Chapter 3: My Ex Husband’s Best Friend.

SOPHIE's POV.

I opened my eyes to the sunlight pouring through the hospital blinds. My head throbbed whenever I moved and my left arm was secured in a cast. According to the doctor, I'd been lucky.

A fractured arm and a mild concussion were the worst of my injuries.

Lucky.

I almost laughed.

I had survived the crash, but the man I'd loved for four years left me bleeding in a wrecked car without so much as a backward glance.

Still, some pathetic part of me had hoped Ethan would be there when I woke up. Perhaps he'd feel guilty. Perhaps he'd realize how close he'd come to losing me.

But the room was empty.

He didn't come.

Of course he didn't. Vanessa was probably keeping him occupied, and as long as she was safe, nothing else mattered.

Then the door opened.

"Sophie Bennett."

I sat up so quickly that pain shot through my arm.

Lucian Storm stood in the doorway, dressed in a black suit that looked ridiculously expensive. His dark hair was neatly styled, and his expression was unreadable as he took in the sight of me.

"Lucian?" I could barely utter his name.

He crossed the room, his gaze moving from my bandaged arm to the bruising along my forehead.

"What happened to you?" His voice was controlled, but there was something beneath it that I couldn't quite identify.

"What are you doing here?" I swallowed.

"You called me."

He pulled out his phone and held it up.

"Several times, actually. Your messages weren't exactly clear, but I understood enough to know you'd been in an accident."

Heat crept up my neck.

I'd called him? I barely remembered anything after the crash.

"I didn't realize..."

"That you'd need me?" He slipped his phone into his pocket. "Apparently, you did."

There was no mockery in his voice, which somehow made the situation more embarrassing.

"Are you in pain?" He pulled a chair closer to the bed.

"Just a little." I replied.

"I spoke with your doctor. You should be discharged soon, provided you follow his instructions and take your medication."

I nodded, unsure what else to say.

Lucian had come all the way from his pack because I'd called him in a moment of desperation. Meanwhile, Ethan didn't even bother to check whether I was alive.

The realization made my throat tighten.

"How did the accident happen?" Lucian asked.

I looked down at my lap.

"I was driving Ethan and Vanessa to the bank."

"Vanessa is back?" His jaw tightened. I could see him finally put the pieces together in his head.

Four years had passed since we last met and I figured now, over those years, he knew there was something going on between Ethan and I.

"Yes." I replied.

"And they left you in the car?"

I couldn't bring myself to answer, I didn't even need to but Lucian seemed to understand. He leaned back in his chair, watching me with an expression that made me feel strangely exposed.

"I don't understand why you're still surprised by his behavior, Sophie. Ethan has shown you exactly who he is."

"You don't know what happened between us." I defended him.

"I know enough."

"You're his best friend."

"Was," He corrected. "And that doesn't mean I'm blind."

"I know he doesn't love me. You don't have to keep reminding me." I looked away, blinking back tears.

"Then stop looking for reasons to excuse him."

His words stung because they were true.

For four years, I'd found excuses for every insult, every broken promise, every time Ethan had made me feel like something he needed to hide. I'd convinced myself that patience would eventually make him love me enough to choose me.

But yesterday had finally taught me otherwise.

Lucian's eyes shifted toward the handbag resting on the chair beside him. The corner of the contract peeked out from its opening.

"I'm sure you've met Nathan..." He paused. "He told about the proposal. Have you made a decision?" He asked.

I pushed a hard lump down my throat.

"You don't need to make a decision today." He quickly added.

"But I have. I want to accept the offer..." I replied. "I need to leave Crescent Pack. I can't stay there anymore, and I have nowhere else to go. Your offer would give me a fresh start."

"And the child?" Lucian looked at me cautiously.

"I understand what the contract requires." I said even though my stomach tightened but Lucian could see right through me.

"Understanding and being comfortable with it are two different things. I know the magnitude of what I'm asking of you." He said.

I studied him for a moment because there was one thing I needed to understand.

"Why me?" I asked.

His expression didn't change.

"Because I need an heir."

"You could have any woman you wanted. Women with powerful families, women who actually have wolves. Why choose someone everyone considers defective?"

"Don't call yourself that." The firmness in his voice startled me and I pressed my lips together.

"That's what I've been called my entire life."

"Worthless. Useless. A burden. I don't have a wolf, Lucian. I have no family, no status, nothing to offer a man like you." I continued.

"You have no idea what you have to offer." He replied.

"How would you know? You barely know me." I said back to him and a smirk curled his lips.

"Perhaps I know more than you think."

I stared at him.

"Is this some kind of bet? Are you trying to prove that you can save the helpless omega nobody else wants?"

Lucian stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor.

"Do you honestly believe I'd offer you millions of dollars, put my reputation on the line, and arrange an entire marriage because of a bet?" I recoiled at his raised voice.

He noticed and then he took a breath before speaking again.

"No. That's not what this is."

"Then what is it?" I asked and for the first time, he seemed to struggle for an answer.

"It's complicated."

He returned to his chair, his gaze steady on mine.

"My father is ill. He's been ill for a long time, and his greatest wish is to see an heir before he steps down. I intend to give him that."

There was a quiet sadness in his voice when he mentioned his father.

It was the first time I'd seen anything that made Lucian seem less like an untouchable prince and more like an ordinary man with something to lose.

"But why me?" I asked again.

"That's something you'll understand in time." He said coldly and even though I hated that answer, I knew it was all I'd be getting.

"Thank you for helping me." I whispered after a while. I'd tried to stretch my hand towards him but I could only move so much and he looked at my outstretched hand before gently taking it.

"You don't owe me gratitude for making sure you survived."

His fingers were warm around mine.

"And Sophie?"

I looked up.

"Whatever happens between us, no one in Shadowridge will be allowed to treat you the way you've been treated here." There was a certainty in his voice that made my chest ache.

Ethan had once promised me the same thing, to protect me.

I had to remind myself that should this happen, Lucian and I were only entering yet another arrangement, nothing more.

He needed an heir and I needed protection and a chance to rebuild my life. There would be no expectations beyond that.

No falling in love.

Because I had learned my lesson.

Three days later, I was discharged.

Lucian arranged for his driver to take me back to Crescent Pack, and throughout my recovery, I kept thinking about our conversation. I still didn't understand his reasons, but I'd made my decision.

I was going to sign the contract.

The black SUV rolled into the pack house driveway, and I gathered my things before the driver could help me out.

Then I saw Ethan.

He stood near the entrance, his arms folded across his chest as his gaze moved from me to the car, lingering on the license plate.

STORM45.

His expression changed once he figured exactly whose car it was.

His best friend, Lucian Storm.