Chapter 11

Eyra’s POV

He said I was getting in the way of everything Elara loves? Does that include marrying him? Is that what he meant? If so, it seems someone needs to knock some sense into him so he realizes that I would never marry him—no matter how much I love him—if it weren’t for his strange and sudden request.

“Fine,” I replied without a fight, pulling my fingers away from the dress we’d been holding together and stepping back. “You can have it. I’ll find another one.”

I turned around and was about to leave. But, before I went, I caught Dave staring at me with a questioning look. However, I ignored it and went on to choose a dress with a style almost identical to the one I’d given up for Elara. The differences were in the color and the accents on the sleeves.

Although this wasn’t the first dress I’d chosen, it seemed to look better on me.

I headed straight to the register, where Elara and Dave were already waiting. Dave took out his card and handed it to the cashier.

“Check out two dresses,” Dave said, motioning to the store clerk to ring up mine as well.

The store manager approached and spoke to me. “Would you like to pay with the special card you have, Miss Noir?”

“S-special card?” I asked. The store manager then handed me a small envelope.

“This is the special card I was referring to. Mr. Wynter has prepared it for you. Any purchase you make at any Wynter retail location can be paid for with this card. Unlimited,” she explained, leaving me speechless for a moment, then I turned to Dave, whose expression had already turned sour.

His eyebrows furrowed and shot up sharply, and before I could answer, he snatched the card from my hand, handed it back to the store manager, and finally interrupted.

“She doesn’t need anyone’s financial support because I, her husband, am still capable of covering all her needs. Charge everything she bought to my account. Including that black dress,” Dave said.

The store manager looked at me confused, and I could only look away—I hadn’t expected to face such an embarrassing situation.

“Let’s go home,” Dave said, as if it were an unquestionable command, and I really couldn’t do anything about it because he’d already grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the store.

I struggled to keep up with him because he would never stop to consider me.

“Dave, my stomach hurts—please slow down,” I said. But he didn’t slow down one bit, as if he hadn’t heard me.

However, things were different when Elara spoke up.

“Dave, ouch!”

Just one word—“ouch!”—was enough to make Dave stop, let go of my hand, then turn around and rush over to Elara, who was sitting on the floor examining the heel of her shoe, which seemed broken.

“Are you okay, Elara? Did you sprain your ankle? Can you walk?” he asked anxiously.

Elara nodded, putting on a spoiled expression, and replied, “Yeah, I think I sprained my ankle. That’s why I fell. Would it be a bother if you walked beside me and held onto me, Dave?”

“I’ll carry you all the way to the car,” Dave said.

What? That’s so funny.

Every time I linked my arm through his, Dave would always tell me to keep it together in public because he was an alpha and refused a PDA.

So, what was that just now?

“Are you sure you’re going to carry me all the way to the car, Dave? This is the 20th floor,” Elara said.

Dave didn’t answer; instead, he immediately lifted Elara into his arms.

“When have I ever been unsure when it comes to you? Let's get outta here,” he said as he walked.

I deliberately slowed my pace so I’d fall far behind them. The car was already parked outside by the time I reached the lobby. However, they weren’t there to wait for me to go home with them, but for another reason.

“You go home by taxi. I have to take Elara to the hospital to get her leg checked, as well as her asthma, which has been flaring up a lot lately,” Dave said.

At first, my hand was already reaching for the car door, but upon hearing his words, I changed my mind—and without waiting for my reply, the car drove off.

I immediately grabbed my phone, called a taxi, and it arrived shortly afterward, taking me back to the mansion.

***

I let out a heavy sigh as I looked around the room I now lived in. According to the servants, Dave had ordered that my belongings be stored in the room at the end of the hallway, right next to the master bedroom—my old room—which was now occupied by Elara… and Dave, of course.

I remember, back when I first set foot in the mansion, I refused this room because—for some reason—I could hear sounds from outside very clearly, and that made it hard for me to sleep.

That’s what eventually led Dave to move me to the master bedroom. However, in the end, he never once set foot in it.

I was all set in the dress I’d bought. I went out to look for Dave and Elara, but once again I had to accept the order to go alone.

They’d decided to leave early because they wanted to buy something for Dave’s grandmother. Elara often did that for Dave’s family—buying gifts even when it wasn’t a special occasion. That’s why Dave’s mother and younger sister liked her so much.

I arrived at Dave’s grandmother’s manor, where many people had already gathered and were mingling with one another. This included Dave, who stared at me intently when I arrived, and Elara, who immediately rushed toward me the moment she saw me.

She stopped in front of me, blocking my path toward Dave’s grandmother.

“I just wanted to warn you not to bring up your meeting with that stranger. Grandma was furious when she heard the news,” she said. “Or… shouldn’t you just go home?”

I gave her a silent glance, then changed direction so she would no longer block my path. I headed straight for Grandma.

“Ouch!” someone yelped. All eyes automatically turned toward Elara, who was sitting on the floor massaging her ankle.

“Elara, what happened? Your ankle?” Dave rushed over to help her up.

Elara didn't answer but nodded. Her gaze remained fixed on me, so Dave automatically looked at me and then back at Elara.

“What happened, Elara?” he asked.

“Dave, I just asked Eyra not to bring up her meeting with a man at the Luminous Hotel, but she seemed upset with me, so she shoved me,” she replied.

I stared in disbelief—I couldn’t believe Elara was bold enough to accuse me without any evidence in front of so many people. And how could she know about Luminous Hotel, anyway?

Grandma, who had been hugging me, loosened her embrace and looked at me.

“I didn’t—”

“Enough, Eyra! I’ve seen that you’ve been causing trouble ever since Elara returned. You’ve crossed the lines I set by meeting a man and going out without my permission, then turning against Elara and meddling in everything related to her. It seems you can’t wait to leave this pack.”

I froze, glancing one by one at the elders in the room who seemed to be waiting for me to refute all of Dave’s accusations. But I had no answer. It would be pointless and make it seem like I was making a scene.

Dave doesn’t like drama, and I don’t know since when, but I’ve been trying to avoid it too.

“Ah, right… I called you here to discuss that issue as well,” Grandma said. I shook my head, holding her wrinkled hand and trying to look into her eyes.

“Grandma, in the past three years, have I ever complained about Dave? You know better than anyone what’s been going on in our marriage. But have you ever seen me cheat on him?”

“Not at all. But you filed for divorce, Eyra. Didn’t Dave tell you when you got married, that the pack’s rules don’t allow for divorce?”

“What? I… I never asked for a divorce.”

“I can’t decide whose account is true. That’s why we’re giving you a month to renegotiate this matter.”

Hearing Dave’s grandma's explanation, my body felt limp, as if I had no bones. A month had almost passed, and I couldn’t wait to get out of here, but Grandma’s words implied something else.

“There must be a reason for the divorce. Your marriage isn’t a game—it’s a sacred moment witnessed by the Moon Goddess. You shouldn’t have crossed the boundaries set by your husband, your alpha,” one of the elders interjected. He was one of the oldest members, who often served as the pack’s advisor. “You’re lucky we didn’t punish you. We only asked you to be patient, and even that you couldn’t manage.”

“What’s wrong with meeting a colleague?” I asked after listening for a while as the elders took turns cornering me with their remarks. Including Grandma, whom I’d always thought was on my side.

“Can we really believe he’s just a colleague, when we already know his true identity?” another added. He paused for a moment, but after stepping closer toward me and stopping right in front of me, he spoke again.

“North Wynter, a lycan king who is clearly the sworn enemy of our race. Not only that, but in the business world, he’s a shrewd businessman who always plays the role of the hierarchy’s ruler and is ambitious to always be at the top. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants—including snatching the Luna-to-be from our pack because he’s convinced it will weaken us. Did you realize that, Eyra?”