Chapter 7

Eyra’s POV

What kind of nonsense is this?

“Answer me, Eyra. Who do you choose?” Dave asked insistently while giving me a sharp tug.

“Hey! Don’t be rough with her,” Mr. Wynter interjected before turning to me. “I understand everything you’ve explained, Miss Noir. Go home with him. If anything happens, call me.”

Before I could nod—and before Mr. Wynter could explain anything else—Dave had already grabbed my arm and dragged me into the car.

“Ouch!” I yelped, but before I could protest, Dave hopped into the driver’s seat and sped off at high speed until we arrived at the mansion. It didn’t stop there; he dragged me inside and flung me onto the sofa.

I whimpered while clutching my stomach. My pup will be okay, right? He hasn’t even been born yet, but he’s already having to endure such unpleasant treatment from his father.

“Explain yourself,” Dave demanded, standing with his hands on his hips as he glared at me. “Did you do all this on purpose to make the elders cancel our divorce petition?”

“This has nothing to do with our divorce. I was just doing business with him,” I replied. That was true, even though a small part of it was a lie.

Dave let out a harsh sigh, then ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. His gaze returned to me as I sat frozen on the sofa.

I had absolutely no idea what he was going to do. Up until now, he’d never once cared about anything I did. In fact, he probably wouldn’t even care if I were alive or dead.

“I promise I’ll make sure our divorce goes smoothly,” I said after a long silence. He didn’t answer, so I figured our conversation was over.

I was about to get up, but unexpectedly, Dave grabbed my wrist roughly and pinned me to the sofa. He had me trapped. There was a flash of anger in his eyes that I’d never seen before. His warm, fragrant breath swept across my face, and for a moment I froze before trying to break free.

The scent on his breath is one I've longed for every day for the past three years. The first time I breathed it in was the night he made love to me while he was drunk. Now, I'm breathing it in once more, but just like that night, there's no love behind it.

“Please, Dave… let me go. This hurts,” I whimpered. I wasn’t joking. His sturdy body was now pinning me down, my stomach right beneath him. It felt as if a tiny creature inside me was wriggling, trying to free itself from his grip. “Dave...”

“Since when did you dare to rebel and break the rules like this, huh? Wasn’t I clear enough?” he asked, now gripping my jaw with his other hand.

“Dave, what are you doing? Let me go!”

“You’re doing whatever you want, which might cause our divorce to fall through, and then you just casually promise me some nonsense?”

“This isn’t nonsense. I’ll go see your grandmother tomorrow. Our divorce will be finalized in less than two weeks,” I said, stammering as I tried to hold back the pain in my stomach. I couldn’t think of anything else but my pup's movement.

Hearing my words, Dave froze. Slowly, he loosened his grip and stepped away from me. He smoothed his hair, then stood up just as Elara entered the room.

“Dave? You’re home? Why didn’t you call me? I was waiting at the restaurant and—” Elara’s sentence trailed off as her gaze fixed sharply on me. “Did you go out with her?”

Dave looked confused, but a split second later his expression turned neutral. He turned around and walked over to Elara.

“Don’t mind her. I came home because I forgot something. Let me make it up to you,” he said. “Tell me what you want tonight? Dinner? A matcha frappe?”

Elara stared at Dave for a long time, then snorted. “Dave, I don’t like matcha frappes.”

Of course. That’s my favorite. This guy must have been so tipsy he forgot what Elara, his girlfriend, likes.

“Uh, I’m sorry. I...”

“That’s your favorite, right?” Elara fired back, clearly directing the question at me. “Were you just flirting with him?” She asked then turned back to Dave, who was now rubbing his forehead.

“Come on, Elara. Let's not make this any worse. I'm just tired. Let's go to your room.” Dave gently guided Elara out of the room, and I let out a sigh of relief.

I got up slowly, stepping carefully up the stairs toward the attic. Once there, a smile spread across my face. The maids must have already tidied up and cleaned the room, making it neater and cozy.

I made the bed with neat, fragrant sheets and was about to lie down when I heard a knock on the door.

“We’ve prepared dinner for you, Ma’am,” the maid said. “And here—I made your favorite chamomile tea.”

She set the tray on the nightstand and looked at me for a moment.

“Alpha Dave wants you to join him for dinner,” she said again. “He’s waiting in the dining room with Miss Smith.”

I remained silent for a few moments as everything that had happened a few hours earlier came flooding back. Dave had been acting strangely. I'd never seen him behave that way before.

He never cared, but this time he seemed like he wanted to make things difficult for me.

Why invite the woman he’s about to divorce to dine at the same table with him and his mistress?

“I can’t join him for dinner,” I replied.

The waiter stunned. “What if Alpha Dave gets angry, Ma’am?”

I was silent for a moment before finally answered. “Just tell him I’ve gone to bed.”

The waiter looked hesitant, but then nodded and turned to leave. I caught a glimpse of the conversation downstairs, but then it fell silent before the clinking of cutlery finally reached my ears.

I closed the door gently and made my way to the corner of the room where I kept a few precious items that remained exactly the same as they were three years ago. A ruby brooch that Dave’s grandmother had given me as a symbol that the Hunter family accepted me as a member of the family and the pack.

It looked a little dull from lack of use. I’d never set foot outside the mansion except for pack meetings—and even then, only when they wanted me there.

I gently wiped it with a cloth until it shone again. A strange feeling suddenly crept into my heart and caused a twinge of pain. I placed it in a box along with our wedding rings—mine and his, which he had never worn even once, so I kept it—the pregnancy test, and the lab results confirming my pregnancy.

I set it on the table, then hurried to lie down on the bed. My eyes had already closed when I sensed someone was in my room. I opened my eyes, sat up, and scanned the room, but found no one.

I lay back down, but couldn’t fall asleep when my phone buzzed. A notification popped up and caught my attention, prompting me to click on it.

A headline made me sit up again, my eyes widening as I read what was written on the screen.

[Eyra Hunter, a Luna candidate for the Night Hunter Pack, was caught secretly meeting with a mysterious man. Alpha Dave caught them, and soon after, divorce papers were leaked. Is this the end of their marriage?]

How… how could news like this surface with such a distorted narrative? Is this Dave’s doing to ensure our divorce is finalized as soon as possible?

If that’s true, is there really no other way besides ruining my reputation?