Chapter 5 I Allow You to Be My Lover

Rupert stepped forward, disbelief on his face, and opened his mouth to smooth things over—but Chris had already turned away.

"We're leaving."

Delia murmured in agreement and followed right behind Chris, without sparing Rupert another glance.

Walking out of the building and getting into Chris's car, Delia still felt unreal.

The car was quiet for a long time before Delia slowly came back to her senses and said softly, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Chris said flatly. "As long as you're happy with the engagement ring, that's enough."

Delia froze for a moment and looked down at the dazzling diamond on her finger.

She'd been quietly bracing herself, half-expecting him to blame her for making a scene in public and embarrassing the Levin family.

But he hadn't said a single critical word once, hadn't asked any unnecessary questions. He simply had the driver pull up in front of a luxury hotel, handed her a key card, and left.

Standing in the brightly lit hotel lobby, Delia suddenly felt like the past five years had been nothing but a long, ugly nightmare.

Meanwhile, back at Rupert's office, things were falling apart.

The moment Chris left, the vice president received an official email from the Levin Pack.

Every joint project was suspended. All signed contracts were put on hold indefinitely. Every pending deal was cancelled outright.

The vice president grabbed his tablet and rushed into the office. "Boss, the Levin Pack just pulled out of everything."

Rupert shot to his feet. "What?"

"All cooperation, completely shut down." The vice president held out the tablet. "The email says the Levin Pack will be reassessing the Churchill Group's qualifications as a partner. All further matters will be handled through their legal team."

Rupert took the tablet and read through every word, his grip tightening as he read.

More than half of the Churchill Group's operations ran on Levin Pack resources—the northern border transport routes, the mineral export licenses, even the entire pack's winter supply reserves. All of it was tied to their partnership.

With the deal gone, his pack wouldn't survive the winter.

Nova watched Rupert's face go pale and quickly moved to his side, her voice soft and soothing. "Rupert, don't be angry. That person from the Levin Pack must have been fooled by Delia—there's no other reason he'd step in for her like that."

Her eyes flickered with resentment as she kept pushing. "How did Delia even get connected to them? That Alpha looked decent enough, but... he's probably nobody important. She most likely threw herself at him just to get back at you."

Rupert's mind was reeling, but he knew better. Someone who didn't matter couldn't freeze an entire partnership between two packs.

When had Delia gotten in with the Levin Pack?

Nova was still going on beside him. "Delia has no respect for you at all. I just wanted a ring—was that really worth all this drama?"

Her nagging was making his head pound. He forced down his anger and said, "Nova, stay here. I need to go handle some work."

Nova started to protest, but Rupert was already walking out.

She stood there, frozen, her hands clenched into fists. He had never brushed her off like that before.

It was all Delia's fault. Not only had she humiliated her in front of everyone, she'd taken every bit of Rupert's attention with her.

Nova took a slow breath, pulled out her phone, and made a call. "Hey, Monica. You free lately? Let's get together."

While the Churchill Group was drowning in crisis, the Levin Pack's official account posted a short announcement: Chris will be holding an engagement ceremony on the 28th of next month.

One sentence. It set the entire wolf clan world on fire.

News of the Levin Pack's Alpha getting engaged was already massive on its own. But Chris had never been linked to anyone—not a single rumor in years. Now, out of nowhere, an official announcement. Everyone wanted to know who she was.

Speculation spread through every pack. Some said she must be from one of the old noble wolf families in the south. Others guessed she was the daughter of someone high up in imperial politics.

No one could have guessed that this mystery fiancée was quietly staying in a luxury hotel, unknown to everyone except the hotel staff.

Delia spent three days there with the door closed, slowly sorting through everything that had happened and pulling herself back together.

On the evening of the third day, she called Ophelia to let her know she was okay—just that she and Rupert were done and she was staying at a hotel for now. She left out the rest.

Ophelia cried for a long time. Delia talked her through it patiently before finally hanging up.

Completely worn out, she was getting ready to rest when her phone rang. It was Monica.

Monica was one of the few people at the Churchill Group she'd actually been close to—the only colleague she'd really spent time with. They used to grab meals and chat all the time.

"Delia, are you okay? I heard the company's in serious trouble. You must be run off your feet, being the boss's secretary and all," Monica said, her voice full of concern.

"I already quit."

"You quit?" Monica sounded genuinely shocked. "After everything you put into that job, and with so many people there watching Rupert—if you just leave..."

"It doesn't matter anymore." Delia let out a tired laugh. "It's over between us. Completely."

"Oh my god!" Monica gasped. "What happened? Actually, never mind—you must be feeling terrible right now. Come out for a drink. I'm at Blue Moon Bar. It'll do you good."

Delia almost said no, but Monica wouldn't let up, so she changed and headed out.

When she walked into the private room, though, it wasn't just Monica waiting for her. Rupert was there. Nova was there. And three wolf men she didn't recognize.

Delia understood everything in an instant.

The concern, the friendly check-in—all fake. Monica had set her up from the start.

She gave this so-called friend a cold look and turned to leave.

"Stop." Rupert's voice came from behind her.

Delia paused and looked back at him.

"You're already here. Sit down." He tilted his chin toward a seat. "There are things we need to say to each other face to face."

Delia took a breath, her expression stone cold. "You went to all this trouble to trick me into coming. Skip the pleasantries. Say what you want to say."

One of the men—heavy stubble and a thick build—let out a short laugh. "Delia, you've gotten pretty bold. Word has it you latched onto the Levins just for money and clout? Didn't know you had it in you."

Another man jumped in. "Please. The Levin Pack's Alpha just picked her up as a novelty, a plaything. A wolf who can't even shift—actually thinking she could marry into a top-tier pack? That's delusional."

Nova tugged gently at Rupert's sleeve, putting on a sympathetic face. "Don't be so hard on her. Delia's had it rough. Five years, and Rupert never gave her his mark. Even if the Moon Goddess chose her, she was never truly accepted."

She sighed, her voice dripping with performed pity. "I actually feel sorry for her. If Rupert had marked her sooner, she wouldn't be in this position now."

Delia's hands clenched into fists. "What did you bring me here for?"

Rupert set down his glass and finally looked her in the eye.

"Delia, however you got connected to the Levin Pack, I need you to do something for me."

His tone carried the easy condescension of someone doing a favor.

"The Levin Pack suspended everything. Go talk to them. Tell them it was all a misunderstanding and get things back on track. You do this for me, and I'll let everything that happened go. Clean slate."

"Clean slate," Delia repeated.

Rupert nodded and leaned in slightly, his voice in what he clearly thought was a gentle tone.

"I'll admit it—Nova has always been in my heart. She's been everything to me since we were young. But we've been together almost five years. I'm not without feelings for you."

His eyes moved over her, something careless and self-satisfied in his gaze. "I'm not going to marry you. But I'm willing to let you be my mistress. The mating ceremony can still happen. I won't treat you badly. Delia, this is the most I'm willing to offer. Be smart about this. Stop making things difficult."

His mistress.

Five years of giving everything she had—her time, her energy, her heart—and in the end, the best she was worth was a role she'd have to keep hidden.

Delia suddenly laughed.

Everyone in the room went still. Rupert's brow furrowed, his expression darkening.

"Rupert," she said. "You're sure about this? You want me to be your mistress?"

"This is me being generous," Rupert said, looking at her. "Delia, don't be ungrateful—"

Before he could finish, Delia grabbed the bottle off the table and smashed it straight into his head.