Chapter 6

Lina's POV

After getting into the car, I watched as the city buildings gradually gave way to towering pines and rolling hills, the landscape growing more familiar with each passing mile.

"Almost there!" Chloe chirped, bouncing slightly in her seat as she turned onto a private road.

My heart stuttered in my chest as recognition dawned. No, it couldn't be...

The car rounded the final bend, and there it stood—my childhood sanctuary—Rose Heaven. The sprawling mountain lodge with its natural stone facade and wide windows that seemed to embrace the surrounding forest. This lodge had been built by my parents just for me, a safe haven where our little family could escape the pressures of pack life.

But after they were killed by silver-bladed hunters, my greedy uncle had seized everything—our home, our pack, our legacy. If not for Alpha Victor and Luna Elena taking me in, I would have been Rogue.

"Chloe," I whispered, my voice trembling, "why are we here?"

She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Come on, get out of the car and I'll explain everything."

I stepped out of the car on shaky legs, my eyes drinking in every detail of the place I'd thought lost forever.

"Dad bought it back for you," Chloe announced, practically bouncing on her heels. "The whole Moonstone Lake—the lodge, the surrounding land, everything. It's all yours now, Lina."

I whipped around to face her, certain I had misheard. "What? No, that's impossible. This place must be worth—"

"A small fortune? Yeah, it is." Adrian's deep voice came from behind me. I turned to see him approaching from his SUV that I hadn't even noticed pull up. "But it's worth every penny to see that look on your face."

"Adrian, I can't accept this," I stammered, shaking my head vigorously. "It's too much. Way too much."

He stepped closer and surprised me by gently ruffling my hair, his touch sending unexpected warmth cascading through me. "Consider it payment for being my contractual wife," he said, his tone suddenly serious. "And also something I wanted to do for you, Lina. Please accept it."

I looked back at the lodge—my parents' final gift to me—then at Adrian's sincere expression. My vision blurred as tears threatened to spill.

This place was the last real piece of my parents I had left, the one thing I'd dreamed of reclaiming ever since I was thirteen.

There was no way I could refuse.

"Thank you," I whispered, meaning it with every shattered, hopeful piece of me.

In that moment, I made a silent vow to be the best fake Luna I could possibly be for him.

He deserved nothing less.

Adrian's phone rang, breaking our moment. He checked the screen and frowned slightly.

"I need to take this," he said apologetically. "You two go ahead and look around. I'll join you shortly."

Chloe linked her arm through mine, but seemed to sense my emotional state. "Actually, I think I left something in the car. Why don't you go explore? This is your homecoming, after all."

Left alone, I wandered through the front door and into the lodge. Everything had been maintained beautifully—the hardwood floors gleamed, the stone fireplace stood majestically in the great room, and the floor-to-ceiling windows still offered breathtaking views of the mountains.

Then I made my way to the back garden, my fingers trailing along walls that seemed to hum with memories.

The garden was exactly as I remembered—roses and lilies meticulously arranged around a small stone fountain, my mother's pride and joy. I closed my eyes, almost able to hear her humming as she tended to her flowers.

"It hasn't changed much, has it?"

That voice.

My eyes snapped open as ice flooded my veins. Standing on the garden path was Jasper Lockwood, the last person on earth I wanted to see.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded, my voice dropping several degrees.

Jasper's gaze moved over the garden as if he had the right to be there,"I knew you would come here eventually," he said softly. "Rose Heaven was always your greatest dream after your parents died. I tried to buy it back for you, Lina. I really did."

My chest tightened, but not from gratitude. Once, those words might have broken through every defense I had. Once, I would have believed that his concern meant love.

Now I only heard the calculation beneath it.

"I don't need you to do anything for me," I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. "And I don't want you showing up like this. Whatever you think exists between us, it ended a long time ago."

A flash of pain crossed his face, but it was gone so quickly I almost thought I had imagined it. His jaw hardened instead.

"Ended?" he repeated, taking a step closer. "Because you said you were married?"

My fingers curled at my sides.

"I am married."

Jasper laughed under his breath, but there was no humor in it. "You said that to hurt me. To punish me. I know you, Lina. You were angry, so you made up the cruelest thing you could think of."

"You don't know me anymore."

"Don't I?" His voice sharpened. "Then tell me who he is."

I went still.

Jasper's eyes narrowed at my silence, and something ugly crept into his expression. "That's what I thought. There is no husband. There is only Alpha Adrian Storm and his daughter circling around you like predators, trying to pull you away from the people who actually care about you."

"Don't talk about Chloe like that."

"Why not?" he snapped. "Because she smiled at you? Because she played the loyal friend while her father bought your childhood home and handed it to you like a leash?" He came closer, anger simmering beneath every word. "Wake up, Lina. Chloe didn't befriend you out of kindness."

My stomach twisted, but not because I believed him. It was the cruelty of hearing Chloe's name dragged through his jealousy that made my blood burn.

"You know nothing about her," I said.

"I know enough. Chloe Storm is a spoiled little puppet who does whatever her father tells her to do. She smiles, she flatters, she pretends to care, and you fall for it because you're desperate for a family."

The words struck too close to old wounds, and for one terrible second, I couldn't breathe.

Jasper saw it. He mistook my pain for doubt and moved in.

Before I could step back, his hand closed around my arm. He shoved me against the stone wall beside the garden arch, not hard enough to injure me, but hard enough to trap me. The cold stones pressed into my back, and my pulse spiked as his body caged mine.

"Let me go," I said, my voice low and shaking.

"Not until you answer me." His grip tightened. "If you're really married, then to whom? Tell me his name, Lina. Say it to my face."