Chapter 5

BRAUN

I opened my mouth in shock.

Something was very much different about her. Her power pushed back against mine and it was in that moment that I realised that she was an Alpha too. 

"You're an Alpha." I couldn't hide the shock in my voice.

Her expression shifted slightly. "I'm a designer here to discuss a project. Nothing more." She responded with no shock in her words.

Does she even know how I've been since the day she disappeared? And now... she's talking about project. However, my mind was more invested in the thoughts of her being an alpha.

"Your mother's bloodline." I'd researched her family for years after she left, trying to understand her, trying to find any clue about where she might go. "She was supposed to be the Alpha of Brace pack before your father took over."

Her voice was cold. "It does not matter now. All that matters is this contract in front of us."

I stepped back. If she wanted professional then fine. I'd give her professional. For now.

"Fine. You want to keep this professional? Let's keep it professional." I went back to my seat at the head of the table. "Sit."

She stayed standing. "I think it would be better if my partner handled this account."

"Sit down, Solana."

"I'm not one of your pack members. You can't order me around."

"No, you're my wife. That gives me more rights than a pack member."

She blanched. "Ex wife. The contract expired years ago."

I pulled out my phone and brought up the documents my lawyer had sent over two weeks ago. "We never finalized the divorce. I had my lawyer check, legally you're still Solana Julie."

The color drained from her face. Good. Let her feel a fraction of what I felt when she vanished.

"That's not possible."

"It's very possible. You disappeared before we could complete the paperwork which means you're still bound to me." I smiled but knew it wasn't kind, I was not going to let her slip through my fingers like she did five years ago. "So sit down and let's discuss this project."

She reluctantly sat. I watched her legs nearly give out beneath her.

"You wouldn't," she whispered. "I would serve you the divorce papers then."

"Try me." My wolf bristled under my skin and I bared my teeth at her. I didn't care what I did but I was going to make sure that she would still be mine. 

Maybe punish her. For making me look like a fool, for starting a scandal that nearly ruined my career, they called me abusive and that was why she ran away. They didn't crucify her for running away so I bore the stigma. If I couldn't keep my Luna, how could they entrust me with the pack? 

I laid out the papers in front of us and was about to launch into a talk when she unexpectedly asked. 

"Why did you call my firm? If you knew where I was, why wait until now?"

"I didn't know where you were. Not until three weeks ago when your company submitted a bid for this project." The memory of seeing her name on that proposal still made my chest tight. "Imagine my surprise when I saw your name on the proposal. Solana Merrick. Creative name change by the way."

"It's my mother's maiden name."

"I know. I had five years to research everything about your family." I opened the folder I'd put together every detail about her lineage, and the Alpha bloodline she'd kept hidden. "And now that I've had you back, you're not going nowhere."

"If you're just going to threaten me, I'm leaving."

"I'm not threatening you. I'm stating facts." I closed the folder and met her eyes. "You're still legally my wife. You abandoned your pack responsibilities. You committed fraud by using a false identity. I could make your life very difficult if I wanted to."

I could see her flaring up and failing in controlling her sharp breathing. 

" I want answers first." My eyes searched hers. "Why did you leave?"

She glared at me. "You know why."

"No, I really don't. One day we were fine, better than fine. The next day you were gone."

She almost laughed. "We were never fine. You hated me from the day we got married."

"I didn't hate you." I gripped the pen I was holding.

"You couldn't stand to be in the same room as me." She scoffed.

"So that's why you left?"

" For seventeen months you avoided me. Then we had one night together and suddenly you thought everything changed. But it didn't. You were still planning to end things."

"I wasn't planning to end things. I was planning to start them properly. I had a ring, Solana. I was going to propose. For real this time."

The words hung in the air and I watched her eyes widen in shock.

"What?"

"The conversation you overheard. I was talking about dissolving the contract so I could ask you to marry me without it hanging over us. I wanted us to choose each other." I ran my hand through my hair. "But you didn't stick around long enough to find out."

She couldn't seem to breathe, or think, and I could see it on her face, the realization hitting her hard.

Five years. Five years of her running and hiding and convincing herself she'd made the right choice.

"I need to go," she said.

"We're not done talking." I growled under my breath. She was not gonna elude me this time.

"Yes we are." She stood up and grabbed her bag.

 "Find another firm for your project."