Eric put the call on speakerphone.

"Is my ex-wife with you?" Adrian asked the moment Eric answered. His voice was cold and harsh, just as it always had been.

Eric glanced at me. I nodded.

"Yes, she's right next to me," Eric replied.

"Is Natalia really with you?" Adrian questioned again, his voice laced with rage. He clearly didn't believe Eric.

His anger filled me with wrath. Did he think Eric was lying? Why would he? I only wanted to know why he was calling.

Instead of Eric, I replied, "What else, Alpha Adrian?"

Adrian was caught off guard. He remained silent for a moment before saying, "I would advise you two not to be so pushy. We haven't gone through the official rejection ceremony yet."

I grabbed the phone. "Rejection ceremony? You never marked me, so forget about it."

"But unfortunately, my name was merged with yours. So we have to arrange this ceremony for my pack."

I clenched my fists at the word "unfortunately." I thought of the depth of my affection for him, an affection he'd ignored. I remembered asking him to stop How could someone be so blind to another's love? From the beginning, all he'd wanted was

"You are such a scumbag!" I shouted.

"Stop talking nonsense and come back to the Crystal Blood Pack."

"Why would I care about any ceremony now? After all these years, you remember this?" I asked, shaking my head. He was so cheap, like something out of a dramatic plot—just when I'd moved on, he decided to organize

"Don't forget that you are still, nominally, the gamma's daughter, so you have to show some respect for your father and our pack," he reminded me.

I laughed. "You don't have to worry about my father, Alpha Adrian. I'll deal with him myself."

"Yeah, sure. I'm already aware of how you handled the situation."

His words made me scowl. "What do you mean?"

Adrian was quiet for a moment—probably smoking. I knew him well; my husband, my former love. I knew his every

"Why did you post that?"

His question bewildered me. I turned to Eric.

"He's talking about the post you wrote about his darling," Eric said, loud enough for Adrian to hear. "Listen, Alpha Adrian. Your girlfriend provoked me by revealing our conversation."

"What rubbish! Why would she do that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, how can she do that? She's your moonflower."

Eric laughed, grabbing my coffee mug and taking a sip. "Hey! That's my coffee," I protested.

Eric grinned. "It's okay."

I heard Adrian's low growl. "You two are so shameless!"

I'd had enough. He'd destroyed my life. How could he be so proud? "You took Lynda to live with us during our marriage. I signed the papers first, but don't forget who forced me to sign the divorce papers. Now you talk about respect? Did you have any regard for me when"

Adrian was silent. My heart pounded. He was provoking me, but I wouldn't let him.

"It's about the pack, and it's Luna's position," Adrian muttered.

"Why should I care about your pack now? After all, I even gave up Luna's position to Lynda!"

Eric gave me a thumbs-up and took another sip of coffee. He was clearly pleased with my response. My voice was as cold as Adrian's.

Adrian sounded weary. "My father is sick. He's in the hospital and wants to see you. He said he won't"

My chest tightened. Despite our separation, his father had always been kind to me, supportive and respectful, always trying to correct his son's treatment of me. The thought of him in the hospital

"In your pack hospital, right? I'll visit him as soon as I can," I said, ending the call.

(The final two lines are advertising and have been omitted.)