Chapter 4
Lucas's POV:
I stared at the stack of documents on my desk, my mind elsewhere, when Marcus knocked and entered my office. His usually composed demeanor carried an edge of concern that immediately put me on alert.
"Alpha," he said, his voice more formal than usual. "The Lycan King has arranged the annual feast for tonight. Invitations were sent to all pack Alphas. I placed yours in your document pile, but you haven't confirmed your attendance."
I frowned, rifling through the papers. "I don't see any invitation here."
Before Marcus could respond, a timid knock interrupted us. One of the newer servants entered, her head bowed so low I could barely see her face.
"Alpha, please forgive me!" she burst out, her voice trembling. "Miss Sophie—I mean, the former Luna—she always handled your important documents. I was asked to take over temporarily, but... I cannot read. I may have mistaken the invitation for waste paper and disposed of it. I'll find it immediately!"
Heat flared in my chest, the familiar burn of frustration mixing with something deeper—a hollow ache that came whenever Sophia's absence was highlighted. "You assigned someone who can't read to handle my correspondence?" I snapped at Marcus, though I knew my anger was misdirected. "This kind of negligence is unacceptable."
Marcus's jaw tightened slightly. "I apologize, Alpha. I'll ensure this doesn't happen again and retrieve another invitation from the King's office immediately."
As they both hurried out, I slumped back in my chair, running my hands through my hair. Everything felt wrong without Sophia. The seamless efficiency she'd brought to managing my affairs, the way she'd anticipated my needs before I even voiced them—I'd taken it all for granted.
Victor, my wolf, stirred restlessly in my mind. "You made the right choice," I muttered to myself, but the words felt hollow. "She was just an Omega. Aria is our fated mate."
But even as I said it, doubt gnawed at me like a persistent wound.
Unable to concentrate on work, I found myself walking toward the bedroom wing. My feet carried me to the room Sophia and I had shared during our marriage, though I'd been sleeping in Aria's room for months now.
The moment I opened the door, her scent hit me like a physical blow. That delicate floral fragrance that was uniquely hers seemed to permeate every surface, every fiber. My chest tightened as I stepped inside, memories flooding my mind with an intensity that left me breathless.
I remembered the first night she'd trembled in my arms, her trust absolute despite I wasn't her fated mate. "Lucas," she'd whispered against my chest, her voice soft with wonder and affection, "I'd follow you to the ends of the earth."
The memory felt like shards of glass in my throat. When had I stopped cherishing that trust? When had I started taking her devotion for granted?
I sank onto the edge of the bed, burying my face in my hands. Every time I thought of choosing to spend nights in Aria's room instead of fulfilling my promises to Sophia, guilt spread through my chest like poison. I'd told myself it was the mate bond, that I had no choice, but sitting here surrounded by remnants of what we'd once had, those justifications felt pathetic.
Without thinking, I grabbed it and dialed her number.
"What do you want, Lucas?" Her voice was different—cooler, more controlled than I'd ever heard it.
"I want you to come home," I said, trying to inject authority into my voice. "This isn't the way for you to handle things, Sophia. Running away solves nothing."
"This is no longer your concern, Lucas. You forfeited that right."
Her words stung more than I'd expected. This wasn't the submissive woman I'd grown accustomed to. "That's not how you speak to your Alpha. Come back. Now. I've prepared dinner for you."
A laugh escaped her, but it held no warmth. "Four years, Lucas. Can you tell me what my favorite food is?"
The question caught me completely off guard. I opened my mouth, then closed it again. In four years of marriage, had I ever actually paid attention to what she preferred? I'd been so focused on pack business, on Aria, on everything except the woman who'd shared my bed and my life.
"I thought so," she said when my silence stretched too long. "Listen carefully, Lucas, because this is the last time I'll say this."
Something in her tone made me straighten, dread pooling in my stomach.
"I, Sophia Anderson, former Luna of the Starlight Pack, formally reject you, Lucas Anderson, as my mate and Alpha. From this moment, all bonds between us are severed."
The words hit me like a physical blow. The mate bond—already weakened by months of neglect—snapped completely, leaving an aching void in my chest.
"Wait," I said desperately, panic rising in my throat. "You don't understand. About Aria... things aren't what you think. She's actually—"
"Since we no longer have any relationship," Sophia interrupted, her voice steady and final, "you don't need to explain anything to me. I hope I never see you again."
The line went dead.
I stared at my phone, the silence ringing in my ears. She'd actually done it. After four years of marriage, of shared memories and whispered promises, she'd severed our bond with the same clinical efficiency she'd once used to manage my correspondence.