Chapter 7
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Kieran
Sophie was quiet for most of the drive.
She sat in the passenger seat with her hands folded in her lap, her cheek still faintly pink. Every few minutes, she’d sniffle or dab at her eyes with a tissue.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel.
Jenna had lost her mind. Attacking Sophie in public, causing a scene, embarrassing the family name and for what?
Because Serena couldn’t control her jealousy?
I’d deal with my sister later.
The house I’d bought for Sophie sat on the outskirts of the city, where no one would recognize her. It wasn’t extravagant, but it was safe.
I pulled into the driveway and cut the engine.
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“I’m sorry,” Sophie whispered. “I’ve caused so much trouble for you.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Your wife hates me. Your sister attacked me.” Her voice
trembled. “Maybe I should just disappear. Take Ethan and go somewhere far away-”
“No.” I said quickly. “You’re not going anywhere. I told you I’d protect you, and I meant it.”
She looked at me with grateful eyes. The same eyes that had haunted me for years after my grandfather tore us
apart.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
Sophie and I had been inseparable once, convinced we’d be together forever.
Then my grandfather discovered our relationship and decided she wasn’t worthy of the future Alpha of Crimson Pack. He’d sent her abroad, cutting off all contact, and by the time I tracked her down years later, she’d already married someone else. 2711
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A monster, as it turned out.
Her ex-husband had been wealthy, charming, and utterly cruel behind closed doors. Sophie had endured years of abuse before she finally escaped with her son.
She’d returned to the city months ago with nothing but a suitcase and a little boy.
Ethan wasn’t mine. He was the product of her nightmare marriage. But when Sophie begged me to let people believe otherwise so as to give her son the protection of the Crimson Pack name. I couldn’t refuse.
I owed her that.
She’d saved my life once. To protect me, she had thrown herself in front of a rogue’s claws when we were barely eighteen. The scar on her shoulder was proof of what she’d sacrificed for me.
This was the least I could do.
“Please,” Sophie said now, her hand finding mine. “Just a little longer. If my ex finds out where we are…”
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“He won’t.” I squeezed her hand once before releasing it. “I’ll handle everything. Just focus on taking care of yourself and the boy.”
Relief softened her features. “Thank you, Kieran. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
I nodded then checked my phone. Three missed calls from my mother.
Fantastic.
My mother was waiting in the drawing room when I arrived at the family estate.
She stood by the window with her back to me, but I could tell from her posture that Jenna had already filled her head with nonsense.
My sister had always been dramatic, and apparently my mother was determined to match her energy tonight.
“Mother-”
46,7 down.
“Sit down.”
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I didn’t sit. “If this is about what happened at the mall, Jenna overreacted. Sophie wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
She turned around, her brows knitted in displeasure.
“Jenna overreacted?” she repeated slowly. “Your sister slapped your mistress in public, and you think she’s the problem?”
“Sophie isn’t my mistress.”
“Then what is she?” My mother advanced toward me. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve been keeping another woman while your wife sits alone in a hospital bed.”
I exhaled. “You don’t understand the situation.”
“Then explain it to me.”
I couldn’t. The truth about Ethan, about Sophie’s past –it wasn’t my secret to share. And frankly, I didn’t owe anyone an explanation. I was the Alpha of this pack. My decisions were my own.
“It doesn’t concern you,” I said flatly.
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My mother’s eyes flashed, but she held her composure.
“That girl has done nothing but love you for five years,” she said. “She waited up for you night after night,
and you couldn’t even bother to come home on your
anniversary.”
“Serena is dramatic.” I clasped my hands behind my back. “She’ll get over it.”
“Get over it?” My mother laughed bitterly. “She’s filing for divorce, Kieran.”
I almost smiled. “She won’t go through with it.”
“The papers are already filed.” She pushed.
“Then she filed them to get my attention.” I shrugged. “It’s what she does. She throws tantrums, makes threats, and then she apologizes when she realizes she’s overreacted. I’ve seen this pattern a hundred times.”
My mother stared at me like she was seeing a stranger.
“You really believe that,” she said quietly. “You really think she’ll just… come crawling back.”
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“She always does.” I met her gaze steadily. “Serena loves me. She’s built her entire life around me. She’s not going to throw that away over a misunderstanding.”
The disappointment in my mother’s eyes was almost
amusing.
She’d always had a soft spot for Serena. But she didn’t understand our dynamic. Serena needed me. She’d proven that a thousand times over.
“Get out,” my mother said. “I can’t look at you right now.”
I left without argument. There was no point in continuing
this conversation.
The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror as I settled into the backseat.
“Where to, Alpha?”
I considered the question.
My original plan had been to let Serena sulk for a few days, and wait for her to come to her senses. It worked every time.
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It was predictable.
But my
mother’s words nagged at me. Not because I believed Serena would actually leave, that was absurd, but because I didn’t want to deal with weeks of drama.
The sooner I smoothed things over, the sooner life could return to normal.
Besides, I’d been a little too harsh at the mall. The
comment about regretting our marriage… perhaps that had been excessive. Serena was sensitive. She probably needed reassurance.
Fine. I’d make an exception this once.
“The main residence,” I told the driver. “But stop at the jeweler first.”
I selected a diamond necklace. It was the kind of gift that had ended every argument we’d ever had. Serena loved beautiful things. She’d pout for a day, maybe two, and then she’d put on the necklace and pretend nothing had happened.
That was how it always went.
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The house was dark when we pulled into the driveway.
I frowned. Serena always left the porch light on.
The front door was unlocked.
“Serena?”
Silence.
I flicked on the lights and froze.
The living room looked bare. It took me a moment to register what was missing, the curtains, the throw pillows, a pale rectangle marking where our wedding photo used to hang. Amongst other things.
Irritation flickered through me.
What kind of game was she playing now?
I walked through the house, my footsteps echoing against the hardwood. The kitchen was stripped of the little touches she’d added.
climbed the stairs two at a time and threw open the.
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But the empty closet didn’t lie.
I decided to check around. The backyard carried the smell of burnt paper. The fire pit was warm, ashes stirring in the evening breeze. I crouched down and sifted through the remains.
Charred fragments of a photograph. The remains of what might have been a bracelet.
She’d burned everything.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Mark.
“Alpha?”
“Serena left.” Rage pulsed through me. “Find her now!”
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