Chapter 18

Lucian’s POV

I often thought about the question Aria asked me in the bar, whether I loved her or not. My answer then had not been satisfactory. But that answer still hadn’t changed.

I genuinely wasn’t sure.

Earlier in the day, while I had been sitting at my desk at the alpha headquarters building, I had been surprised when my parents burst into his office, bypassing both my Beta and my assistant.

“Lucian!” my mother shouted, outraged at the sight of me working behind my desk. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you out there combating these nasty rumors?”

While I’d chosen to ignore what was written in the tabloids, I was still well aware of the gossip. As Alpha King, I was frequently among the pages of the gossip rags. If she wanted me to know what she was talking about, she had to be more specific.

“What rumors?” I asked.

“The entire pack is talking about how you are going to divorce Aria!” Mom said, still speaking loudly.

Leaning forward, I rubbed my forehead. “I know what they are saying.”

“Then do something about it,” Dad said. His voice wasn’t as shrill or as loud, but his own anger still bubbled under the surface. He clearly held the same opinions as Mom.

“Aria has been gone for a month,” I admitted. It didn’t seem that short. When I checked the dates on the calendar that morning, I could have sworn she’d been gone for much longer.

“Do you know where she is?” Dad asked.

“Yes.” She was at Cathy’s, her best friend’s house.

“Then go and get her,” Dad said, as if it would be that easy.

“She left me,” I reminded them. “It hasn’t been easy trying to convince her to come back.”

“She’s a smart girl with a good head on her shoulders,” Mom said, bringing her voice down from its previous glass-shattering levels. “If you talk with her honestly, I’m sure she will return.”

“I tried that,” I said.

And I’d utterly failed in my attempts. But I couldn’t lie to Aria. I genuinely didn’t know if I loved her. If I had just said yes, she would have come home. At least for a time. But eventually, she would have been dissatisfied again.

Until she gave up on this foolish desire of hers to have love between us, she seemed determined to stay as far away from me as she could.

“We like her, Lucian. She’s a perfect match for you,” Mom continued.

“You have to find a way to make this work,” Dad said.

“I’m trying,” I told them.

They glanced at each other.

When Dad looked at me again, her face was sterner. “Is this because of Sheila?”

“What?” I asked, surprised.

“I don’t know if Sheila has cast a spell on you, or what has possessed you to choose her over Aria, but you need to reconsider,” Mom said. “Aria is clearly the most suitable match for you! Why, even before your marriage, when your father and I suggested to her that she should be a homemaker to properly take care of you, she promptly agreed. Sheila would never be so willing…”

I stilled a moment, fully processing her words. Then I spoke. “Are you saying… that you asked Aria to become a housewife?”

“Of course,” Mom said. “It’s tradition for the wives of the Alpha Kings to look after the home and their husbands. Aria seemed eager to please you and do things the right way.”

Was that why Aria had changed after the wedding? Overnight, she seemed to have lost her own ambition and instead became so invested in taking care of me and the house.

I had thought her lazy or lost…

But she was truly just trying to honor my mother’s request? And our pack’s old, tired traditions?

I felt a headache coming on.

“With the family gathering coming soon, you must bring Aria,” Mom continued, either not noticing or not caring about my clear discomfort. “It’s the perfect opportunity for the two of you to make up!”

“I’ve had a lot on my plate lately,” I said. “But I’ll consider it.”

Huffing a harsh breath, Mom crossed her arms. “If you always treated Aria with this indifference, I could see why she would be dissatisfied.”

“Dear…” Dad said to Mom, as if trying to calm her, but Mom only became more fired up.

“I’m telling you, Lucian, if you continue to treat Aria like this, one day you will regret it!”

She’d been so furious then, that even now, as I was back in my personal office in my home, her words still lingered in my mind.

Regret it? Maybe I already regretted it.

Looking down, I still had the comparative analysis between Dr. A and Aria on my desk in front of me. Again, I looked between the two sides. The one labeled Dr. A and the other labeled Aria.

Ben, standing nearby, watched me curiously. “Do you still believe them to be the same person, Alpha?”

“There is a connection,” Max whispered in my mind, though I could tell my wolf was as confused as I was about how it all fit together.

“My intuition tells me that there is definitely a relationship between them,” I said.

“Well,” Ben said, “The information we’ve gathered says that Dr. A has an important case to tend to, that should overlap with the party. If Luna really is Dr. A, then she will not be able to attend the gathering.”

I might not know if I loved Aria, but there was one thing I was sure of —— I cared about Aria more than I had previously thought I did.

Because of that, I was looking forward to tomorrow’s gathering – and potentially seeing her again – more than I wanted to admit.

Though, if my intuition was right, and Dr. A and Aria were truly one person… maybe I wouldn’t see my wife after all...

Aria’s POV

Early evening the night of the party, as I was putting the finishing touches on my Dr. A disguise, Cathy was giving me a sympathetic look.

“Are you sure you are making the right choice?” she asked.

I gave her a questioning look. “You hate Lucian. Why would you suddenly want me to go to his family gathering?”

“I don’t hate him,” she said. “I just dislike how he’s treated you. But, I don’t know. If he’s the one you want, then…”

“He’s not,” I said. “Besides, there’s no use even thinking about it. This case tonight is too important to postpone.”

“The client isn’t dying,” Cathy said. “I’m sure he would postpone.”

“Dr. A is diligent,” I said. “I won’t give anyone any more reason to doubt me. I can’t cancel or postpone, and I won’t – especially not for a party that Lucian probably doesn’t even really want me to attend.”

Even as I said it, I thought of that one additional written word, Please.

“If you are sure…” Cathy said, watching me like a hawk.

Carefully, I schooled my face, making certain to hide all trace of disappointment.

Just then, the phone started to ring. Cathy went into the hallway to grab it.

“Hello? Oh, hi, Piper. Dr. A? Yes, I know how to get a hold of her. What’s up?”

Hearing my alter-ego’s name, I came out into the hallway.

Listening to the phone call, Cathy’s eyes went wide. Looking at me, she said, “Yes, I’ll tell her at once. Thanks, Piper.” Cathy hung up the phone.

“What is it?” I asked, once the handset was on the cradle and the line disconnected.

“Something came up, and your client for tonight had to cancel.”