Chapter 3
I tried to refuse, saying I had things to do, but Jeff grabbed my wrist in a single, uncompromising grip.
An Alpha’s strength brooked no resistance; he practically hauled me into the backseat.
Emily already sat in the passenger seat as though the car and the Alpha beside her were hers by right. She even nudged the seat angle, claiming the place as if it were always hers.
“Just let Jeff drive,” she said in honeyed tones — but she was speaking to Jeff. “He’s been skipping patrols to be with me lately; he’s got free time.”
We’d been in love for eight years. Even on full moons when pheromone comforts were needed, or when I fell ill and weak, Jeff had never once let the pack’s duties be stalled for me.
But the moment Emily returned to Eastern Pack, she became an exception to every rule and routine.
A bitterness rose quietly in my chest. I said nothing; I simply watched those two intimate silhouettes ahead.
At that moment Emily let out a small, mortified squeal, playing the part of spoiled and fragile: “Jeff… I think I stained your seat!”
I looked up. A small dark-red blotch marred the light leather.
Jeff didn’t flinch; his voice was indulgent to the point of coddling: “It’s fine — it’ll wash out.”
But then, almost instinctively, he flicked a glance at me through the rearview — as if waiting for a reaction.
Seeing only my blank face, his mouth tightened in a micro-tension before he turned his head away in silence.
When we reached the pack’s corporate office I stepped out and nearly collided with an elder.
“Tess,” he said gravely, “once the Western Pack reassignment is approved, it cannot be revoked. Aren’t you scheduled for the full-moon rite and honeymoon next month?”
Before I could reply, Jeff rolled down his window with a cold expression. “Tess, Emily wants to travel next month. Postpone the ceremony and honeymoon by one month.”
Without thinking I nodded. “Fine.”
He blinked, wolf-ears twitching, expecting argument or a temper. I gave none.
Emily leaned in and tugged his arm, feigning charm. “Jeff, don’t postpone the honeymoon. Let’s travel — the three of us together.”
Jeff smiled and without turning answered, “Alright. Then all three of us. Tess, book your own itinerary.”
I did not protest. I had already decided to terminate the mate contract; why bother over a sham honeymoon?
Watching their car drive away, the elder warned, “The reassignment paperwork takes about a week. If it’s urgent you can leave the day after tomorrow.”
That evening Jeff did the one thing that surprised me — he actually came to pick me up after work. As soon as I slid into the car he handed me a thermos, his tone unusually gentle. “Made you moonsilver herb broth.”
Before I could respond his phone buzzed from the storage compartment. Emily’s message popped up: [Jeff you dummy~ Are you trying to fatten Emily up with all that moonsilver herb? /（ㄒoㄒ）/~~]
An awful silence settled in the car. He broke it first, clumsily switching topics. “Are you looking at Western Pack project files? Planning a business trip?”
I shook my head. “The elders want me to get familiar first.”
He seemed to sense my low mood. The usually distant Jeff suddenly softened. “Take the day off tomorrow. I’ll take you hunting in the North Hills. Weren’t you always asking me to teach you how to hunt elk?”
“No thanks,” I said, my voice flat. “I’m busy tomorrow.”
That hunt used to be the mate activity he’d looked forward to most, the one treated with solemnity. He had already done it with Emily. Doing it again now would mean nothing.
He misunderstood my tone; his voice chilled: “Tess, what tantrum are you throwing now?” There was a hint of his canine teeth at his lip. “Let Emily stay at our house a few days — why the attitude?”
I froze, about to say I wasn’t angry, just exhausted. But he didn’t give me the chance.
He sneered and threw out the cruellest words: “Look at you — sullen, petty, obstinate. What right do you have to be my Luna? How much will Emily have to suffer because of you?”
The last line was the killer: “I’ll make this clear: I run this pack. Letting Emily stay for a few days? If she ends up living here forever, you won’t be in a position to stop it.
