Christina’s POV

"You alright?"

His deep voice snapped me out of my mental spiral.

"What?" I blinked at Hudson, my brain still buffering from the chaos at the hospital. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Hudson gave me a quick side glance, his piercing eyes leaving the road. "Earlier. At the hospital. Did he... hurt you?"

"You mean Niall?" I said. "No."

Technically true.

Not for lack of trying, though.

Niall practically lived at the training grounds, probably had protein shakes for blood. As the Alpha of The Frostpelt Pack, he was naturally strong. If he’d landed a hit when he lunged at me, I’d have been scraping bits of myself off the floor with a dustpan.

I added, softer this time, "Thank you."

He didn’t say "you’re welcome."

Instead, his grip on the steering wheel went full dominant wolf—veins popping along his forearms, his knuckles whitening.

I stared.

Was he angry? At me? At Niall?

"That was your ex-mate?" he finally asked, voice low and dangerous.

"Yeah," I whispered.

He seemed to have seven different things he wanted to say, but none of them were polite enough for public. In the end, he just nodded and stared straight ahead.

The rest of the drive was silent. Not awkward-silent, just... broody.

We got to the apartment building and rode the elevator up in silence. At my door, I turned to him and said, "Thanks. Good night."

He didn’t reply. He just stood there, his face unreadable in the dim hallway light, but his pine scent intensified around us.

I dug out my keys and was halfway through the door when—

"Wait."

I turned, giving him the eyebrow.

He held up his phone. "Here’s my number," he said, transferring the contact to my phone. "Once Louisa Granger’s out of surgery, I’ll let you know."

"Thanks," I said, and meant it. He didn’t owe me or Louisa anything. But he’d gone out of his way anyway, displaying that protective instinct Alphas were known for, even though I wasn’t part of his pack.

His gaze drifted over my shoulder into the living room, and his brows went up.

"You seriously planning to spend the night in that?"

I glanced behind me. Boxes were stacked like a game of adult Jenga, most of my stuff taped up and ready to go, the bed stripped bare, the wardrobe gutted.

Right, I kind of forgot I was moving out tomorrow and had packed all my stuff.

"It’s just one night. I’ll make do," I said with the confidence of someone who fully intended to sleep on a rolled-up hoodie.

"Why don’t you come over to mine?"

I turned back to him slowly, trying to work out if I’d just hallucinated that sentence.

He sounded completely casual, his face giving nothing away, like he was just suggesting I crash on his futon rather than share his bed.

Was this an innocent offer from one wolf to another? Or was he hinting at a sequel to Hotel Night: The Pantsless Saga?

My brain had completely short-circuited and couldn’t piece together the context, let alone process it. Because my mind had firmly landed in the gutter, this sounded like a proposition to me. You know, the classic "just come up for a drink, no expectations" routine.

"Um... thanks, but I don’t think—"

"That Alpha Niall knows where you live, doesn’t he?" Hudson steamrolled over my polite refusal, his Alpha authority unintentionally slipping into his tone. "If he’s blaming you for his mother’s crash, how long do you think it’ll take before he turns up here to settle the score?"

I opened my mouth, but all that came out was a very unhelpful, "Um..."

The man had a point. Niall had an ego the size of a small territory, and nothing bruised it worse than losing, especially to a woman.

And not just any woman. Me. The one who used to trail after him like a lovesick girl.

"And your family’s still tight with the Grangers, right? If they hear about Louisa’s accident, there’s a good chance they’ll either call or show up in person. Do you really want that circus on your doorstep tonight?"

I let out a sigh."Fair point. Thanks. If it’s not a huge inconvenience, I might crash in your living room for the night. I’ll take the couch, promise."

I knew his place had the same layout as mine, and there was no guest room.

He might’ve smiled, though it was hard to tell in the light. "Good. We’ve got a few things we need to talk about anyway."

I followed him into his flat, Akira sniffing curiously at the dominant scent that permeated every corner.

"Drink?" he asked, heading over to the sleek little minibar wedged between the living room and the kitchen.

"Sure." I took the glass he handed me, which contained some fancy Japanese whisky with an unpronounceable name, and took a sip.

It went down smooth, like silk soaked in fire, and I felt the tension in my shoulders start to give up and move out. I finally relaxed slightly, soothed by the alcohol and the unexpected safety of Hudson’s house.

I stifled a yawn. It wasn’t even ten yet, but the day had been a long one because of the hospital drama.

"About the pack gathering the day after tomorrow," he said, his voice casual, but I could tell from the way he leaned on the bar that this wasn’t just small talk.

"Yeah?" I blinked away the sleep threatening to hijack my brain and looked at him.

The Sabreridge pack, the most influential force in the northern territory, is hosting a pack gathering the day after tomorrow. Think of it as the supernatural equivalent of a high society ball, where Alphas from various packs bring their companions.

He was watching me again with that same unreadable expression—not predatory, not flirtatious, just... observant. Like an Alpha assessing a potential threat to his pack or maybe something more personal.

"Considering what went down today, I think it’s time to revise the terms of our arrangement."

Arrangement. Right. The fake engagement that would shield me from my parent’s pressure to find a suitable mate.

I waited for the rest.

"I’m guessing from his charming performance tonight that Niall Granger isn’t quite ready to release you from your former bond."

"Yeah, you could say that." I gave a wry little laugh.

Normally, I wasn’t one to unpack personal baggage with strange wolves, especially not Alphas from other territories.

But Hudson didn’t feel like a wolf you had to submit to or tiptoe around.

Maybe it was because we’d made a deal. Maybe it was the way he talked about everything in a matter-of-fact way, like he was discussing hunting grounds instead of my messy life.

So I told him about Niall’s absurd request to keep pretending we were still bonded just so he could ease his new relationship with Beatrice into his parents’ approval.

"You turned him down," Hudson said—not as a question, but as a statement.

"Yeah. Took me years to wrap my head around the fact that he’s completely besotted with Beatrice.I spent far too long playing the role of emotionally available placeholder. I’m not signing up for that encore performance."

"Niall Granger doesn’t strike me as an Alpha who takes no for an answer."

I gave a shrug. That one he nailed.

"And then there’s your pack," he added. "From what I’ve gathered, your father won’t give up until he’s paired you with someone he approves of for The Crescent pack’s benefit, regardless of how you feel."

"Exactly. Which is why I needed you to come to a pack gathering next week. As my fake mate. In other words, as my fiancé."

"But do you think that’ll be enough?"

I tilted my head. "What are you getting at?"

"Engagements can be broken," he said, setting his glass down. Then he walked over and stopped right in front of me, his dominant scent enveloping me.

Since I was still sitting on the sofa, he basically eclipsed the ceiling light.I had to crane my neck to look up at him.

"Pretending to be engaged isn’t going to magically make your pack or Niall disappear."

"So what, you want me to fake a pregnancy too?" I asked, only half joking.

"No," he said, dead serious. "I’m suggesting we take it a step further."

"You mean actually get engaged?"

"No. I mean we complete the mating ritual. All of it. The mating ceremony, the mark, the bond."