CASSIAN’S POV
I stormed into the security room, my wolf raging beneath my skin.
The guards took one look at me and scrambled out of the way, their eyes wide with fear.
“Pull up every camera,” I snarled.
“Now.”
The footage flickered onto the screen within seconds.
I watched Lyra climb down the bedsheet rope, fall into the rosebushes, force herself back to her feet, and run through the garden and the woods toward the gate.
Then the exterior cameras showed a black car waiting outside the pack house.
An unidentified man got out, helped her inside, and drove away.
“Who the hell is that?” I grabbed the head guard by the collar.
“Who picked her up?”
“The image is too blurry, Alpha.
We can’t see his face or the license plate…”
“Find him!” I shoved him back.
“Someone took my wife from me.
I want to know who.”
The guards scrambled to obey.
I paced the security room, my hands clenched into fists.
Who could it be?
Who would have the nerve to…?
Sabrina appeared in the doorway, watching me with narrowed eyes.
“I really don’t understand why you’re this angry,” she said, sounding bored.
“The plan was to let her go anyway.
Isn’t that what you wanted?”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
The truth was, I hadn’t wanted Lyra to leave like this.
I hadn’t wanted her to escape.
I’d wanted to control the narrative and discard her on my terms.
Not this.
Not her slipping through my fingers like smoke.
I ignored Sabrina and walked to my room, slamming the door behind me.
A few hours later, the police called with an update.
I’d reported my wife as kidnapped, but after reviewing the footage, their conclusion was swift.
“Alpha Voss, your wife entered that car willingly,” the officer said.
“There was no sign of a struggle and no evidence that she was forced.
This doesn’t qualify as kidnapping.”
“Check again,” I demanded.
“She was obviously coerced…”
“There’s no indication of coercion either.
And I’m afraid the situation is more complicated than you realize.”
I frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
The officer cleared his throat.
“According to our records, your divorce from Lyra has already been finalized.
You are no longer legally married, and you have no right to interfere with her movements.”
“Divorce?” I laughed.
“That’s ridiculous.
We’re still married…”
“The documents on my screen say otherwise, Alpha Voss,” he cut in.
“The divorce was filed, signed, and processed.
It’s final.”
Bullshit.
I hung up, my hands shaking around the phone.
I rushed into the bedroom, tearing through drawers and ripping open the closets.
Most of her clothes were still there.
Her shoes.
Her jewelry.
She’d left almost everything behind.
But in the center of the desk sat a set of papers.
I snatched them up and read.
“Divorce papers?!”
At the bottom, my signature sat neatly beside hers.
How the fuck was this possible?
I never signed…
Then it hit me.
The hospital forms.
The documents she’d asked me to sign.
I grabbed fistfuls of my hair and tugged hard.
“She fucking tricked me!”
I grabbed another phone and called my lawyer, my voice shaking with fury.
“Explain this,” I demanded.
“How is this possible?
She tricked me into signing.
That can’t be valid.”
“Alpha Voss, I’m sorry, but your signature is legally valid.
You signed the documents voluntarily and without coercion.
The divorce is final, and you no longer have any legal rights over your ex-wife’s life or property.”
I smashed the phone against the wall and stomped on it until the screen shattered.
“Divorce?” I grabbed the papers and tore them to pieces.
“There’s no way I’m accepting this.”
Sabrina appeared in the doorway, her face glowing with triumph.
“She’s gone, Cassian.
Now we can finally…”
“Shut up!” I shoved past her.
“Just shut up!”
If Lyra thought she could ruin the deal for me, she had another thing coming.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, I stood in the conference room at Voss Group with a forced smile plastered on my face.
The investors had arrived—the people who were supposed to make the Falco deal possible.
The deal was supposed to close today, and nothing was going to ruin it.
Not even Lyra’s absence.
No one knew about the divorce anyway.
One of the investors looked around.
“Someone’s running late, I take it.”
I sat straighter.
“First of all, thank you all for coming.
Lyra was supposed to be here, but she’s been delayed by a personal matter.
I apologize on her behalf.
That said, she authorized me to handle everything for her.”
The lead investor frowned.
“Alpha Voss, this business belongs to Lyra’s family.
We’ve made it clear several times that we’re only willing to negotiate with her in person.”
I forced a smile and nodded.
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
I stepped out of the conference room, my heart pounding.
The door clicked shut behind me as I pulled out my phone.
I dialed Lyra’s number.
Voicemail.
I tried again.
Same thing.
“Pick up,” I muttered through clenched teeth.
“Pick up the damn phone…”
Nothing.
I stared at the screen.
She wasn’t answering.
She wasn’t going to answer.
She’d made sure of that.
I drew in a slow breath, forced my expression back under control, and returned to the conference room.
“Apologies for the delay.” I smiled as I took my seat.
“Lyra sends her regards.
She’s tied up with a pressing issue, but she asked us to proceed without her.
She trusts my judgment completely.”
The lead investor exchanged a glance with his colleagues.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible, Alpha Voss,” he said.
“Nothing can be done in her absence.”
“Surely we can make an exception…”
“We cannot.”
I leaned back with a sigh.
“I understand your point, but as her husband, I can…”
“Her husband?” The investor raised his eyebrows.
“Our information says otherwise.”
My blood went cold.
“What?”
“I’m afraid the deal is already compromised.” He pulled out a folder.
“We’ve received evidence of forged documents and hidden accounts opened in Lyra’s name.
There are also photographs of you being intimate with another woman in public.”
He leaned forward, holding my gaze.
“This isn’t a business meeting, Alpha Voss.
It’s a fraud investigation.”
I stared at the evidence, my throat dry.
“I can explain…”
“There’s nothing to explain.” The investors began gathering their documents.
“The deal is canceled.
And you’ll be hearing from Lyra’s family.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the look in his eyes told me it was useless.
They walked out.
All of them.
The deal was as good as dead.
I stood alone in the conference room, my fists clenched at my sides.
This wasn’t part of the plan.
It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.
Lyra was gone, and she’d made sure to take everything with her.
“Fuck!”
I hurled my laptop across the room, swept papers off the desk, and punched the wall so hard it cracked.
Pain shot up my arm, but I barely felt it.
“She did this to me,” I snarled.
“She deliberately ruined everything I’d built.
Everything I’d worked for.
She planned this.”
My wolf wanted to tear something apart.
To find her and make her pay.
“I’ll find you,” I vowed.
“I’ll find you, and you’ll pay for this.”
I picked up another phone and called the head of security.
“Alpha,” he answered on the first ring.
“Find her,” I growled.
“I don’t care what it takes.
I don’t care how much it costs.
Find Lyra.
Now.”