บททั้งหมดของ Dear Ex Mate, You're Mine to Ruin: บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Aaron’s POVThe email notification came through while I was in the middle of reviewing our quarterly losses, and when I opened it, my blood ran cold. The IRS was launching a formal investigation into AMS Corporation for potential tax evasion, they wanted all financial records submitted within thirty days, and failure to comply would result in immediate legal action.I read the email three times, my hands shaking with a mixture of rage and disbelief. This was supposed to be a secret, something that only Elder Rowland and I knew about because he’d been the one helping me bury the paperwork and redirect auditors when they came sniffing around. No one else should have known about this, no one else could have tipped off the IRS.Except Shantel. I’d told her about it months ago during one of our late-night strategy sessions, had trusted her with the information because she was my Luna and supposedly on my side.I grabbed my keys and left the office immediately, driving home faster than I pr

Lillian’s POVI woke up that morning with my lips still tingling from Dorian’s kisses and my mind racing with what we’d done. The memories came flooding back in vivid detail his hands in my hair, his body pressed against mine, the way he’d kissed me like he’d been starving for it. I couldn’t believe I’d actually done that, couldn’t believe I’d thrown away months of careful professional boundaries in one drunken moment.Except it hadn’t really been drunken, had it? I’d been tipsy but not that drunk, not so drunk I didn’t know what I was doing when I kissed him. And Dorian had definitely been sober, his eyes clear and focused even as his control slipped away.I shook my head and got out of bed, trying to push those thoughts aside. We’d only done it because we were drunk and celebrating, I told myself firmly. It didn’t mean anything, didn’t change anything between us. We’d just pretend it never happened and move on.But when I walked into the kitchen and found Dorian already there making

Dorian’s POVI led Celeste through the crowd, introducing her to the pack elders and noble families who’d come to celebrate her birthday. She was polite for a five-year-old, curtsying when I’d taught her to and saying thank you when people gave her gifts and compliments, her little face serious with concentration as she tried to remember all the names I’d been coaching her on for days. But after about the tenth introduction, I could see her attention starting to wander toward the elaborate water slide setup we’d installed in the back garden, her eyes drifting past the adults talking to her and focusing on the sounds of splashing water and children’s laughter.“ Dorian,” she tugged on my sleeve, her voice taking on that whiny quality children get when they’re done being patient and just want to go play. “Can I go play now? I want to go on the water slide!”Before I could answer, Alanna appeared at my side with a knowing smile that told me she’d been watching this slow decline in Celest

Lillian’s POVThe ball had been a resounding success, and the morning after, I woke up to find it making headlines across every major news outlet in Nightspire. “Fangshade Pack Celebrates in Style. Luna Lillian and Alpha Dorian Host Lavish Birthday Ball” one headline read, accompanied by photos of the elegant decorations and distinguished guests who’d attended.But I could barely focus on the positive press because my mind kept drifting back to what had happened on the balcony with Dorian. His confession, the way he’d looked at me when he said he loved me, the feeling of his lips against mine when we’d kissed with no alcohol or excuses to hide behind this time. I didn’t know how to feel about any of it, didn’t know how to process the fact that everything between us had fundamentally shifted in the space of one conversation.“Someone’s distracted this morning,” Alanna said with a knowing smile as she helped Celeste gather her school things. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain

Lillian’s POVThe air between us was tense, thick with years of animosity. I could see Shantel’s eyes beginning to water, tears threatening to spill over as the reality of her situation crashed down on her with brutal force. Her lower lip trembled slightly, and her hands shook where they rested on the table. For a moment, I thought she might actually break down right here in front of me, might give me the satisfaction of watching her cry and fall apart completely.But she didn’t. Instead, she blinked rapidly, forcing the tears back with visible effort, and sat back in her chair with a defiant lift of her chin that would have been more convincing if her entire body wasn’t trembling.“Aaron will forever be mine,” she said, her voice trying for confident but coming out desperate and strained instead. “No matter what happens, no matter who he sleeps with, at the end of the day he comes home to me. I’m his Luna, and that’s never going to change. That bond is permanent.”I almost laughed