Chapter 2: You'll Be Mine Eventually

Samuel tossed his empty glass to Philip and walked straight downstairs toward Arabella.

Philip stared in shock, his jaw practically dropping.

What did Samuel just say?

He wanted Arabella?

Holy crap, had Samuel just set his sights on his own niece-in-law?!

Wait... Samuel had just returned from the northern territories. Could it be that he heard about his older brother cheating and rushed back overnight just to steal his brother's mate?

Under the dim, flickering club lights, Samuel saw the bright trails of tears on Arabella's soft face.

It instantly brought back a memory from three years ago outside the pack clinic emergency doors. Inside lay Richard, badly hurt from a border fight, while Arabella stood outside in a pristine white dress, worried sick and crying in absolute silence.

She had cried in a way that made anyone's chest ache.

Samuel's heart gave a hard tug. Without thinking, he raised the back of his hand and brushed it gently against Arabella's cheek, wiping away the tear.

"You look so miserable, Arabella. Since my nephew is treating you like this, do you want me to help you get a divorce?"

The sudden touch made Arabella jolt in surprise.

With the loud noise all around them, she snapped back to reality, quickly batting Samuel's hand away. She lifted her chin, staring up at him with a cold glare.

"Uncle Samuel, whether I divorce your nephew or stay married is none of your business. I don't need your help."

Emphasizing the word *Uncle*, she didn't know her young uncle-in-law very well since he had just returned.

All she knew was that he had a wild reputation, a total rebel who was too much for the elders to handle, so they had shipped him overseas for years and left him to do whatever he wanted.

Richard had warned her many times over the years to stay far away from Samuel.

Samuel looked at his brushed-away hand, raised a brow, and shoved his hands into his pockets with a casual shrug, stepping back to give her space.

"If you ever change your mind and want a divorce, just say the word, Arabella. I'll help you make it happen."

He smiled, a dangerous glint in his eye. "After all, a brilliant woman like you deserves way better than my unfaithful nephew."

Arabella wiped away the rest of her tears, reached out to grab a glass of strong liquor from the bar, and downed it in one gulp.

The alcohol hit her hard, and she narrowed her eyes at Samuel.

"Your nephew doesn't deserve me? Then who does?"

Samuel leaned in close, his warm breath brushing against her ear, speaking in a low, teasing whisper.

"Me."

He tilted his head down slightly. "That asshole, Richard cheated on you right to your face, and you refuse to walk away yet. Why don't you find a little payback to get back at him?"

Arabella's ears turned bright red. She bit her lower lip and immediately stepped back to put distance between them.

She forced her voice to stay steady. "Uncle Samuel, I am your nephew's mate! What on earth are you talking about?"

Right then, her phone started ringing. She looked down and saw it was a call from Richard’s assistant.

Ignoring Samuel completely, she answered the phone and walked right out of the club.

Samuel watched her retreating figure, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. A small spark flared in the dark as he brought it to his lips, whispering into the night air.

"Arabella, you'll be mine eventually."

Stepping outside the club, the freezing night wind hit Arabella's face like ice, instantly sobering her up.

She forced a polite, perfect smile onto her face and answered, "Assistant El, why are you calling so late? Is something wrong?"

The next second, Richard’s deep voice came through the speaker.

"Arabella, Celeste got a fright tonight. The pack doctor says her pup needs total peace and quiet, so I moved her into the master bedroom of our estate. She doesn't want to see you right now, so don't come back for the next few days. Stay at a hotel."

*Click.*

The line went dead instantly.

He didn't even give her a single second to reply.

She stared at the black screen of her phone, her smile fading into a stiff, painful grimace as a deep wave of heartbreak hit her chest.

So Richard hated her this much—enough to kick her completely out of her own home.

Arabella stayed out all night and returned to the estate the next morning.

The moment she stepped through the front doors, she saw pack servants rushing up and down the stairs, making a total mess of the place.

From upstairs, Celeste’s arrogant, high-pitched laughter echoed down.

"Take down Richard and Arabella's bonding portrait, and hang up this painting I like instead!"

When Arabella walked further in, she saw Celeste looking completely fine, rubbing her swollen belly while bossing the servants around to tear down the large framed photo of her and Richard.

"Who gave you permission to touch my portrait?"

Hearing Arabella's angry voice, Celeste didn't look scared at all. She casually flicked a strand of hair behind her ear and sneered.

"Oh, Arabella. Richard told me that to help me rest easy, you gladly let me have this room, and I could decorate it however I wanted. I just thought your wedding portrait looked tacky, so I told the servants to swap it out."

"Are you going back on your word now? Don't tell me the great Luna is actually petty after all."

She sounded like a sweet innocent girl on the outside, but she was sharp and cruel underneath. Arabella felt her stomach turn with pure disgust.

She dropped her polite expression, not even giving Celeste a second look as she turned her cold gaze straight to the working servants.

"What is this? I was gone for a single night, and you're already rolling out the red carpet to help a home-wrecker take over my master bedroom? Do you all forget I'm still the Luna of this pack?"