Chapter 12

Kayla

Oh, Goddess!

My back stiffened, and I buried my face in Nicholas’s chest. Liam was standing not far from us, his mouth hanging open. I felt like I was on display.

I hadn’t done anything wrong—not at all like Liam, who had actually cheated on me with my best friend on our wedding day—but I didn’t want to face the scene before me. Not even a week ago, I had been in Liam’s arms, and now, here I was…

In his Alpha brother’s embrace.

Not just in his Alpha brother’s embrace, but I was his Alpha brother’s wife. His Luna.

As if reading my mind, Nicholas gently stroked my back and said to Liam, “Liam, you must use respect when speaking to her now. She’s your Luna. You will call her as such.”

I pulled away from Nicholas’s embrace and glanced at Liam. His eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. He looked like he might shift into a wolf and attack Nicholas at any moment, which would be incredibly stupid of him. Nicholas could rip him to shreds in seconds.

Liam seemed to realize that. Instead, he simply turned to me and spat, “Like I’d ever call you ‘Luna’, you fucking bitch.”

I blinked at him, stunned. Nicholas’s arms tightened around me, a muscle ticking in his jaw. But honestly, I wasn’t even bothered by Liam’s insult; all I could think about was what a laughable man he was, unable to challenge an Alpha, so he resorted to insulting me.

I rolled my eyes, then, just to spite him, I wrapped my arms around Nicholas’s neck. “We’re busy, Liam. Can’t you see that?” I wriggled free from Nicholas’s hold and hopped down to the ground, still touching his chest with both hands. “Come on, Nicholas. Let’s go.”

But Nicholas didn’t budge. He glared at Liam, his eyes dark and dangerous. “No. I’m not going anywhere until he treats my Luna with respect. Apologize. And bow.”

Bow?

My chest tightened, and I glanced at Liam again. I could feel the tension between them, like two opposing auras clashing midair. Liam was clearly unwilling to do that, but Nicholas wasn’t about to back down.

And Nicholas was Liam’s Alpha, whether he liked it or not. Which only meant one thing.

He had no choice but to begrudgingly turn to me, bow his head, and grind out, “My apologies… Luna.”

For a moment, I just stood there, stunned. After everything Liam had put me through, I never expected him to back down on this, but here he was, bowing his pathetic head toward the so-called wolfless loser.

But my shock wore off quickly, and I gave him a sweet but mocking smile. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”

I remembered how Liam used to boast that I would become Luna someday. Well, I had become Luna, but not his Luna.

Liam shot me a venomous glare before turning on his heel and storming off.

As soon as he was out of sight and earshot, I felt Nicholas abruptly remove my hands from his chest. I hadn’t realized that I was still touching him, and turned to face him, my cheeks heating. But the indifferent look on his face suddenly gave it all away.

“Wait,” I said, the realization hitting me. “You knew Liam was around, and that was why you picked me up, wasn’t it?”

Nicholas raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps.”

“You used me to make him jealous,” I accused, my eyes narrowing.

He gave a slight shrug. “It served its purpose.”

I clenched my fists. “You played me!”

“That’s the purpose of pretending to be a couple, Kayla. And besides, don’t act like you didn’t use me just now to make him angry.”

I felt my face warm even more at the reminder of his chest beneath my hands and the sly smile I’d given Liam, but still, I muttered, “Still. A little warning would’ve been nice.”

“And ruin the authenticity?” he smirked. “Come on, Kayla. You wanted us to appear convincing.”

I glared at him. “Not at the expense of being manipulated.”

He sighed, his expression turning cold. “It’s all part of the arrangement.”

“Arrangement?” I scoffed. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

He tilted his head slightly. “Maybe I am.”

Without another word, he turned and walked into the house, leaving me standing there fuming. I stared at his retreating form, my hands clenched tightly into fists.

“You’re insufferable!” I called after him. He didn’t respond.

Asshole, I thought wryly. How the hell was I supposed to endure a marriage with this man when I already couldn’t stand him?

After that, I made my way back to my room, making sure to stomp my feet just to show my anger. The sound echoed through the empty hallways, but Nicholas didn’t call out to me or apologize. Not that I expected him to—the fucking asshole.

Once inside, I threw my suitcase onto the bed and started pulling everything out in a huff. Clothes flew everywhere, an initial attempt at unpacking and neatly putting things away turning into a show of anger.

Suddenly, a soft knock interrupted my furious unpacking.

“Who is it?” I barked.

“It’s Emma,” came the gentle reply.

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. “Oh. Come in.”

Emma peeked her head around the door, her bright blue eyes filled with concern. “Everything okay?”

I forced a smile. “Just settling in.”

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “It sounded like a tornado hit this room.” She glanced around. “Looks like it, too.”

Flushing, I looked around at the mess I’d just made. “I guess I got a bit carried away,” I admitted, scratching my head.

She chuckled softly. “Need some help?”

I hesitated. I really wanted to share my anger with her, but I couldn’t. So I just managed, “If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” she said cheerfully. She picked up a blouse from the floor and began folding it. “So, how are you finding the manor so far?”

“It’s... different,” I admitted, hanging a dress in the closet.

She nodded. “I can imagine. Big change from your old pack?”

“Very much so,” I sighed.

Emma gave me a sympathetic look. “If you ever need someone to talk to or show you around, I’m here.”

“Thank you,” I said sincerely, feeling some of the anger seep out of me. “That means a lot.”

We worked in silence for a few minutes, the tension in my shoulders gradually easing. Emma’s presence was comforting. Soon enough, we were chatting about random things—everything from upcoming festivals to movies. She was really sweet, I had to admit. Even if I couldn’t stand my new husband, at least I had a friend here.

But our peace was quickly shattered when a knock came at the door. I stiffened, glancing over at Emma. She lifted her eyebrows, nodding toward the door, silently asking if she should open it.

After hesitating for a moment, I nodded.

Emma opened the door, and there stood Nicholas, his expression unreadable. He glanced between us. “Am I interrupting?”

Emma flashed him a cheeky grin. “Not at all. Just girl talk.”

He nodded, then looked at me. “I need to speak with Kayla. Alone, if you don’t mind.”

I sighed, bracing myself. “Can’t you just say it in front of Emma?”

Nicholas’s jaw clenched. “No.”

There was a brief, tense silence as Nicholas and I stared at each other—a battle of wills. Finally, I relented and nodded to Emma. She gave me a sly wink as she brushed past me.

“I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it, then,” she said, and then she was gone.

Nicholas and I were alone together once more.

Great.