait for an invitation. I just walked in. The door clicked shut, sealing us in the quiet of the Alpha’s office. I kept my face neutral, a perfect mask of the dutiful Luna, while my heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs. In my hand, the folder felt heavy, like it was made of lead instead of paper.
Barnabas didn't look up at first. His focus stayed locked on his laptop, his brow furrowed in that way that used to make me want to smooth the lines with my thumb. Now, it just made me feel cold.
"I am," he muttered, his voice gravelly and low. He finally leaned back, his gray eyes lifting to meet mine. There was no spark there. No warmth. Just the flat, dull exhaustion of a man who had spent two weeks running a global conference in London. Or perhaps the exhaustion of a man keeping too many secrets.
I laid the folder on the desk, flipping it open to the pages I’d marked with small neon tabs. "I just need a few signatures on these administrative filings. The council is pushing for the quarterly updates."
He didn't even reach for the folder to read the text. He just grabbed his fountain pen, the silver casing catching the light. "Callume. Let's get it over with."
I watched his hand move. He signed with a bold, aggressive flourish, the same way he did everything. Page one. Page two. He didn't see hthe fine print. He didn't see the words Dissolution of Marriage buried under the boring headers of pack asset management.
He looked terrible. There were dark bruises under his eyes, and his usual sharp scent of cedar and rain was buried under something else. Something cloying.
He smells like her, Vesper, my wolf, snarled in the back of my mind. Her claws scraped at my consciousness, restless and grieving. The scent is all over his skin.
I forced myself to breathe. I couldn't let my scent sour with bitterness. Not yet. I needed those signatures more than I needed an apology.
When he finished, he slid the pen across the desk and pushed the folder back toward me.
"Thanks," I said, tucking the documents away. I lingered for a second, my fingers gripping the edge of the leather folder. "Will you be home for dinner? I asked the kitchen to make that roast you like."
Barnabas shook his head, already turning back to his screen. "I have a mountain of logistics to clear after being away. Don't wait up for me, Salome."
"Got it," I replied. I forced a tiny, obedient smile. "See you around, Alpha."
I turned and walked out before the salt in my eyes could spill over. My heels hit the hardwood in a steady, rhythmic beat. I was almost to the main lobby when a scent hit me, stopping me dead in my tracks. It was vanilla. Not the warm, baking kind, but a cheap, synthetic perfume that made the back of my throat itch.
I looked toward the annex lounge. The door was ajar. On the low glass table, a box of expensive pastries sat open, half-eaten. Beside it, a coffee cup stained with pink lipstick. And there, tucked near the leg of a plush velvet chair, was a single black high-heeled shoe.
The disrespect was a physical blow. He hadn't just brought his mistress back to the territory. He had brought her into our professional sanctuary. He was letting her lounge in the very heart of the Richardson Pack's power while I played the role of the quiet, invisible wife.
I didn't go back into his office to scream. I didn't throw the shoe. I just walked faster, my vision blurring until I reached the privacy of my own office. I slammed the door and sank into my chair, the silence of the room wrapping around me like a shroud.
I pulled the divorce papers out of the folder. Barnabas’s signature stared back at me, firm and permanent. He had signed his freedom away without even knowing it.
A year ago, I would have died for this man. I remembered our mating ceremony, the way he held my face and swore to the moon that I was his beginning and his end. I had been such a naive girl. I should have listened to his mother, Margot.
“Don’t be a fool, Salome,” she had told me once over tea, her voice like ice water. “Alphas are driven by hunger. One woman is rarely enough to satisfy a man with that much power.”
I reached for my phone, my hands finally starting to shake. I took a clear, high-resolution photo of the signature page and opened a new message.
To: Margot Richardson Subject: Finalized Message: The documents are signed. Everything is handled as we discussed.
I hit send.
Margot had made the offer last week. A quiet exit. No scandal, no public dragging of the Richardson name through the mud, and in exchange, a hundred and fifty million dollars would be moved into a private account in my name. To the world, we would just be a couple that grew apart. To me, it was the price of my silence and my dignity.
A soft knock at the door startled me. I shoved the papers into a drawer just as Gideon, Barnabas’s Beta, stepped inside. He was carrying a blue velvet box, his expression tight and uncomfortable.
"Luna," he said, clearing his throat. "The Alpha asked me to give this to you. He picked it out in London."
He set the box on my desk. I opened it. Inside was a diamond necklace and matching earrings. They were beautiful, sparkling with a cold, hard light. But I had seen them before. I had seen them in a social media post from a London boutique, draped over the neck of the blonde woman Barnabas had been seen with at the conference.
He hadn't bought them for me. He had bought two sets. Or worse, he’d bought one for her, and this was the consolation prize for the wife.
"How lovely," I said, my voice dripping with a sarcasm so sharp it could have drawn blood. "He’s so thoughtful, even when he’s so busy."
Gideon winced. He knew. He was the Beta; he saw everything. "I’ll leave you to it, then."
He backed out of the room quickly, the door shutting with a soft thud.
I didn't even try the jewelry on. I took a photo of the set and sent it to a luxury broker I knew.
Me: Pick this up. Sell it and donate every cent to the pack orphanage. Do it anonymously.
I felt a little lighter as I grabbed my coat and headed for the parking lot. The sun was dipping low, casting long, bloody shadows across the pavement. I just wanted to get home, pack a bag, and start counting down the thirty days until the filing became public.
As I reached my SUV, a sleek black sedan pulled out of the executive garage. It was Barnabas’s car.
The windows weren't tinted enough. Through the glass, I saw Barnabas in the back seat. He wasn't looking at work. He was leaning toward the blonde woman sitting next to him. She was laughing, her hand resting familiarly on his arm.
Gideon was driving. When his eyes met mine through the windshield, he hit the brakes so hard the car jerked to a violent stop.
The world seemed to go silent. I stood my ground, my hand gripping my car keys so hard the metal bit into my palm. I stared directly through the rear window, locking eyes with my husband.
"Going somewhere important, Barnabas?" I whispered to the empty air.Salome’s POV
"You look like you're drowning in paperwork, Barnabas," I said, my voice as smooth as the polished mahogany of his desk.
I didn't wait for an invitation. I just walked in. The door clicked shut, sealing us in the quiet of the Alpha’s office. I kept my face neutral, a perfect mask of the dutiful Luna, while my heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs. In my hand, the folder felt heavy, like it was made of lead instead of paper.
Barnabas didn't look up at first. His focus stayed locked on his laptop, his brow furrowed in that way that used to make me want to smooth the lines with my thumb. Now, it just made me feel cold.
"I am," he muttered, his voice gravelly and low. He finally leaned back, his grey eyes lifting to meet mine. There was no spark there. No warmth. Just the flat, dull exhaustion of a man who had spent two weeks running a global conference in London. Or perhaps the exhaustion of a man keeping too many secrets.
I laid the folder on the desk, flipping it open to the pages I’d marked with small neon tabs. "I just need a few signatures on these administrative filings. The council is pushing for the quarterly updates."
He didn't even reach for the folder to read the text. He just grabbed his fountain pen, the silver casing catching the light. "Fine. Let's get it over with."
I watched his hand move. He signed with a bold, aggressive flourish, the same way he did everything. Page one. Page two. He didn't see the fine print. He didn't see the words Dissolution of Marriage buried under the boring headers of pack asset management.
He looked terrible. There were dark bruises under his eyes, and his usual sharp scent of cedar and rain was buried under something else. Something cloying.
He smells like her, Vesper, my wolf, snarled in the back of my mind. Her claws scraped at my consciousness, restless and grieving. The scent is all over his skin.
I forced myself to breathe. I couldn't let my scent sour with bitterness. Not yet. I needed those signatures more than I needed an apology.
When he finished, he slid the pen across the desk and pushed the folder back toward me.
"Thanks," I said, tucking the documents away. I lingered for a second, my fingers gripping the edge of the leather folder. "Will you be home for dinner? I asked the kitchen to make that roast you like."
Barnabas shook his head, already turning back to his screen. "I have a mountain of logistics to clear after being away. Don't wait up for me, Salome."
"Got it," I replied. I forced a tiny, obedient smile. "See you around, Alpha."
I turned and walked out before the salt in my eyes could spill over. My heels hit the hardwood in a steady, rhythmic beat. I was almost to the main lobby when a scent hit me, stopping me dead in my tracks. It was vanilla. Not the warm, baking kind, but a cheap, synthetic perfume that made the back of my throat itch.
I looked toward the annex lounge. The door was ajar. On the low glass table, a box of expensive pastries sat open, half-eaten. Beside it, a coffee cup stained with pink lipstick. And there, tucked near the leg of a plush velvet chair, was a single black high-heeled shoe.
The disrespect was a physical blow. He hadn't just brought his mistress back to the territory. He had brought her into our professional sanctuary. He was letting her lounge in the very heart of the Richardson Pack's power while I played the role of the quiet, invisible wife.
I didn't go back into his office to scream. I didn't throw the shoe. I just walked faster, my vision blurring until I reached the privacy of my own office. I slammed the door and sank into my chair, the silence of the room wrapping around me like a shroud.
I pulled the divorce papers out of the folder. Barnabas’s signature stared back at me, firm and permanent — not on the decree itself, but on the release clause buried inside a business contract he’d signed without reading. He had no idea what he’d given away. It was enough to set everything else in motion.
A year ago, I would have died for this man. I remembered our mating ceremony, the way he held my face and swore to the moon that I was his beginning and his end. I had been such a naive girl. I should have listened to his mother, Margot.
“Don’t be a fool, Salome,” she had told me once over tea, her voice like ice water. “Alphas are driven by hunger. One woman is rarely enough to satisfy a man with that much power.”
I reached for my phone, my hands finally starting to shake. I took a clear, high-resolution photo of the signature page and opened a new message.
To: Margot Richardson Subject:
Message: The documents are signed. Everything is handled as we discussed.
I hit send.
Margot had made the offer last week. A quiet exit. No scandal, no public dragging of the Richardson name through the mud, and in exchange, a hundred and fifty million dollars would be moved into a private account in my name. To the world, we would just be a couple that grew apart. To me, it was the price of my silence and my dignity.
A soft knock at the door startled me. I shoved the papers into a drawer just as Gideon, Barnabas’s Beta, stepped inside. He was carrying a blue velvet box, his expression tight and uncomfortable.
"Luna," he said, clearing his throat. "The Alpha asked me to give this to you. He picked it out in London."
He set the box on my desk. I opened it. Inside was a diamond necklace and matching earrings. They were beautiful, sparkling with a cold, hard light. But I had seen them before. I had seen them in a social media post from a London boutique, draped over the neck of the blonde woman Barnabas had been seen with at the conference.
He hadn't bought them for me. He had bought two sets. Or worse, he’d bought one for her, and this was the consolation prize for the wife.
"How lovely," I said, my voice dripping with a sarcasm so sharp it could have drawn blood. "He’s so thoughtful, even when he’s so busy."
Gideon winced. He knew. He was the Beta; he saw everything. "I’ll leave you to it, then."
He backed out of the room quickly, the door shutting with a soft thud.
I didn't even try the jewellery on. I took a photo of the set and sent it to a luxury broker I knew.
Me: Pick this up. Sell it and donate every cent to the pack orphanage. Do it anonymously.
I felt a little lighter as I grabbed my coat and headed for the parking lot. The sun was dipping low, casting long, bloody shadows across the pavement. I just wanted to get home, pack a bag, and start counting down the thirty days until the filing became public.
As I reached my SUV, a sleek black sedan pulled out of the executive garage. It was Barnabas’s car.
The windows weren't tinted enough. Through the glass, I saw Barnabas in the back seat. He wasn't looking at work. He was leaning toward the blonde woman sitting next to him. She was laughing, her hand resting familiarly on his arm.
Gideon was driving. When his eyes met mine through the windshield, he hit the brakes so hard the car jerked to a violent stop.
The world seemed to go silent. I stood my ground, my hand gripping my car keys so hard the metal bit into my palm. I stared directly through the rear window, locking eyes with my husband.
"Going somewhere important, Barnabas?" I whispered to the empty air.
Salome’s POV“Is the heat bothering you, or is it just the company?”Aiden wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, his skin slick with sweat. He grabbed his water glass, pushed open the sliding glass door, and stepped onto the balcony. The wind rushed into the room, cool and sharp, but it did little to dissipate the tension clinging to the air inside.Richard finished his second bowl of stew, stood up, and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He followed Aiden outside. Both men had unbuttoned their shirts halfway, leaving their chests exposed to the night air. I sat at the table, my throat tight. I watched the way their muscles bunched and shifted under their skin. Richard had the thick, dense build of a man trained for protection, but Aiden was surprisingly solid, matching him almost inch for inch.“My brother is obsessed with showing off,” Clementine said. She rolled her eyes, but her gaze lingered on Richard. She thought she was being subtle, but I saw her eyes trace the line of h
Salome’s POV"Are you certain we shouldn't be more concerned about Mrs. Vane?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the clatter of silverware.Clementine looked up from her plate, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"I chewed the inside of my lip. My thoughts had been spiraling since we sat down. We were so caught up in the threat Portia posed, but her mother was a different kind of monster. Mrs. Vane protected her daughter with a blind, dangerous loyalty. She had the connections and the lack of conscience to keep Portia from facing any real consequences. If she was willing to gamble the safety of everyone around us to keep her daughter close, she was the true wildfire."Caspian is putting all his weight behind keeping his mother out of trouble," I continued, meeting Clementine’s gaze. "That means he has fewer resources to spare for Portia. But if he succeeds in clearing his mother, he is just freeing up another powerful person who wants us gone."Clementine let out a long breath,
“You knew exactly what you were doing when you pulled out that chair, didn’t you?” I whispered, fixing Clementine with a sharp look.Clementine just blinked, her expression a mask of manufactured innocence as she slid into her own seat. Beside me, the space felt too small. I had spent the last twenty minutes hiding in the kitchen, scrubbing pans that were already clean, just to avoid sitting next to Jeremiah. Now, trapped between him and the end of the table, my skin hummed. I could feel the heat radiating from his shoulder, a physical weight that made my pulse jump.I kept my eyes locked on the table. Beside me, Jeremiah remained silent. He didn’t reach out, didn’t brush against me, and didn’t use that nickname that had set my nerves on fire in the car. Maybe he was finally reading the room. I focused on the steam rising from the lobster mashed potatoes, grateful for the distraction as everyone began to serve themselves.“So,” Clementine said, her voice cutting through the clatter of
Salome’s POV“Are you actually going to stand by and let him say that to me?”The question hung in the air like a sudden drop in pressure. The kitchen went deathly quiet. Clementine froze, her paring knife hovering an inch above a potato. Benedict, who had been pouring red wine into a carafe, let the liquid spill over the rim and pool onto the granite countertop. Richard’s hand jerked, his kitchen knife grazing the cutting board with a sharp, metallic screech. Across the island, Aiden stared at me. His eyes were wide, his jaw slack, as if I had just confessed to a terminal illness.Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. The silence stretched until my skin started to crawl.I forced a brittle laugh, slapping Jeremiah on the bicep. My palm felt the hard muscle beneath his shirt, rigid as a plank. “He’s just winding us up,” I announced, my voice a pitch too high. “Jeremiah likes to play these little mind games after hours. Says it keeps everyone on their toes.”Clementine blinked, her composure
Clementine’s POV“I love Salome,” Barnabas said.The words hung in the air like a bad joke. He whispered them as if they were a holy confession, his voice cracking just enough to make me want to gag. I stared at him, my hands tightening into fists at my sides. I th
Salome’s POV“Does it sting when I apply the pressure here?”Healer Beatrice moved my head to the side with a light touch. The room smelled like lemon cleaner and old herbs. I sat on the hard paper of the exam table while she dabbed at the jagged red line near my hairline.“I’m fine, Beatrice. It’s
Salome’s POV“Come on, just one more,” Portia said, though her voice lacked its usual sweetness. “I’m only starting to find my rhythm.”I looked at her, then shifted my gaze to Barnabas. He remained a statue, refusing to meet my eyes. Margot stood off to the side, her arms crossed and her mouth set
Salome’s POV"You aren't letting me win on purpose, are you, Barnabas?"The voice was high, sugary, and carried a flirtatious lilt that made my skin crawl. It drifted through the cracked window of Richardson Manor as I stepped onto the porch at eleven in the morning. I froze, my hand hovering just i






Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.