Chapter 5

Chapter 5

My eyes fluttered open to unfamiliar sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows. For a moment, I just stared at the city skyline, trying to piece together where I was. The sheets against my skin felt like clouds – definitely not my IKEA bargain set.

My wolf stretched contentedly, purring with satisfaction. That's when everything hit me like a truck.

The bar. The Aston Martin. Christian. The “night”.

“Oh god.” I sat up so fast the room spun, clutching the obscenely expensive sheets to my chest. “Oh god, oh god, oh god.”

My wolf rolled her eyes. “Mate,” she insisted.

“Shut up! He's not our mate. We just… oh god.” 

I scrambled for my phone, nearly falling out of the California king bed in the process. Where were my clothes? There – a trail leading to the door, like some walk of shame on a breadcrumb trail.

Fifteen missed calls from Maria. Twenty-eight text messages. 

“Sophie, where are you??”

“Tom and Lily are at your apartment”

“They're going through your stuff”

“CALL ME”

“Shit.” 

The bathroom was easy to find – the penthouse had a logical layout despite its massive size. Everything screamed money and power: marble countertops, a shower big enough for a pack meeting, and products that probably cost more than my monthly rent.

I splashed water on my face, trying not to look at my reflection. My hair was a disaster, and there were marks on my neck that made my wolf purr and my human side want to die of embarrassment.

“Pull it together, Sophie,” I muttered. “You're better than this.”

My phone buzzed again. Maria.

“They're destroying your stuff. Where ARE you??”

That got me moving. I grabbed my clothes, grimacing at their wrinkled state. Everything smelled like Christian – pine, rain, and power. My wolf whined as I covered his scent with my own.

I noticed he wasn't in the penthouse. For a moment, I considered waiting, talking to him. My wolf certainly wanted to.

“No,” I told her firmly. “We're leaving.”

I grabbed a notepad from the bedside table, started to write… then crumpled it up. What would I even say? *Thanks for the rebound sex, sorry about the emotional baggage?*

The elevator ride down was torture. Every instinct screamed at me to go back up, to face this like an adult. But I couldn't. Not with Tom and Lily ransacking my apartment. Not with my whole life falling apart.

The morning doorman called a cab without being asked. I wondered if he was used to this – women fleeing Christian's penthouse in last night's clothes.

That thought shouldn't have hurt as much as it did.

The cab driver didn't comment on my appearance, though he did crack his windows. Great. I probably reeked of sex and expensive cologne.

My apartment building looked the same. Funny how your entire life can implode, but the world just keeps spinning.

Maria was pacing outside my door, her dark hair a mess and her usually perfect makeup smudged. She grabbed me in a fierce hug before I could speak.

“Where have you been?” she whispered. “I was worried sick! They've been here for hours and-” She froze, sniffing. “Sophie… why do you smell like…”

The door flew open before she could finish. Lily stood there, her perfect blonde hair styled like she was heading to a photoshoot instead of destroying someone's life.

“Well, well, well.” Her smile was all teeth. “Look who finally showed up.”

I squared my shoulders, channeling every ounce of corporate boardroom energy I could muster. “Get out of my apartment.”

She laughed, high and fake. “Your apartment? Sweetie, this is pack property. And rejected mates don't get pack privileges.”

I pushed past her, my wolf snarling. The sight of my apartment stopped me cold.

They'd been thorough. Every drawer emptied, every picture frame smashed. My books – my precious, expensive textbooks – were scattered across the floor, pages torn out.

Tom stood in the middle of the chaos, watching me with those familiar brown eyes. Eyes I used to love.

“You smell different,” he said, frowning.

My wolf preened. The lingering scent of Christian gave me strength I didn't know I needed.

“Get. Out.”

“Sophie,” Tom's voice took on that condescending tone I used to mistake for caring. “Be reasonable. You know pack law. Once the mate bond is broken-”

“Then I'll pack my things and leave,” I cut him off. “But first, you and your new mate are going to get out of my apartment.”

Lily's face twisted. “How dare you? Tom chose me. He finally saw what a pathetic excuse for a mate you were and-”

“Maria,” I interrupted, not taking my eyes off Tom. “Would you help me pack?”

Maria squeezed my hand. “Of course.”

We worked quickly, gathering the essentials that had survived Lily's rampage. Clothes, documents, my laptop. The few photos that weren't destroyed.

“You were never worthy of being his mate anyway,” Lily called as we headed for the door. “Everyone knew it. We were all just waiting for Tom to figure it out.”

Two years ago, those words would have destroyed me. Today, they barely registered. My wolf was too distracted by memories of amber eyes and powerful hands to care about Tom's betrayal.

Maria helped me load my car, promising to come back for anything we missed. “Where will you go?”

“The new pack territory,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “I start my new job Monday. They have temporary housing for new members.”

She hugged me again. “Call me when you get there. And Sophie?” She pulled back, studying my face. “Whoever he is… maybe he's exactly what you needed.”

I thought about Christian as I drove away. About his laugh, his power, the way he'd made me feel safe and wanted.

“Mate,” my wolf insisted again.

This time, I didn't tell her to shut up.

I just drove, leaving my old life behind, trying not to think about the stranger who'd turned my world upside down twice in one night.

My phone buzzed with another text from Maria: “Girl, we need to talk about that Alpha scent all over you…”

I turned my phone off and kept driving.

I had no idea that the biggest surprise was still waiting for me at Knight Industries on Monday morning.