Chapter 7
As I got closer, I finally saw who Zachary had been arguing with-
Beta Malcolm.
And Queenie.
Oh, for Moon’s sake.
The sight of them together wasn’t surprising, but it still hit like a well–aimed punch to
the gut. My wolf, who had been pleasantly dozing in the back of my mind, snapped awake with a low growl.
I didn’t know what had started the argument, but the second Malcolm opened his mouth, my throat tightened like I’d been caught in a chokehold.
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“My girlfriend made a mistake, and I’ll apologize on her behalf. But you, as a grown man, bullying a woman like this–have you no shame?”
My girlfriend.
I felt something inside me crack, splintering into jagged little pieces.
So that’s what I had been? A placeholder? A backup plan?
My wolf let out a bitter laugh. Took you long enough to figure that out.
Zachary, on the other hand, was unimpressed. His aura flared–a silent warning that made the air between them thick with tension.
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“If someone does something wrong, they should own up to it,” he said, his voice dangerously calm. “If everyone acted like you, what’s the point of having laws? Just because she’s a woman, she gets a free pass?”
Malcolm and Queenie fell silent, their self–righteous act crumbling under Zachary’s glare.
Then Malcolm saw me.
For a split second, panic flickered in his eyes -before he smothered it with that practiced, easygoing charm. He strode over and grabbed my arm, forcing a smile.
“Rowena, perfect timing!” he said, like we were old friends meeting for coffee instead of exes with a world of bad blood between us. “Queenie accidentally spilled coffee
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on this guy, and he’s claiming his suit is worth tens of thousands. Isn’t that basically extortion?”
I blinked at him. Was this real life?
“Don’t you have a friend who’s a lawyer? We should sue him for blackmail, Malcolm added, his grip tightening slightly.
Queenie, standing beside him, nodded enthusiastically–completely shameless.
“Exactly! Let’s sue him for blackmail–and make him pay emotional damages, too!”
I had so many things to say in response to that level of delusion, but before I could, Zachary turned to me with a slow, amused smile.
“Friends of yours?” he asked.
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I felt my face heat up. “Not anymore.”
Before Malcolm could even react, I kept going.
“And that suit really is worth tens of thousands.” I pulled my arm free from his grasp. “Also, that ‘lawyer friend‘ you mentioned? She’s his sister.”
The blood drained from Malcolm’s face.
Queenie’s mouth opened and closed, as if she wanted to argue–but no words came
out.
Zachary raised a brow, clearly enjoying himself.
I didn’t stick around for their excuses. I turned on my heel and walked out of the
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hospital without another word.
Whatever mess they were left to deal with–it wasn’t my problem.
In the days that followed, Alpha Zachary took charge of planning our wedding banquet.
I’d originally planned to throw on a dress, snap a few pictures, and let Grandpa see it. Nothing more.
But apparently, that wasn’t “worthy of Zachary’s presence.”
“Rowena,” he said, rubbing his temples like I personally caused him physical pain, “I am an Alpha. Do you know what happens when an Alpha throws a half–assed wedding banquet?”
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“They… survive and move on?”
“They get eaten alive. Politically speaking. And possibly literally. You have met my family, right?”
I groaned. I knew how families like his could be–all about traditions, expectations, and grand displays of power.
And once Zachary made up his mind, talking him down was about as effective as reasoning with a brick wall.
So I gave in.
Meanwhile, Beta Malcolm kept texting,
asking when I’d be back from my “business
trip.”
Maybe he’d finally noticed that I wasn’t reaching out like I used to.
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One time, he even had the audacity to say he’d picked a date for us to get our marriage license.
Too bad for him-
I didn’t need it anymore.
Each time, I just told him I was busy on a work trip, then hung up.
Zachary caught me grinning at my phone after one of those calls and smirked.
“Having fun?”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
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