~Ex mate.~I ignore Otsana’s remark as I make my way down the hall and when she keeps on prodding, her mental glare like an itch down my skin, I agree to it.“Ex Mate.”Ulric is my ex-mate, and his brother is my new mate. Somehow both of them manage to infuriate me, so I don't think the mixup matters much..What the hell even made Ulric think he could speak to me in such a manner?He’s… He’s never done that before.Caleum’s presence is a sharp flare in my mind and I duck into one of the empty rooms on my left. This a hotel of some sort, though it didn’t seem so at first. But of course, a conference for Alphas would be held at a hotel.That makes everything else that comes after the conference all the much easier.Caleum comes barreling in not a second later, eyes calm yet rippling with a current of underlying fury.He doesn’t have a hair out of place. He looks like every aloof cold man would. Aloof, and cold.Yet only I know how many different images he pushed into my head. Images
Caleum’s pov.She gardens when she is sad.I come back from the Conference, already armed with the knowledge that Sophia is here, in my house. And while I expect a war, I do not meet one.Sophia is in plain clothes again. The look on her face is dull. Her movements, though steady, lack that draft of energy she always has. That current that lets me know she is around and about, and that lets me poke at her sometimes,Just aching to see her lose herself, and grant me the triumph of seeing what dwells underneath.Guilt picks at my heart because of my tone when I spoke to her. Because of the words that I said to her. I know who she is. I know what she’s been through, and still, I spoke to her that way, made her feel the way Ulric makes her feel, and yet I say I’m nothing like that oaf.“Trouble in paradise?”Sebastien’s presence beside me registers like a wisp of smoke in my mind but my response is hard and cold.“There is no paradise. How’s the search going?”I see Sebastien shrug fr
Sophia’s pov.Caelum is downstairs when I go down, at the breakfast table, and I take the seat farthest from him.I haven’t seen Alora since the day she looked scared at this same table, and Kellen too.I haven’t seen any of them since yesterday. Only him, and only him.“I’d like us to have a fresh start.”Caleum’s words catch me off guard because they’re cool.They’re calm.They’re said in a tone that makes me feel he knows he’s talking to a being individual of himself and his will, and he’s willing to respect that.“I think we got off on the wrong foot, you and I. I’d like for us to mend that.”Almost on instinct, I track the procession of events that have led to this moment in the field of my mind.The events seem short but I can still remember the pain that came with them. I can still feel the insecurity that wraps itself around me now.I know Caelum is waiting for an answer, so I give him one in the form of a non-commitment nod.“What is your proposal?”I know the words are wrong
Caelum’s pov.Sophia walks out and I feel something ring hollow in me.This… This isn’t how that was supposed to go. Fenrir stays silent despite the fact that he’s always been talkative when it comes to any matter concerning his mate, and I find that I don't know what worries me more.My wolf’s silence, or Sophia’s reaction. I clench my jaw at that last part, because that can’t possibly be what’s bothering me. I feel a presence invade the atmosphere but I do not look up, I already know who it is,“I saw Sophia heading out just now.” Sebastian draws the chair opposite me out and sits in it.A sudden urge overcomes me and in my annoyance, I want to growl at him and tell him to get the hell out of there, and go sit in another chair.Sophia sat there. He shouldn’t have sat where she sat.Except again, my heart whispers something else.Sebastian can sit there. He should even. At every breakfast and dinner we’ll ever have.Just so there can be a chance, a slight chance, that Sophia can sit
~~~~~~~~~~~Ulric’s made changes to the mansion.I step inside to see there’s now a layer of gold to everything. I want to wonder whose money is sponsoring this new renovation, but I also realize I don't want to.I do not concern myself with things relating to Ulric now. He can live his life however he wants.I gesture to the cameraman, and he walks in, closing his mouth as he does so.I don’t think the world realizes it as much as they should, but some things are all a front.The pictures I spent hours fawning over on social media, I recreated those pictures, recreated those situations, except now I was the main character.The main liar.To the world, I am the wife of a very successful CEO Alpha. Alpha Ulric Highrise of the Spineridge pack.I am Luna Sophia, and everyone underestimates Luna Sophia because in all the pictures, in all the interviews, in all the little snippets of our life that have been gathered and fed to the world like a well-curated social media app feed, like some
Ulric slings his arm around my shoulder.Ulric touches my elbow.Ulric flashes me a seductive smile, and my my, do his eyes sparkle.Ulric likes these kinds of things. Likes being in the spotlight, as I said before, he’s a cover boy.“Hey loosen up Sophia.”Ulric’s hand lands on mine and I snatch it back immediately. Violently even.Ulric frowns.I sigh and take a deep breath. This isn’t working.My plan was for Florian to take these pictures, from afar, of course, just a few of them. The rest will be taken more directly, but my plan was for him to take these pictures, dozens of them, and on different days, I drop them like easter eggs all over the internet.They’ll look genuine. They’ll look real.I’ll handle it. Except,“Don’t tell me you still have feelings for me, Sophia?”Ulric’s breath on the side of my neck makes my breakfast want to come back up and I shudder. He sees that shudder, knows that I only shudder when I'm disgusted.Knows I am disgusted right now because of himHe s
Caelum isn’t home when I arrive, and I'm grateful for it.I slip into the house, then into the room and I collapse on the bed with my thoughts all muddled up and slight panic rising in my heart, because there’s no way.There’s actually no way my heart would be that stupid.I can be delusional at times, yes. Today and how it has progressed so far has literally proven that, but can I be that delusional?Apparently, I can because the world responds to me with a knock at my door, and my heart lurches.My heart does not lurch.My heart never lurches.It can rise in its steady beating, in its erratic pounding. It can do all these things but it never lurches. The tightening of the mate bond tells me that it’s Caelum.“Sophia?”Something in me warms at the deep, warm, velvet of his tone. That thing warms even more when he calls again,“Sophia?” He releases a low growl that has my mind sparking with lust, “I know you’re in there, Sophia. I thought we agreed on a new start.”My eyebrows crease
Caleum’s pov.What….What the fuck?I look at my reflection in the mirror of the flowing water and heave as I curse under my breath, because what was that?What the hell was that?The flow and gurgle of the water are the only thing I get as a response and I curse under my breath again.I could see her.I could fucking see Sophia, I could see her as she lay on the bed, her cheeks a bright red, eyes flushed and everything… I could see everything.What the hell was that?I take a shower, to wash off and wash away all that has occurred in the past few minutes.I could smell her desire.I could sense it getting stronger with each word she said, each time her eyes met mine.Did she think I wouldn't notice?Or has she forgotten I spent quite a while between her legs? The memory is still fresh.I know her scent, her flowery yet spicy scent, like cinnamon rose, or paprika and daisies.Fuck.I feel blood flowing downwards again and my body threatens to heat up once more. Threatens to make me wa