Chapter 17: Chapter 17
Kyra’s POV
I stopped when I almost bumped into Nathan as I was about to enter the meeting room. My pulse spiked as his Alpha aura instinctively wrapped around me. His stern expression softened when he saw me.
"Kyra—"
"Good morning, Alpha Nathan," I said deliberately, watching his lips part in shock. In our world, mates never used formal address—this was a public declaration of our severed bond.
I brushed past him and took my usual seat at my regular chair where I always sat during meetings. Instead of leaving, he returned to the chair beside mine—the place reserved for a Luna beside her Alpha.
"We need to talk," he murmured, his wolf’s gravelly undertone making the employees pause their preparations.
I glanced at the pack employees who were putting documents on the table. "I have another meeting after this, Alpha Nathan."
"Five minutes," he begged.
I looked at him lazily and didn’t answer right away. I waited for the pack employees to leave before I fully faced him.
"We already spoke. I told you to give me a year—"
"Then why did you come last night?"
My breath caught. He thought I’d sought him out, when in reality, I’d been fleeing a rogue threat while he was tangled up with Sophia. Someone filmed me naked and he was clueless as hell.
Instead of answering, my eyes landed on the rings on his finger.
"Why are you still wearing those rings?"
"I never regretted marrying you, Kyra. You’re part of my life, and so are these rings."
I looked him in the eyes. "If I were Sophia, I wouldn’t allow you to wear someone else’s rings."
His jaw clenched. "You’re not just someone else."
I looked away and answered with sarcasm, "Yeah. I am one of your treasures."
"Why push me away?" He grabbed my wrist. "I’m worried about you, Kyra. That rogue stalker—"
"I’ll deal with it myself," I cut him off as I put my pen on the table. "We’re rejected mates, Alpha Nathan. And the meeting is important, just let it be."
He was rendered speechless, and I signaled my assistant to bring the others in.
I didn’t want to waste time. What happened last night was enough to sober me up.
He said he wasn’t dating Sophia, but I caught them together in his house. She was wearing his t-shirt and they looked like they had just had sex.
I would never fall for his words anymore.
***
Nathan’s POV
My wolf howled in frustration. Kyra kept pushing me away, demanding space I couldn’t give. She was asking me to leave her alone for a year. How could I possibly do that?
I felt like I’d lose my mind whenever she was mad at me. My mind was thrown into chaos every time.
I couldn’t stop thinking about her because I knew I was guilty. I brought her into this situation. I was the one to blame. I shouldn’t have married her in the first place.
However, I couldn’t deny that she made me happy in our marriage.
During the entire meeting, she never once glanced my way. I was her Alpha, her mate—yet she treated me like a stranger. Alaric, my wolf, paced angrily. She smells different—like steel and resolve instead of orange blossoms and home.
I never wanted to lose Kyra, but I didn’t want to give up on Sophia, the mate fate itself had chosen for me. I’d been in love with her since high school. I just didn’t understand why I had to let Kyra go just because I wanted to be happy with Sophia.
I was a mess. I didn’t like this, but I couldn’t do anything about it.
After the meeting, I silently watched Kyra as she walked confidently towards her office. I didn’t know why, but I had a bad feeling. Since last night, I felt like I was missing something very important. And that was the reason why she was angry with me.
"Luke!" I called to Luke, the warrior guarding Kyra’s office after she entered.
"Alpha..."
"What happened last night?" I growled.
He bowed his head. "I swore secrecy, my Alpha."
"What?" I snapped at him. I balled my fists and moved a little closer. "She is my Luna! I deserve to know what’s happening to her."
"I’m sorry, she’s still my charge," he countered respectfully but firmly.
I hung up the phone furiously and slumped in my swivel chair. I started massaging my forehead, squeezing my eyes shut, when a pair of warm hands caressed my shoulders.
I jumped and looked up at Sophia who was standing beside me.
She immediately kissed my cheek and smiled, "You seem stressed."
I looked away. How could I tell Kyra that she misunderstood us last night? Wait, was she angry because of it?
Was she acting like this because she felt like I was lying to her when I told her I didn’t mark Sophia?
That was the truth.
Sophia and I weren’t in a relationship, though we had a mutual understanding. However, that was all. Nothing happened last night.
I was about to take a shower last night when Sophia came. She accidentally spilled water on her clothes, so she borrowed mine. I was fixing my belt because, just like I said, I was about to take a shower.
I felt like it was the reason why Kyra was angry, so I gently pushed Sophia away and stood up. She was calling my name, but I was determined to talk to Kyra, apologize, and explain everything to her.
However, I felt like the world fell on me when I saw Luke in front of her desk. His left hand was pressed on the table while his other hand was on Kyra’s cheek.
Something inside me seemed to explode as I realized what they were doing. They were kissing!
H-Her lips were on someone else’s lips...
