r, at the Whitec

spent hours preparing this anniversary dinner. She made the roast exactly how Niklaus liked it, sel

garet asked as she walked into the kitchen. "

lied, her heart raced with anticipation. "I

a warm smile. "In that case, I will stay out of

n-law left the room, her min

s tie was loose and he looked wiped out.

ng," he said, his voi

is chest and breathed in her scent. Soon they we

ded one bit over the last three years. Before he fell asleep, h

ct. No wedding, no party. Their deal was strictly business. She would play the role o

graced Omega" who didn't belong in their pack. They ignored he

e-wolf looked at Freya and said, "This one has backbone." With

over time, something changed. He knew exactly how she liked her coffee. He texted her if he was running la

t her, touched her, and whispered he

re at midnight, and Freya had no idea what Niklaus was thinking. Part of her hoped he wou

ift box beside his plate. It contained a small canvas she had painted in secret. She knew from Be

with satisfaction, waitin

icki asked, voicing the fear tha

and walk away," she answere

received a mind-

t home? "she a

eya, " Niklaus said cold

ach plummet. "Why?

ndifferent. "I'm at the airpo

the kitchen bec

es she had just lit, over

d you're telling me this

eady made a reservation at Le Ciel for eight o'clock. Grab a

meet you there?

of the pack before she left. As my

replied. "I'll be

anything else, she

tchen. The stew on the stove bub

back on thei

the hours she'd spent cooking, the gift sh

completely. Worse, he wanted her to ha

icki whimpered. He's bring

rt was fracturing. "This was always the plan

ly to turn off the s

and suddenly Rebekah was back in town? Niklaus must have planned

ere she couldn't cause a scene. She could already picture it, his apologetic face

t be humiliated

pulled out her suitcases. If she was le

omewhere to stay while she figured out what to do next

hree years. Her eyes stopped on the bed where she and Niklaus had spent so many n

whispered, blin

n her from her purse. She rarely used it, preferring to live o

years and slid into the black Aston Martin-the most expensive car in Ni

o the lobby of the Royal Crescent Ho

old the receptionist, placing the black

fifty thousand for three months, ma'am. The

d. "Just ru

s's money. Her lawyer's divorce agreement proposed splitting their assets

g while she still could. Any money she didn't

over her key card with new respect. "Please enjoy your sta

s. She looked different. Her chin was higher, her eyes sha

suite, Freya couldn't ignore the pain in her ch