Chapter 13
Chapter 13
His lip curled like he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or explode. “You’re serious p>
“Why does everyone keep asking that? I have been the whole time” I said, smiling with all my teeth. “I want compensation. Call it hazard pay p>
He shook his head in disbelief, then pulled out his phone. With a few taps, the funds were transferred. “Fine. Not like I need it. You better not be bluffing, Ellie. If this is some game to get my attention p>
“Then you flatter yourself,” I snapped. “You think everything I do revolves around you. It doesn’t. Not anymore p>
He watched me like he still didn’t recognize the woman standing in front of him.
Good.
I picked up the confirmation message of the funds and gave him a cheerful wave. “Pleasure doing business with you, Alpha. I’ll be spending this with my best friend Rae at the mall. Oh, and Nolan p>
He raised an eyebrow.
“You really do make a convincing villain. I’ll give you that p>
Then I walked away without looking back, already texting my best friend to meet me by the boutique with the overpriced boots and zero tolerance for pity. Three months as Luna? Fine. I could fake a smile. I could fake a lot of things.
But love?
Never again.
Third-Person’s POV
After Ellie left, the office was too quiet.
Nolan sat there with the folder still half-damp from the coffee spill, the edges curling from where the heat had hit the paper just right. The scent of scorched parchment lingered in the air, along with the faint, sugary perfume Ellie wore. It clung to the corners of the room like she’d left some piece of herself behind.
He shook the thought away.
She didn’t matter.
This was all just… strategy. Control. Timing. It had always been about power, about securing the future of the pack. His parents had drilled that into him since he could stand. Mates? Love? All that divine bond talk? Weakness. Felicity understood that. She’d been with him before all this, before he bowed his head to the Moon Goddess and accepted what fate handed him.
Ellie was the bond. The Moon’s choice. Not his.
And what had that gotten him? A mate who went quiet when she was meant to speak. Who chased him with the wide-eyed desperation of someone begging to be seen. A mate who, despite all that effort, couldn’t even give him what he needed most: an heir.
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Chapter 13
+25 Bonus
So no, he didn’t love her. He couldn’t. And if his chest ached a little every time she smirked at him lately, tossing his indifference back in his face, that was just frustration. Ego, maybe. Definitely not… anything else.
The door creaked.
He didn’t look up. “If it’s not urgent, I don’t want to hear it p>
The Beta stepped in anyway, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Alpha… I thought you should know. About Ellie p>
Nolan let out a long breath, leaning back. “What about her now p>
The Beta hesitated. “Are you… upset about her p>
Nolan scoffed. “About Ellie?” He gestured toward the damp folder on his desk. “She’s leaving in three months. I married her because I thought she could bear my heir. Turns out, she’s useless for even that p>
A beat passed. Something shifted in the Beta’s expression. Then-
“So you… Didn’t you look at the test results p>
Nolan frowned. “They were soaked. She spilled coffee all over them p>
The Beta’s eyes widened. “Alpha… that was the Healer’s report. Your wife might already be pregnant p>
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