Chapter 40
The Alpha's Claim
A hollow laugh erupted from Sion, laced with a grief he couldn't express. A woman could weep, could let her pain spill out, but a man? He was expected to be a rock, to bury his sorrow. "I was just wondering at what point you'd finally show your true colors," he scoffed, his voice tight.
"Frankly, did you ever love me at any point during our short marriage?" Safia asked him sincerely.
Sion would never give her his weaker side. He is an Alpha and expected to be stone cold with no emotions. Shutting down his pain, he triumphed, "There's no point in being civil. You are my mate, but that bond works both ways. From the beginning, this has been a one-sided claim."
"Ha!" Safia's laughter was a bitter echo. "You should be a comedian. Love was one-sided? There was no love! A man who loves his mate doesn't make her run herself ragged just for a cup of coffee. He doesn't go to his office and seek the scent of another woman. You did everything to desecrate our sacred vows."
Little did she know, his "infidelity" was an act, a brutal game to make her fight for their bond. He had married her for revenge, to right a past wrong he believed she had committed. But he hadn't accounted for the truth: his love for her was alive, a fierce, primal thing, stronger than any emotion he'd ever known.
Safia stayed true to him but it was bloody game both their father's played which broke them off. Now there is no point of return for Safia to everything she suffered marrying Sion. She is blinded by his cruelty, believing his atrocities on her. She didn't know the full story, and didn't know the truth about Guild. "You're a prick who not only copulates but defends his actions! I never saw a glimpse of love for me in you. It's best we part. Don't worry, your money is safe. I'm not a billionaire like you, to pay it off as a whole but I'll pay off my family's debt to you with interest. Now don't ever show me your face again."
Why does she keep repeating the same phrase again and again - don't show me your face? Her words were a poison, scalding his insides. He blinked, fighting back the tears of a grieving Alpha. She was the one bitter pill he could neither swallow or spit out. He vowed to himself he wouldn't love her again, a promise he knew was a lie. She was like blood flowing in his veins which can't be subtracted.
He decided to deal with her the same way he dealt with his business rivals. "Since you've already painted me as a villain, then from this day forward, our arrangement is purely business."
Safia Ignored his warning. "You can posture it the way you want, but you don't scare me anymore. Gone are those days. It'll only take me 60 days to get my license back. You think you can crush me? That's a pathetic dream, Mr. Canes. I'm a self-starter. Number one at girl scout cookie sales three years in a row. High school valedictorian. I even nailed my sommelier exam at 22, which is unheard of. And last but not least, I do the New York Times crossword puzzle in ink."
Sion smiled. He already knew all this. He had always been proud of her, even since their college days. But there was one thing that must be added. Now, he would use her pride against her. "Empty vessels make the most noise, Mrs. Safia Canes. Be careful what you brag about. You graduated from London School of Business not completely on your own. You needed help. The help of Guild Wade. Anyways the past is history, and the future is a mystery. If you don't get back to my home by tomorrow morning, your father will be in the newspaper as an insolvent failure, behind bars. And it will be your fault."
That was a nerve he had caught of her bringing Guild again between them. There are no hopes for this man. "So you're back to being the blackmailing asshole you really are!" she spat.
"Don't you dare call me that! Your mouth is sharper than a knife, and it’s why we’re in this mess. If you ruffle my feathers, I can crumble you like garbage. The fault is yours for bringing up our marriage agreement." He ended the call, a smirk on his face. He had two days before he had to return to New York. Why not enjoy the time while he could? Afterwards, it would be back to the prison of his own making, a prison she helped create. She had to find a way to escape him, and his debt, once and for all.
Safia took a long, calming breath and called Tyla. "Get ready, we're going motorboating in the Mediterranean." She booked tickets to Rome.
"Is everything okay with the boat?" Safia asked the technician.
"Perfect, ma'am. It just needed some oiling. You're safe to go."
Tyla took a boat beside Safia's . "This is awesome!" she yelled over the wind and waves.
"It really is!" Safia yelled back, raising her hands in the air. In a moment of pure, unadulterated joy, she lost control.
Tyla watched helplessly as Safia's boat veered off course, and she went flying into the water. "Help! Somebody help! She's drowning!" Tyla screamed. There was no one around. They were lost, consumed by their fun.
Safia thrashed in the water, the weight of her clothes and the depth of the sea pulling her down. This couldn't be how she died, not here. Not now. Her lungs burned, and her vision began to blur. As darkness crept in, a powerful arm wrapped around her waist. She was pulled upward, a strong body a shield against the water. She was dragged to shore, her body limp.
"Safia, open your eyes. Look at me," Sion’s voice was low and rugged of pure terror. He slapped her cheeks, but she didn't respond.
He checked her pulse, then started CPR. "Her pulse is weak! We have to save her! The medics won't get here in time. Rub her hands and legs to generate heat!" He commanded Tyla.
"Safia, you have to come back to me. I can't be alone," he whispered, tears in his eyes as he performed chest compressions. He thought he had lost her forever. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, she began to cough up water.
"Who told you to go to the northern side? Can't you read? There was a danger sign!" he roared at Tyla. "You can't even take care of your friend!"
"I'm sorry," Tyla said, guilt-ridden. "We didn't see it. We were going so fast, blinded by fun."
"Speed thrills, but it kills," Sion scolded. "You were screaming like a maniac, but there are no guards out here."
"But you were here," Tyla said. "My yells helped. You heard me and saved Safia. Let's forget the rest." Tyla clutched his arm, a silent plea.
Sion immediately pulled out his phone. "I'm sending you our location. My wife almost drowned. She's unconscious."
"How are you here?" Tyla asked. "Safia said you weren't coming back soon."
Sion wiped his face with a towel. "A smart businessman always keeps an eye on his debtors."
Tyla shook her head. "Is that why you followed us all the way out here and risked your life to save her? You're the worst liar. I saw you, you were almost crying. I've been telling Safia this from the beginning. Your eyes tell a different story. Who are you, really?"
Sion’s gaze never left Safia's face, a thousand emotions warring in his amber eyes. His muscles were tense, his body coiled with a primal energy that Tyla had only glimpsed before. He had followed Safia, not just as a businessman, but as her mate. He had tracked her scent across countries, his instincts screaming for him to protect her. And now, as Tyla's question hung in the air, he knew there was no more running, no more hiding.
He looked at Safia's pale face, her life hanging by a thread, and then back at Tyla, whose eyes were filled with anticipation on him. She wanted her answers. The man she knew, the cold, ruthless businessman, was gone. In his place was a creature of moonlight and instinct, a protector who had no choice but to reveal his true form.
The full moon was a silver coin in the sky. Sion let out a low growl, the sound a mix of pain and fury. His bones began to shift. Tyla's gasp was the last human sound he heard before the change consumed him.
She watched him, paralyzed, the sight of his body twisting into something monstrous seared into her mind. But the horror didn't end there. Tyla saw a new shape emerge from the tree line, his eyes glowing with a similar, predatory light. A massive black wolf, padded silently toward the unconscious Safia, its teeth bared in a snarl. This wasn't a rescue. This was a battle for his mate, a battle Sion was about to fight.
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