Chapter 9
The news of Dr. A’s return, by now, had seemed to spread throughout the entirety of the pack.
Headlines about me covered the newspapers and tabloids. Even the nightly news dedicated a brief segment to my return.
And the [Experts Agree, Aria Reed Not Proper Decorum For A Luna!!!] —was completely buried beneath it. No one cared about it anymore.
My office at the hospital had become the hottest spot in town, with the most influential and wealthy individuals all congregating here, trying to meet me.
Even the highest tier upper-class nobles, the ones who were so reserved they very rarely left their mansions and clubs, took the time to come and see me, their curiosity winning out over their propriety.
Before my disappearance, I’d been well-regarded with many patients and even a waiting list, but since my return, my popularity had absolutely skyrocketed. I couldn’t walk down to the bathroom without being stopped six or seven times to shake hands or be asked about some kind of medical ailment.
Cathy, acting as my assistant, talked on the phone so much that she was starting to lose her voice. She’d stopped personally taking down the information of everyone who walked into the office.
Instead there was a sign with directions to fill out a form to fill out and then leave it behind, so no one had to wait around.
As it was, my appointment schedule was already set for six months out. Even if the commission for Sheila fell through, I could still earn enough in that time to earn back the money I paid the lawyer and have enough left over to leave the pack for good.
“Maybe we should hire you a full-time handsome assistant,” Cathy joked during one of breaks.
She laughed, but I could see how tired she already was. Maybe we really did need to hire more help.
Especially since I didn’t know how long this divorce was going to go on for.
Lucian still refused to sign the papers. The lawyer had called me at Cathy’s house last night to discuss the case.
Lucian’s message this time had been, “Once you are done playing outside, there are chores waiting for you at home.”
He continued to patronize me, still treating me like a child rather than his wife.
After hearing that, I had scolded myself twenty times over for believing, even for a moment, that Lucian might care about me.
He just wanted his best servant back to order around.
I would never be so foolish again.
Cathy noticed my sudden dip in mood. “Are you alright?”
“I want to get back to work.”
Cathy checked her watch. She still had another five minutes in her break.
“You relax,” I told her. “I just can’t stay idle right now. I need to do something.”
For the rest of the day, I kept myself hard at work. With as popular as I was, it wasn’t difficult to stay busy.
Once Cathy and I walked back into Cathy’s house, we were both exhaled deeply, our bodies slumping.
“We can change back now,” I whispered to Luna, who complied immediately, shifting my hair from black to its usual honey brown.
Taking off my domino mask, I started to feel like Aria again.
“We’ve earned a drink tonight,” Cathy said and headed into the kitchen.
“I can’t agree more,” I said, following her.
Just as we entered the kitchen, the phone on the wall started to ring.
“Do you mind grabbing that?” Cathy asked. “I’ve only got wine on my mind right now.”
“Sure,” I said and picked up the phone. “Cathy’s residence.”
“You should come back, Aria,” Lucian said, his voice deep and alluring through the phone.
I closed my eyes, pushing away the memories of how his voice made me feel. He was a liar now, someone who had chosen his ex over his wife. He wasn’t worth my affection.
“I got your message,” I told him, keeping my own voice cold and detached.
“I’m assuming my lawyer sent you my reply.”
Lucian scoffed. “We both know you will return sooner or later. Why play these games?”
“If that’s all you have to say, I’m hanging up.”
“Wait,” he said suddenly. “There is something else.”
My heart jumped up into my throat again, the treacherous thing. Even though I’d been heartbroken so many times before, I just couldn’t seem to let him go.
“Aria,” he said, claiming every bit of my attention.
“Do you remember where I put my gray tie with the blue diamonds? The one I just bought. I need to attend an official meeting tonight, and neither the maid nor Sheila can find it.”
I answered before I could think about it. “It’s in the fourth drawer on the left in your walk-in closet.”
As soon as I said it, I wished I could have the words back. Silly heart, thinking he might want me back!
What was I to him? Nothing but a servant who knew where things were located in his room.
Not wanting to be a part of this circus anymore, I hung up the phone. He likely only heard a click from his end, but I hung it up so fiercely that it shook the ringer inside the phone, making the whole thing chime with the force of my slam.
It had been so loud that Cathy turned her head.
“I take it that was Lucian?”
When I approached her side, she’d popped the cork out of the wine bottle. I helped by grabbing two glasses down from the cabinet above.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I told her.
She nodded grimly. “Men are all fools. And women who get caught up on those fools are even worse.”
“Agreed,” I said, hating myself a little.
Cathy laughed then. “Sometimes, though, life could use a little foolishness.”
She poured us each a glass, then, returned to the cork to the bottle and set it to the side.
“What are you getting at?” I asked.
She looked at me, mischief in her eyes. “Lucian was a dud, but he’s not the only fish in the pond. Why not try other guys?”
Those words sparked a night on the town. Cathy lent me a sexy dress and we ordered a cab to a bar.
The bar was already getting lively, even though it was only early evening by the time we arrived. A live musician was just setting up in the corner, with a concert about to start.
I’d heard of this place, though I’d never been. It was a hole-in-the-wall type of establishment that had developed a good reputation among the common people. No nobles were going to walk in through those doors.
Because of that, most of the people in here didn’t recognize me as Luna.
In fact, I wasn’t sure if anyone did, other than Cathy. When the men looked at me, it seemed to be with interest and desire, not with distain and pity. This was something I hadn’t experienced since marrying Lucian.
There was a group of rowdy she-wolves packed at the corner of the bar. They were screaming and hollering, like they were trying to get someone’s attention.
A man pushed through them. I recognized him.
Jasper Voss, a distant relative of Lucian.
An Alpha, he was a picture of careless handsomeness, looking like he walked out of a magazine but didn’t put too much effort into it.
He seemed exasperated by the attention of the she-wolves and looked across the bar as if searching for an escape. Then he spotted me.
I knew by the spark in his eyes that he recognized me at once.
A saunter returning to his step, he made his way over to me. “Fancy seeing you here,” he said with almost a purr in his voice. “Did our King finally let you out of the house?”
I tried to harden myself. Jasper’s reputation as a playboy preceded him. But I was also a little charmed. He had a way of making anyone feel comfortable, with that charming lilt in his voice and his easy smile of his.
He reached for my hand, then, leaning, brought his lips to the back of my palm.
“Come sit at the bar with me,” Jasper said.
Under his spell, I found myself agreeing.
“Aria,” snapped a cold male voice from the entrance of the bar.
Turning, I saw Lucian, his face steely, wearing an expensive black suit with his gray tie. A group of subordinates were around him, holding back the crowd to keep them from bumping into him.
He was so handsome — the group of she-wolves who had been screaming for Jasper earlier were now all staring at him in awe.
"It's King Lucian!"
"Why is he here?"
"God, this is the first time I’ve seen him up close..."
Some she-wolves tried to attract Lucian's attention from a distance, but Lucian's eyes were fixed on me—or more precisely, on the hand I was holding with Jasper.、
“Aira,”
Lucian’s voice made the temperature in the room drop at least 20 degrees.
...“What are you doing?!”
