Alina’s pov

Ice-cold water dripped from the ends of my hair, soaking through my clothes and clinging to my skin. I stood completely frozen for a fraction of a second, my hands clenching into tight, white-knuckled fists at my sides as the fluid pooled onto the floor.

"Why the hell did you do that, Emily?!" Aiden roared, his voice booming through the dining room as he slammed his hands on the table.

Emily didn’t back down. She stood her ground, her chest heaving as she glared at me with pure venom. "I did it because this woman is absolutely shameless! How dare you come back to this house, walk into this dining room, and just casually sit down to eat with my husband?!" She whipped her furious gaze toward me, her voice rising to a screech. "You came here strictly for your son, right? So why the hell are you sitting here playing family with him?!"

Despite the freezing water running down my neck, I kept my composure completely under control. I slowly pushed my chair back, stood up, and just stared at Emily with a cold, deadpan expression.

"Don’t you dare look at me with those filthy eyes!" Emily yelled, pointing a trembling finger at my face. "I am really not scared of you, Alina! I will never be scared of you! You know for a definitive fact that you being here is wrong, so what the hell are you trying to prove?!"

"Emily, that is enough!" Aiden bellowed, stepping around the table to grab her arm.

"No!" she screamed, violently yanking her arm out of his grip. "Aiden, you are not going to make me lose my mind here! You are having a private dinner with her—why wasn’t I included in this?! Do you really want the entire pack house staff to gossip about me and laugh right at my face? No, Aiden! I won’t ever let that happen!"

"Emily, I said stop!" Aiden hissed, his alpha aura flaring in deep frustration.

I let out a soft, calm sigh, smoothing down my wet shirt. "Actually... Emily is right," I said, my voice cutting through their shouting like glass.

Both of them snapped their heads toward me in shock.

I looked directly at Emily, offering a polite, empty smile. "I mean, after all, she is this pack’s rightful Luna, and I am not even a part of this pack anymore. So it is completely normal for her to get all defensive and angry about a situation like this. I promise you it won’t happen again, Emily. Please, take your seat and enjoy dinner with your husband."

With that, I turned on my heel and calmly walked out of the dining room.

The heavy oak doors hadn’t even fully closed behind me before Aiden and Emily commenced arguing at the top of their lungs again. Standing in the quiet hallway, a slow, satisfied smirk played across my lips. Let them tear each other apart.

The moment I entered my bedroom, I grabbed a towel to dry myself off. Suddenly, the screen of my phone on the nightstand lit up just as a ringing cycle ended. I picked up the device, and my eyes widened in absolute shock.

60 missed calls from Lucian.oh shit

Before I could even process the number, the phone began to vibrate in my palm again. I pressed answer and brought it to my ear.

"Alina! Oh my god, thank goodness you finally picked up!" Lucian’s voice rushed through the receiver, thick with raw panic and desperation. "Are you alright over there? Did something happen?"

A warm, genuine smile broke across my face, the icy chill from the dining room instantly evaporating at the sound of his voice. "Lucian, breathe. I am completely fine," I said calmly. "You really, truly don’t need to worry about me."

"I really can’t help it," he confessed, his tone dropping into a soft, breathless murmur. "I can’t sleep, Alina. I’m already so used to having you right by my side every single night... now being in this room without you just feels completely foreign and wrong."

My smile widened, my heart doing a sweet flutter against my ribs. "Don’t worry," I whispered softly. "I will be back home in just a few days."

"It honestly really feels like years to me," he groaned, though I could hear the faint, reluctant smile in his voice now. He paused, his tone turning serious again. "Just... don’t let Emily trouble you while you’re there, okay? Don’t listen to a single word of nonsense she speaks."

"You don’t have to worry about that at all, I promise," I reassured him, wrapping the towel tighter around my shoulders. Wanting to shift the topic away from the pack mansion, I cleared my throat. "Anyway... how is my brother doing? How is the entire house?"

"Everything here is fine," Lucian replied, though a sudden, amused dryness entered his tone. "Well... actually, your brother might be in a bit of trouble."

My brows knitted together in instant concern. "What? How so?"

"I think Ragnar might actually be heavily into your brother," Lucian stated flatly.

My eyes stretched wide in surprise. "Wait... is Ragnar actually into men for real?"

"Yes," Lucian confirmed. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Oh wow," I murmured, my mind racing. "I had absolutely no idea. But wait... didn’t that love potion completely break already?"

"It did," Lucian explained. "But I think Ragnar’s feelings for him might actually be for real this time. I’ve personally seen the strange way he looks at Boca on several different occasions now."

A soft laugh escaped my lips. "Honestly? I That’s kind of cute."

"It is definitely not cute, Alina," Lucian countered instantly with a light chuckle. "Boca is the straightest man I know, and Ragnar is probably only going to end up getting his feelings hurt."

"I’m sure my brother will let him down easy," I reasoned smoothly.

Before Lucian could utter another word, a sharp, heavy knock suddenly echoed against my bedroom door.