Chapter 7 Hidden in Plain Sight

The liquid ran down Serena’s hair. It made her clothes wet. It went down her neck and into her dress.

Serena screamed. She jumped up. She looked like a wet, angry cat.

Alpha Sebastian stood still. He looked shocked.

"That cup, I actually threw," Eira said. "So when you say I did it, at least you’ll be right."

Alpha Sebastian suddenly moved. His face darkened completely. "Are you crazy?!"

"I’m not crazy," Eira said. She put the empty cup back on the table. "I just don’t like being blamed for things I didn’t do. If you want to yell at me, yell about what I really did. Don’t punish me for things I never touched."

"You—" He started to say more.

"You will take care of Serena until she gets better."

Eira stopped and turned to look at him.

"You hurt her, so you’re responsible." He said it.

His jaw was tight. "And you should feel good about it. Serena’s talent is irreplaceable for her work. Taking care of her yourself is a chance most people would beg for."

"You want me to stop working and be her full-time nurse?" Eira paused. Like the idea just came to her. "If you really think I should be ready to help her all the time, I can leave Sterling Group for good. I won’t go back."

That made him stop. The anger on his face went away. Something else took its place. He looked careful. "You’re serious."

"Completely serious." Eira took her coat off the hook. "I’ll quit all my jobs. I’ll stay home and be your Luna. But only if you transfer this house into my name."

He was quiet for a few seconds. His eyes narrowed, as if searching for the trap.

But what trap could there be? A wolfless Omega with no family and no backing, asking for the one apartment she lived in. It was exactly what an orphan would want. Security. A roof that couldn’t be taken away.

If anything, it proved she was finally thinking like a proper Luna. Staying home. Needing him.

"Deal."

Alpha Sebastian didn’t waste time.

At four o’clock that afternoon, they met in his office.

Eira pushed the folder across the desk.

The paper for the house transfer sat on top. Clean. Easy to read. Impossible to miss.

Right behind it, in the same font and format, was the document ending their mate bond.

It was just there. Waiting for someone to read it.

Sebastian reached for his pen, then paused. For the first time, some instinct made him pick up the folder itself instead of just the signature line. He started flipping through the pages, actually reading them.

Eira’s pulse spiked. She kept her face still, but her fingers curled slightly at her side.

Sebastian glanced up and caught it. The flicker in her eyes, gone almost as fast as it appeared. It was enough to make him slow down even more. He turned back to the first page, this time scanning every line instead of skimming.

His finger stopped near the middle of the stack, right where the mate dissolution clause began.

His phone rang.

Serena.

He looked at the screen, then back at the folder, caught in the middle.

"I gotta take this." He grabbed his jacket.

Eira’s stomach dropped. If he walked out with the folder still open, he’d come back and actually find it.

She grabbed his sleeve.

"You’re already here. Just sign and go. I’ll handle the rest."

Her tone stayed flat, bored, like she couldn’t care less.

Sebastian glanced at her hand, then at his buzzing phone.

He sat back down.

He signed the house transfer, then flipped straight to the signature lines on the divorce papers without reading another word, phone still buzzing in his other hand.

Page after page, no hesitation, straight to the last line.

"That’s it?"

"That’s it." Eira snapped the folder shut before he could change his mind.

Sebastian was already answering the call on his way out, his voice softening the second he heard Serena.

No goodbye. Eira didn’t look back either.

Thirty days. That’s what the paper said.

In thirty days, Alpha Sebastian Hale and Eira Crawford would be strangers.

No ties left at all.

--

Eira had just stepped out of Hale Tower when Alpha Sebastian’s private car pulled up.

Four years of marriage, and this was the first time he’d actually sent a car for her. Usually, he’d just say, "Figure it out yourself."

Thirty minutes later, the Bentley parked outside Sterling Tower.

"We’re here, Luna Eira." The Hale family driver opened the door for her.

"Thanks. You can go back now." She put her resignation letter under her arm.

"Alpha Sebastian will want to know what happened."

"He’ll find out soon enough."

She walked to the door. She used her face to open it.

She had never really worked here. This job was just a secret place for her. A place to hide when she needed to.

Now, to end it, she only needed to go to one person: Vanessa Cole in HR.

Before Eira even got to the front desk, Vanessa saw her. Vanessa had a cup of coffee. Her face looked surprised. "Eira! I didn’t think I’d see you here."

"Do you have a minute?"

"Of course. Come on in." Vanessa waved to her office. She was very friendly. That’s how she was with people connected to important bosses.

Halfway there, Eira felt a strange feeling on her neck. Someone was watching her.

She turned. She only saw a shoulder. A dark jacket. It turned a corner to the boss’s elevator.

It looked familiar. But she couldn’t remember why.

"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked.

"Someone was watching us just now."

Vanessa looked where Eira pointed. She saw nothing. She laughed a little. "You’re probably just imagining things."

"That elevator." Eira pointed to it.

Vanessa’s smile froze. "Which elevator?"

"That one."

"You must have seen wrong." Vanessa swallowed. "That’s our boss’s private elevator. He never even looks at HR. He wouldn’t be standing around here."

Vanessa’s office door said "Vice President of Human Resources." She got a promotion since Eira was last here.

"Congrats on the new job."

"Thanks." Vanessa still looked worried about the elevator comment.

Eira didn’t waste time. "I’m here to quit."

"Oh. Okay. How fast do you need it done?"

"The usual time is fine."

"The usual time is thirty days. But for your job, we can probably finish it in two or three days." Vanessa was already looking at forms on her computer.

Neither of them thought this would soon become a very big deal to someone important.

Five minutes after Eira left, someone knocked on Vanessa’s door.

"Come in." She stood up even before she finished speaking. "Miles."

"Alpha Killian wants to see you."

[Oh no. Here comes my big test.] Vanessa thought to herself. [This was bad timing.]

The Sterling Group had been cleaning house for months, ever since that scandal where someone important embezzled over eight million. That’s how Vanessa got her promotion to VP of HR just six weeks ago.

She tried to think. Who could be causing trouble? She quickly scanned the new hires.

Only one name made her nervous: Eira Crawford.

But Eira had come through the Sterling family. Approved from the top. A favor for a favor. Low-level position, a salary that only existed on paper.

What could possibly be wrong with that?

...Right?

"Give me a second," she said to Eira’s empty chair. Her voice was steady.

But as soon as she went outside, her calm look broke. "Miles, is something wrong?"

He fixed his glasses. He smiled. It was a smile that didn’t help her at all. "You’ll see when you get there."