Divorced by the Alpha, Claimed by the Rogue

Alina’s POV

It had been over two months since I escaped Aiden’s mansion, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I was finally breathing easy.

Every morning I woke up to Leo’s giggles echoing through the house as he played with Lucian. My son had taken to him so naturally, like he’d always belonged in our lives. Lucian, in turn, treated Leo with a gentleness that melted my heart every single time. This was the kind of life I had dreamed about — a real family, laughter filling the rooms, and my brother back in my life.

Getting to know my brother again after so many lost years had been one of the brightest parts of this new Chapter. We stayed up late some nights talking, catching up on everything we’d missed. But even with all this happiness, something kept nagging at the back of my mind.

Their business.

Whenever I asked Lucian or my brother what exactly they did, I was always met with the same vague answers: "Don’t worry about it," or "It’s nothing you need to think about." I tried to let it go. I really did. But the uncertainty still lingered.

That afternoon, as I walked down the long hallway toward Lucian’s room, I noticed Ragnar and Daniel near the side entrance. Ragnar was taking a black duffel bag from Daniel, their faces serious, voices low. The moment they saw me, they both straightened up and offered tight smiles. Something about the exchange felt off, but I forced myself to keep walking. I didn’t want to dig into things that might ruin the peace I’d found.

When I stepped into Lucian’s room, his face lit up instantly. He crossed the space in a few strides and pulled me into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

"Hey, beautiful," he murmured. "What’s wrong? You look worried."

I hesitated for a second before sighing. "I saw Ragnar taking a bag from Daniel earlier... they both looked really suspicious. I don’t know, maybe I’m just overthinking again."

Lucian brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his expression calm. "You are overthinking, love. Ragnar and Daniel handle a lot of things for me. It’s probably just work stuff. You don’t have to worry about any of that, okay?"

I searched his eyes, wanting to push further, but the way he looked at me — so steady and reassuring — made me nod instead. "Alright. I’ll let it go."

A small smile tugged at his lips. "Good. Because I have a surprise for you."

My eyebrows rose. "A surprise?"

"Yes," he said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Come on. We’re leaving right now."

We drove for about twenty minutes, the city passing by in a blur. When the car finally stopped, I stepped out and froze.

In front of me stood a beautiful little shop with a big red ribbon stretched across the entrance. The sign above the glass windows read "Alina’s Sweet Haven" in elegant lettering. My hands flew to my mouth as tears instantly welled up in my eyes.

"Lucian..." I whispered, my voice shaky. "What is this?"

He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "This is yours, Alina. Your new shop. I know how much you love baking. You can finally do what makes you happy again — every single day."

Tears slipped down my cheeks. I turned in his arms and buried my face in his chest, trying to find my voice. "Thank you," I said, the words coming out thick and emotional. "Thank you so much."

"You deserve it," he said softly, kissing the top of my head. "You deserve everything good in this world."

For a moment, pure joy flooded me. But then reality crept back in. I pulled away slightly, looking up at him.

"Won’t this... attract Aiden? If he finds out I’m here, running a shop with my name on it—"

Lucian’s jaw tightened at the mention of Aiden, but his voice stayed gentle. "Stop living in fear, Alina. Aiden is not going to touch you. I’m here. Always. And this place will have tight security — the best. You’re safe. I promise."

I wanted to believe him. I smiled and nodded, even though a small knot of worry still sat in my stomach.

The past seven days had flown by in the best way possible.

My little café was alive with the smell of fresh pastries, coffee, and warm bread. I had hired three wonderful workers who were already picking up on my recipes fast. Customers kept pouring in — some curious about the new spot, others already becoming regulars after tasting my chocolate croissants and lemon cakes.

I stood behind the counter, watching orders fly in on the small screen, a wide smile on my face. Leo was with his nanny for the afternoon, and Lucian had promised to stop by later. For the first time in years, I felt like I was truly building something that was mine.

This was happiness. Real happiness.

"Alina?" Hannah, one of my workers, hurried over with a worried look. "There’s some trouble with the customer at table 6. She’s complaining loudly about the pie and demanding to speak to the owner."

I wiped my hands on my apron and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry, Hannah. I’ll handle it."

I walked over to table 6, keeping my professional smile in place. "Hi, I’m Alina, the owner. What seems to be the problem?"

The woman slowly lifted her face, and my stomach dropped. The smile on my face faded instantly.

Emily.

She leaned back in her chair with that familiar smug expression, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction at my shock.

"Emily," I said, my voice low. "Why are you here?"

She let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Why wouldn’t I be? Your pastries are suddenly popular everywhere in the city. Of course I had to come check it out for myself." She tilted her head, studying me. "Though I honestly didn’t expect you to come out of hiding so soon... not when you know Aiden is still on the hunt for you."

My hands clenched at my sides. "I miss his attention so bad," she continued, her voice dripping with fake sweetness, "and that’s why I resorted to this. Coming here to see how far you’ve really gotten."

I stared at her, anger and disbelief mixing in my chest. My eyes dropped to the obvious swell of her belly under her designer top.

"You’re pregnant, Emily," I said quietly but firmly. "Why are you behaving this way? Do you really want your child to grow up and be just like you?"

The smug smile on her face vanished immediately. For a split second, something like hurt flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by cold anger.

She stood up slowly, grabbing her bag. "If you like yourself, Alina, you shouldn’t let Aiden come anywhere near here. It won’t be good for you... and maybe this pretty little shop of yours will get destroyed in the process." She picked up her fork, took one last bite of the pie, and gave me a mocking smile. "Thanks for the pie, by the way. It was actually good this time."

With that, she turned and walked out of the café, leaving the door chiming behind her.

I stood there for a long moment after Emily walked out, her words echoing in my head like a bad dream. But I quickly shook it off.

I shouldn’t be scared. Lucian had promised he would protect me, and I had learned how to protect myself too. I refused to let Aiden control my life from the shadows anymore. I didn’t care about him. Not today. Not anymore.

The rest of the evening went by in a blur of orders, laughter from customers, and the comforting smell of baked goods. I kept expecting Lucian to walk through the door like he’d promised, but as the hours passed and the sun began to set, there was still no sign of him. Maybe something had come up. Maybe he wasn’t coming after all.

By closing time, I felt exhausted but proud. I packed up the remaining pastries, gave Hannah and the other girls instructions for tomorrow, and locked the doors. Time to go home to Leo and the warmth of the house.

The moment I stepped out into the cool evening air, my heart slammed against my ribs.

Both of the security guards Lucian had assigned to watch the café were slumped against the wall near the entrance. Their faces were bruised and bloodied, clothes torn. One had a deep gash on his forehead, the other was clutching his side, breathing shallowly.

My eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God! What happened?!" I rushed toward them, dropping to my knees. "Are you okay? Please, say something!"

They were too badly injured to even speak — just weak groans and pained gasps. Fear clawed up my throat, but I forced it down.

Then I heard his voice. Low. Calm. Terrifyingly familiar.

"Did you really think you were going to get far from me, Alina?"

My heart skipped a violent beat. For a second, the world tilted. But I refused to let him see even a flicker of the terror surging through me. I slowly rose to my feet and turned to face him, keeping my expression composed and steady.

Aiden stood a few feet away, dressed in a dark tailored suit, looking every bit as dangerous and controlled as I remembered. His eyes locked onto mine with that possessive intensity that used to make me feel trapped.

I managed a faint, cold smile. "Why are you here, Aiden?"

He took a slow step closer, his lips curving into a smirk. "I’m here to take you back." His voice dropped lower. "By force if necessary."