Aurelia POV:
The penthouse was quiet when I returned. It was a glass cage in the sky, overlooking the city that was technically our territory.
I went to the kitchen. I needed to do this properly. If I was going to leave, I had to sever the tie completely.
I cooked dinner. Roast beef, potatoes, glazed carrots. It was his favorite meal. I added a handful of crushed valerian root to the gravy. It wouldn't hurt him-a wolf's metabolism would burn through it in an hour-but it would keep him calm. It would dampen the violence that simmered under his skin.
I set the table. I lit the candles. Then I placed the document next to his plate.
"Dissolution of Mating Contract."
Jacob arrived at midnight.
He didn't look at me as he walked in. He threw his jacket on the couch. He was wearing a different shirt than he had been wearing this afternoon. This one was unbuttoned at the top.
I saw the mark on his neck. It was covered with concealer, a poor attempt to hide the bruising. A hickey. Or a bite.
He wasn't wearing his wedding ring.
"What is this?" He gestured to the food, his lip curling in a sneer. "Are you trying to apologize for your little tantrum earlier?"
"Sit down, Jacob," I said quietly.
He sat, but he didn't eat. He stared at me, his eyes red-rimmed. He smelled of sex and stale whiskey.
"You smell like her," I said. It wasn't an accusation. It was a statement of fact.
Jacob shrugged. "Kaleigh understands me. She understands the burden of leadership. You just understand... bricks and mortar."
"Those bricks and mortar saved your life," I said, my voice trembling. "Ten years ago. The siege of the Northern border. The bunkers I designed. The ventilation systems that filtered out the wolfsbane gas. That was me, Jacob. I saved the pack."
"You did your duty as a pack member," he dismissed me with a wave of his hand. "Don't expect a medal for doing what you were told."
I pushed the paper toward him. "Sign it. Reject me. Let me go."
In our world, a mate bond was sacred, but it could be broken. A formal Rejection was painful, like tearing a limb off, but it severed the connection. It would set me free.
Jacob picked up the paper. He read the title and laughed.
"No."
"Why?" I demanded. "You don't love me. You have Kaleigh. Why keep me?"
"Because Kaleigh is wolfless," he said, the truth finally spilling out in his arrogance. "She had an accident as a child. Her inner wolf died. She cannot carry a shifter child. Her body rejects the Alpha seed."
He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light.
"But you... you have good stock. Your bloodline is clean. You breed well."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. He tossed it onto the table. It wasn't a ring. It was a key.
*"I bought a condo in the Beta district," he said, casually, as if discussing a real estate acquisition. "It's secure. Discreet. Once the pup is weaned, you move there. I'll provide a generous stipend. You'll be available when I need... stress relief. Kaleigh doesn't need to know the details."*
The insult was physical. It felt like a slap.
"You want me to be a whore in my own pack?" I stood up, my chair scraping against the floor. "I will go to the Elders. I will tell them you are mating with a wolfless female. It weakens the pack bloodline. They will strip you of your Alpha title."
Jacob stood up slowly. The air in the room vibrated. A low growl started deep in his chest.
"You will do no such thing."
He swept his arm across the table. The china shattered. The candles rolled onto the floor. The "Dissolution of Mating Contract" fluttered into the spilled gravy, ruined.
"You are mine, Aurelia. The pup is mine. And if you try to leave, I will hunt you down. I will lock you in the cellar until you birth that boy, and then I will throw you to the Rogues myself."
His eyes flashed a brilliant, bloody red. The beast was at the surface.
I backed away, fear clutching my throat. I had seen him kill enemies with that look. Now, he was looking at me like I was prey.
"Go to your room," he snarled.
I turned and fled to the guest bedroom, locking the door with trembling hands. I slid down against the wood, clutching my stomach.
He was a monster. And I had to save my son from him.
