Chapter 4

That was Selena, a nightingale half-shifter, and the daughter of Ryan's old mentor.

Everyone in aristocratic circles had heard the story. If I, the so-called "one hundred percent match," hadn't swooped in, she would have been Ryan's perfect fiancée.

Ryan sat behind his desk, listening to her complain. Then he caught a sound at the door, and his gaze shot toward me like a blade.

"You're here." He stood immediately and came around the desk toward me. "This isn't what it looks like. She and I are—"

"Oops, looks like I've come at a bad time!"

I pushed the door open, set the lunch boxes down hard on the coffee table, and smiled brighter than anyone in the room. "Two meals, just enough for the two of you to catch up! Ryan, if you're busy tonight, just sleep here. Don't worry about things at home. Bye!"

I didn't give him a chance to explain. I turned and ran.

As soon as I burst out of the building, I fired off a message to the Genetics Bureau: Who is Ryan's real destined mate?

The core data is still being repaired, but we can confirm that this person definitely exists.

You useless idiots! Pull an all-nighter and fix it!

Rest assured, your own true match data will be restored very soon. We'll send it to you the moment it is.

That night, I was curled up on the couch planning my escape when Ryan walked in, cold air clinging to him.

The living room lights were off. His tall frame was hidden in the dark, his eyes glowing a dangerous green.

"There is nothing inappropriate between Selena and me." He looked straight at me, deadly serious. "The rumors are false. She's just a subordinate to me. Two weeks ago she mentioned a birthday dinner, I said yes without thinking and then forgot. That's why she came to my office to corner me."

"Got it, got it." I waved him off. "She's a girl. Buy her a nice present and make it up to her."

"Do you need me to make it up to you, too?" He was suddenly right in front of me.

Before I could answer, he pinned me against the back of the couch.

His cold metal epaulets dug into me. He was unusually rough tonight, with a kind of restless urgency, as if he had something to prove.

When he went for his belt, I pulled out the contraceptive patch I'd bought on the way home that afternoon and slapped it onto his chest.

"Put this on."

Ryan stopped dead. His voice was hoarse. "When did you buy this? Didn't you always want an heir with my bloodline?"

"I changed my mind. Childbirth hurts too much. We'll talk about it later." I turned my face away, unable to look at him.

I didn't want to leave behind a child to tangle things up before I left.

Ryan stared at me. "You've been acting strange lately. You used to throw yourself at me without a second thought. You'd text me in the middle of meetings saying you wanted to see my abs. But today, you've been avoiding me all day."

"Chloe, what do you want?"

I took a deep breath.

He'd already noticed something was off. There was no point in hiding it anymore.

I looked into his glowing green eyes. "Ryan, this isn't working. Let's dissolve the marriage."