Chapter 11
Calhoun’s POV~
It was already dark when I stepped out of the shower. The steam clung to my skin as I dragged the towel over my hair, water dripping down my shoulders, leaving little trails on the floor.
A chime broke the silence. My phone lit up on the lampstand. I reached for it, but before my fingers touched the screen, a smaller hand slid in, blocking mine.
Carmela.
She gave me that sly smile of hers, the one that always carried something sharp behind it, then leaned in to press her lips against mine. “Let me take care of your messages,” she murmured. I narrowed my eyes at her, searching her expression. Was she testing me? Fishing to see if there was someone else who held my attention? She should’ve known, there was no one but her.
Without a word, I pulled back, towel still in hand, and walked toward the desk. My laptop waited, files stacked like bricks in my head, demanding attention. I didn’t bother unlocking the phone she held because she already had the access she wanted. She had it all.
But as I sat down, fingers brushing the keyboard, Elodie’s face came back to me. That broken expression I’d left her with. Eyes glassy, lips trembling, carrying a pain I couldn’t erase. The memory slammed into me without mercy, and my movements slowed.
A dull ache spread through my chest, twisting tight. I pressed a hand to it, as if I could rub the ache away, as if I could make myself forget. I wanted to call her. Just once. To hear her voice, to know she was still there. But Carmela was in the room, and I wasn’t about to risk her suspicion.
So I buried it. I buried her. I pulled her out of my mind and shoved myself into the work in front of me.
Minutes dragged by. The sound keyboard typing filled the room until I finally glanced up. Carmela was still there, her eyes narrowed, lips pressed into a frown as she scrolled through my phone, swiping through screen after screen like she was hunting for ghosts.
I ignored her and looked back at the screen. My back ached, so I pushed away from the chair and stretched, the crack of my bones echoing through the quiet. When I looked back, she was already smiling. Wide and sweet.
I walked to her, my steps slow. She rose slowly.
“Anything important?” I asked.
She tilted her head, her smile softening into something that always used to melt me. “No,” she said sweetly. “Just spam. Nothing serious p>
She handed me the phone, her fingers brushing mine as she leaned up, pressing her lips to mine with a smirk. She kissed me again, softer, before leaning close to my ear. Her breath tickled against my skin.
“I want you,” she whispered. “Now. Alpha p>
My eyes darkened. I parted my lips to tell her I had work to finish, that the files on my desk mattered more than anything right now but the words died on my tongue. Because in the next breath, she loosened the silk knot at her side, and her nightgown slid to the floor.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. My Adam’s apple bobbed at the sight of her naked body. She had nothing on.
She crooked her finger, her lips curling. “Come to me, baby boy,” she teased. “Let me take all that stress away this weekend p>
Something sharp twisted in my chest. I smirked, though it felt more like a shield than anything else. My body desired her but strangely my wolf didn’t react. No single attention from him. He entirely ignored Carmela but that doesn’t matter.
In one swift motion, I closed the space between us, scooping her up in my arms. Her laughter spilled into the air.
I crushed my mouth against hers as I carried her toward the bed, swallowing her giggles with a kiss that was rough.
I didn’t know how long it lasted. The sex, the heat, the emptiness that followed. All I knew was when my eyes fluttered open, the room was drenched in pale morning light, the clock glaring six a.m.
Saturday. I shouldn’t be disturbed.
I turned, dragging my gaze to the side of the bed where Carmela lay curled, her body naked, tangled in sheets. Peaceful. I reached for the blanket to cover her bare skin, when my phone blared.
A sharp, insistent sound that clawed at my ears. Then again and again. Calls. Chimes. Dings piling over each other until my jaw clenched so tightly I thought my teeth would snap.
What the fuck is going on?
I slid out of bed slowly, careful not to stir Carmela. My steps were heavy, dragging me to the desk across the room. The screen lit up with missed calls stacked one after the other, all from my assistants.
My frown deepened. A knot curled in my gut, a bad feeling pressing into me harder than I wanted to admit. I didn’t even know why but it was there, gnawing.
I pressed the phone to my ear, spine stiff, blood boiling. The line clicked and the moment I heard the silence on the other end, I barked, “What the fuck is your problem? Are you out of your goddamned mind? Disrupting my sleep? It’s Saturday! Aren’t you only meant to call during weekdays p>
The noise on the other end from voices chattering, and a low hum went silent in an instant. Then Tristan, my beta’s voice came, heavy with guilt.
“Alpha he sighed. “Three neighboring Packs—the ones interested in the gold business, they sent emails yesterday. They wanted an urgent meeting. They’re already here. They’ve been waiting in the conference room for an hour now p>
My heart skipped, and irritation drained from my bones in a snap. My spine shot straight. “Where the hell is Elodie?” I snarled. “Why didn’t she inform me beforehand? Why didn’t she sort this out before it got to me? She handles everything, emails, schedules. Where is she p>
Tristan hesitated. Then quietly, “Alpha… I’m sorry. Elodie resigned yesterday. She’s gone. Took all her belongings with her p>
The world stopped.
A cold dread gripped my spine, holding me frozen. My hand clenched the phone so tightly my knuckles burned white. My ears rang as though I’d slipped into a nightmare I couldn’t wake from.
“What the fuck did you just say?” My voice cracked dangerously. “What rubbish is that? Did I agree to her resignation? Did I sign her papers? How dare she leave without my say-so?” My throat worked around the words, rough, desperate, but I tried to mask the panic rising.
Tristan’s voice was still there, saying something, explaining but I didn’t hear it. None of it made sense.
Elodie. Gone?
Why? Was she still pissed about yesterday? Was she really that fragile, letting a small issue drive her out? How many times did I have to make her understand Carmela came first. She was my intended mate. Elodie was supposed to keep her behavior in check, not rile Carmela, not sulk like a child. She should’ve known I’d pacify her later. I always did.
How dare she ghost me? Walk out? Resign without a word?
The thought coiled in my head until it burned, stupid, maddening, and I hated her for it. Hated her for daring to defy me.
Hands slid around my waist, soft, and warm. I stiffened. Carmela’s head pressed against my back, her voice a whisper. “What’s going on? Why are you shouting p>
I forced the air out of my chest, biting down on the fury ripping through me. “Nothing,” I muttered, lowering my tone, smoothing it over. “It’s work related. Go back to sleep. I’ll handle it p>
She clung tighter, her voice low, sulking. “I don’t want to sleep alone. Please, Calhoun… come back to bed p>
Her face tilted up, and for a moment I saw the faint break in her expression, the vulnerability she only showed me. My jaw clenched, but I had no choice. I turned, lifted her into my arms, carried her back to the bed. I lay with her, held her until her breathing slowed again. Until she slipped back under.
Only then did I reach for my phone under the cover of the sheets. I texted Tristan:
“Push the meeting one hour. I’ll be there p>
The reply came quickly. “Sorry, Alpha. The deal is gone. They left fifteen minutes ago p>
My heart sank. My wolf stirred, a growl rumbling low, hungry for blood. I was about to throw the sheets aside, ready to tear my way to the source of this disaster, when my eyes caught Carmela’s sleeping face. Peaceful. Fragile.
And something in me froze.
I don’t know why. But something pushed at me. A whisper I couldn’t ignore.
I unlocked my email.
Scrolled to the trash.
The moment I opened it, every drop of blood drained from my face.