Chapter 55

Lucian’s POV

Seeing Aria with Matt triggered a rage that burned inside of me. How many hours did I spend waiting at this door to speak to Aria, and now Matt just happened to cross paths with her first?

That frustration, added to the knowledge that these two used to date, had me nearly lose my cool.

I didn’t just walk forward, I stormed there, determined to remove Matt from Aria’s side by any means necessary. She was my wife, not his. They might have dated in the past, but she committed to me, not him.

Matt must have been able to see the challenge in my face or in my tense posture. My hands were open at my side, my fingers curled, claw-like, ready to shift at a moment’s notice.

He turned to face me, mirroring my posture. I growled, low and dangerous, warning him to back off, but he simply mimicked the move, intensifying this moment.

A fight was inevitable. I just hoped that Aria –

Before I could finish that thought, Aria stepped into the way. With her back to Matt, she faced me.

A flash of hot anger struck through me. She would protect him? Why?!

“Lucian, stop,” Aria said. “Calm down, please.”

“Step aside, Aria,” Matt said from behind her. “If he wants a fight, he’ll get a fight.”

“No one is fighting,” Aria insisted.

“Tell that to him,” Matt said.

Clearly annoyed, Aria turned her back to me to face Matt instead.

“Matt, just go,” Aria said.

“Me?”

“Don’t make this worse. Go and let me talk to Lucian.”

A bit of pride flared inside of me. Yes. Go, Matt. No one wants you here. I just barely bit back the words, remembering my position as Alpha King. It would be unseemly for me to lose my temper to one of my own, especially when all he had really done is stand near my wife.

While also being her ex-boyfriend.

I growled again.

Urgency rose in Aria’s voice. Gently she started pushing Matt’s shoulder. “Go. I’ll be fine. Just go before a fight breaks out.”

Matt’s body language remained defiant. It was clear that he didn’t want to go anywhere. However, glancing at Aria, he softened somewhat.

That only made my anger flare more, but he seemed contented. I could imagine why, with Aria giving him her full attention like she was.

“Please, Matt.”

“Fine,” he said, speaking to Aria, not even looking at me. “But only because you asked me to. No other reason.”

“Thank you,” Aria replied.

Aria turned back to me then, watching me like a hawk while Matt made a wide berth around me. I watched him back but did not act, especially when Aria stepped between the two of us. Every instinct was telling me to push her behind me and protect her from this other roving male.

“She’s our mate,” my wolf growled. “He wants to claim what’s ours.”

But I force down my instincts. With things already precarious between us, I wouldn’t chance ruining everything now. For her, my wolf and I had to be calm, or we’d risk pushing her even further away.

Matt continued to walk down the street. Once he was gone from sight, I looked down at Aria while continuing to breathe deeply, making certain Matt’s scent was disappearing down the street, not returning.

“What is your relationship with him?” I asked, my voice still deep and gravelly from the near-shift.

Aria gave me a flat, unimpressed look. “None of your business, Lucian.”

She was holding something. A letter from Matt? I wanted to rip it out of her hands and tear it into tiny little pieces. Again, I restrained myself.

I wondered what I looked like to her. Outside, I forced myself to maintain a cool persona. Could she see through it? Did she know how much turmoil I was experiencing under my skin? Or did she see only the veneer I put up, like everyone else did?

She looked away from me, her face red with frustration and probably anger. Maybe a blush? Or was I just hoping one was there?

But was it for me? Or for Matt?

My anger spiked again, and vicious words poured from my mouth.

“Don’t fall in love in with him, Aria.”

Her glare lifted back up to me. “You have no right to tell me that.”

“I am your husband.”

“We are supposed to be getting divorced!”

“We won’t be,” I snapped, too harsh.

I could see the moment she pulled her emotions back inside of herself, totally shutting me off.

“Aria,” I started, trying to soften my tone. I’d pushed too hard and hurt her – again. Why was I so proficient at causing her pain?

Years of practice maybe. Unintentional, but practice none the less.

Before she’d bottled up her hurt, and I didn’t notice. But now, I was watching and could see it plain, even as she tried to hide it away inside of herself. If I didn’t act quickly, I was only going to make things worse.

“I didn’t mean it harshly,” I said, trying to backtrack somewhat, though I didn’t feel what I said was wrong. Perhaps I simply said it with too much anger or emotion. “I merely intend to convey that I want to keep you as my wife.”

She shook her head. “Save your breath, Lucian.”

With the hurt shining in her eyes, I could tell that she didn’t believe me. I was at a loss for how to convince her I genuinely valued her and meant to keep her as my wife.

With a heavy sigh, she said, “I’m tired. Exhausted, really. This has gone on long enough between us. I don’t want to drag this out anymore. I can’t… I just can’t keep doing this.”

“You don’t mean it.”

“I do,” Aria said. “I have every time I’ve asked before. Please. Just give me a divorce.”

Aria’s POV

Lucian had no idea how truly burned out I was. His actions here tugged at my heartstrings. If only he had been this possessive and protective of me in our past, then maybe the spilt between us would have never divided us this far.

But his actions were coming too late. And they weren’t enough on their own to save our marriage. I didn’t feel like Lucian was ready to accept me yet as a woman he loved. To him, I was still a pleasant housekeeper.

Then, a thought occurred to me. It wasn’t a kind thought, but it might be just what I needed to finally push Lucian over the edge into agreeing to give me a divorce.

I couldn’t let my feelings for Lucian control me, so I couldn’t go back to him no matter how much my heart yearned for it. Nothing would change.

I had to break away. Even if it meant burning the bridge behind me.

“I need you to sign the divorce papers, Lucian. Now more than ever before,” I said, forcing some urgency into my voice.

“Why?” he asked me, looking at me with suspicion narrowing his gaze. “Why is it more important now?”

“Because… once you finally sign the divorce papers, I can move on,” I said. I braced myself for the upcoming lie, and the fallout that was soon to follow it. “So I can start dating again.”