#Chapter 4 – My loving "husband"

Erin’s POV

The hot water felt nice on my porcelain white skin; I breathed in the steam as it filled the bathroom. The water soaked through my hair, rinsing away my worries and fears of being found out.

As I stepped out of the shower, I grabbed my robe that I kept hanging closely to the curtains, wrapping it loosely around my body. The robe was loose enough to reveal my deep cleavage with a strawberry mark on one of my breasts.

The memories of last night surfaced in my mind; the way Gavin had touched me and kissed me. The way he nibbled on my nipples and used his soft tongue to lick down my body. My face warmed at the memory.

The mirror was still foggy from the steam, but I managed to get a glimpse of the dark circles under my eyes. I couldn’t help but bite my lip, tasting the ghost of his lips still there.

I wasn’t planning on going to see him last night, but the more I thought about our moment in the bathroom, the more I couldn’t resist him.

Finally, I gave myself a valid reason –

I needed to verify that he was what he really was.

If he could mind control and teleport, then he was definitely a werewolf with special abilities.  

I needed to confirm this. After hours of obsessing, I went to his room to find him. We made love. When he fell asleep, I checked his room. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any hints that could prove his identity.

Moonshadow? Or a bloodthirsty man?

No answer.

It was time to stop. Don’t be curious about Gavin. Erin, your reunion with him ends. You won’t see him again. Absolutely not.

I told myself.

Water droplets still decorated my skin as I grabbed a towel to dry my hair. I heard the creaking footsteps outside the bathroom door, and I already knew who it was before opening the door.

My "husband", Henry.

We're only married in name. But we had a deep bond with each other. We‘re almost each other's best friends. We used to be partners in Moonshadow.

He was a kind gentleman, with a nice look to him. Many women find him handsome. He gave me a pleasant smile, but it didn’t seem to reach his pale green eyes.

Henry fixed his glasses that had fallen down his nose. I smelled the delicious food that was occupying the plate he was holding.

“I made you breakfast,” he said, meeting my eyes. “You should come and sit with me in the kitchen.”

I fixed my robe that was falling down my shoulder; I didn’t want him to see the mark on my breast. It would only raise questions and what happened between Gavin and me last night had to be kept a secret.

It would only break Henry’s heart if he knew how unfaithful and weak I was.

We sat together as we often do in the morning. It was comfortable. We appeared to be a loving and happy couple. It was what I wanted; I wanted comfort and ease. I craved the boring life we have built.

“How’s the food?” He asked as he does every morning.

“Delicious as always,” I tell him.

“How was work last night?” He asked, that curiosity returning to his eyes.

“It was fine,” I said, trying to keep the anguish out of my voice. “Uneventful.”

That was a lie and somehow, I could tell he knew it.

“You came home late last night…” he said, eyeing me carefully. “Or maybe it was early this morning. I couldn’t tell…”

I snuck back in around 4 am this morning. Henry was fast asleep when I returned, or at least I thought he was.

“I went with some of the girls to the bar,” I lied. “I lost track of time.”

“I see,” he said; I couldn’t tell if he believed me or not. But he didn’t ask any more questions.

He finished eating his food, silently, and then cleaned his own plate before turning to me.  

“I should get going,” he said; he had an early meeting at the law firm he worked at. Henry was a very successful lawyer, and I was incredibly proud of him for working as hard as he did to get to where he was.

Before he could grab his coat, I realized his tie was crooked. He was terrible at tying his own tie and the thought that he tried it on his own made me smile. It seemed he was always going to need me for something.

“Let me fix your tie first,” I say with a light laugh as I come around the table.

His face reddens slightly, and he gives me a small, sheepish, smile in return. As I adjusted his tie, he glanced down at the corner of the kitchen where I threw my work shoes.

“When are you going to get rid of those old things?” He asked, a small crease forming between his brows.

“They are just work shoes,” I remind him. “They get the job done.”

“They have holes in them… I can buy you—”

“I don’t need your money,” I say, interrupting him. The look of pain in his eyes made me regret those words though and I sighed. “I’ve lived off my father’s money for most of my life. I don’t want to depend on someone else to get me through. I have a job and I have my own bills…I don’t need your money, Henry.”

“I know you want your independence,” Henry sighed. “Which is why you still won’t let me mark you…”

I knew this was a sensitive subject for him and I didn’t want to get into it.

“We’ve talked about this—”

“We’ve been together for 3 years, Erin,” Henry said with a little hurt in his tone. “You were the one who wanted this. Nobody will believe that our love is real if you won’t let me mark you.”

I put a hand on each side of his face once I finished with his tie, forcing him to look at me. I tried to give him the most genuine and loving gaze that I could. His eyes seemed to have softened as he looked into mine.

“You know I love you,” I said to him softly. “I just want to maintain my independence. I want to still feel like me. I’m worried that if I let you mark me… then I’ll be all about you. I can’t lose sight of who I am. But that doesn’t mean anything has to change…”

He didn’t look certain, but he eventually nodded. He kissed me gently on the lips.

“Walk me to my car?” He asked, a small smile on his lips.

I let him wrap an arm around my shoulders as we walked outside; the fresh air felt nice on my skin. Up until that point, I forgot that I was only wearing a bathrobe.

I wasn’t lying when I said I loved Henry… but it was more of friendly love. Like loving a best friend.

Or a brother.

He kissed me as we got to his car, and I watched as he got inside. Before he drove off, he glanced at me briefly, rolling down his window.

“By the way… where is your wedding ring?”

I frowned, looking down at my hand. My heart plummeted into my stomach.

My wedding ring was gone… only the outline of the band remained. I must have dropped it at the hotel last night.

“I take it off when I shower. I just forgot to put it back on,” I lied.

He looked at me for a moment longer before saying, “Okay,” and then driving off.

But for the first time, I saw genuine doubt on his face.

He knew something was off.

…

Gavin’s POV

Gavin sat in his office with his Beta, Seth, sitting in one of his chairs in front of his desk.

Seth listened as Gavin continued talking his praise about Moonshadow, an organization made up of werewolves and even some humans with special abilities, aiming to achieve world peace.

Though some around the world wish to do harm and cause mayhem, such as the Slayers; a separate organization made up of vampires. Then there are the Killers; those with special abilities who wish to torment those without abilities.

Those who belong to Moonshadow remained a secret, a secret that Gavin was destined to crack.

“Email the leader of Moonshadow. I want a list of their members. Theirs no reason they need to remain a secret from Alphas. We need to be wary of how strong, and powerful they are. If we aren’t careful, members could become Killers and then we will all be in danger.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Seth said as he wrote it down in his notebook.

Before Seth left, the thought of Erin invaded Gavin’s mind.

“Also, I need you to run to the store to get a nice pair of comfortable shoes for women.”

Seth rose his brows in utter confusion; Gavin knew it was a strange request, but he didn’t care.

“Of course,” he finally agreed. “What size shoes?”

Gavin thought back to when he ran his kisses down Erin’s leg and across her silky and delicate toes, making her giggle. He loved the sounds of her giggles.

“6.”

Seth wrote that down in his notebook before leaving the office.

What am I doing? She’s a married woman.

“So what?” Roman said huskily. “She’s an incredible lover. You should have sex with her every day and night, whether she’s someone else wife or not.”