Chapter 4

When we returned home, Lucas pushed me against the wall, kissing me with hungry desperation.

He hadn't kissed me like this in a very long time—passionate, breathless, all-consuming.

Was he reminiscing? Or was it guilty compensation?

All I felt was revulsion.

When Lucas finally pulled back, breathing heavily with poured-out affection, my heart was as flat as stone.

So this was what falling out of love felt like.

In that single instant, the cheating, the five years wasted, the heartache—none of it mattered anymore.

My chest felt miraculously light. Leaving Lucas suddenly didn't feel like the end of the world.

"What's wrong?"

Sensing my complete lack of response, Lucas pulled away slightly.

He buried his face in the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent, his arms tightening around me as if trying to fuse me into his skin.

I reached up, caught him by his tie, and led him toward the bedroom.

"You want me?"

Lucas froze for a split second, raw lust blazing in his gaze.

"Agree to three conditions, and you get your reward early."

"What conditions? Name them. Maybe I can devour you right now!"

"First, I want over half of all assets under your name."

"Done. I already had the lawyers draft a post-nuptial gift deed. It’s an unconditional transfer."

He reached his hand under my shirt, gently caressing my stomach.

"Second, I want the mate ceremony to be massive. Every pack allied with us must be invited."

"Easy. I'll send invitations to every pack in the Alliance. A grand ceremony for my Luna. Deal?"

He groaned, his body straining with impatience. "What's the third one? Tell me."

"Third... if we ever break up, we must never contact or bother each other again."

Lucas froze instantly.

His hands went limp. We stared at each other in suffocating silence.

After a long moment, he rolled off the bed, letting out a heavy, disappointed sigh.

"Elena, don't ever say something like that again. We will never break up."

With that, he buttoned his shirt and walked out into the guest room.

I had anticipated this reaction.

Lucas fancied himself a deeply devoted lover, the kind who swore he'd never marry anyone else.

A man who wrapped himself in a martyr complex would never let go easily after a breakup; he’d cling like a shadow.

No matter. Once the asset transfer was signed, I'd have plenty of leverage to keep him in line.

Two days later, Lucas's Beta brought over the legal documents.

It was a thick stack of papers. Lucas had transferred almost all his private wealth and properties into my name.

After signing, I asked the Beta how Lucas had been doing.

Since that night, Lucas hadn't come home.

The Beta sighed, saying Lucas had been holed up in the Alpha manor's executive offices, snapping at everyone during pack council meetings and putting the entire pack on edge.

I reminded the Beta to make sure Lucas got some sleep.

The Beta nodded eagerly. "Knowing you care will definitely put him in a better mood."

My fingers tapped rhythmically on my phone as I sent Chloe a message:

"Chloe, Lucas had a huge fight with his betrothed. He probably needs you right now."

Chloe didn't hesitate.

Over the next few days, she flaunted their time together across her private social media stories.

She kept him company while he reviewed pack files; he waited for her by the combat training ring; at night, they shared a bed.

Meanwhile, I went about my days alone, feeling like I had already returned to my carefree single days.

Then, while I was supervising at the training grounds, an uninvited guest strolled up to me.

"Surprised to see me, Elena?"

Chloe shed her sweet, submissive facade. Sitting across the bleachers from me, she wore a haughty, victorious sneer.

"At first, I thought you were just an ordinary instructor. But the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded—what normal trainer knows the Alpha heir's private schedule inside out?"