THE ALPHA'S DIVORCED BRIDE, HIS REGRET

Chapter 2

The hotel bar was exactly what Sophia needed—dimly lit, upscale enough that she wouldn't run into pack members, and far enough from pack territory that she could pretend to be just another human drowning her sorrows.

She'd been nursing her third martini for an hour, still wearing the red dress from her disastrous anniversary. The divorce papers were signed and filed. Alexander had agreed immediately, probably relieved to be free of her. Her belongings were already moved to a hotel suite. Three years of marriage dissolved in three hours.

"Rough night?"

The voice was deep, unfamiliar, with a slight roughness that made her skin tingle. Sophia looked up to find a man settling onto the barstool beside her. The first thing she noticed were his eyes—striking green, intense but kind. He was tall, broader than Alexander, with dark brown hair that looked like he'd run his fingers through it one too many times. A small scar cut through his left eyebrow, giving him a dangerous edge.

"You could say that," she replied, surprised to find herself responding. She'd planned to drink alone.

"Let me guess," he said, signaling the bartender. "Bad breakup?"

"Divorce. Final papers signed three hours ago."

He whistled low. "That's definitely worth a drink. Whiskey, neat," he told the bartender, then looked at her. "And another for the lady."

"I shouldn't," Sophia said even as the bartender prepared her drink.

"Probably not. But tonight doesn't seem like a night for good decisions." He raised his glass. "To freedom from people who don't deserve us."

Something in his tone suggested personal experience. Sophia clinked her glass against his. "To freedom."

The whiskey burned, but it was good—warming her from the inside. "You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"Family betrayal," he said simply. "Brother threw me under the bus for his own gain. Haven't seen him in years."

"I caught my husband with my stepsister. On our anniversary."

"Ouch." He turned to face her fully, and she caught his scent—pine forest after rain, something wild and untamed that made Aria stir with interest. "He's an idiot."

"You don't even know me."

"I know you're beautiful. I know you're strong enough to walk away instead of accepting disrespect. And I know any man who would cheat on you, especially with family, doesn't deserve a second of your tears."

Sophia felt heat rise to her cheeks. When was the last time someone had called her beautiful and meant it?

"I'm Lucas," he said, extending his hand.

"Sophia." His hand was warm, calloused, sending sparks up her arm when they touched.

They talked for hours. About everything and nothing. He was in town for business, he said, looking to reclaim something that was taken from him. She told him about feeling invisible in her own marriage, about always coming second to pack business—carefully omitting the werewolf details.

"You know what your problem is?" Lucas said, now on his fourth whiskey but showing no signs of intoxication.

"Please, enlighten me," Sophia said, surprising herself by laughing. When had she last laughed?

"You spent so much time trying to be what he wanted that you forgot to be yourself." He leaned closer, and her breath caught. "I bet you're incredible when you're just being Sophia."

"You don't know that."

"Then show me."

The invitation hung between them, electric and dangerous. Sophia knew she should leave. Go back to her hotel room alone, process her divorce like a responsible adult. But Aria was practically purring, drawn to this stranger in a way she'd never been to Alexander.

"I don't do this," she said softly. "One-night stands aren't my thing."

"They're not mine either," Lucas replied, his green eyes serious. "But sometimes you meet someone and you just... know. Even if it's just for tonight."

He stood, offering his hand. "No pressure. But if you want to forget about him, even for a few hours, I'm in room 1247."

He walked away without waiting for an answer, leaving Sophia with a choice.

She lasted five minutes before following.

The elevator ride felt endless. Every rational thought screamed this was a mistake. But when she knocked on his door and he opened it, looking at her like she was something precious, all doubts vanished.

"You came," he said softly.

"I needed to be someone else tonight. Someone who takes what she wants."

"And what do you want?"

Instead of answering, Sophia pulled him down for a kiss. It was nothing like Alexander's perfunctory pecks. Lucas kissed like he was drowning and she was air, deep and passionate and all-consuming. His hands tangled in her hair, and she pressed against him, feeling more alive than she had in years.

They stumbled toward the bed, hands exploring, clothes disappearing. Lucas worshipped every inch of her, murmuring praise that made her feel goddess-like.

"So beautiful," he whispered against her skin. "How did he not see it?"

When they came together, it was electric. Aria howled in recognition, though Sophia didn't understand why. This was just physical attraction, chemical compatibility. But it felt like more. Like coming home.

They made love three times, each time more intense than the last. Between, they talked in whispers, sharing secrets in the dark.

"I feel like I know you," Lucas said, tracing patterns on her bare shoulder. "Like we were meant to meet tonight."

"That's the whiskey talking."

"Maybe. Or maybe some things are just fate."

Sophia fell asleep in his arms, feeling safe for the first time in years. When she woke at dawn, she found him watching her with an expression so tender it made her heart ache.

"I have to go," she whispered.

"I know." He kissed her forehead. "Will I see you again?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. We both have complicated lives."

He nodded, though disappointment flashed in his eyes. "Then let me just say—you deserve to be cherished, Sophia. Don't settle for anything less."

She dressed quickly, not trusting herself to stay if she lingered. At the door, she looked back one last time. Lucas sat on the bed, sheets pooled at his waist, looking like a Greek god in the morning light.

"Thank you," she said. "For making me feel wanted."

"You are wanted. More than you know."

Sophia left before she could do something stupid like ask for his number. This was perfect as it was—one perfect night to mark the end of her marriage and the beginning of her new life.

In the elevator, her phone buzzed with messages from Alexander, demanding to know where she was. She deleted them all. That was her past.

But as she walked through the lobby, she couldn't shake the feeling that leaving Lucas behind was a mistake. Aria whined in her mind, already missing his presence.

"It was just one night," she told herself firmly.

She had no idea that night would change everything.

Three weeks later, staring at a positive pregnancy test, Sophia realized some nights echo into forever. The stranger's child grew within her, a secret that would either destroy her completely or give her the strength she never knew she had.