Lukas stepped closer, his gaze fixed on me. "You just made a big mistake, Ayla."
I straightened, my wolf still on edge. "The only mistake I made was staying this long."
His lips curled into a sinister smile. "Oh, Ayla. You have no idea what’s coming."
I held his gaze, refusing to back down. "Neither do you."
And with that, I walked past him, my suitcase in hand. For the first time in years, I felt free. But I knew this was just the beginning.
But it didn’t end there, i found myself in front of him.
The ride to the pack retreat was suffocating. Lukas had fallen into his usual silence, his hands gripping the steering wheel as though it might shatter beneath his force. I sat rigidly, staring out at the rain-soaked trees blurring past the window. My wolf paced inside me, restless and simmering with rage.
Celeste’s voice still echoed in my head. Mistress. The audacity of it.
“You’ll need to change before we arrive,” Lukas said, breaking the silence. His tone was curt, as though he were speaking to a subordinate rather than his mate. “There’s a dress in the backseat.”
I turned my head slowly to look at him. “Celeste’s, I assume?”
His jaw tightened, and he didn’t answer. That was confirmation enough.
I reached back, my fingers brushing over the expensive silk. It reeked of her perfume—overpowering, sickly sweet, and utterly revolting. “I’m not wearing this,” I said, dropping it onto the floor like the trash it was.
“Ayla,” Lukas growled, his Alpha dominance bleeding into his tone. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Harder for who? You, Lukas? Or your precious Celeste? Do you think this little display will fool anyone? They already know.”
His knuckles whitened as he gripped the wheel. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I think I do.” I leaned closer, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “They call her the mistress to her face, don’t they? What do they call me behind my back? The joke?”
His silence was deafening.
The packhouse loomed ahead, its towering structure shrouded in mist. The driveway was packed with luxury cars, their owners mingling under the grand awning, oblivious to the storm raging around them.
Lukas parked near the entrance, turning to me with an expression that teetered between frustration and desperation. “Just... stay by my side tonight. Don’t cause a scene.”
I smirked. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”