My breath caught. In that instant, I felt like the biggest fool the Moon Goddess had ever cursed.
While I stood outside in the pouring rain, shivering, wondering if something had happened to him, Alpha Leopold was inside, sitting in a VIP seat, sharing laughter with his Beta.
The rain stung like icy needles against my skin, but it was nothing compared to the numbness gnawing at my chest. Even my wolf whimpered, pressing against me as if she too had realized how far we’d fallen.
Just then, a message came from my mother: the wedding date was set for two weeks later. If I thought it was too rushed, she could postpone.
I shook my head, whispering into the storm, “No. Keep it as it is.”
The city’s traffic had collapsed under the downpour. I couldn’t get a cab no matter how long I waited. That was when my phone finally buzzed.
“Why aren’t you at home?” Alpha Leopold’s voice carried faint irritation, as if I were the one who had forgotten our plans.
I kept my voice even, stripped of all emotion. “I’m at Lincoln Center.”
There was a pause, like he had just remembered. “Damn. I got held up this afternoon. Wait there—I’ll come get you.”
I didn’t bother refusing. I already knew he wouldn’t come.
Sure enough, moments later Sophie posted again:
“Worried I’d catch a cold in the rain, my Alpha hubby personally made me soup. Nothing hotter than a man in the kitchen. I want to marry him!”
Attached was a photo of Leopold’s broad back as he stood over a stove, sleeves rolled, head bent in domestic concentration.
I looked at it once, then calmly closed the app.
The rain left me with a fever that clung to me like a shadow. Using the excuse that I didn’t want to pass it to him, I moved into the guest room.
Unusually, Alpha Leopold cleared his schedule to stay home and care for me. But I found his presence suffocating.
“It’s just a cold. I’m an adult. I can take care of myself. Go focus on your work.”
He studied me for a long moment, frowning slightly. “You used to want me beside you most when you were sick. What’s with the sudden change?”
I lowered my gaze, hiding every flicker of truth. “I was immature before. Not anymore.”
“Rowena, are you sure you’re alright?” His voice was gentler now, but my wolf only pressed back into silence, refusing to answer him.
“I’m fine. Go on.”
He still seemed unsettled, like some instinct warned him something was wrong, but he couldn’t place it. At last, he sighed. “Alright. Rest well. Call me if you need anything.”
Once he left, I exhaled slowly, my lungs aching with more than fever, and drifted into a restless sleep.
When I woke, there was another message from my mother—this time with the detailed wedding plan. She’d also sent over more than a dozen bridal gown options, urging me to choose.
I was swiping through them absently, enlarging one of the gowns, when Leopold suddenly appeared. I hadn’t even heard his footsteps.
He snatched the phone from my hands and tossed it aside, his brows drawn in displeasure. “Why are you looking at wedding dresses?”
For a moment, my heart lurched. I thought he had discovered everything—that I was preparing to marry another. My wolf tensed, ready to bare the truth.
But then his next words came, and I realized how laughable that thought was.