Chapter 23
Sion's abrupt end of the call didn't give good vibes to Karen. He knew his son was not happy and he wanted to know about it.
His dad rang again. What does this old man want?
"Hope you're not going to give me a heart attack by making that contract marriage a permanent one.” Karen's voice was a low growl on the other end of the line, a sound that always made a knot tighten in Sion's gut.
Sion's heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic rhythm that matched his father's heavy breathing on the phone. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating.
"I never said 'no' to anything you wanted," Karen continued, his words sharp as claws. "That's why she's still breathing. Otherwise, she would have been buried six feet under for everything you suffered because of her. You were insistent on marrying Safia and—"
"How is mom?" Sion cut in, unwilling to rehash the same painful discussion. They'd had it countless times before his marriage, and his father's constant negativity about Safia was something he couldn't stand, even if he understood it. His family had been deeply affected by her betrayal. That was the primary reason for this marriage in the first place: revenge. If his parents hadn't been involved, maybe he could have forgiven her.
But the more Karen dug into her past, the more he had to hold back. There were too many inconsistencies, too much shadiness even from the little she'd revealed.
"She's fine, sleeping," Karen said, refusing to drop the subject. "You have no idea about the grief we suffered the day you were admitted to the hospital. The doctor gave us no hope. We almost thought we lost you. It must be the result of our past lives' good deeds that you came back to us."
"I know, Dad, what you and Mama went through is unimaginable," Sion said, massaging his temples. It was an uphill battle trying to convince his father. "You've been kind and understanding about my decisions, both in business and in my personal life, and I'm grateful for that. But sometimes, what we see isn't the whole truth. My intuition tells me we might be wrong about Safia."
"What do you mean?" Karen’s voice was laced with shock. "Don't tell me you've fallen in love with her again after she nearly sent you to the grave."
A strange calm settled over Sion. "I think she's innocent. She still loves Guild Wade. It's been seven years, but she can't bring herself to marry another man."
"What?" Karen was completely stunned.
"You heard me, Dad. I think she was kept in the dark about everything that happened in the past." Sion exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Then why don't you tell her everything?"
"Not yet. I need to know what she knows about Guild Wade first. He's the grey area of her past, and she refuses to talk about him. I'm waiting for the day she opens up to me."
Sion laid out his new plan, a slow-burn revelation that made his father's anxiety climb.
"How is your marriage with her? Are you happy? We're worried about you."
"Not as bad as I thought it would be, now that I know she still loves Guild. I think I can give this a chance."
Karen was silent for a long moment, a sudden headache splitting his temples. "Scan every detail about her with a fine-tooth comb before you come to a conclusion."
***
At the penthouse
Safia sighed, her fingers tapping impatiently on the phone. "Hi, Tyla, how's dad? He always says he's fine so I don't stress, but I want the truth. It's been two months now. I thought my work with this man would be over sooner, but it seems fate is not on my side."
Tyla's laugh echoed through the line. "What is this Sion Canes like, the man who made a sudden, remarkable entry into your life?"
Safia rolled her eyes. "Well, to start with, he's a minion from Hades who doesn't know how to smile. The guy who can fill a person with every intense emotion in one shot is a major prick."
Tyla howled with laughter. "Excellent explanation in two simple sentences. Is he not home that you're showering him with such affectionate words?"
"Thankfully, he's not," Safia said wryly. "He went to seal a deal, the reason we came here in the first place. Stan's daughter, Tisra, is head over heels for him, and he won't tell her he's married to me because the deal is more important to him than his wife's feelings. He's happy to give her what she wants because he's having fun in the process."
Safia fought back a sob. "I'm just a deal for him. Purely business, no feelings attached. He's probably already… you know." Her voice cracked. "He's the rudest, most reckless, meanest, most selfish, and disrespectful evil man I've ever come across."
"Hmm, is that so?" Tyla's tone was teasing. "You're afraid of the dark, but you don't mind living under the same roof with this stranger. You kept Levis, your friend since diapers, at a distance, saying you weren't over Guild. But you didn't hesitate to travel for 42 hours in a private chopper with this handsome alien. Three thousand feet above the ground, flying between clouds, with no one else around... Aren't you afraid he might harm you?"
Safia didn't have an answer. She wasn't afraid of him. Not like she should be. In fact, a flicker of something she couldn't name had started to stir within her.
"Tyla, I—"
"Don't lie to me, Saf. You're falling for him. You just haven't realized it yet."
Safia's heart sank. She was about to deny it when a new sound made her gasp. The unmistakable roar of a wolf, a guttural sound of rage and pain, tore through the air from the woods just beyond the house. It was close. Too close. The call was answered by another, and then another, a full-throated symphony of howls that made the hair on her arms stand on end.
Her gaze was drawn to the large window, where the moon was rising, a perfect, luminous orb in the sky. It was a full moon. She hadn't realized.
Suddenly, a massive, midnight-black wolf burst from the treeline, its eyes glowing with a terrifying amber light. It was heading straight for the house, its powerful legs eating up the ground. Right behind it, a second, smaller wolf, the color of rust, was in hot pursuit, snapping at its heels. The first wolf, the black one, was snarling, a sound that somehow seemed both animal and deeply human, as it slammed its body against the window. The glass held, but a web of cracks spread out from the point of impact.
Safia stumbled backward, the phone still clutched in her hand. The black wolf reared up on its hind legs, its front paws pounding against the glass, its amber eyes locked on her. A low growl rumbled deep in its throat, a sound that somehow felt familiar. Her mind raced, a frantic search for any logical explanation.
Then, the black wolf shifted its gaze from her to the full moon overhead. Its body relaxed, a deep vibration beginning within its massive frame.
Safia's breath hitched, her eyes wide with a mixture of terror and disbelief. The beautiful wolf with the amber eyes... Was it… changing? A final, guttural scream tore from the black wolf as its body contorted, twisting and elongating. She couldn't watch, but she couldn't look away either.
Just as the transformation seemed to reach its horrifying climax, a blinding flash of light erupted from the wolf's body. When the light faded, the black wolf was no more. In its place, standing in the moonlight, was a naked man.
And it was Sion.
“Who was the smaller wolf behind you? Why was he chasing you” Safia couldn't hold back but asked.
“He is my beta Albert.”
“Why was he chasing you?”
“He wasn't chasing me. He was providing me security when the other wolf got distracted with a female wolf around. That's how you heard the angry howls. This is very common in werewolves. Through the scent they recognise their mate. And when they find one, they can't control their instincts.” Sion was reminded of his own feelings for Safia.
On the other side Safia was in a turmoil of her own thoughts. Did he hear her friend through his werewolf instincts?
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