Chapter 4

Cain wasn't startled in the least. He raised an eyebrow and said, "I wondered what the racket was. Turns out it's just a dog who can't keep it in his pants barking away."

Dorian nearly choked. He took a moment to recover, then held up his phone, teeth clenched. "Cain, you're done. Ivy hates being lied to. I recorded you. When she sees this, she'll throw you out."

Cain showed no rush. He calmly put his colored contacts back in and let Dorian hit record. After the video was sent, he rested his chin in his hand, narrowed his eyes, and smiled. "Idiot. AI is everywhere now. What good is a video? I'll just say it's fake. See who Ivy believes — you or me."

"She'll believe me. I'm her legitimate mate." Dorian said it loud, but there was a crack of uncertainty underneath.

Cain's smile widened. He leaned toward Dorian and said quietly, "Then let's find out. See who Ivy trusts."

Then he threw a punch at Dorian. Dorian wasn't about to take it. He swung back. But strangely, Cain's punch stopped halfway, and without dodging, he walked right into Dorian's fist. He went down hard, shaking all over.

Dorian wasn't sure what to make of it, but seeing Cain look so scared, he felt satisfied. "Cain, if you know what's good for you, get out of my home."

The words barely left his mouth before I let out a sharp cry. "Dorian, what are you doing?"

Dorian panicked. He spun around and rushed to explain. "Ivy, it's not what it looks like. Cain threw the first punch. I was just —"

My palm connected with his face before he could finish. "You're disgusting, Dorian. You hit him, you tried to throw him out, and now you're twisting the story. Where's your conscience?"

Dorian stood there stunned. It took him a moment to feel the anger rise. He was about to speak when Cain cut in first. "Ivy, don't blame Dorian. You two are mates. It makes sense that he'd be jealous — that means he loves you. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come and disrupted your lives. Once my next paycheck comes in, I'll move out."

Dorian was even angrier. His voice came out strange. "Your next paycheck? You're the Alpha of a major —"

He hadn't finished when Cain snapped his eyes shut and slumped forward. I scrambled to catch him and rushed him to the Pack Infirmary. I didn't spare Dorian a glance.

Dorian stood there with his jaw tight, forcing down his anger. Something felt off and familiar at the same time. It nagged at him, but he couldn't place it.

His phone rang. The special ringtone. He didn't need to check to know it was Serena.

He was about to answer when he suddenly thought of the day before they left for the Maldives. Back then, Ivy and Serena had also gotten into it. Ivy had shoved Serena to the ground, and he'd walked in right at that moment. He'd hit Ivy too. He hadn't put much force into it, but the look on Ivy's face had been one of pain and humiliation. Just like his face right now. But back then, he'd scooped Serena up and walked out without giving Ivy a second look.

Dorian couldn't breathe. It felt like a hand was squeezing his heart. He told himself it was different. Cain was faking. Serena's condition was real. He'd scheduled her inpatient check-up just a few days ago. Today was her discharge day.

A person could fake being sick. A hospital report couldn't be faked. Once he reasoned through it, he felt a little lighter. He hadn't done anything wrong. Looking after a sick person was just a decent thing to do. He wasn't as naive as Ivy, getting played by Cain's obvious act.

Dorian talked himself into a clean conscience and drove out to pick up Serena's discharge papers. He went straight to her private room, where her attending physician was already standing in front of her. Dorian relaxed. He was just about to step inside when he heard the doctor say: "Serena, when exactly are you going to land that rich sponsor of yours? How many fake reports have I written for you now? If this keeps up, I'm going to lose my job."

Dorian stopped cold. From inside the room came Serena's voice — nothing frail about it. Clear and sharp. "How would I know what Ivy's thinking? Dorian treated her like that and she still won't mention a divorce. She's got more patience than anyone I've ever seen. But she's got a man of her own now. They'll probably split soon enough."

"Fine. I'll do this one last time. But when you become the Alpha's Luna, don't forget about me."

Dorian didn't remember how he left the infirmary. He only knew that when he came back to himself, he was already on his way to find Ivy. But as usual, he didn't find me. Because I had taken Cain back to our hometown.

Cain and I had grown up as neighbors. He was three years older. I was in middle school when he was in high school. By the time I reached high school, he'd graduated and gone to college. Our lives were like two parallel lines that would never cross — just like my feelings for him, unspoken and going nowhere.

It couldn't be helped. When I was in high school and under the most pressure, he left for college. I pushed myself hard hoping to get into his university. But right when I finished my college entrance exams, Cain got a scholarship abroad for being too good at his studies. The whole family moved with him. I never expected to see him again.

Once we got on the highway, I said to Cain, who was sitting in the passenger seat with his eyes closed: "Stop pretending."