Chapter 5

Serena's smile paused. "Only good things, of course. He says you're very helpful at home and that you manage Pack matters well. For an Omega to do so much, it's really impressive."

There it was. The compliment with a collar around its neck.

"It is impressive," Eira said. "Managing a Pack, working full-time, handling his family's problems, and welcoming old friends who arrive without warning—all on such a small allowance. I impress myself sometimes."

Isabella blinked. Margaret's face tightened. Alpha Sebastian gave Eira a warning look, which she carefully ignored.

Serena withdrew her hand. "You're funny."

"No," Eira said. "Just accurate."

Dinner, when it finally arrived by delivery, was a miserable experience for everyone except Eira. That alone improved her appetite. The poached shrimp were bland, the broccoli looked depressed, and Margaret stared at the plastic containers as if Eira had personally dragged the Hale bloodline into the gutter.

Serena, of course, ate three bites and praised the food with saintly patience.

"This is actually very healthy," she said. "I admire women who can keep a household simple."

"I admire women who can keep their hands off married men," Eira replied, reaching for her water.

The table went silent.

Alpha Sebastian's fork stopped halfway to his mouth. "Eira."

"What?" She looked at him. "We're admiring women. I wanted to join."

Serena's eyes grew bright, but no tears fell. Too skilled for that. "I'm sorry if my being here makes you uncomfortable. Alpha Sebastian and I have known each other since childhood. I used to belong here too. Sebastian is like family to me."

"So why'd you leave back then? Was this Pack too poor for you?"

Margaret slammed her glass down. "Enough. Serena is a guest."

"But she just said you're family. Doesn't that make me the guest in this house?"

"Shut your mouth, Eira." Alpha Sebastian's jaw tightened. "Remember you are Luna."

"I remember better than anyone," Eira said. "For instance, before this Pack got rich, I never once heard the name Serena mentioned. You should try respecting that."

Alpha Roger watched her more carefully now. He was not kind, but he understood numbers and power better than Margaret did.

Problems were harder to throw away than tools.

Isabella ruined the tension by noticing Serena's bag. "Oh my god, is that the limited Virelle piece? I saw it in a magazine. It's over a hundred thousand."

Serena glanced down with perfect modesty. "A gift from a friend."

Her eyes went to Alpha Sebastian.

Alpha Sebastian's eyebrow moved by a fraction.

Eira saw it. She also saw the small logo, the same brand as the silk scarf Alpha Sebastian had offered her that morning. The main gift had gone to Serena. The apology scrap had been meant for the wife.

A comfort prize for the tool.

"A gift from a friend?" Eira said, looking at the bag, then at Alpha Sebastian. "Your friends have excellent taste. Very similar to my husband's."

Serena's fingers tightened on the chain strap. Alpha Sebastian's face remained controlled, but his scent sharpened. He knew she had hit close to something.

For the rest of dinner, Margaret tried to guide every topic back to Serena's virtues. International education. Winthrop Pack connections. Her father's influence. Her suitable bloodline. Her bright future. Each subject was placed on the table like an offering to Alpha Sebastian, and each one reminded everyone that Eira had arrived in Hale Pack with no family name worth announcing.

Eira let them talk.

Her bag sat by her chair. Inside it, the agreement waited beneath routine Pack finance documents.

Timing mattered. Alpha Sebastian had to be relaxed enough to sign, but irritated enough not to read.

Serena's presence helped. Men like Alpha Sebastian became careless when they wanted to prove control in front of women.

After dessert, Serena placed a hand against her temple. "Oh dear, it's getting late. I should go. I'm still tired from my flight. I'm afraid I might fall asleep while driving."

Isabella leaned forward at once. "Sebastian, you should drive her home. It's not safe for Serena to go alone."

Margaret nodded. "Of course. A gentleman should."

Alpha Sebastian looked from Serena to Eira. He performed hesitation well. "Why don't you stay at our place for now? You shouldn't drive tired."

Serena turned her eyes toward Eira. "Are you sure? Won't Eira mind?"

Eira laughed once. Cold and short. "Why would I mind? If he enjoys collecting lost dogs and bringing them inside, I'm not the animal control department."

Serena's face went pale with theatrical hurt.

"That's enough," Alpha Sebastian said. His voice dropped into Alpha command. "Apologize."

Eira stood and picked up her bag. "No."

His eyes flashed. "Eira."

She looked at him across the table, at the husband who had called her useful, the Alpha who thought his title could still bend her spine. "You can host whoever you want. You can buy whatever gifts you want. You can even ask everyone here to pretend they don't smell another woman on you. But don't ask me to decorate the lie."

The silence after that was sharp enough to cut skin.

Before Alpha Sebastian could answer, Eira walked out.

She drove back to Sterling Hotel with both hands on the wheel. It was 9:40 p.m. when she reached the underground garage. Only then did her stomach growl so loudly she almost laughed. She had eaten barely anything at dinner. Anger, it turned out, was not a balanced meal.

The hotel restaurant was closing when she reached the lobby level. Staff were clearing the last tables, and the lights had dimmed to a warm amber.

"Sorry, miss," a waiter said. "The kitchen closed ten minutes ago."

"Bread is enough," Eira said. "Or anything cold."

The waiter hesitated.

A voice came from the far end of the restaurant. "Open the kitchen for her."

Eira turned.

The man from the elevator sat alone at a table near the windows. His dark shirt sleeves were rolled up, and a stack of papers lay beside a half-empty cup of coffee.

The waiter straightened so fast Eira heard his spine reconsider its life choices. "Yes, Boss."

He didn't get up. Didn't even look particularly interested in his own generosity.

He just reached over, turned one of the papers face-down without breaking eye contact with her, and tapped two fingers against the empty chair across from him.

Then he tilted his head toward it, slow and deliberate, like he already knew she'd say yes and was just being polite about the wait.

"Come sit," he said. "Unless you want to eat standing."