Chapter 5 Are you backing out?

Alpha Gabriel.

With the help of Chris and Kaelia, I was placed in the car. Kaelia tried to move to the front seat, but I stopped her. "Is the wife of the alpha meant to sit beside the driver or her husband?"

I watched her cheeks flush in embarrassment as she shut the door and returned to the backseat. She sat beside me, strapped on her seatbelt, and adjusted to the edge after shutting the door.

She did all of these clumsily. She was nervous; I could feel how intense the anxiety was.

A small smile appeared on my lips. For someone who had been so confident just a few minutes ago, she looked like a cat drenched in cold water.

Chris started the car and wheeled out of the wedding venue. The car was silent, so silent that I could hear the beat of her heart so clearly, as if it had been ripped out of her chest and placed in front of me.

I stared out the window. I was waiting for her to speak. I could tell she wanted to say something, but she didn't know how to start talking.

I wasn't in a hurry either; she would eventually have to explain why she pulled such a stunt.

It wasn't just brave, it was funny. How fearless of her to do something as brazen as that.

No doubt, this wedding would make the news by evening. Tomorrow is too far.

She cleared her throat softly. "I'm sorry, alpha." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but I could hear it clearly.

I turned slightly, hiding the smile that threatened to spread on my lips for the second time. "Did you say something?" I asked.

"I--"

"I can't quite catch what you're saying."

"I said I'm sorry." She repeated, her voice was louder this time. I didn't respond; I let her talk. "For what happened back there. I didn't mean to reject your son... No, I meant it, but what I'm trying to say is, I didn't mean to drop the news like that on your thighs. I should've talked to you about it, but it was urgent. Like a last-minute change of mind... Or something like that."

I didn't interrupt her as she kept talking; she was an interesting woman. All these while she's been treating me, she's been very placid. Like the calm sea. She barely speaks.

I never knew she had such a mind-blowing trick up her sleeve. It takes a lot of effort for someone to fascinate me like this. Her last-minute rejection shocked me, but what almost threw me off guard was when she claimed to be my Luna.

She even promised to give me an heir... An unpredictable woman.

"... I had to do that because I really don't want to get married to your son anymore. I really thought he loved me, the way he had acted when he called me his mate... It was all a lie. I recently found out he loved my sister instead. And it wasn't an unrequited love; she did too. And... And right under my nose, he's been having a secret affair with her. They have their good time together, and he comes back home and feeds me lies about loving and being lucky to have me as his mate." She finally took in a deep breath and exhaled heavily, turning to me slightly. "You can still let me go if you can't face the media, and once again, I'm deeply sorry for what I did. I wasn't supposed to use you as bait to get away from Steven. It's an insult to you, your personality, and your reputation as the alpha. I think I can manage the media."

I tilted my head, staring deeply at this woman in front of me. She was playing with her fingers nervously, and even her bottom lip was in the tight and merciless grip of her upper teeth.

She wasn't just nervous, she was scared. Of course, she's meant to be scared. I could order her death with the snap of my fingers.

However, something more disturbing loomed over my thoughts. The way she acted wasn't something that could be ignored and considered a coincidental and impulsive action.

It didn't look like something she decided to do while standing on that altar. Even before she stood there, she was glaring at my son like he was the devil himself. Someone she loathes. She had thought about it shortly, yes, but it was something that had been thoroughly planned out.

In that second, I asked myself. What if she's reborn? Just like me?

She was nervously waiting for my response, so I decided to ask instead. "Are you backing out already? What happened to giving me an heir? Don't you want to do that anymore?"

She froze in her seat and stared at me in shock. "I--" Her cheeks reddened. "I'm sorry, but I said that out of desperation." She muttered.

I loved how she gave me sincere responses. "Do you plan on backing out now that Steven's out of the way, like you wanted? You don't plan on making you the center of attention and leaving me there, do you? I need you to admit that you used me."

"No, no." She saved her hands vigorously. "I didn't. I really like you, Alpha."

I almost scoffed at the sound of this. It was obviously a lie.

"I've always admired you, your strength, your resilience. And time does not affect you, you're still very much handsome, even with your aloof and ice cold exterior, you're a warm alpha who cares a lot about his people. It's not often we see someone like you. And the pack is really lucky to have you as the alpha..."

"That's alright, we're here so we must go in." I cut in once the car stopped.

She stopped talking and turned, staring out the window. She looked back at me with wide eyes.

"In case you don't know where we were, it's the bureau," I said. "And we're here to get our marriage certificate.”