C6

Rowan Everly POV

I stopped writing on my draft, keeping my eyes fixed on the desk. "You do not have to return to the Moonkeep with me. I will speak to Mom when I arrive."

"What are you going to say to her?" Grayson narrowed his dark eyes, his chest swelling with malevolent Alpha aura. "Rowan, do not act crazy. I never thought you were the petty type."

"My husband is buying a designer dress for his mistress before taking his rejected human wife home," I said, setting my pen down to meet his cold stare. "Grayson, do you even realize how cruel you are?"

He stood tall, his high nose bridge and sharp jawline marking him as an elite Alpha, a sight that used to make my heart race with useless mate-bond heat.

"Director Ashbourne, if you have no further business, leave my space," I told him, keeping my voice dead even. "I have pack calculations to finish."

Grayson snorted, his eyes flashing dangerous gold for a fraction of a second. "Do whatever you want, human!"

He turned on his heel and strode out, leaving me alone in the quiet office.

My phone vibrated against the desk, displaying an unlinked pack frequency from an unknown caller. I slammed the reject button, refusing to let another distraction break my focus on the Silver Creek territory blueprints.

By the time the sun dipped below the forest horizon, Cassidy Vale packed her things with a smug smirk and walked out. I stayed at my workstation, forcing my aching body to analyze old territorial records for the Hawthorne Mooncrest Dominion.

I pulled up a broadcast clip from this morning's pack news feed showing Alpha Declan Hawthorne wearing an immaculate dark suit that accentuated his massive frame.

The female host leaned in with a playful smile during the interview. "Alpha Declan, every single female in the territory wants to know: is there a woman who has captured your heart?"

The room on the screen went dead silent before Declan raised his head, his cold eyes piercing the lens. "Not now."

"Does that mean you have held a secret claim on someone for a long time?" the host pressed excitedly. "Are you secretly waiting for a mate?"

Declan narrowed his eyes, offering no further response as the feed abruptly cut to a territorial advertisement.

I closed the clip, shaking my head at the thought of a terrifying, legendary Alpha like Declan pining for anyone.

My phone buzzed again with a persistent chime, and I immediately blacklisted the unknown number before my friend's linked line flashed across the screen. I pressed answer.

"Rowan!" Vivian Holloway's energetic voice echoed through the speaker. "I am at the Black Fang Lodge right now, and you need to get down here!"

Inside the dimly lit Black Fang Lodge, I found Vivian hiding near a dark corner booth, pouring citrus juice into her sparkling wine.

"What are you doing over here?" I asked, pulling out a chair as another dizzy spell washed over my feverish skin.

Vivian waved her hand wildly, her eyes locked on the private VIP corridor. "Have you seen the third-born Alpha from the Hawthorne bloodline?"

"Vivian, you broke off your pack arrangement with your ex-lover less than a week ago," I reminded her softly.

"We dissolved the bond!" Vivian snapped her fingers, rolling her eyes. "I saw him at the Pack Dominion Hall. He was wearing a stark white shirt, looking like a total god. I am going to make him claim me!"

"The males you claim you want to marry could line up across the entire Pack Trade Quarter," I muttered, sipping cold water to soothe my throat.

"You always judge my choices," Vivian huffed, dropping her head back with dramatic flair before leaning across the table. "Can you get me his direct contact line through your Silver Creek project deal?"

"Ask Alpha Declan?" I shook my head instantly, recalling his icy glare from the Ritz Manor. "I am not close with the Hawthorne Alpha. He barely tolerates my presence."

"Rowan, please!" Vivian whined, shifting her tone in a heartbeat. "You said you supported me!"

Before I could answer, Vivian's eyes caught a group of high-ranking wolves exiting a private chamber across the room. She stood up instantly, grabbing her leather coat.

"I have to go, but hear me now!" Vivian pointed a finger at my face, her voice dropping into a harsh rasp. "I already dealt with Brielle Thorn for you. She is completely banned from the pack media circuits!"

I froze, staring at her in shock.

"You are an idiot, Rowan!" Vivian yelled over her shoulder as she walked away. "Grayson treats you like trash! I have had twenty male partners and you are still rotting in a dead marriage with an Alpha who hates you!"

I sat alone in the booth, staring into my glass as her final words burned through my chest like silver poison.