LOGINThird Person's POV
At the track, Archer and Camille naturally became the center of gravity.
Staff members scurried over, bowing slightly—an instinctive display of submission to a high-ranking Alpha. "Alpha Archer, Ms. Haines, everything is ready."
The gesture was unmistakable; they were already treating Camille like the future lady of the house.
Archer gave a slight nod, his eyes fixed on the track ahead. "Begin."
On command, the test vehicle tore down
Third Person's POVDominic continued, seemingly oblivious to the tension. "Alpha Archer handed over a massive core project to Ms. Haines to run solo. Talk about a power move."Elmer let out a cold, sharp grunt. "Mhm.""Since it's probably her first time leading something this big, she was worried about falling short. Her whole team was pulling crazy overtime all weekend. I heard they were grinding until ten or eleven last night," Dominic added, sounding impressed.Elmer's voice was like ice. "Oh.""But seriously, Ms. Haines is dedicated. She isn't throwing her weight around just because of her 'special connection' with Alpha Archer, and she's definitely not treating the project like a hobby," Dominic praised, shaking his head.Elmer actually let out a dry, angry laugh at that. He couldn't help his sharp tongue. "Isn't it more likely she's so technically behind that she had to drag an entire floor of people down with her just to keep the ligh
Third Person's POVMoira offered her a piece of candy to cut the bitterness, but Melanie didn't take it.Seeing that she truly had no appetite, Moira headed downstairs to dinner.About forty minutes later, Moira came back up with Trista. Both of them looked annoyed.Moira grumbled, "It's this late and Archer is actually going back to the office? The man is a total workaholic!"Melanie had been so lost in her book she hadn't even noticed the sound of a car starting outside.But she knew the truth. If Archer was heading out at this hour, it was probably because something had gone sideways with Camille's project, and he was rushing off to play the hero and save the day.Trista pouted, leaning her head on Melanie's lap. "Daddy didn't take me with him."Melanie stroked her daughter's hair, her mind clear.Of course Archer wouldn't take her. If he showed up at Swift Tech with Trista, everyone would know he was married with a c
Third Person's POVErasmus was actually a solid student with a good foundation. Melanie took a quick look at the two worksheets, straightened out the high-level physics logic for him, and he had his "aha" moment instantly."Luna Melanie, you're seriously amazing. Thanks a ton!"Once he grasped the concepts, Erasmus didn't care about maintaining some stoic Alpha image. He hunkered down by the coffee table and started scribbling calculations at lightning speed.Finishing the last problem, he tucked the papers away and let out a long breath. "Whew, finally done. Now I can actually scroll through my phone in peace!"Melanie's lips curved into a small smile as she set aside the newspaper she'd been immersed in.She felt a bit more energized, so she planned to head upstairs and find a technical book to kill some time. Erasmus leaned in suddenly, looking mysterious and lowering his voice. "Luna Melanie, my girl did another underground race a while
Third Person's POVMelanie pressed her lips together and focused on her soup, ignoring him completely.She already didn't have much of an appetite, and having him sit there acting like this only made her chest feel tighter.Archer leaned his head on his hand, watching her with a trace of clinical curiosity in his dark eyes. "All these years, and you still don't even know how to pick a fight?"Melanie turned her head away, giving him a cold profile.Archer let out a sigh, his voice carrying a hint of softness that even he didn't seem to notice. "Fine, I'll stop teasing. Just eat."In the severance agreement Melanie had filed, she had been crystal clear: she was walking away with nothing.No property, no assets, not even a legal battle over Trista's custody. She had assumed that given Archer's self-serving nature, he would have called her to sign the final papers ages ago.But it had been three months since she left that agreemen
Third Person's POVIt was Gillian on the line.The second Melanie picked up, her friend's voice hit her like a wave of heat. "Melanie! I saw it with my own eyes! Archer is out having dinner with the Haines family right now, and Camille is sitting right next to him! Does he even give a damn about how that looks for you as his Luna?"Melanie's knuckles turned white as she gripped the phone.Gillian let out a low curse. "Damn it! Why am I always the one who runs into this trash? I seriously never want to see those two in the same room again!"After venting, she asked urgently, "Melanie, where are you?""At my grandmother's... the Red Rose Pack," Melanie said quietly, her voice sounding a little fragile."You went back alone?""With Trista and Moira."Gillian let out a sharp, mocking laugh. She caught the irony instantly. "So, Archer uses the 'busy with pack business' excuse to blow off your family, then turns around and tak
Third Person's POV"The vibe at the winter camp was actually amazing," Melanie said. As she recalled the bonfire from the night before, her eyes softened with a warmth Archer hadn't seen in a long time—a spark that had been missing for years. "We had snowball fights, built snowmen, played hide-and-seek... everyone had a blast. There's a sense of freedom out there that you just can't find in the city."She was telling the truth.By that mountain fire, when she briefly forgot she was Archer's neglected mate, she had finally felt that unrestrained freedom an Alpha is supposed to have.Archer's hand, which had been flipping through a newspaper, went rigid.He stared at her, his dark eyes filled with a deep, cold scrutiny.This feeling of things slipping out of his control made the Alpha, who was used to being worshipped, feel a sudden, inexplicable restlessness.Trista, hearing all this, felt a flash of longing followed by an even b
Melanie's POVThe engine cut out, and the courtyard went dead quiet.Then I heard Trista's excited voice downstairs. "Hey, it's Mom's car! Dad, Mom is home!""Mhm." Archer's response was short and flat, as cold as ever.I snapped my laptop shut, locking all those cold
Third Person's POVMelanie stood frozen, her eyes glued to Archer's back as he walked away.The lingering pheromones in the air felt like an invisible collar, making her scent gland throb with heat. It took her a long moment to snap out of it.When she finally regained her fo
Third Person's POVDwight gave a flat refusal over the communication stone. "She's shy. The scents on a yacht are too chaotic; she'll be uncomfortable.""Come on, Trista's going to be there. Pups the same age always find a way to play," Edric said, not giving him a chance to back ou
Third Person's POVOn her way back, Melanie passed by the wetland park again.Kites danced across the sky like symbols of unconstrained freedom. On a sudden whim, she turned the wheel and drove inside.The breeze was gentle on the lawn, the sun was perfect, and the air was fi







