Chapter 41 The Line He Crossed

Luna Seraphina glanced back at her son and sighed.

At twenty-eight, Alpha Killian could stare down an entire boardroom without blinking. Put him in front of a woman he actually liked, and suddenly he had the timing of a teenager.

"Must you make one word sound like a Pack emergency?" she asked.

Alpha Killian gave her a flat look. "I said Mom."

"And somehow made it sound like a threat."

Luna Seraphina turned back to Eira.

"Come by the house with Lila sometime. I promise good food and only a reasonable amount of family chaos."

The invitation caught Eira off guard. She had not expected such easy warmth from Lila’s mother, much less the Luna of the Reed Pack.

"I’d like that. Thank you, Seraphina."

"Good." Luna Seraphina patted her hand. "Lila, help me find your father."

"But I just—"

Lila looked at Alpha Killian, then at Eira. She caught on almost at once.

"Oh. Right. Dad. Very urgent."

She flashed Eira a grin.

"Killian, take care of my friend."

"Lila."

She was already walking away with their mother.

Eira watched them disappear into the crowd. The cold, untouchable CEO of Sterling Group was apparently the least powerful person in his own family.

"Alpha Killian."

"Mm."

Alpha Killian turned to her and forgot what he had meant to say.

The soft makeup brought out the clear blue of her eyes. Pearls rested at the base of her throat, drawing his attention to the bare line of her neck.

His gaze lingered.

Eira glanced down at her gown. "Is there a problem?"

He cleared his throat. "Who did you come with tonight?"

"Sebastian Hale."

A quiet laugh escaped him. "Didn’t you say you were leaving him?"

Eira’s shoulders stiffened. "I said I was handling it."

"That wasn’t my question."

"And my marriage isn’t your business." She turned toward the buffet. "I’m going to get something to eat."

"Eira." Alpha Killian lightly caught her forearm.

She looked down at his hand, then back at him. "I’m not your assistant tonight."

He released her at once.

"No," he said. "So what is this—one last night of playing Mrs. Hale?"

His gaze shifted toward Serena.

"But Hale came here expecting to spend the night with another woman"

Before Eira could answer, a smooth voice cut between them.

"Why is Alpha Sterling so interested in someone else’s marriage?"

Alpha Sebastian stepped up beside Eira.

Without asking, he slid an arm around her waist.

Eira went rigid.

Then she caught his wrist and pulled his hand away.

"Don’t touch me."

Alpha Sebastian’s expression tightened, but he kept his smile in place for the guests passing nearby.

Alpha Killian’s gaze dropped to Alpha Sebastian’s hand, then rose slowly to his face.

"Alpha Hale."

"Alpha Sterling."

The names sounded less like greetings and more like warnings.

Alpha Sebastian turned to Eira. "We need to talk."

"No. You need to explain why you told me to go home while you waited here for Serena."

A couple passing nearby slowed.

Alpha Sebastian lowered his voice. "Not here."

"Then you shouldn’t have started this here." Eira turned away.

Alpha Sebastian caught her wrist.

"Let go."

His grip tightened.

"If you’ll excuse us," he said to Alpha Killian.

"We’re not going anywhere," Eira snapped.

Alpha Sebastian ignored her and pulled her toward the edge of the ballroom.

She dug in her heels, but the thin straps slid against the marble.

"Sebastian, stop."

He kept moving, his polished smile never slipping. To anyone watching from a distance, he looked like a husband guiding his wife through the crowd.

Up close, his fingers were digging into her wrist.

Eira twisted hard, trying to break his grip.

"Take your hand off me."

One heel slipped free. She stumbled, and Alpha Sebastian barely slowed.

Her second shoe caught against the floor. Eira kicked it off rather than risk breaking an ankle and planted her bare feet on the marble.

Alpha Killian was already moving.

He picked up the first heel as he passed, then caught the second by its ankle strap without breaking stride. A thin smear of blood marked the leather where it had rubbed Eira’s skin raw.

His expression turned glacial.

Then he followed.

--

Alpha Sebastian dragged Eira into a quiet hallway off the ballroom. The music faded as the doors closed behind them.

The moment they were alone, Eira tore her wrist free.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Alpha Sebastian turned on her.

For the first time that night, he truly looked at his wife.

The lace gown followed the clean lines of her body. Her makeup was soft, and her dark hair was pinned in an elegant style. Even barefoot, she looked calm and confident.

She no longer looked like the wife who had spent four years waiting for him at home.

She looked like a woman who had already moved on.

The thought hit harder than he expected.

"Why are you dressed like this?"

Eira stared at him. "It’s a black-tie gala. What did you expect, sweatpants?"

"Don’t play dumb."

"I’m not the one asking why someone wore an evening gown to a formal event."

His jaw tightened.

"You came with Killian Sterling."

"No, I didn’t."

"Then why have you been with his sister all night?"

"Lila is my friend. I don’t need your permission to have one."

Alpha Sebastian barely heard her. All he could see was the dress, the makeup, and the way Alpha Killian had stared at her.

Jealousy burned through him.

He reached up and pulled the jeweled pins from her hair.

One caught in the strands and tugged hard at her scalp. Eira flinched as her hair fell over her shoulders.

"What are you doing?"

"You don’t look like yourself."

"I look exactly like myself. You just never bothered to notice."

His face hardened.

He dragged his thumb across her mouth, smearing her lipstick.

"Who are you trying to impress?"

Eira slapped his hand away.

"Don’t touch my face."

Alpha Sebastian grabbed her upper arm.

"You dressed up for Sterling, didn’t you? Is this your way of getting into his bed?"

Eira shoved him with both hands.

He stumbled back half a step, more shocked than hurt.

"Not everyone is like you," she snapped. "Stop putting your guilt on me because you hate what you see in the mirror."

Alpha Sebastian froze. "What do you know?"

"Enough."

She turned away, but he caught her again.

"Tell me."

"Let go."

Eira twisted free. Her bare foot slipped on the polished floor, but a hand caught her before she fell.

Alpha Killian steadied her, then stepped between them. Her heels hung from one hand, a thin streak of blood staining one strap.

His silver eyes fixed on Alpha Sebastian.

"Back off, Hale."

"This is between me and my wife."

"She told you to stop. That makes it everyone’s business."

Alpha Sebastian stepped forward. "Stay out of my marriage."

Alpha Killian did not move.

"Touch her again, and security walks you out. After that, she can press charges."