Chapter 32
“I think I’ll head back to my room for a bit,” I said finally. “Give you two some time to talk.”
Alex looked like he wanted to protest, but nodded. “I’ll come find you later.”
+15 BONUS
As I made my way back to my room, my mind raced with possibilities. I needed to start planning, to be more proactive in our fight against Alpha Foster. I couldn’t rely solely on Alex’s protection, no matter how tempting it was to surrender everything to his capable hands.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I pulled out my phone and began scrolling through my contacts. The list was depressingly short. Years of being Alpha Foster’s Luma had meant isolation, not connection. He’d systematically cut me off from anyone who might have been an ally, monitoring my communications and limiting my interactions to those he approved of.
The few names I did have were mostly pack members who had never truly accepted me as their Luna. Some had pitied me, certainly, but pity rarely translated to loyalty. I scrolled through, hoping to find anyone who might have access to information or influence that could help our case.
Nothing. No connections to Council members, no friends in administrative positions, no allies in other packs. Tears of frustration pricked at my eyes. After five years as Luna to one of the most powerful Alphas in the region, I had nothing to show for it but scars and an empty contact list.
I should have been smarter, should have built my own network despite Alpha Foster’s restrictions. But I’d been so focused on survival, on protecting Felix, that I’d never thought beyond our immediate safety.
“I’m sorry, Felix,” I whispered to the empty room. “I should have done better.”
Now I was bringing nothing to Alex except problems–my dormant wolf, Alpha Foster’s vengeance, legal battles. The weight of my helplessness settled heavy on my shoulders.
A knock sounded at my door, interrupting my spiral of self–recrimination. Alex stood on the other side, his expression serious as he held out a leather portfolio.
“The marriage contract,” he explained, stepping into the room when I moved aside. “Wilson drew it up while we were flying back. He wanted to make sure it was ironclad before Alpha Foster’s people arrived.”
I took the portfolio, careful not to touch his fingers. After our earlier encounter, I wasn’t sure I could handle even that small contact without my emotions betraying me.
“That was fast.”
“We don’t have the luxury of time.” His eyes searched my face. “Are you having second thoughts?”
I shook my head. “No. It’s the right decision.”
“For Felix,” he added, watching me carefully.
“Yes,” I agreed, meeting his gaze. “For Felix. And…maybe for us too.”
Something shifted in his expression–a flash of the desire I’d glimpsed earlier, carefully contained but unmistakably present.
“No matter what happens,” he said quietly, “I will honor this commitment, Summer. This isn’t just strategy to me.”
The intensity in his voice made my heart flutter traitorously in my chest. I knew I should be focusing on the practical aspects of our arrangement–the protection it would provide Felix, the shield it would create against Alpha Foster’s machinations.
Instead, I found myself remembering the feel of Alex’s mouth against my skin, the strength of his arms around me, the way he looked at me as if I were something precious rather than broken.
“I know,” I whispered, dropping my gaze to the portfolio in my hands. “I trust you, Alex. I always have.”
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Chapter 32
+15 BONUS
His eyes darkened at my words, and for a moment, I thought he might step closer. Instead, he took a deliberate step back, maintaining the distance between us with visible effort.
“Read through the contract,” he said, his voice rougher than before. “If you have any questions or want any changes, let me know. This is as much for your protection as it is for Felix’s.”
I nodded, clutching the portfolio to my chest. “Thank you.”
He turned to leave but paused at the doorway. “Summer?”
“Yes?”
“When this is over–when Alpha Foster is no longer a threat–I want you to know that you’ll always have a place here. With or without…” He gestured between us, leaving the implication hanging.
The offer touched something deep inside me–a place that had been hollowed out by years of conditional acceptance and measured affection. The knowledge that Alex would keep me safe, would provide for Felix, regardless of whether I shared his bed or bore his mark, was more intimate than any physical touch could have been.
“Thank you,” I said again, this time with a tremor in my voice.
After he left, I sat on the bed and opened the portfolio, prepared to read through the legal terminology that would bind me to yet another Alpha wolf. But this time, as my fingers traced over Alex’s signature already imprinted at the bottom of the document, I felt something I hadn’t expected.
Not resignation. Not strategic satisfaction.
Hope.
