Kaelen


    I sat in my office, staring nkly at the paperwork spread across my desk, but none of it registered. My mind had been a chaotic mess ever since Kaida left. It''s been a few days, and the house felt colder, emptier without her presence. I had told myself I wanted this-freedom from a marriage that no longer served me, from a Luna who couldn''t give me what I needed. But now that she was gone, I couldn''t shake the gnawing feeling that something was off. She didn''t even say goodbye. She didn''t fight or argue—just... vanished. Was she that eager to leave me behind?


    I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to push the thoughts away. Kaida was my past now, and ra-ra was my future. That''s what I needed to focus on. My fated mate, the one I was destined to be with. So why the hell couldn''t I get Kaida out of my head?


    A sharp knock on the door pulled me from my spiraling thoughts.


    "Come in," I called, leaning back in my chair, trying to shake off the mood before anyone noticed.


    Lucas, my Beta, walked in with a stack of files in hand. His hair was tousled from the wind outside, and he wore his usual cocky grin as he dropped the files on my desk. "You look like hell, man," he said, taking a seat without waiting for an invitation. "Still brooding over Kaida?"


    I scowled. "I''m not brooding."


    Lucas leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Sure, you''re not. That''s why you''ve been a ghost in this office ever since she left. You''re not fooling anyone."


    "I''m fine," I snapped, the lie sounding hollow even to my own ears.


    Lucas chuckled. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. But you know, if you''re missing her this much, maybe you shouldn''t have gone through with the divorce."


    I clenched my jaw. "It''s not about that. I made the right choice. Kaida wasn''t the one. ra-"


    "Is the one, right?" Lucas finished, his voice tinged with sarcasm. "Because fate told you so."


    I red at him, but he didn''t back down. “Look, I''m not saying you didn''t have your reasons," he said more seriously. "But don''t pretend like Kaida didn''t mean something to you. You were married to her for two years, man."


    "That''s in the past," I muttered, though the words felt wrong on my tongue. "I''m moving on."


    Lucas raised an eyebrow but didn''t push further. Instead, he picked up one of the files he''d brought in and tossed it toward me. "Well, if you''re so focused on moving forward, sign these. Pack business doesn''t wait for emotional turmoil, you know."


    I grunted in response, grabbing the pen and scrawling my signature where necessary. Lucas watched me for a moment before shaking his head and rising from his seat. “I''m heading out to check on the patrols. Try not to drown in self-pity while I''m gone."


    "Get out of here," I muttered, but there was a faint smirk on my lips as he left the


    room.


    As soon as the door closed behind him, the silence rushed back in, bringing with it the weight of my thoughts once again. Kaida''s face swam into my mind uninvited -the way she had looked at me when I''d handed her those divorce papers. She had been hurt, but she hadn''t said a word. No begging, no pleading. Just a quiet eptance that gnawed at me now.


    My train of thought was interrupted by another knock. This time, it was Mr. Price, mywyer, looking as grim as ever as he stepped inside.


    "Alpha," he greeted me, inclining his head slightly.


    "Mr. Price," I acknowledged. "What''s the news?"


    He cleared his throat, shuffling the papers in his hand. "There''s a slight issue with your uing marriage to Miss Snow."


    My brow furrowed. "What kind of issue?"


    He adjusted his sses and looked at me steadily. "ording to the packws and regtions, you cannot marry ra for another three months-at least not officially."


    I blinked, trying to process his words. "What? Why?"


    "It''s a use in the divorce agreement,” he exined. "You cannot remarry within three months if there are unresolved issues with your ex-wife."


    I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Unresolved issues? There''s nothing unresolved. The divorce is final."


    Mr. Price sighed. "Yes, legally, it is. However, if your ex-wife were to contest the settlement or bring up any further ims-especially involving children—then the timeline could be extended."


    "Children?" The word hit me like a punch to the gut. "Kaida can''t have children.”


    Mr. Price raised an eyebrow. "Are you certain of that, Alpha?"


    My chest tightened. "Yes, I''m sure. It''s...plicated."


    "Well, regardless, thew is thew," Mr. Price continued. "You''ll need to wait three months before the marriage to ra can be officially recognized by the pack."


    I stood up, pacing in frustration. "Three months? That''s ridiculous."


    "I understand, Alpha," Mr. Price said calmly. "But there is another option."


    I stopped pacing and looked at him. "What option?"


    "A fake marriage," he said simply. "You and ra could proceed with a symbolic ceremony, something unofficial but convincing enough to keep up appearances until the three-month period has passed."


    My jaw clenched. A fake marriage? ra would never go for that. She had been insistent on making our union official as soon as possible. But Mr. Price seemed to read my thoughts.


    "She doesn''t have to know," he added. "It could be arranged quietly."


    I felt a headacheing on. A fake marriage behind ra''s back? It felt wrong. Dishonest. But the look on ra''s face when I told her about the dy came back to me. She had been livid—impatient to take her ce as Luna. If I told her we had to wait three months, there would be hell to pay.


    "I''ll think about it," I said finally, sinking back into my chair. "Leave the details with me."


    Mr. Price nodded, leaving a folder on my desk before quietly excusing himself from the room.


    Once again, I was alone with my


    thoughts. Thoughts that kept circling back to Kaida. She had left without a word, not even a goodbye. And now thisplication with the marriage-it felt like everything was spiraling out of control.


    Was she really that eager to leave? Or was there something else?


    I rubbed my temples, trying to push away the doubts. I had made my decision.


    Kaida was my past. ra was my future.


    But deep down, a part of me couldn''t shake the nagging feeling that I had made a


    terrible mistake.