Chapter 26 A Different Plan

Eira answered before Beatrice could.

"I was the only one of Dr. Thorne’s students who stopped after a master’s. Everyone else went on to finish a PhD."

Beatrice shook her head.

If Alaric had heard that, he would have launched into a twenty-minute lecture about degrees being credentials, not proof of intelligence.

Alpha Killian did not look convinced.

"That still doesn’t explain the administrative job," he said.

"It explains enough for tonight," Beatrice replied.

Her tone stayed pleasant, but the conversation was over.

Alpha Killian understood the boundary and did not push. He watched Eira get into the town car, taking the unanswered question with her.

--

As the car pulled away from Sterling Tower, Beatrice glanced at Alpha Killian and Lila through the rear window.

"How did you end up with the Sterlings?"

"Lila and I became friends."

"She’s easy to like. Professor Chase complains that she talks through his lectures and treats deadlines like suggestions, but he thinks highly of her."

Beatrice glanced at Eira. "And her brother?"

"Killian is my boss."

"That’s not what I asked."

"It’s the answer you’re getting."

Beatrice’s mouth twitched. "Fair enough. Killian keeps his cards close. Make sure you keep yours closer."

"There’s nothing between us."

"I didn’t say there was."

Eira looked out the window. "I was Dr. Thorne’s weakest student anyway."

Beatrice’s expression softened. "You were the only one he trusted to work alone."

Eira said nothing.

"You’ve lost weight. Have you been eating?"

"Enough."

"That means no."

Beatrice reached over and took her hand.

"I don’t love Sebastian anymore," Eira said.

"I know." Beatrice squeezed her fingers. "But the Pack Court still gives him time to challenge the separation. Has Susan confirmed the filing?"

"Yes. If he doesn’t object before the deadline, it becomes final."

"And if he finds out?"

"He’ll fight it. He doesn’t want the marriage. He wants what I do for his family."

The household. The Pack work. The endless favors.

Serena got the love story. Eira got the labor.

"I’m not letting him keep both," Eira said. "I’m going back to the Hale estate tomorrow."

"Alone?"

"Not to ask permission."

Eira looked at Beatrice.

"Roger and Margaret care about the Hale name, the family trust, and their standing. Once they realize keeping me in this marriage is riskier than letting it end, they’ll pressure Sebastian themselves."

Beatrice gave her hand another squeeze.

"Good. Then make them choose what they care about more."

--

When Eira arrived at the Hale estate the next morning, she heard Isabella before she reached the front door.

"This was supposed to be my birthday weekend!"

Eira stepped inside.

Isabella stood in the living room with an ice pack pressed to her swollen cheek. Torn wrapping paper, flower samples, and a canceled catering order covered the coffee table.

The birthday party had been called off.

Apparently, that was a tragedy on the level of a natural disaster.

Isabella saw Eira and pointed at her.

"You."

Luna Margaret rose from the sofa. "You have some nerve walking back into this house."

Alpha Roger stood near the fireplace, his expression cold.

"You struck a member of this Pack in public."

"She shoved Lila first," Eira said.

"Lila Sterling," Isabella snapped. "You could’ve told me who she was."

Eira looked at her.

"You shouldn’t need someone’s family name before deciding not to treat them like trash."

Isabella’s face reddened around the swelling.

"This is your fault. My birthday is ruined."

"No," Eira said. "Your behavior ruined it."

Isabella opened her mouth to scream again. "Enough. Go upstairs."

"But Dad..."

"Now."

Isabella stormed away, muttering about lawsuits, ruined photos, and how no one in the family ever took her side.

Luna Margaret waited until the bedroom door slammed upstairs. "What do you want?"

"A private conversation."

Alpha Roger studied her for a moment, then nodded toward the study.

The study door clicked shut behind them.

Alpha Roger closed the door and turned back to her. "What do you want?"

"A legal separation from Sebastian."

Luna Margaret stared at her, then gave a short laugh. "You’re serious."

"Completely."

Alpha Roger studied Eira across the desk. "Is there someone else?"

Luna Margaret’s brief amusement vanished.

"That Sterling Wolf," she said. "Is this about him?"

"No."

"Good," Alpha Roger said coldly. "Killian Sterling has his pick of every unmated she-wolf on the West Coast. He wouldn’t risk his name over you."

The insult barely registered.

"I’m leaving the Luna position open for Serena," Eira said. "Isn’t that what this family has wanted from the beginning?"

Alpha Roger and Luna Margaret exchanged a look.

Serena had the bloodline, the wolf, and the Winthrop connections they valued. Eira had none of those things.

Still, letting Eira leave was different from pushing her aside.

She knew the Hale accounts, Pack vendors, family schedules, and internal records. Worse, she now worked inside Sterling Group.

Luna Margaret’s eyes narrowed.

"You expect us to let you walk into Sterling territory carrying four years of Hale Pack business?"

"I’m not carrying anything. "Eira placed a folder on Alpha Roger’s desk.

"The first section is a confidentiality agreement. It covers Pack finances, vendors, internal schedules, private correspondence, and every family matter I handled while I was Luna."

Alpha Roger finally opened the folder.

Behind the confidentiality terms sat a complete list of Pack credentials, account access, keys, and records Eira would return when the separation became final.

"You came prepared," he said.

"I knew what you’d care about."

Luna Margaret’s mouth tightened. "And what exactly are you taking?"

"The apartment Sebastian already transferred to me. Nothing from Hale Group. No shares. No bonuses. No claim against future income or the Hale family trust."

Luna Margaret leaned over Alpha Roger’s shoulder and scanned the pages.

"That’s all?"

"I’m not here for his money."

"Then why are you here?" Alpha Roger asked.

"Because Sebastian has already signed the separation agreement."

Luna Margaret’s face brightened.

Then Eira added, "He doesn’t know he signed it."

The room went still.

Alpha Roger looked up. "You hid the separation terms in the property agreement?"

"I gave him a complete contract. The terms were clear. He signed every page without reading them."

She tapped the final pages.

"The filing is already with Pack Court. The thirty-day objection period is running. I need the Hale registrar to process it normally. No private warning to Sebastian. No family challenge."

"You want us to keep this from our son?" Luna Margaret asked.

"I want you to protect the Hale Pack."

Eira opened the confidentiality section.

"I’m waiving every financial claim beyond the apartment. I’ll keep your Pack business private. A quiet separation costs you nothing."

She tapped the filing papers.

"If Sebastian challenges it, the court record will include his hidden marriage, Serena living in the marital home, and Isabella’s attack on Sterling Pack’s people. That will become a Hale Pack problem, not just a family problem."

Alpha Roger’s expression hardened. "You’re threatening us."

"I’m offering you the cleanest way out."

No one spoke for several seconds.

Finally, Alpha Roger closed the folder. "We still don’t approve of the way you handled this."

"You don’t need to approve. You only need to stay out of the filing."

For several seconds, no one moved.

Then Alpha Roger gave one short nod.

"Fine."

"One more thing," Eira said. "Isabella cannot know."

Luna Margaret glanced toward the closed door. Isabella was already shouting at someone in the hallway about her canceled birthday plans.

"Especially Isabella."