Kyra's POV
I got off the bed, desperate to escape, but Nathan caught my wrist. His grip was firm—the strength of an Alpha, impossible to break free from. I immediately wiped away the tears that rolled down my cheeks before he could see them.
I felt my heart breaking into pieces. I thought... I thought I could make him fall in love with me during the three years we were together. I thought his feelings would deepen, that he would see me as a woman rather than just a best friend.
I failed. No matter how hard I tried as his chosen mate, his Luna, his heart still belonged only to his first love and fated mate—Sophia.
"Kyra..."
I faked a smile. "I need to wash up before eating."
He stared into my eyes as if trying to figure out what I was thinking. I knew he knew me too well, so I tried hard to hide my pain and smiled at him.
He sighed and let go of my hand. "Okay. I'll wait for you here. Let's eat and go to work together."
Together? How cruel could he be? He wanted us to stay the way we were right after telling me his first love was back and he wanted to leave me?
If I used to be able to force myself to stay in the position of his best friend wishing him happiness, I no longer had that courage after the three years we'd shared. There was no way I could endure that kind of torture again, especially when I was carrying his pup.
The pup... I had thought it was good news for us, but now... it would be more like a burden to him, I guess. A burden that would keep him from finding his true love and freedom.
I knew what it was like for an unwanted pup to grow up. My parents divorced even before my mother died, and my father's new family hated me—it hurt like hell. I didn't want my pup to experience the same thing I had felt.
I faked another smile. "We can't. I need to visit the studio for the photoshoot of our new models…"
"I'll go with you—"
"No." I pushed his hand away. "You have some documents to sign. Our schedules are already organized, remember?"
"But—"
"I'll be fine to go alone."
He sighed and slowly nodded. I entered the bathroom, immediately opened the shower, and stood under the cold water. Tears cascaded down my cheeks as I covered my mouth to suppress my sobs.
"Don't be sad, Kyra. I'll always stand behind you and the pup," Sylvia reassured me.
I wiped my face and gently caressed my belly. I shouldn't put my pup's life at risk just because my heart was broken. I needed to be strong. I needed to stay calm.
When I got out of the bathroom, I was shocked to see Nathan was still there. He was struggling to fix his tie. I also noticed my pair of heels and a dress laid out on the bed.
"Hey! I picked your dress for today."
We kept our marriage private in the company to avoid any perception of workplace romance. Nathan said he would try to do small things for me as a mate. He had done that well, and I used to enjoy those sweet moments, but now it was going to kill me.
I put the white dress back and picked up a red one. When I faced him, his forehead was creased.
I smiled. "I prefer red today."
He nodded and walked toward me. "I see. Help me fix this first."
I could feel his eyes staring intently at me. I took a deep breath and chewed my bottom lip as I struggled to fix his tie. My vision was getting blurry again. Damn!
"Kyra…"
I jumped in shock. "Hmm?"
"Are you okay?"
I looked at him and smiled. "Yeah."
"I have another thing to say."
I finished fixing his tie. I glanced at him before I walked past and said, "Let's just talk some other time. I'm going to be late."
I heard him sigh as he followed me again. "Kyra, we're on the same page, right?"
I stared at him. No, Nathan. We're never on the same page. All of this was just my stupid fantasy. I thought you had feelings for me, but I was so wrong.
"If this is about the rejection, I understand everything, Nathan. I know what I have to do. Just give me some time because I'm really busy with the company."
"Kyra, I'm not just doing this for myself. I'm also doing this for you. You've been caged with me ever since we got married. I know you're not happy, because deep inside, you also want to find the fated mate you deserve. Someone who will truly love you. Not me. Not someone who's half-hearted."
"I understand what you're trying to say, Nathan."
He looked at me with concern. "You are my best friend. I don't want to lose you, Kyra. You're one of my few people..."
"I know," I said out of frustration. He looked shocked, so I calmed myself. "I—I know. You don't have to worry. I'm just stressed about work. It's not about our rejection."
His lips parted and he slowly nodded. He walked toward me, and I froze when he gently kissed my forehead...
"Thank you, Kyra," he whispered. My heart clenched. It had been three years, but I was still such a coward.
Sylvia howled in my mind, "Why can't you just tell him you love him, Kyra? He's your mate and you're carrying his pup! Tell him and he might change his mind!"
I swallowed hard and was about to speak, but his phone rang. I didn't miss the caller ID. Again, it was Sophia.
"I gotta go." He left our room, murmuring an apology, and I didn't miss the upturned corners of his mouth. "I called Luke; he's waiting outside. Eat before you go, okay?"
Why would I think I had a chance? He had already made his choice the moment he asked for the rejection, hadn't he?
***
I entered the studio wearing red heels and a red dress. Everyone was looking at me as I walked down the hallway. They all greeted me with a smile, but my face remained stoic, not showing any emotion.
The conversation with Nathan from this morning was still lingering in my mind, but I couldn't let it affect my work.
I couldn't fail at work after failing my marriage.
I took a deep breath to steady myself. However, when I entered the photoshoot room, I noticed everyone was in chaos.
"We can't! She's not answering her calls. What should we do? The Vice President is coming today. She'll be mad."
"We can just tell her the truth. She's nice."
"Not in this situation, Lily! She'd scold us—"
"What's happening here?" I asked as I entered the room.
The staff were all looking at me with worried expressions and I knew then there was a problem.
"G-Good morning, Miss Monroe."
Miss Monroe. Of course, the human employees didn't know Nathan and I were married, except for the werewolves in our pack.
I stared at her blankly. "What?"
"W-we have a problem, Miss Monroe. Miss Chen, our model, has been refusing our calls. She said she heard we're changing our model so…she doesn't want to come. She's even... threatening to file a case against us." She bowed her head.
Miss Chen was a renowned model in human society whom I had already selected as the cover model for our Asian magazine edition.
I gritted my teeth and looked around. "Where's the marketing manager?"
"S-she's still trying to convince Miss Chen, Miss Monroe."
I massaged my forehead and closed my eyes tightly. I grabbed my hair and screamed in anger. I felt everyone around me jump in shock. I groaned and drew a deep breath before looking around.
"Miss Monroe..."
"What is this, Miss Hayley? You are the marketing manager—what is happening?"
"Miss Monroe, I don't know how it happened, but Miss Chen heard you're changing our model. She's about to file a case against us—"
Changing the model? How come I didn't know about this? Miss Chen had always been our reliable partner, and unless necessary, changing models for a commercial shoot on short notice would only cause trouble for the company. I would never allow such a careless mistake.
"I never asked for that. You must be mistaken." I cut her off to save time. "Fix this mess or I'll have to fire you!"
"Miss Monroe... It's Mr. President who asked us to change it." Hayley spoke hesitantly. "He gave the order as soon as he got back from his business trip yesterday, and he told me today there would be a new model to replace Miss Chen."
I was stunned by the truth. Nathan's order? Why didn't he tell me? He used to discuss every major decision with me first.
"It shouldn't be..." I was confused. Nathan was not a clueless businessman. He carefully separated work and personal matters, which was why he always succeeded. That was also the reason he insisted on keeping our marriage a secret.
"Yes, Kyra. I gave the order." The voice pulled me back to reality.
"M-Mr. President…" Hayley bowed with respect when she saw the man who suddenly appeared behind me.
Before I could react, a familiar, sickly-sweet voice cut through the room.
"Hello, darling Kyra, it's been so long."
It was Sophia.
I turned around and saw her standing there, her designer dress clinging to her curves, right beside Nathan.
Just like in high school, the two of them looked perfectly matched, dazzling together. The moment I saw her, my stomach churned.