Chapter 7

I was too stunned to speak. Even Aaron lost his usual playful smirk at such an absurd question.

“I’m sorry,” he cleared his throat. “What do you mean?”

“Has the meaning of the word affair changed now?” Kian laughed. “Let me ask you again. I don’t like to repeat myself so make sure you listen with your brain ready to comprehend. Are you having an affair with my mate?”

“Kian Zephyr, what the fuck is this – what the fuck are you saying!?” I shouted.

“I’m curious. Suddenly, you want a divorce and this man shows up from nowhere, in a house I have barricaded, calling you a pet name. I’m sure you didn’t expect to see me here, Aaron Pierce.”

“To answer your question,” Aaron started, “no, I’m not having an affair with Nat. Childhood friends can have nicknames for each other. I’m the lawyer representing her so I’ve come to check the safety of my client. As for how I got in – well, I’m quite familiar with the warriors on duty.”

“It’s almost like you had this rehearsed,” Kian responded. “Natalie is my mate, your Luna. You do not have the right to call her by her name let alone a pet name.”

“I’ve always called her by that name. Old habits die hard, I guess.” He shrugged. “Nat didn’t complain either so there was no reason for me to stop.”

“Nelson!” Kian barked.

My hackles rose. My wolf started to pace and even Aaron straightened his spine. Kian wasn’t saying anything but his body was doing all the talking. Looking at him, one would say he didn’t look any different than he usually did but I knew Kian. I knew the more relaxed he seemed, the more dangerous he was, like a cat loosening its limbs to leap.

“Alpha.” The head of the warriors stationed around the house rushed in. “Good mor-“

“Take him to the dungeons.”

“What?” The three of us chorused.

“Do I have to repeat myself?” Words spoken with a drawl that had Nelson calling for backup.

“Hey – no, you can’t do that!” I was losing my mind as I watched the warriors put their hands on Aaron. “Kian, stop this.”

“Alpha, I am not sure this is a good idea.” The carefree smile on Aaron’s face had fallen. “This won’t end the way you think it would.”

“You broke into my home, disrespected my Luna and are now challenging my authority. The least I could do is throw you into the dungeons. If you want,” he cocked his head to the side, “I can take it up a notch and banish you and your family from my lands. I do not have use for an insubordinate wolf. Take him away.”

“Kian, Aaron is my friend,” I pleaded as I watched them take Aaron away. “He is only trying to help me. Don’t do this to him, please.”

“Help you do what?” He asked. “Don’t you understand, Natalie? The only place for you is by my side. I can’t and won’t tolerate anything else.”

“Did I do anything to you? Tell me – no, you don’t need to tell me. I’ll apologize. I’m sorry. Whatever thing I’ve done to you that makes you hate me so much that you want to torture me like this – forgive me. I’m sorry. Just – let it go.”

“Stop talking nonsense.” He grabbed my hand. “You skipped dinner last night and you haven’t had breakfast. Let’s go eat. I don’t want you fainting on me.”

He led me back to the dining and I had to stop and consider what I had done to flip my life on its axis like this. Should I have run away rather than attempting to divorce Kian? But how would I have known he’d become crazy in the blink of an eye? How would I have predicted he’d be so averse to a divorce?

A clean divorce was the only way I could be free of him. A divorce followed by a swift rejection was what I expected not – this – whatever it was. None of this.

“Eat your food, stop playing around with it,” he said.

I didn’t listen to him. Actually, I stopped hearing him. All my plans had come crashing down. It made the last six months seem like a joke. In all the plans I made with Aaron, there were several backup plans but none of them involved a situation like this.

I had secured a spot in a new pack, booked flight tickets and even bought a house. I’d checked every loophole to ensure that the money I earned as the Luna of this pack was mine and that the inheritance from my mother and Grandpa D were claimed and liquidized.

My life in this pack was over and I had been so excited to start a new life and explore my identity outside of Kian and his circle. Why did everything fall apart so spectacularly?

“Natalie!” Kian’s shout roused me out of my thoughts. “I’ve called you four times already. Are you still thinking about another man?”

“Stop. I’ve had enough. Stop.”

There was a bitter taste on my tongue and a heavy weight on my chest. Devastating. Crushing.

“All this time, I’ve dealt with your workload because I wanted you to live as comfortably as possible but I see that it only left you with too much free time on your hands.” He wasn’t even looking at me as he spoke. “From today, we’ll be going into the office together and you’ll familiarize yourself with the duties of a Luna. I won’t let you neglect your duties any longer.”

He never let me take on the duties of a Luna because he must have thought I was too stupid to do his pack any good. He sidelined me as he liked and now, he wanted to use work as an excuse to control me.

In terms of power, there was no man in these parts that could rival Kian so if he truly decided to keep me here, there was no one who could help me. I could not wait for someone to rescue me. Plan A and plan B had failed but I would keep coming up with as many plans as needed.

This time, it was war.