Chapter 3

The room I'd prepared for Harper was unrecognizable.

The clean bedding had been stripped and tossed over a chair. Leather jackets and evening dresses packed the closet. Sienna's skin-care products, camera, and shopping bags covered the dresser, while an enormous stuffed white wolf sat in the middle of the bed like a flag marking conquered territory.

The front door opened downstairs, followed by Sienna's laugh. "Thanks for taking me to the winter light show, Ronan. Today was awful, but that cheered me right up."

Ronan walked in, pulling off his gloves. "Sienna had another run-in with the patrol trainees. The council is investigating, and the dorms have turned hostile. I told her she could stay here for a few days."

"I told you last week that Harper was moving into this room tonight."

He paused for half a second.

That was all I needed. He'd forgotten completely.

When I'd asked him, he hadn't even looked away from his laptop. He'd said Harper was my friend and I didn't need his approval.

Now his mouth tightened. "I forgot. That's on me." He reached into his coat and took out a snow globe. "This is from the exhibit. I'll take you this weekend."

I recognized the logo on the base. I'd wanted to see that show from opening night. For three months, he'd claimed he couldn't spare an evening.

Tonight, he'd found the time for Sienna.

I took the snow globe, carried it into the kitchen, and dropped it in the trash.

The blood drained from Ronan's face. Sienna rushed forward. "This is my fault. When Harper gets here, we can share the room. I don't mind."

I walked past her with a smile and carried her clothes, camera, cosmetics, and stuffed wolf into the hallway.

Her eyes filled instantly. "Where am I supposed to sleep tonight?"

I nodded toward the master bedroom. "With Ronan. The two of you already act more like mates than we do."

Her face went scarlet. "Maeve! If you don't want me here, just say so. You don't have to humiliate me."

She covered her face and ran outside.

For once, Ronan didn't immediately chase after her. He looked at me first, his brows drawn together. "She didn't take Harper's room on purpose. The council might ban her from pack events for fighting a ranked member, and she's scared. If you didn't want her here, you could've told me without tearing her apart."

"This is my home too. You brought another woman into it and gave away a room I'd prepared for my friend, yet somehow I'm the one who owes everyone an apology?"

Ronan rubbed his forehead. "She had nowhere else to go. It's only for a few nights. I thought the Luna of this pack could show a new member some compassion. Besides, you didn't need my permission to invite Harper either."

A month ago, I would've fought until my throat hurt. I would've reminded him that Harper didn't wear his clothes, ask him for midnight snacks, or post suggestive pictures with her body pressed against his.

I would've demanded to know why one tear from Sienna mattered more than anything I felt.

Now I only nodded. "You're right. Neither of us needs the other's permission."

Which meant I didn't need his permission to leave Silver Ridge. I didn't need it to end our marriage. And I certainly didn't need it to raise my child where Ronan would never find us.

I opened the front door for him. "You should check on Sienna. I need to finish packing."

That answer unsettled him more than anger would have.

Ronan crossed the room and closed his hand around my wrist. The mate mark warmed beneath his fingers, but all I felt was tired.

"She can stay at a hotel." His gaze moved past me to the open suitcase in the living room, and his expression changed. "Why are you packing? Maeve, where are you going?"