His Luna or His Mate

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Paige’s point of view.

I don’t remember the journey home from the hospital. One minute I was there, the next I was at home.

The first thing I did when I stepped through the door was relieve all the staff in the house of their daily duties so that I could be alone. Each one of them gave me a pitying look before leaving. The gossip link had obviously been in full flow that afternoon.

The second thing I did was open the wine I’d bought for dinner and drink it straight from the bottle, and then I burst into tears.

Eventually the sobs subsided; the events of the day told me I had some decisions to make and dissolving into puddles of tears was not going to help that.

When I’d spoken to Livvie at the restaurant. I’d said I wanted a divorce. But that was because I was mad with my husband. It didn’t mean I’d stopped loving him.

But he didn’t love me. And he was very much in love with someone else. Jacob had shown a side to his character that I’d never seen before. He had been tender and lovely and for once had put someone else’s life before his own. It had been awful for me to watch, but I reasoned I’d need to see it so that I would be equipped to make my next decisions.

Half an hour later, I was on the phone to the second-best lawyer in the country. The first wouldn’t help me because he was a member of our pack and there was no way in the world he would go up against Jacob. You couldn’t sue your own boss on behalf of his wife.

“You will be entitled to half of the assets that you and your husband have together,” he assured me. “As the Luna of the pack you have put in as much work as he has. Therefore, it is only right that you receive half of the reward.”

That meant that after the split I’d be a billionaire in my own right. That much money would make anyone happy. Certainly the lawyer would be earning a tonne of money for settling this for me.

“You’ll also need to divide your holiday homes, retirement accounts, vehicles and personal property. But there will be no need to go to court. I’m sure this can be sorted either between yourself and the Alpha or a mediator if things get a little heated.” He chuckled at his own words. I didn’t respond.

The lawyer cleared his throat and continued. “I’ll issue the divorce petition paperwork this afternoon. You’ll have it by tomorrow morning.”

“I need it tonight. I’m prepared to pay you double if you can make that happen.”

“Well I’m sure there are some less pressing cases I could delay slightly, Mrs Walker, if that pleases you.”

Mrs Walker? Moon Goddess I’d have to change my name back to my father's. My head started to ache as I thought about all the work that was ahead of me. Bank accounts, bills, insurances. Everything would need to be changed.

My eyes locked onto a second bottle of wine. Was there enough alcohol in the world to get me through this? Surely it would be easier just to die. The thought left my head just as soon as it entered. I wouldn’t give Jacob the satisfaction.

“I look forward to receiving the paperwork,” I said casually, as if discussing a holiday request from one of my staff members. “And, as I made clear at the start of the call, your discretion is absolutely paramount.”

“I assure you, Luna, that this matter will be treated with complete confidence. You are on a safe line and, as senior partner in this practice, I will be handling your case personally.”

I thanked him before hanging up.

During the call my phone had been incessantly beeping in my ear to let me know people were trying to get hold of me. I was astounded to see I had around thirty missed calls and about a billion text messages. Even more shocking was that a stack of calls had come from Jacob himself.

I recognized my father's number, my stepsister, Beta Kai, and some from the hospital. I started scrolling.

“I’ve heard the news. Don’t do anything stupid.” ‘Yeah, I’m fine Dad, thanks for asking,’ I muttered to myself.

“I’ve spoken to the Alpha. He wants us to get together to discuss the role Aria is going to undertake in the pack. Obviously, she’ll be given a seat on the board and adequate shares in our businesses.” This was from Beta Kai. The message was all business, it had to be. But as one of my oldest friends, I was saddened that he couldn’t spare five minutes to check if I was ok.

There were a couple of messages from Olivia. The kind of thing you would expect from a best friend. Basically, whatever I needed, whatever I decided, she would be right there by my side. I knew she thought I deserved better, and I was starting to come around to her way of thinking.

I had to take a few more mouthfuls of dutch courage before I opened the last one.

“We need to talk.” This from Jacob.

You’re damn right, we need to talk, I thought.

But the thought of him sitting me down to tell me it was over was utterly devastating. It tore me up inside. I thought briefly about Aria. If this was how I felt, imagine how she was going to feel when she woke up and found that her fated mate was already married. I felt a twinge of pity for her. She hadn’t asked for this. None of us had.

I heard Jacob’s key turning in the lock. The door thumped against the wall. He was angry. Had something happened to Aria?

“Paige?” he yelled.

“Through here.” I called back. I checked my reflection briefly in a mirror. My wolf healing abilities meant my face wasn’t red and blotchy from crying. Good. I didn’t want him to see I’d been upset.

I needn’t have worried. He barely even glanced at me.

“Why the f**k haven’t you answered your phone?”

“Pardon?” Of all the things I was anticipating. Him being on the attack was not one of them.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I was on a call,” I said, exasperated. His line of questioning put me on the back foot somewhat.

“That’s what call waiting was invented for. So you can look at incoming calls and prioritize. And I’m sure you’ll agree, the most important call you are likely to receive is from me. Who were you talking to?”

Adrenaline coursed through my body. The arrogance in his voice made me angry. My hands were shaking by my sides. But I was able to deliver my line coolly and confidently.

“My lawyer. I’ve filed for a divorce.”