Chapter Five

—Lena—

Jeremy dropped me off at home the next day, but he couldn't stay because he had an important meeting to attend.

As I walk into my home, I keep staring at my ring. I can't believe I'm engaged, I'm so happy I never thought I would get to a place where I could be happy again.

I walk into the living room and call out Kate's name but she doesn't answer. She must be at the firm already.

I get ready for work and drive to the firm. As I'm about to head into my office, Eric yanks my hand toward him so fast my body jerks forward, crashing into his.

“Oh-em-gee,” Eric screeches like a hyena on crack.

“Lena, this is a Harry Winston princess-cut diamond. I need a total replay. What were you wearing? What was he wearing? The speech… oh, did he get down on one knee?” Catching his breath he sits on the chair, crossing his legs in anticipation.

I replay the entire night to him and even re-enact the proposal part. Kate walks into the office with a huge grin on her face, "Lemme see, Lemme see!"

"How did you know?"

"Who do you think helped pick out the ring?" Of course he asked Kate for help.

"Eric cancel me and Lena's meetings for this afternoon. We are going out for Lunch to celebrate."

He wastes no time leaving my office to go and cancel the meetings.

"Are you happy?" Kate asks in a serious tone.

"Extremely." She smiles

—Killian—

I have a lunch meeting today, I'm still angry and don't feel like going anywhere and normally I would have sent Lachlan in my place but me and him are not on speaking terms right now, so i just have to suck it up and go to the meeting.

"Mr. Kelly."

Everyone at the table rises, extending their hands. Shaking each one of them in turn, I take a seat and motion for the waiter to come over.

“Can I have a short black, please?”

The waiter scurries away as I turn to face Mr. Klein and the rest of his associates. The purpose of the meeting today is to discuss our chain of clubs in Manhattan, specifically After Dark, our newest and most profitable club.

As I look over a paper forecasting this year’s return, I’m distracted by someone laughing at another table. The laugh, sounding almost angelic, if not a little familiar, is making it difficult for me to focus.

I turn my head to the left to see where it’s coming from.

A woman is sitting with a man and another woman at a table a few feet away.

“Mr. Kelly?”

She turns to look my way, and the most beautiful deep chocolate brown eyes meet with mine, and the second our gaze locks, my heart stops, the beats now at a complete standstill.

This can’t be, it's Lena.

She does a double-take, panic-stricken, her eyes wide and cheeks flush. Leaning over to the man sitting across from her, she mouths something before rising from her chair.

Klein is still talking, and quick to cut him off, I excuse myself abruptly, desperate to follow her to what I assume to be the restroom.

“Lena, wait.”

I know she heard me, but she doesn’t turn around. Stretching forward, I grab her arm, immediately hit with the familiar surge of electricity jolting through me as I touch her—how much I crave it, how much my body misses this feeling. Closing my eyes for a millisecond, I allow myself to get lost in this sensation.

Frozen on the spot, her body stiffens. Slowly, she turns around cautiously to face me. Her once-loving eyes turn to fire, her smile and laughter no longer apparent. Shaking her arm out of my tight grip, she manages to pull away, only to fold her arms under her breasts.

“Lena, please…” I beg again.

As soon as her name leaves my mouth, she clenches her jaw, a pained stare following as the color drains from her face.

“I looked for you after you left,” I tell her, desperate with my tone. I need to convince her that I'm sincere if not my plan won't work.

“Obviously not hard enough,” she angrily shoots back.

“Can we please go somewhere and talk?” I plead.

“Killian, there’s nothing left to say. It was years ago. It’s all in the past. I really need to get back.”

Lena tries to push her way past me, but I grab her arm again. She doesn’t turn around. Instead, she stands completely still with her back to me.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

I don’t know why I ask, maybe it’s the sadist in me. I know it will infuriate her.

“Excuse me?” She turns around abruptly, blazing eyes with her nostrils flaring like a bull ready to attack.

“First of all, you have no right asking me that. It’s none of your business who I’m fucking, Killian.

You have no right to me, you made that perfectly clear after you rejected me in front of our whole pack and leaving me for dead after I lost our…”

"What are you talking about Lena, lost what."

"Nothing, forget I said anything."

I’m losing control, ready to walk over and show him who the fuck she belongs to, but as I bow my head to calm the storm lashing within me, the shimmer of a large diamond catches my attention.

My eyes widen, my stomach twisting in a gut-wrenching knot as my heart pumps hard while my adrenaline spikes. Without hesitation, I yank her hand toward me to make sure what I’m seeing is indeed a ring on her finger.

“What’s this? You’re engaged?”

She allows her hand to linger for a moment, but then, with force, she pulls it back. Her face looks slightly guilty, then it quickly transforms into anger.

“Jeremy is my fiancé.”

Before I can ask who the hell Jeremy is, Kate comes and steps in between me and Lena.

"What the hell is your problem? Was kicking her out of your pack not enough? What could you possibly want now."

"I have every right to question her, she is my mate."

"Not anymore, or don't you remember rejecting her."

I turn and look at Lena.

"You better end your engagement with that man if you value his life."

Kate laughs maniacally." You have no idea do you? She's engaged to the alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, Jeremy Bennett."

I stare at both of them in disbelief as they walk away.