Chapter 38 Her
Calhoun's POV
"I don't have a good feeling about this,"
"You've been overworking yourself, lately. Just loosen up, relax. It's not the end of the world, men are still looking for Jack, things will be handled rightly in your absence. It's just two days and Alpha Gregory cordially invited you himself, it'd be an insult to not show up when he attended our Annual ceremony last week and even your 31st birthday."
"Don't lecture me now," my glare on Bruce is intense. He seems to be talking a lot these days, or it's just his usual self that I find irrational.
"I'm looking out for you, as always," Bruce pushes my box to the butler beside him.
Butlers.
I'm starting to grow a dislike for them since the occurrence eight days ago.
They act loyal in your presence and fuck your wife right under your nose. I know it's insensitive of me to be judgy when it's just one who fucked my wife, but each time I see one, I am reminded of that night, I am super touchy and aggressive when they're near, so they do their best to not piss me off or stay out of my way.
"I'm so excited, I can't afford to miss this yacht party!" Natalie rolls her box out by herself. She's wearing a sunflower beach dress, with a straw hat that she paired up with dark shades.
"My Luna, your husband could get you a yacht himself," Bruce nears her side with a genuine smile, he even takes her box from her.
"It's more fun this way, I have so much on my plate already, being your Luna and handling Calhoun's smaller businesses," she responds. Nor does she look to meet my gaze right.
We're not on speaking terms since the incident, my respect for her has dropped to zero because she never even apologized for cheating on me. She made the butler run after paying him a huge amount of money to start life afresh. This I heard from Bruce, now I can't tell if she's still seeing him.
Talk about the height of cheating.
There's this energy radiating from her, it gives off that she'll cheat again at her own convenience, and nothing I say or do will make her refrain from it. She's turned into this wild, thirty-seven-year-old woman who behaves as if she isn't even married.
She hosts drinking parties, wears skimpy clothes, and squanders my money. I'll have to admit it's partly my fault she's this way, but she's taking things to the extreme.
I don't even know if this marriage will work. If she had at least been remorseful, and apologized, maybe, just maybe I would've forgiven her because I cheated first. But judging from the onlook of things, this woman doesn't care about making our marriage work.
"All set, time to leave," Bruce announces. Natalie is already in the back seat of the car.
When the servant at my side opens the car for me to hop in, I side-step him and take the shotgun.
"Shouldn't you be in the back with your wife?" Bruce frowns a little as he fills in the driver's seat. "Shut up and drive," I growl.
"But.."
"Bruce?" I interrupt him in a low and dangerous tone.
"Alpha Calhoun?" He looks at me innocently.
"One more word from you and I'll wring your neck," I warn, shooting him a dry look.
"Noted," my Beta seals his lips with and starts the car.
From the rearview mirror, I see Natalie silent, going through her phone.
Shaking my head, I stare out the window.
The car pulls up at the seaport, where I see quite a few people already lining up, giving out their invitation cards to the men in front of the yacht.
"Alpha Calhoun!" I hear him before I even see him.
It's Alpha Gregory, coming forward with his wife, beta, and a few of his men.
"It's such an honor to have you here, you're considered our most important guest," we shake hands.
"Thank you," I force a smile after withdrawing my hand.
"And your Luna, Natalie. Beautiful as ever," he kisses her cheeks before pulling away.
Natalie seems genuinely excited to meet him and his wife. No one knows what happened that night because I ensured it was kept a secret. It'd be disgraceful to have people know my wife cheated on me with our head butler on the night of the Greyhound Annual ceremony.
After the exchange of pleasantries, Alpha Gregory leads us to the yacht himself.
"A superior room is reserved for you and Natalie, Alpha Calhoun. Free internet access, a working space, a private pool, and everything else you'll be needing will be provided," Alpha Norman's wife, Layla, smacks her hands together with glee, "We're glad that you accepted our invitation. Some Alphas only agreed to come because you'll be here."
"Thank you for your hospitality," I return her smile. This woman is no doubt a good wife to her husband even though they clash at times. She married Alpha Gregory and became Luna of the Green Valley pack when I turned eight. They've been together for twenty-three years and Alpha Norman is planning to step down from his position in two...
"Over here, Kristen. And Fuck! You look so hot in that dress!"
My brain freezes when I hear that name.
The rejection broke off all strings of connection, between us and our wolves.
But I can feel it in my gut that she's here.
As my head reverts, I go blank.
It's truly Kristen.
She's here.
With her two friends.
She must've noticed my presence because her eyes meet mine almost immediately.
As my breath gets caught up in my throat, my knees grow weak.
Her eyes widen for a fraction with shock upon noticing it's me before pain and sorrow take over them.
The chatter going on around me fades, I don't even respond when Alpha Gregory offers me wine. Instead, I swipe my mouth with my hand, fist my fingers and bite into it and I don't break eye contact.
Seeing her here just trembles my whole body, it makes me realize how much I've missed her that it hurts to even look at her.
She looks different, her hair isn't blonde anymore. It's short, black, styled in a bob. She even tattooed her wolf on her upper arm. No one here knows what happened except Bruce who hasn't even seen her.
The heart-felt stare between me and Kristen only lasts for a minute before every emotion vanishes from her face. This only signifies that she's erased everything about me from her life.
What disrupts our stare exchange is a boy.
Ben. Alpha Gregory's first son.
He's hugging my former mate.
And she puts her hand on his bare back, giving it a little pat.
Jealousy embeds and flows.
Are they seeing each other? Because her whole demeanor has switched up in happiness as if she just saw me and dismissed me.
I am not important to her.
"Kristen?" Natalie's voice rings out.
And immediately, heads snap in her direction.
'Fuck!' Bruce mouths, with welled-up eyes when he sees her.
"Kristen!" Natalie yells the name of her daughter to catch her attention.
But Kristen is already heading this way, with Alpha Gregory's son and her friends.
Her friends who I doubt will still remember my fave from that night.
"Mother, it's so good to see you," Kristen doesn't even act surprised as she hugs Natalie.
"What are you doing here?" Natalie pulls back to examine her, holding her face with her hands.
"I was invited, mother."
"Do you eat enough? Sleep well at night? I was so worried you left just like that. You didn't even return any of my calls."
"We'll talk about this later, Mother." Kristen seems bold, I can't find any flick of guilt in her eyes.
"Stepfather, it's so good to see you. I trust you're treating mom well," Kristen holds out her hand for a handshake.
What is she doing?
Calling me stepfather after what transpired between us. And acting as if she's euphoric to see me.
What the fuck is going on?
Worse, her friends look at me before exchanging a weird glance with their eyes raised in their sockets and their mouths flapping open in horror.
Kristen, who recognizes this, forces laughter from her throat to ease the tension.
"Had I known my parents would be here, I'd have bought them gifts since I never gave them one at their wedding," she lets her hand fall to her side.
Natalie introduces her daughter to Alpha Gregory and his wife.
Turns out his son wasn't even aware Kristen is Natalie's daughter, since they never attended the wedding.
I feel like shit already.
Being treated this way by Kristen. She even called me stepfather. What the fuck!?
We aren't mates anymore but the fact doesn't change that I've missed her more than life itself. The feelings for her never
withered away.