Chapter 49 The Thorne Estate Door

Martin’s expression remained calm.

"Mrs. Thorne and Ms. Crawford have both turned in for the night. Mrs. Thorne has trouble sleeping, so I’m afraid I can’t wake the house at this hour."

The lie came easily. Martin had spent too many years managing the Thorne household to let an angry Alpha read anything on his face.

Alpha Sebastian studied him but found nothing.

"So Eira is here."

Martin offered a polite smile. "As I said, it’s late."

Alpha Sebastian’s unease deepened. Eira’s flat voice outside the hotel still echoed in his head.

It’s fine.

She had not sounded angry. She had sounded done.

"Do you have a guest room?" he asked. "I’ll wait until morning."

"I’m afraid that won’t be possible."

"I’m her husband."

Martin’s smile did not move.

"Since Dr. Alaric Thorne passed away, the family no longer hosts overnight guests."

The message was clear. Husband or not, Alpha Sebastian was not welcome.

His jaw tightened.

"Tell Eira I came by."

"I’ll let her know."

"And tell her to come home."

Martin’s expression cooled slightly.

"I’ll tell her you stopped by. What she does after that is up to her."

Before Alpha Sebastian could argue, Martin wished him good night and closed the door.

Alpha Sebastian stood on the porch for several seconds before returning to the car.

By the time he reached home, it was after midnight.

He went upstairs to change and stopped in front of the open closet.

Most of Eira’s clothes were gone.

Her side had never been crowded. She rarely bought anything for herself, though she had never hesitated to order new suits, shirts, or ties for him. Now only a few outfits remained.

Alpha Sebastian stared at the empty hangers.

When had she moved everything?

He tried to remember the last time he had seen her packing and came up blank.

The thought bothered him more than it should have.

In the shower, the shampoo bottle ran dry in his hand. The body wash was almost empty too, and there were no replacements in the cabinet.

He stood beneath the water, irritated at first.

Then the truth hit him.

Before their marriage, household staff had managed things like supplies and laundry. After Eira moved in, she had quietly taken over. The cabinets stayed full. His clothes appeared clean and pressed. Meals were ready when he came home.

He had never asked how any of it happened.

He had simply expected it.

Eira had been gone for less than a week, and the house was already beginning to show it.

Alpha Sebastian shut off the water, grabbed a towel, and checked his phone.

No missed calls. No messages.

He opened their conversation and typed: Come home. We need to talk.

He stared at the words, then added: I’m waiting for you.

---

Eira woke with a pounding headache and reached for her phone.

Alpha Sebastian’s message filled the screen.

[Come home. We need to talk. I’m waiting for you.]

She stared at it.

Early in their marriage, those words would have sent her running back. She had wanted a family so badly that she spent four years taking care of Alpha Sebastian and the Hales, hoping they would finally treat her like one of their own.

They never did.

Now come home was just another order from a man who had never loved her.

Eira dismissed the message without replying.

Another one waited beneath it.

Martin: Please check in when you can. Mrs. Thorne is worried. Alpha Hale stopped by late last night looking for you.

Eira frowned.

Alpha Sebastian had taken Serena to the gala, denied Eira was his wife, and then shown up at the Thorne house after midnight?

The man had more nerve than common sense.

She let Martin know she was safe, then looked around.

She was in Lila’s bed. Her shoes sat neatly beside it, and a blanket covered her legs.

Her memory returned in ugly little pieces.

The wine. Lila passing out. The phone call.

Alpha Killian’s voice.

Then came the tears, the spicy chicken, and the Band-Aid she had asked him to put on her broken heart.

Eira closed her eyes.

She had called him Mom.

Mrs. Thorne was always in bed early. There was no way she had shown up at a wine bar after midnight.

Which meant Eira had cried all over her boss and called him Mom to his face.

"Great," she muttered. "I can never go back to work."

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, only to step on someone’s fingers.

"Ow!"

Lila shot upright from the floor, her hair sticking out in every direction.

"What the hell?"

Eira jerked her foot back. "Lila? Why are you sleeping on the floor?"

Lila squinted at her. "Why are you stepping on people before coffee?"

The two women stared at each other.

"Wait." Lila rubbed her face. "Why am I on the floor?”

Eira blinked. "Maybe I kicked you off the bed."

"You don’t sound sorry."

"I don’t remember doing it."

A knock sounded against the bedroom door.

"It’s eleven twenty-three," Alpha Killian called through the door. "Get up. Lunch is ready."

Lila’s eyes widened. "Why is my brother in my apartment?"

"He picked us up from the bar."

Lila went pale. "Crap. He knows I own the place."

"He already knew."

"Of course he did."

She dragged herself to her feet.

Eira pushed aside the blanket and froze.

A small Band-Aid was stuck to the front of her gown, right over her heart.

So that part had been real too.

Lila noticed it and grinned.

"Did my brother put that there?"

"I was drunk."

"That wasn’t my question."

Eira peeled it from her dress and set it on the nightstand.

"We’re never discussing this."

"Sure. We’ll discuss it after coffee."

Lila opened the door. The smell of coffee and food drifted in from the living room.

Alpha Killian sat on the couch with a tablet.

"I need something for Eira to wear," Lila said.

Alpha Killian handed her a shopping bag from beside him.

"Already taken care of."

Inside was a white sweater dress and an olive cashmere coat, both new.

Lila glanced at the labels, then looked at her brother with a knowing smile.

Then she removed the tags and carried the clothes back to the bedroom.

Eira assumed they belonged to her and took them into the bathroom to change.

The white dress fell to mid-calf, and the olive coat fit perfectly through the shoulders and sleeves.

Too perfectly.

Lila was shorter than Eira. These clothes had clearly not come from her closet.

When Eira stepped into the living room, both siblings looked up.

The soft white dress made her look elegant without seeming formal, while the green coat brought out the warmth of her eyes.

Lila’s face lit up. "My brother has excellent taste."

In clothes, at least. She kept the rest of the thought to herself.

So Alpha Killian had chosen the outfit.

Eira walked over to him.

"Thank you, Alpha Killian. What do I owe you?"

Lila recognized the brands. The outfit was expensive, but nowhere near outrageous by Sterling standards.

She opened her mouth to answer.

"Call it a hundred grand," Alpha Killian said.

Lila’s jaw dropped.

Eira stared at him. "For a dress and a coat?"

"You’re the one who insisted on paying me back." Alpha Killian leaned into the couch, looking far too pleased with himself. "Still interested, Ms. Crawford?"