003: The freedom he wanted

Ian's POV

I poured two glasses of champagne and handed one to Brielle. She curled up on the couch beside me, her legs tucked under her, wearing nothing but my shirt.

"You seem happy for a man who just lost his wife," Brielle said, smiling over the rim of her glass.

"I didn't lose anything," I said. "I got exactly what I wanted."

"The divorce papers, you mean."

"The divorce papers," I agreed. "Do you know what that means? No more pretending. No more sneaking around."

Brielle laughed and leaned her head against my shoulder. "It means I finally get to be Luna."

"Soon," I said, kissing the top of her head. "Very soon."

"How soon is soon?" Brielle asked, sitting up to look at me. "I've waited more than three years, Ian. I don't want to wait three more."

"You won't have to," I said. "Diana thinks she's protecting herself by freezing the accounts and running to her lawyers. She has no idea what's coming."

"Tell me again," Brielle said, settling back against me. "Tell me about the law."

I smiled, enjoying the chance to explain it. "There's an old binding law between the alpha families. Since I married into her family, we have a legal claim to a portion of the marital assets once the divorce is finalized."

"And the crown?" Brielle asked, her eyes lighting up.

"The Moon Crown falls under the marital estate," I said. "Diana thinks it belongs to her alone, but the law doesn't see it that way. Once the divorce is done, we'll have grounds to challenge her claim to it. Once I get that crown, I'll become the Alpha of the Oakwood pack and my bloodline will rule from now on."

Brielle squealed and threw her arms around my neck. "You're a genius."

"I know," I said, grinning.

"But what if she fights it?" Brielle asked. "Diana isn't stupid, Ian. She has her own lawyers, her own resources."

"Let her fight," I said. "The law is older than her family's fortune. No lawyer she hires can argue with tradition."

"Still," Brielle said, "I'd feel better once it's finalized. Once the crown is actually in our hands."

"It will be," I said, tilting her chin up with my finger. "I promise you that."

The next morning, I met privately with two of the Fletcher family's legal representatives in my father's study. I sat behind the large oak desk, feeling more like an Alpha already than I had in years.

"Everything is proceeding as expected," one of the lawyers said, sliding a folder across the desk. "The ancient law is clear. Once the divorce is finalized, the Fletcher family holds legal grounds to claim a significant portion of the Ruffo marital estate."

"And the Moon Crown?" I asked.

"That will be more complicated," the second lawyer admitted. "Diana's team will likely argue it falls outside the marital estate since it was never formally transferred to your name. But we have precedent on our side. It will take time, but the claim is far from impossible."

"How much time?" I asked.

"Months, possibly longer, depending on how hard her side pushes back," the lawyer said. "These things rarely move quickly."

"Time is fine," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Diana isn't going anywhere. She'll be too busy licking her wounds to fight properly."

The lawyers exchanged a glance but said nothing.

By the time I left the meeting, I felt lighter than I had in months. Everything was falling into place exactly as I had planned. I walked through the halls of the Fletcher estate with my head held high, nodding at staff members who bowed slightly as I passed.

Later that evening, my phone buzzed with a news alert. I opened it and saw my own name splashed across the headline: ‘Fletcher Heir's Marriage Ends in Unprecedented Divorce, Luna Diana Ruffo Breaks Tradition.’

Brielle looked over my shoulder and frowned. "This isn't good publicity."

"It doesn't matter," I said, tossing the phone onto the table.

"It doesn't matter?" Brielle repeated. "Every pack in the region is talking about this. They're calling Diana brave for standing up to you."

"Let them call her brave," I said. "Brave doesn't pay for anything. Money does. Power does. And soon, we'll have both."

Brielle didn't look convinced, but she said nothing more about it.

"You worry too much," I said, noticing the frown still on her face. "Since when do you care what the neighboring packs think of us?"

"I don't care what they think," Brielle said. "I care what they do. Word spreads fast, Ian. If enough packs turn against you, it could slow everything down."

"Nothing is slowing down," I said firmly. "Not the divorce, not the claim, not any of it."

She still didn't look convinced.

"Patience," I said, pulling her closer. "Diana has already played right into our hands. She thinks divorcing me sets her free. She has no idea it's the very thing that hands us everything she's spent her life protecting."

Brielle smiled slowly. "I like the sound of that."

"You should," I said. "Because once the crown is ours, nobody in this territory will question who really deserves to rule."

We raised our glasses again, the champagne catching the light from the chandelier above us.

"To freedom," I said.

"To freedom," Brielle echoed, clinking her glass against mine.

I drank deeply, savoring the taste of victory I was certain was already mine. I didn't think about the frozen accounts Diana had ordered, or the sharpness in her voice when she signed the papers, or the fact that she hadn't shed a single tear in front of me. I only thought about what came next, about the crown resting on Brielle's head, about the life I believed was finally within reach.

Two days later, an envelope arrived at the Fletcher estate, stamped with the seal of the pack court. I tore it open eagerly, scanning the words until I found what I was looking for.

‘Notice of Scheduled Hearing: The Divorce of Ian Fletcher and Diana Ruffo. First Hearing Date Set.’

I smirked and folded the letter closed.

"Well?" Brielle asked, watching me from across the room.

"The first hearing has been scheduled," I said, tossing the letter onto the desk.

"And?"

"And Diana is about to walk straight into something she has no idea is waiting for her."

Brielle crossed the room and wrapped her arms around me from behind, resting her chin on my shoulder. "You really think she doesn't suspect anything?"

"She's too busy feeling sorry for herself," I said. "By the time she realizes what's happening, it will already be too late for her to stop it."

I looked out the window toward the horizon, already picturing the moment the court would rule in my favor, already picturing Brielle standing beside me wearing the crown that had belonged to the Ruffo bloodline for generations.

Everything, I was certain, was going exactly according to plan.