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She appears to be a wealthy, abandoned woman dependent on her husband, but in reality, she is a brilliant scientist with patents and hidden wealth. Her husband sees her as a parasite, unaware of her illustrious background and the resources she already possesses to fight back. ===== Chapter 1 The rain at the cemetery was not a drizzle. It was a deluge, a vertical sheet of gray water that turned the manicured grass of the private burial ground into a slick, treacherous mud pit. Eliana Heath stood at the very edge of the gathering. The heels of her black pumps sank into the softened earth, anchoring her in place like a statue forgotten by its sculptor. She held her black umbrella with both hands. Her knuckles were white, the skin stretched tight over the bone. The wind tugged at the canopy, threatening to invert it, but she did not adjust her grip. She did not move. She watched the mahogany casket of Harrison Vargas being lowered into the ground. Around her, the whispers of New York's elite were louder than the rain. She heard them. She always heard them. Poor thing. Just a trophy. Look at her, standing there like a mannequin while her husband holds another woman. Eliana's eyes shifted. Ten feet away, under the shelter of a massive tent reserved for the immediate family, stood Hayes Vargas. He was not looking at the grave of his father. He was looking down at the woman weeping against his ch**t. Felicity Branch. Felicity looked fragile. She wore a black dress that was tastefully modest yet perfectly tailored to suggest vulnerability. Her blonde hair was damp, plastered to her cheeks in artful disarray. She sobbed into the lapel of Hayes's expensive suit, her small hands clutching the fabric as if he were the only solid thing left in the world. Hayes's arm was wrapped securely around her waist. His hand rubbed her back in slow, soothing circles. He whispered something into her hair, his expression etched with a pain and tenderness that Eliana had not seen directed at herself in three years of marriage. Eliana felt a physical coldness that had nothing to do with the weather. It started in her stomach, a heavy, leaden weight that pulled her internal organs downward. It spread to her fingertips, making them numb. She was the wife. She was Mrs. Vargas. Yet she stood in the rain, unshielded, while her husband comforted his childhood sweetheart, a woman who was not just a friend, but family. Felicity was the widow of Hayes's older brother, William, who had died in a boating accident only months prior. No one talked about that today, though. Today was about Felicity's grief for her "second father," Harrison. The tragic widow, losing both husband and father-in-law in one year. It was a narrative the tabloids loved, and Hayes was playing his part as the protective surviving brother a little too well. The service ended. The priest closed his bible. The crowd began to disperse, a sea of black umbrellas moving toward the line of waiting limousines. Hayes guided Felicity toward the lead car, the extended Lincoln with the Vargas family crest on the door. He shielded her head with his hand, ignoring the rain soaking his own shoulders. The driver, a man named Thomas who had always been kind to Eliana, opened the rear door. Hayes helped Felicity inside. He leaned in, ensuring she was settled, before straightening up. He looked around then, as if suddenly remembering he had brought someone else. His eyes found Eliana. He gestured vaguely for her to come. It was the kind of gesture one used for a trailing pet. Eliana closed her umbrella. The mechanism clicked, a sharp sound that seemed to sever something inside her ch**t. She walked to the car. Thomas held the door open, his eyes downcast, embarrassed on her behalf. Eliana did not get in the back. She saw Felicity sprawled across the leather seat, occupying the center, dabbing her eyes with Hayes's handkerchief. Hayes was already climbing in beside her. Eliana opened the front passenger door. "Mrs. Vargas?" Thomas asked, surprised. "I prefer the view," Eliana said. Her voice was steady. Flat. She slid into the front seat and closed the door. The interior of the car smelled of wet wool and Felicity's cloying, floral perfume. It was suffocating. The partition between the front and back was open. Eliana could hear Felicity's hitched breathing. "Oh, Hayes, I don't know what I'm going to do," Felicity whimpered. "Leo is going to be so lost without Grandpa Harrison. First William, now this... he has no male figures left." Hayes's voice was low, a rumble that vibrated through the seat frame. "You aren't alone, Felicity. I promised William, and I promised you. I am here. I'm not going anywhere." Eliana stared at the rain streaking the windshield. The wipers sl**ped back and forth. s**p. s**p. s**p. A rhythmic countdown. She watched her own reflection in the side mirror. She looked perfect. Not a hair out of place, her makeup sealed with setting spray, her expression vacuous. The perfect doll Hayes believed he had married. "Hayes," Eliana said. She did not turn around. She spoke to the windshield. The murmuring in the back stopped. "What is it, Eliana?" Hayes asked. His tone shifted instantly. The tenderness evaporated, replaced by the weary impatience of a man dealing with a tedious obligation. "The funeral is over," she said. "We need to discuss the divorce." The car swerved slightly. Thomas corrected the wheel, his hands tightening on the leather. Silence filled the cabin. It was heavy, pressurized silence. Then, Felicity let out a small, shocked g**p. Hayes let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Eliana, seriously? Now?" He sounded disgusted. "My father is barely in the ground. Felicity is having a panic attack. And you choose this moment to pull one of your stunts for attention?" Eliana watched a droplet of water trace a path down the glass. It wasn't a stunt. "I am not playing games, Hayes. I am serious. Your father passed. The merger is secure. Your responsibility is back." She could hear the rustle of fabric as Hayes shifted, likely leaning forward to glare at the back of her head. "My responsibility? You mean Felicity?" Hayes's voice rose. "Have some respect. She is grieving. She is my brother's widow. You have everything you could possibly want. You live in a mansion, you have an unlimited allowance, you do nothing all day but shop and plan parties. Do not threaten me with leaving. We both know you can't survive a day without the Vargas trust fund." Eliana looked down at her hands. They were resting on her lap, still and composed. He really believed that. He believed she was a parasite. She didn't correct him. She didn't scream that she had three patents pending under a pseudonym. She didn't tell him that her "shopping trips" were meetings with pharmaceutical developers. She just nodded. "Fine," she said. The word hung there. "See?" Hayes said to Felicity, his voice dropping back to that soothing register. "She's just upset because I didn't hold her hand. She'll get over it." The car turned through the massive wrought-iron gates of the Vargas estate. The gravel crunched under the tires. When the car stopped, the front door of the mansion opened. Martha, the head housekeeper, stood there with two maids. Hayes got out first. He turned and extended a hand to Felicity, helping her descend from the vehicle as if she were made of spun glass. Leo, Felicity's five-year-old son, ran out of the house. He was dressed in a miniature suit, holding a toy airplane. "Daddy!" Leo shouted. He slammed into Hayes's legs. Hayes did not correct the boy. He never did. He reached down and scooped the child up, balancing him on his hip. "Hey, buddy," Hayes said, ki**ing the boy's cheek. Eliana got out of the front seat. She opened a large black umbrella again, though the walk to the porch was short. She stood at the bottom of the stone steps, looking up at them. The handsome billionaire. The beautiful, grieving widow. The adorable child. It was a perfect family portrait. Eliana was just the smudge on the lens. "Martha," Hayes called out, walking up the steps with Leo in his arms and Felicity clinging to his elbow. "Have the staff prepare the East Wing master suite. Felicity and Leo will be staying there for the foreseeable future. She needs support right now." Martha froze. Her eyes darted to Eliana. "But... sir," Martha stammered. "The East Wing? That's... that's the primary guest suite next to your..." "Just do it, Martha," Hayes snapped. "Eliana has been sl**ping in the West Wing guest room for three years. It's not like it interferes with her space." He didn't even look back at his wife. He walked through the double doors, carrying his new family into Eliana's home. Eliana stood in the rain. The water splashed against her ankles. She felt a strange sensation in her ch**t. It wasn't pain. It was the snapping of a tether. The final thread that had bound her to this farce of a marriage had just been cut. She looked at Martha, who was staring at her with pity. "Mrs. Vargas?" Martha asked softly. Eliana closed her umbrella and shook off the water. She walked up the steps, her spine straight, her chin high. "It's fine, Martha," Eliana said. "Do as he says." She walked past the housekeeper and into the foyer. She didn't look at the grand staircase where Hayes had disappeared. She turned left, toward the West Wing, toward the exit. "Whatever you say," she whispered to the empty hallway. Chapter 2 The next morning, the sky was a bruised purple, clearing after the storm. Eliana did not wake up in the Vargas estate. She hadn't sl**t there. She had sl**t in a small, sterile room at a private club in Manhattan, one that required a retinal scan to enter. She wore a beige trench coat over a simple white blouse and trousers. She drove a nondescript Audi sedan, a car she had bought with cash two years ago and kept parked three blocks from the estate. She pulled up to a brownstone on the Upper East Side. There was no sign on the door, just a brass number plate. She buzzed. The door clicked open. Inside, the office smelled of old books and expensive coffee. Talia Winters sat behind a mahogany desk that was cluttered with files. Talia was sharp-featured, with a bob cut that looked like it could slice paper. She was the best divorce attorney in the city, and she was Eliana's only friend. Talia looked up and whistled. "You look like a spy," Talia said. Eliana took off her sunglasses. Her eyes were rimmed with red, not from crying, but from lack of sl**p. She sat down and placed her leather bag on the floor. "Draft it," Eliana said. "I'm done." Talia didn't blink. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a thick folder. "I've had this ready for six months, Eliana. You know that." Talia opened the folder. "We go for half," Talia said, uncapping a pen. "The pre-nup has a cheating clause. If we can prove emotional infidelity-which, given the photos from the funeral yesterday, is a slam dunk-we can pierce the trust." "No," Eliana said. Talia paused. "What?" "I don't want his money," Eliana said. Her voice was quiet but hard. "I don't want the estate. I don't want the stocks. I want out. Clean break. Immediately." Talia dropped the pen. "Eliana, you spent three years playing the dutiful wife to that man-child. You were his nurse, his PR manager, his emotional punching bag. You earned that payout." Eliana reached into her bag and pulled out a sealed medical envelope. She slid it across the desk. Talia frowned. "What is this?" "Open it." Talia ripped the seal. She scanned the document. It was a gynecological report from a top specialist, dated yesterday. Talia's eyes widened. She looked up, her mouth slightly open. "Intact?" Talia whispered. "You... after three years?" Eliana leaned back in the chair. "He wanted to save himself for her. He told me on our wedding night. He said the marriage was just business, a merger between his father and the board. He said he wouldn't dishonor his memory of Nina-that's what he calls Felicity-by sl**ping with me." Talia slammed the file shut. "That son of a bi**h. That is constructive abandonment. That is fraud. We can destroy him. We can make him pay until he bleeds." "No," Eliana said. She leaned forward, her hands clasping together. "Listen to me, Talia. The Santos family is looking for me." The air in the room changed. Talia went rigid. "My grandmother's private investigators were spotted near the clinic last week," Eliana continued. "If I drag this out with a messy divorce trial, if my face is on the cover of the tabloids fighting for money, the Santos family will find me. They will drag me back. And you know what that means." Talia swallowed. She knew. She was the only one who knew. Eliana took a breath. "I need speed. I need Hayes to sign a waiver of contest. I need him to think he's winning. If I ask for nothing, if I leave with just my clothes, his ego will let me go. He thinks I'm helpless. He thinks I'll come crawling back." Talia looked at the medical report, then at Eliana's determined face. She sighed, a long, defeated sound. "Fine," Talia said. "I'll draft the 'Decoy' agreement. Mutual separation, no alimony, no asset division. It's the worst deal in history." "It's the price of freedom," Eliana said. Her phone buzzed on the desk. A text from Hayes. Family dinner tonight. Don't be late. Eliana stared at the screen. She typed: Received. Then she deleted the message. She stood up. "Have it ready by tomorrow." Eliana drove back to the estate. She parked the Audi three blocks away, walked to the service entrance, and slipped into the house. She changed into one of the pastel dresses Hayes liked-something soft, unthreatening. She walked down the grand staircase. She stopped on the landing. The main living room, a space Eliana had curated with minimalist, elegant art, was in chaos. Movers were hauling out the abstract sculptures she had commissioned. In their place, they were hanging large, garish photographs in cheap, colorful plastic frames. The photos were everywhere. Felicity and Leo at the beach. Felicity and Leo at Disney World. Felicity and Leo baking cookies. It looked like a shrine. Felicity was standing in the center of the room, pointing at the mantle. "No, move that vase," she instructed a worker. "It blocks the picture of Leo's first tooth." Eliana walked down the remaining steps. Her heels clicked on the marble. Felicity turned. Her face lit up with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh! Eliana!" Felicity clapped her hands. "I hope you don't mind. I just felt this place was so... cold. It needed some life. Some family energy." Eliana looked at the wall where her favorite painting, a moody seascape, used to hang. It was now occupied by a blown-up photo of Leo eating spaghetti. "Taste is subjective, I suppose," Eliana said. "Though some things are objectively loud." Felicity's smile faltered. She bit her lip, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "I just wanted to make it nice..." Hayes walked in from the library. He saw Felicity's face and immediately stepped between the two women. "Eliana," Hayes warned. "Felicity is a guest. Can you try, for once, to be gracious?" Eliana looked at him. He was wearing a casual sweater, looking every bit the suburban dad he pretended to be with Felicity. "A guest?" Eliana asked. "Then why is she redecorating the host's home?" Hayes's jaw tightened. "This is my house, Eliana. And Felicity is trying to make it comfortable for Leo. The boy has been through enough." Eliana looked around the room. It didn't look like a home anymore. It looked like territory that had been marked. "You're right," Eliana said. Hayes blinked, surprised by her capitulation. "It is your house," she continued. "Soon, it will be entirely yours." She turned and walked toward the stairs. Hayes watched her go. He felt a prickle of annoyance, a strange itch at the back of his neck. Usually, she would argue. Usually, she would fight for her aesthetic. Why did she give up so easily? Hayes turned back to Felicity, who was sniffing bravely. "Don't worry, honey," Hayes said, wrapping an arm around her. "She's just jealous. It looks great." Chapter 3 Dinner was a nightmare of noise. The dining room table was set for four, but only three people were eating. Leo was not eating. Leo was drumming. He held a silver fork in one fist and a spoon in the other, banging them rhythmically against the rim of a crystal goblet. Clink. Clink. Smash. Clink. Eliana sat at her usual spot. She tried to cut her chicken, but the noise was drilling into her temples. "Hayes," she said softly. Hayes looked up from his phone. He was scrolling through emails. "Hmm?" "The noise," Eliana said. "It's crystal." Felicity laughed lightly. She was feeding Leo a piece of bread. "Oh, Eliana, let him express himself. He's a musical genius in the making. He's just a spirited boy." Leo, emboldened by his mother's praise, hit the glass harder. Eliana put her kn**e down. "It's not about spirit. It's about manners." Leo stopped drumming. He slid off his chair. He ran around the table, his heavy shoes thudding on the Persian rug. He headed for the fireplace in the adjoining sitting area. On the mantle, pushed to the far side by Felicity's invasion of photos, sat a single, small silver frame. It was an old, black-and-white photograph of a couple standing in front of a vineyard. It was the only photo Eliana had of her parents. The only thing she had managed to smuggle out of the Santos estate when she fled at eighteen. Leo grabbed the frame. "Ugly!" Leo shouted. "Old people are ugly!" Eliana's bl**d went cold. "Put that down," she said. Her voice was not loud, but it carried a vibration that made the candles on the table flicker. Leo stuck out his tongue. "No! Uncle Hayes said this is his house! That means it's my house!" He raised the frame high above his head. "Leo, no!" Eliana stood up, her chair scraping violently against the floor. Leo threw it. He didn't just drop it. He hurled it downward with all the force his five-year-old body could muster. The sound of the glass shattering on the marble hearth was like a gunshot. The room went silent. Eliana stood frozen. She stared at the shards. The photo lay face down amidst the glittering debris. Leo looked at her, then at the mess. His face crumpled. He opened his mouth and let out a wail that sounded like a siren. Felicity was out of her chair in a second. She rushed to Leo, falling to her knees to embrace him. "You scared him!" Felicity screamed at Eliana. "You yelled at him and scared him!" Hayes rushed over. He looked at the crying boy, then at the broken glass. He recognized the photo. A flash of guilt crossed his face, but it was quickly drowned out by Leo's screams. "Eliana," Hayes said, his voice stern. "He's a child. You didn't have to lunge at him like that." Eliana walked toward them. She didn't look at Hayes. She didn't look at Felicity. Her eyes were locked on the photo. She knelt down. "Don't touch it," Hayes said. "You'll cut yourself. We'll get the maid to-" Eliana reached into the jagged pile. Her fingers closed around the photo paper. A shard of glass, sharp as a scalpel, sliced into the pad of her thumb. Another cut her palm. She didn't flinch. She didn't pull back. Bl**d welled up, bright red and fast. It dripped onto the white marble. It smeared onto the corner of the black-and-white photo. She picked it up. She brushed the glass dust off her mother's face with a bl**dy thumb. "It's just a photo," Hayes said, exasperated now. "We can get it restored. I'll pay for it. Stop being dramatic." Eliana stood up. She clutched the photo to her ch**t, staining her silk blouse with bl**d. "There is no negative," she whispered. "This was the only one." Hayes ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I didn't know that. Look, I'm sorry, okay? But look at Leo. He's terrified. You need to apologize for screaming." Eliana slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Her eyes were dry. They were terrifyingly empty. It was the look of a building that had been controlled-demolished, collapsing inward into dust. "Apologize?" she asked. "Yes," Hayes said. "Be the adult here." Eliana looked at Leo, who was peeking out from Felicity's shoulder, a smirk playing on his tear-stained lips. She looked at Hayes, the man she had tried to love for three years. The man she had protected from the board, from the press, from his own incompetence. "I will not," Eliana said. She turned and walked toward the stairs. Bl**d dripped from her hand, leaving a trail of small red dots on the floor. "Where are you going?" Hayes called after her. To pack, she didn't say. To call Talia, she didn't say. She just kept walking. Upstairs, in her room, she locked the door. She went to the bathroom and ran her hand under cold water. The sting was sharp, grounding. She wrapped her hand in gauze. Then she picked up her phone. She dialed Talia. "Do it," Eliana said. "Tomorrow. I don't care how we do it. I want his signature on that paper." Chapter 4 The next morning, the library was a war zone of paperwork. Hayes sat behind his massive oak desk, surrounded by stacks of documents related to the transfer of a property deed for Felicity. He looked exhausted. Eliana walked in. She held a tray with a single cup of black coffee. Her hand was bandaged, the white gauze stark against her black sleeve. She placed the coffee on a coaster near his elbow. "Morning," she said. Hayes grunted. He didn't look at her hand. "Thanks." Eliana pulled a thick stack of papers from under her arm. "The quarterly reports for the family foundation," she said. "The accountants are chasing me. They need these signed by noon or we miss the tax filing window." Hayes rubbed his temples. "Can't you just forge it? You usually do." That was a joke. Or maybe it wasn't. "Not for the IRS," Eliana said. "Just a few signatures. I tabbed them for you." She placed the stack in front of him. She had arranged it masterfully. The top pages were boring, dense financial spreadsheets. She flipped through them quickly. "Here," she pointed to a yellow sticky tab. Hayes signed. Hayes A. Vargas. "And here." He signed again. Eliana's heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her palms were sweating inside her bandages. She flipped to the next tab. This page was positioned so that the top half was covered by the previous document, folded over as if to keep the place. Only the signature line was visible. It was the Waiver of Contest and Dissolution of Marriage. "Here," Eliana said. Her voice was steady, practiced. Hayes brought the pen down. The tip touched the paper. From the hallway, a shriek pierced the air. "Hayes! Hayes, help!" It was Felicity. Hayes jumped. His hand jerked, the pen skidding across the paper, creating a long, jagged line before he scribbled his name quickly. "What happened?" Hayes yelled, dropping the pen. He stood up so fast his chair tipped over. He shoved past Eliana. He didn't mean to shove her hard, but in his panic, he used his full weight. Eliana stumbled back. Her hip slammed into the corner of the heavy bookshelf. A sharp pain shot down her leg. She gasped, grabbing the shelf for support. Hayes didn't stop. He didn't even turn his head. He sprinted out of the room. Eliana bit her lip to keep from crying out. She steadied herself. She looked at the desk. The paper. She reached out with trembling fingers and pulled the document free from the stack. There it was. Hayes A. Vargas. The signature was messy, trailed by a line of ink from his startle response, but it was there. It was legal. Downstairs, she heard Felicity sobbing. "I stubbed my toe! It hurts so bad! I think it's broken!" Eliana closed her eyes for a second. A stubbed toe. She heard Hayes's frantic voice. "I've got you. Let's get you to the car. We're going to the ER." The front door slammed. Silence returned to the house. Eliana let out a breath she felt she had been holding for three years. She looked at the paper in her hand. It was more valuable than diamonds. It was her ticket out of h**l. She took her phone out and snapped a photo of the signature page. She sent it to Talia via an encrypted app. Got it, she typed. Talia replied instantly. You're free. Legally, you are a single woman. I'll file it with the clerk in an hour. Eliana looked at the message. A strange smile touched her lips. It wasn't a happy smile. It was the smile of a prisoner who had just dug the last scoop of dirt from the tunnel. She walked over to the desk. Hayes's phone was sitting there, forgotten in his rush to save Felicity's toe. The screen lit up. A notification from Felicity. Heart emoji. Thank you for being my hero. Eliana stared at it. She turned the phone face down. "Not a hero," she whispered. "Just a f**l." She gathered the rest of the papers, the fake financial reports, and placed them neatly in the recycling bin. She folded the divorce agreement and slid it into the inside pocket of her blazer, right against her heart. Chapter 5 Two days later, the atmosphere in the house shifted. Mr. Sterling was coming. Mr. Sterling was not just a butler. He was the executor of the Vargas Family Trust, the eyes and ears of the board, and a man who terrified Hayes more than his own father had. Eliana prepared the living room. She went to the safe in the basement and brought out a long, rectangular box. From it, she removed a scroll. It was a painting. A classic Chinese ink wash painting, depicting a lonely mountain peak shrouded in mist. It was attributed to a master from the Song Dynasty. It was a registered gift from the Santos Matriarch to the Vargas family upon the wedding-a symbol of the alliance so valuable it was listed on the family's insurance as a separate entity. Eliana hung it on the main wall, replacing the photo of Leo eating spaghetti. Felicity came in with Leo just as Eliana was adjusting the wire. "What is that dreary thing?" Felicity asked, wrinkling her nose. "It's so... gray." "It's history," Eliana said. "It's worth twelve million dollars." Felicity scoffed. "For a piece of paper? Ridiculous." Leo ran into the room. He was holding a juice box. Grape juice. He was squeezing it, making the purple liquid bubble at the straw. Eliana sat down on the sofa. She opened a book, but she didn't read. She watched Leo. Leo wandered toward the painting. Eliana stood up. "Leo, be careful. That is very expensive." She made sure her voice lacked authority. She made sure it sounded like a challenge. Felicity rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop hovering. He's just looking." Eliana took a step forward, then stopped. "It belongs to the Santos family, really. If anything happened to it... Hayes would be in a lot of trouble." Felicity heard the name 'Hayes' and bristled. She looked at Leo. "Go on, Leo," Felicity said. "Look at the fancy paper. See if it's special." Leo grinned. He ran toward the wall. He squeezed the juice box with both hands. A jet of purple liquid arched through the air. It splattered across the delicate rice paper. The mist on the mountain turned a violent, sugary violet. The ink ran. The paper soaked it up instantly, warping and buckling. "Oh no!" Eliana gasped. She brought her hands to her mouth. Leo laughed. "It looks better now! It has color!" Felicity giggled. "See? He's an artist." The heavy oak doors of the living room opened. Mr. Sterling stood there. He was a tall man with silver hair and a posture like a steel rod. Behind him stood two lawyers in gray suits. Sterling looked at the wall. His face did not move, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. He walked over to the painting. He inspected the purple stain. He turned to look at Felicity. "Mrs. Vargas," Sterling said, addressing Eliana but looking at Felicity. "What has happened?" Eliana lowered her head. "I tried to stop him, Mr. Sterling. But Felicity said..." Sterling turned his gaze to Felicity. It was a gaze that could peel paint. "Ms. Branch," Sterling said. Felicity smiled nervously. "Hi, Sterling. It's just a little accident. Leo spilled some juice. It's just an old paper, we can wipe it off." Sterling's voice was like grinding stones. "That 'old paper' is a national treasure on loan from the Santos collection. It is valued at twelve million dollars. And it is uninsured against acts of gross negligence." Felicity's smile vanished. "Twelve... million?" Sterling took out his phone. "I am notifying the board. This comes out of Hayes's personal equity." "But..." Felicity stammered. "That's Hayes's money!" Sterling looked at Leo, who was su**ing on the empty juice box. "The boy has destroyed the equivalent of the quarterly dividend," Sterling said. "Until the debt is repaid, all discretionary accounts linked to Hayes Vargas are frozen. The credit cards, the expense accounts, the liquid assets. Everything." "What?" Felicity shrieked. "You can't do that! We have expenses!" Sterling ignored her. He turned to the lawyers. "Document the damage. Remove the artifact." Eliana stood in the corner. She watched Sterling berate Felicity. She watched Felicity crumble into a sobbing mess on the sofa. She felt a tiny, cold flame of satisfaction in her gut. "Oh, dear," Eliana said, her voice dripping with fake concern. "This is going to be very bad for Hayes." &4&
Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted, and broken, I might be the first mateless Alpha’s daughter ever. “Your mate is here. He can smell you on Dad.” said my brother. He will reject me right? I knew he would…anyone would do that to a broken wolf. *** Molly's POV: Today, my brother Robbie will officially be named Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. the Alphas of nearby packs are expected to attend, and some from further decided to make the trip when word spread that the Royal Wolves would be in attendance. Mom was the best of friends with Queen Audrey and my father completed his Alpha training with King Peter over 30 years ago. She was right, though. The color of the dress did make my light green eyes pop, and the cut was very flattering on my curves. I’m the oldest child- they think. See, my birthday isn’t my actual birthday but my gotcha day, as my dad likes to call it. 16 years ago, my dad found me curled in a ball, asleep under a tree right on the edge of the pack territory. There was no one around and no scent to follow. He took me back to the pack house, and I stayed with them while they searched for where I had come from. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but there were no leads- no reports of packs of a missing child. After a year, my parents decided to adopt me and with a blood adoption blessed by the King. This is my family. When we stand together, my eyes always show how much I truly don’t belong here. My brother Robbie has always treated me just like a real sister, probably even more so. He’s younger than me, but as we got older, he definitely took the typical older brother role in our relationship as he grew into his alpha powers while everyone realized I was a broken wolf. My family never treated me any differently, but I know it was probably really hard to be the family of one of the kingdom's strongest alphas with an adopted daughter who was basically a human. I AM a wolf, though. I smell like one, and no one has ever questioned that. But I never had my wolf inside communicating with me. I have advanced hearing and smell- but that’s as far as my wolf abilities go. I think my family had hoped that once I reached 16, a switch would flip inside, and my wolf would wake, and I’d be normal, but that day never came. “Molly, maybe we were wrong on your birthday. Just wait; someday you’ll shift,” my mom would say to me every full moon. But here I am, 22 years old- never shifted and barely helpful to my pack. But still, my parents love me. High School was hard once the other kids realized I wasn’t shifting. Robbie tried to protect me from them. But I decided that if I couldn’t physically protect my pack, I would make myself completely indispensable to them. My dad was pretty unhappy with my choice at first. Since now I have taken over the head cook position for the pack, though he insists the job title now be called Head Chef of the Lunar Falls Pack. I’m a broken wolf, and I don’t think I even have a mate, but my mom is convinced that I do. Or she could just be holding out hope because the reality of being mateless is too sad. If my mom is right, though, and I do have a mate out there, you can be sure that they will reject me as soon as they realize how useless of a wolf I am, which is why I tend to stay in the kitchen and avoid any outsiders when they visit. There is a knock on my door, and I immediately smell my dad. He always smells of cedar and tobacco—the most comforting smell. “Molly, Love, you look absolutely beautiful,” he tells me, looking at me in the mirror from my doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’m almost ready, I promise. I just need to put on my shoes and run down to the kitchen to make sure everything is ready to go for dinner,” I reply with a smile. “You have staff and have been down there all morning, Kiddo. What else could you possibly need to check on?” “I know, Dad. They’re great. But it’s Robbie's big day- and it’s YOUR retirement, too. Don’t you want your meal to be perfect?” “I know it’s a big day for your brother, but who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special, and it’ll be a big day for you, too.” “It won’t be. But I’ll be there in just a few minutes”, I tell him as I slip on my nude pumps. Little did I know, it actually will BE the day that changes my whole life. Chapter 2 My mother is the Luna to end all Lunas. There is absolutely no comparison to how she handles her duties. The pack house is immaculately decorated at all times, but for my brother today it is perfection. Our pack's deep emerald green and gold colors adorn the walls, and as I step outside on the stone stairs, I see that the decorations extend over the outside of the house as well. A banner hangs above the door with the current pack crest- gold embroidery on the green, of the falls we’re so famous for with four stars next to a silver crescent moon. Robbie will update this when he’s ready to fit his family, as it hasn’t been updated since my adoption, and my dad (probably mom) had a star added to represent me. “Oh, Molly. That dress was the perfect choice!” My mother exclaims and pulls me out of my thoughts. She looks perfect, as always. She’s tall and thin, with her straight brown hair in an elegant twist. She never looks bad, but she looks absolutely stunning today. She’ll never admit it, but I know she’s nervous to have the King and Queen here in such a formal setting. She’s been friends with Queen Audrey since they were kids, but they’re rarely seen together in such a public setting. “Thank you, Mom,” I return to her in earnest. Her opinion means so much to me. My brother lucked out and doesn’t have to greet people even though it’s his own Alpha ceremony. “How’s Robbie doing today?” I ask. “Alpha Robert,” she says, emphasizing his full first name, “Is doing wonderfully today. He’s prepared for this role his entire life and is ready. I wish he had found his Luna before assuming the role, but he will be fine. You and I will have to help him out with the Luna duties until he finds her.” she tells me, and while I’d rather do anything than decorate, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. I hear my dad sigh as he hears with his Alpha hearing what I assume are cars coming. “It’s show time, ladies.” A short moment later, I see a car approach, and before they even get to us, a second and third car are seen just behind. The first car stops in front of the pack house, and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a woman with dulling blonde hair step out, followed by a large, dark-haired man with olive skin. “Ahh, Blake! It is so good to have you at the Falls! Thank you for joining us,” my dad exclaims, seeing his old friend. “Celeste, Molly, this is Alpha Blake and his lovely Luna, Amanda. I’m sorry, Blake. I'm not sure I’ve met this young man before,” he says before extending his hand to the younger, very handsome man with them. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Randall,” he says to my dad while accepting his hand to shake. “I’m the future Alpha Chris. Thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Luna Celeste, Molly, the pack house looks lovely,” he says to my mother and me. She looks at me, and I know that look. She’s asking if he’s maybe my mate, to which I barely shake my head. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” my mother expertly says to them with a smile. There’s no social situation my mother can’t handle with grace, and while I’m in awe of her skills, I realize I probably should have said something- anything. But I didn’t. They all stand looking at me, waiting for me to pull it together, but alas, I do not. High-pressure social situations aren’t my forte. Everyone continues to look at me when my dad finally steps in to save me from myself. “We can’t express how much we appreciate you all making the trip here for our son,” he says to them, and they, thankfully, all turn their attention to him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spent quite so much time hiding in the kitchens because that was the first car and I’ve already messed up. A whole line of cars is now waiting for us to greet them. Alpha Blake walks off with his family, and as I’m about to apologize to my father, his eyes go slightly out of focus, a sign that someone has mind-linked him. He gathers his focus back, and with a sigh, he turns to me. “Molly, there’s a situation in the kitchen that they need you for. If you could please hurry back after, that would be most appreciated.” Thank the Goddess! I quickly hug my dad, and he whispers in my ear, “You had better be in there for the ceremony.” I turn around, going to the kitchen in a near run. I’m not sure if I’m moving so quickly because I don’t know the situation in the kitchen or because I’m excited not to greet any more guests, but either way, I head to the kitchen and get there in record time. When I walk into the kitchen, nothing seems amiss. Everything smells fine, and everyone looks pretty calm. I’m confused. “What happened?”. “What do you mean?” Katie Mae asks me. “Someone linked my dad and said there was a situation in the kitchen,” I tell her. “Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replies, “But Oliver is in your office. Go check with him.” Confused, I head to my office to check in with my sous chef, who is running things for dinner tonight. I find him sitting back with his feet propped up on my desk, smirking at me. “Just how badly did you do, Molly?” he asks me. “What do you mean? What’s the emergency?” I ask in a confused panic. “I do believe YOU are the emergency. Alpha Randall linked me and told me he was sending you back to the kitchen. Apparently, you just needed to be let out of your greeting duties. I was told never to speak of this to the Luna.” he says while trying to stifle a laugh. I smile and link my dad. “Thanks, old man.” I can feel his slight chuckle in return. He’s always looking out for me—and probably the whole pack if I was supposed to continue attempting to greet people. “So, what did you do?” Oliver asks me. “I didn’t DO anything, which is the problem. I just forgot to talk.” “Oh, Molls. You’ve got to be the worst-mannered Alpha’s daughter there ever was.” I laugh, but honestly, he’s right. Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted and broken, I’ve never taken the training seriously. I could throw together a dinner party if I had to, but I’d much prefer to be in the kitchen cooking for it instead. “See any hot guys up there?” Oliver asks, breaking me out of my thoughts of my failure. “Oli, I met one family before Dad sent me down. But, of course, I found an attractive guy. He’s the future Alpha of some pack. I don’t think they ever said where. My dad knew his dad well, though.” “I’ll have to sneak up and check out the options during the ceremony, not that I’ll be finding my mate in a room full of Alphas. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy looking,” he tells me as his face falls. My heart stings for my best friend. Oliver is an omega. He probably would have been named head chef if it hadn’t been for me. We’re the same age and became friends while in school. Most Alphas don’t send their kids to the pack schools so that they won’t fraternize with the Omegas, but my dad felt it was important for pack unity if Robbie and I attended the school. He was right, too. Robbie and I made friends with kids from all class structures, and it helped us to understand how privileged we are to be the Alpha’s kids and to have everything we do. Oliver and I met in elementary school and became the best of friends. His dad had passed away when he was small, but his mom was amazing. She used to let me come over after school to play, and sometimes, I’d get to stay for dinner. She taught me how to cook, even though she didn’t work in the pack kitchens. She loved food and taught us everything she could in those years after school and during summer break when we’d go play in the falls and come back completely filthy and starving. When we were in middle school, Oliver came out to me. I’d never met a gay wolf, but it didn’t bother me. Unfortunately, as Oli got older and confided in more people, word spread, and he was treated very poorly by other kids who didn’t understand him. Robbie tried to step in and would hang out with us, but it didn’t matter to the other kids as much as he’d hoped. Oliver's mom died in a rogue attack just before he turned 18, so as soon as he finished school, he started working in the pack kitchen. What happened was terrible, but I’m glad we landed in the kitchen together. Oliver has always been the person who encourages me the most, and it’s helped me be brave. Brave enough to tell my dad I wanted to work in the kitchen. Brave enough to accept that I’m just a broken wolf. Brave enough to try all the new things we wanted in the kitchen and beyond. A few years ago, we cut back the overgrown area behind the pack house and planted a huge edible garden. The first two years weren’t amazing, but we did more research, and with our hard work this year, it has been successful. The packhouse grocery bill was cut almost in half for the summer from everything we’ve been able to harvest, though we didn’t have the abundance we’d hoped for to store for the winter months. I know I’ll find Oliver peeking in during the Alpha ceremony to check out all the guys there. I truly hope that he finds a mate one day. One of us should be happy, and I’m OK that it’s him. “Oli, you better not burn my brother’s dinner because you’re sneaking off to check out the Alphas,” I tell him, mostly joking but completely serious at the same time. “I’d never dream of burning Alpha Robert’s celebration dinner, my dear,” he tells me while grabbing my hand. Suddenly, I’m met with the smell of pine and tobacco and instantly know my brother is walking in. He smells so much like my dad, but still his own. I turn to make a joke about him becoming Alpha today, but when I see his face, I know it’s not the time. He’s so serious, too serious. He’s never like this around me. “Molly, I, uh, I need you to come up to Dad’s office… my office, with me,” he says. He’s so uncomfortable, and he’s rarely ever like this around me- serious and unsure. “What’s wrong? Is everyone OK?” I ask, knowing deep inside that something is wrong. “Everyone is fine, Molly. Dad needs to speak with you,” he tells me, looking anywhere but my eyes. “Dad? Why isn’t he greeting the guests? Why didn’t he mindlink me? Robert,” I say to him, almost in a panic. “What’s going on?!” “Molly,” he says. Finally, he looks me in the eyes. There’s so much emotion and sympathy in his hazel eyes, and I know whatever it is has to be bad. It’s very bad. “Your mate is here.” Chapter 3 My brother’s voice rings through my head as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. My mate? “How… how does he know he’s my mate?” I ask meekly. “I haven’t met anyone but Alpha Blake and Future Alpha Chris. One of them is mated, and the other, well, he didn’t say anything when we met.” “It’s not either of them, it’s Seth. He could smell you on Dad. He said you hugged him just before you came here, and I guess your scent lingered.” “It could be anyone that Dad was near. It’s not me. It CAN’T be me.” “Molly. It’s you. Come on, they’re all waiting.” “All? How many mates do I have?” “It’s just one, kiddo. We’ve got to get up there. You can’t keep them waiting.” “No, Robbie. No. I’m not going up there just to be rejected and hurt,” I tell him. This isn’t happening. It has to be a mistake. I can’t have a mate. “Molly, it’s ok,” Oliver tells me as he sees my panic and recognizes that my brother does not have control of this situation. “You’ve always assumed you have no mate or that they’ll reject you if you do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll see you for the amazing wolf you are.” He’s trying. They both are. Trying to convince me that it’s going to be ok, but you can see in their eyes they both know it won’t be—especially my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look like this on his face before. He’s so worried about me. My mate must be terrible for him to be so concerned. I can barely breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, and my chest hurts with each breath. My fears bubble to the surface, and I can’t contain them. I slowly slip out of my shoes without either of them noticing. There’s a back door out of here right behind them. They’re both faster than me- my brother has the Alpha gene, making him far superior physically to me. There’s only one way I’ll make it past them, so I do what I have to, and I cry. My brother’s face softens, and he walks across the room, enveloping me in a huge hug. It’s a move I wasn’t expecting, making it even harder to remove myself from the kitchen. In all honesty, his hug feels good. I feel so safe when I’m with Robbie. Still, I remember he’s trying to take me to meet my dad, mate, and whoever else is there. I don’t want to be rejected and feel that pain. These thoughts make me cry even harder. Oliver moves closer, so I decide to make my final move to get out of here. “Robbie, I need to sit down,” I tell him, and my ever-doting brother does just what I expected this time and immediately releases me and turns to grab the chair that Oliver had just vacated. I make my move and run to the door. My hand reaches the knob, and the goddess must be with me because it’s unlocked. I take off running to the garden. To my surprise, the smell of my brother gets fainter with each step. I decide to chance a look over my shoulder to see both men standing outside the back kitchen door. Oliver’s arm is across my brother’s chest. “Just let her go, Robert. Give her a few minutes,” Oliver tells him. I run a bit further, but since I know they’re not following me, I finally stop and walk. I’m sure I’ve destroyed all the work I did to look presentable just a few hours ago as I walk barefoot through my favorite place. I can’t be bothered to care right now, though. This was not the plan. This is not the life that I’m supposed to have. I know my family loves me, but it’s obvious at every turn I’m not really theirs. My family always said they loved me so much they couldn’t stand the thought of me leaving when I was small, but who would kick a homeless six-year-old out? I was found under a tree, alone- tiny, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. Was I lost? Or abandoned? Did I have a family that loved and missed me? Or did they leave me in the woods, hoping they’d never have to see me again? I’d accepted all these possibilities before, but as I got older, it became obvious I wasn’t like all the other pups. It became harder and harder to feel like I belonged. I couldn’t play with the kids as I got older because I couldn’t physically keep up with them. That’s what made me love Oliver so much. When the other kids wanted to play tag and throw balls, he’d be there to go on an adventure with me. The first time we made it back to the falls alone was amazing! My dad had taken me once shortly after he found me, but they looked much more amazing when we found them on our own. We got into so much trouble when we got back. I remember Oliver’s mom apologizing repeatedly to my dad. He was angry we’d gone so far without her knowledge. The entire time my dad explained my punishment, my mom smirked and kept telling him we were fine and to calm down. As I got older, I realized that my dad was always worried about me more than anyone else because of my broken wolf. Eventually, he forbade me to go into the woods without a pack warrior nearby- even if I was with Oliver. A few years ago, Robbie had too much to drink and let it slip that Dad was worried someone would kidnap me to use it against him because I wouldn’t be able to get away myself. I was so angry when he first told me, but I quickly realized he was right to be concerned. If another pack did kidnap me, I’d never be able to escape on my own. I’m basically useless and a huge liability. Useless and a liability to my own pack and now, to the mate I never thought I’d have. There’s no reason anyone would not reject me, short of needing a chef, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep around a broken wolf. I don’t know how I'd ever be able to help a mate. And if my mate is in Lunar Falls now for the Alpha ceremony, he’s likely an Alpha himself. While most she-wolves would be thrilled, this is the worst possible scenario for me. I stop walking as I reach the back of my garden. This truly is my absolute favorite place in the pack territory. It’s so peaceful here, and few people ever bother to come this far back. It’s where I spend so much time doing what I can to help take care of my pack in my own way. I know it’s not much, but it’s at least something. The sun is shining brightly now and making it hot, so I climb under the leaning trellis where the squash grow and hide in the shade. I know that eventually someone will be out here to drag me inside, but I decide to stay put until that happens. I hide in the garden for what seems like hours, though I don’t think it’s been that long. I am surprised I’ve been able to stay here alone for so long, but I’m not upset about it either. I peek out from my hiding spot like a small child and see the window to my Father’s study. A man I don’t recognize is staring outside. For just a moment, I wonder if that’s my mate. He’s attractive, from what I can tell. He has longer dark hair above his shoulders and looks pretty muscular. He’s holding a glass with something brown in it- probably some expensive bourbon that my dad hopes will help him overlook my behavior. Maybe he has enough bourbon to have him overlook my brokenness. Doubtful, as I’m not just a broken wolf, but I’m now a filthy wolf wearing no shoes and hiding in actual plants. I smell the familiar scent of my best friend as he approaches and climbs under the trellis with me. The look he’s giving me tells me he knows the situation isn’t great. Oliver knows me so well. He knows that I’m not able to articulate my feelings at the moment, so he doesn’t say a word. He just puts his arms around me and holds me, and I let go of tears I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I cry for the little girl who didn’t get a wolf, and for all the times another kid made me feel less than. I cry for all the nights I spent wondering why I was left by a tree, and I cry for all the memories that I don’t have from before then. I cry for the kid who grew up not meeting anyone's expectations, and for all the times I know I disappointed my parents. They tried so hard to hide it, but I knew. But most of all, I cry for the fear of having to face a mate that I never dreamed I’d have and the pain of the rejection that I’ll have to endure. “He’s not going to reject you,” Oliver tells me. I know he truly thinks that, but there’s no chance someone would want me. “I’m going to go up there, but I need to change clothes first,” I tell him. He looks at me and nods but doesn’t say a word about how I look an absolute mess. I mind link my dad. I’m going to change and make myself presentable, and then I’ll be there. I’m sorry. I know I’ve embarrassed him. “Okay, Molly, I’ll let him know. He’s a good man. You’re going to be alright,” he tells me. I find a small amount of comfort from the man who would do anything to protect me telling me it will all be fine. Chapter 4 I’m back in my room. I showered, re-curled my hair, and did my makeup. Oliver wouldn’t leave me. I realize now that I’ve caused the Alpha ceremony to begin late, which is causing the dinner to start late, and I’ve all but ruined my brother’s day. I feel worse than I did before. Ollie comes from my closet carrying a darker green dress for me to put on. I realize my shoes I left in my kitchen office are now in my room, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to care how they got here. Ollie zips my dress and hands me the shoes. “Good as new,” he says, taking in my appearance with a critical eye. I’m nervous, but he won’t let me walk in to meet my mate looking anything less than amazing. He grabs my hand and starts to walk, but I’m hesitant to move. He turns to meet my eyes. “No running this time. You have to meet him.” I know he’s right, but I’m still absolutely terrified. We make our way across the packhouse to the Alpha office. As we get closer, I begin to smell him, and I know, without a doubt, that my mate is in there. He smells like juniper, with orange and cinnamon. It’s almost overwhelming. I feel so pulled towards him, and I’ve not even seen him. If this is how finding your mate feels with a broken wolf, then maybe it will be so strong for him that I won’t be rejected. I grasp onto that sliver of hope. I take a deep breath and turn the door knob to enter. My Dad and Robert are sitting propped on the edge of their desk. My mom is sitting elegantly in the chair across from them, and in the other chair is… Queen Audrey? With King Peter behind her? I briefly wonder why they are here for this, but thoughts are lost when my eyes go to the window and land on my mate. He IS who I saw from out in the garden, but instead of looking across the grounds, he’s staring at me intently. Our eyes lock, and I start to feel unsteady. Oliver places his hand on my back to steady me and whispers in my ear. “Go say hi.” Biting my lip, I nod and start to close the space between us. To my shock, my mate starts walking towards me as well. Once we’ve made it to each other, he places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks. His pale blue eyes are kind, and he seems genuinely concerned for me. I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod in response. I see my brother out of the corner of my eye and feel such guilt about how I’ve behaved today on his day. I walk towards my brother, and I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to, but he pulls me into a giant hug. “I’m sorry I ruined your ceremony,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. I was so deeply in my feelings that I wasn’t concerned with time, and I knew it was set to begin hours ago. “You didn’t ruin anything, kiddo. You just delayed it,” he tells me, smiling down at me. Releasing me from his hug, he grabs my hand and walks back towards my mate. “Prince Seth, I’m glad to finally introduce you to my sister, Molly. Molls, this is my friend, Prince Seth.” Prince? So that explains why the king and queen are here. I swallow my nerves down. “Prince Seth and I did all our physical training together. He’s a good guy, Molls,” he tells me, squeezing my hand for comfort. “Hi,” I say, looking up at Prince Seth. He’s big, the biggest in the room. He's so tall, and his shoulders are broad and strong. As I saw from the window, his hair is dark and nearly to his shoulders, but he has his mom’s light blue eyes. I know I should say something more, but this situation feels intimidating. “Hi,” he returns with a kind smile and reaches out his hand to me. I release my brother and place my hand in his. He surprises me by bringing my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. “It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Molly I’ve heard so much about.” Everyone is watching me, and I feel even more uncomfortable. I wish I could take their attention off of me. “Umm, maybe we should get the ceremony started soon.” “We should get ready to start the ceremony soon. Why don’t we head down and give Molly and Seth a few moments alone,” my dad suggests as he stands and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. My mom follows over just behind him and grabs my free hand while she leans in and whispers in my ear. “He’s handsome.” They head to the door with Robbie while King Peter and Queen Audrey meet them there. They all exit with my dad closing the door behind them. I thought I’d feel more comfortable without everyone looking at us, but now that we’re alone, I’m even more nervous. He seems kind. Maybe he won’t be too harsh when he rejects me. “So,” he says, breaking the silence between us, “Your mom thinks I’m handsome.” I can’t help but laugh. I don’t think she meant for him to hear her, but I’m glad he did and that he can joke about it. He leads me over to the sofa in the corner by my hand, which I note he still hasn’t let go of. I sit, and he takes the space beside me. He’s close, and he’s warm. He smells so good, but I can’t allow myself to become too attached. “I’m sorry I ran away earlier,” I tell him, trying to take responsibility for my stupidity. He doesn’t respond. He just continues to look at me. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I know this is really disappointing for you”, I finish as my voice lowers to barely above a whisper. “Why would I ever be disappointed with you?” he says, and I can see from his face that he appears to be genuinely surprised by my words. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong. All of BOTH our families were up in my dad’s office while I sat in the garden and cried. They must have talked about me. He has to know. “I, uhh...” I don’t know the words to adequately describe what a mess I am, but I try because he deserves to know before he gets stuck with me. “I’m a broken wolf, Prince Seth.” As I pause to figure out how to explain myself, he finally lets go of my hand, but only so he can gently place his finger under my chin to pull my face to look at him. “It’s just Seth to you. You’re my mate- my equal. Never Prince to you, only ever Seth. You’ll be Princess Molly soon and eventually Queen. But you’ll always be my equal.” It’s at that moment that it hits me that Prince Seth isn’t just his name but his actual identity. Being his mate comes with much more that I’m not made for. Little girls dream of being a princess someday, but it’s an absolute nightmare for me. “I can’t be the queen. I’m not even a real wolf. I saw you in the window and thought my family would have told you. I… I’m so sorry.” My chest begins to hurt as the words come out, and I can barely breathe. “You are a real wolf. It’s in your scent. My wolf is sure of it.” “I’m not, though. I don’t have a wolf. I’ve never shifted. I’m not built as muscular. If anything happens to me, I can’t save myself. I’ll be a huge liability.” “No,” he snaps, and I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “You are NOT a liability. You’re my mate. The Goddess made you for me.” “The Goddess didn’t make me for anyone, Seth. No one wanted me,” I say as my voice begins to waiver. This isn’t going how I thought. I never dreamed I’d have to convince my mate I wasn’t good enough. This man keeps surprising me as he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “There are people who DO want you, Molly. I want you. Your parents adopted you- they wanted you. Robert always wanted you. He never stopped talking about you during training. You’re different, Molly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not enough and that you’re not wanted,” he tells me as he holds me on his lap. “I think maybe we should talk about this later,” I tell him as I stand up. He lets me but keeps his hands on my hips. “I’ve ruined Robbie’s day enough. We should head downstairs.” “ OK, Molly, we can talk about it later tonight,” he says as he stands. I note that he still hasn’t let go of me as he leans down and kisses my forehead. It’s sweet and makes my heart flutter. “You are wanted,” he says, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. “You’re mine.” Chapter 5 We arrive at the side yard of the house, where the ceremony is to be held in silence. Everyone is seated and ready to begin, and both our seats are in front. Seth holds my hand, leading me forward when I suddenly stop and refuse to continue walking. “What’s wrong?” he asks with concern on his face. “I can’t hold your hand. They can’t know I’m your mate,” I tell him, looking away. He won’t want me tomorrow, or maybe next week it will hit him. I don’t know when, but at some point, he’ll see past the bond and know he can find better than me. I hear him growl, and he steps towards me. He gently grabs my chin and tilts my head to look into my eyes. Seth starts to say something but then stops himself. He’s towering over me, and it’s intimidating, but I feel safe with him. It’s probably just from the bond. “OK, Molly. I won’t hold your hand, but they will eventually find out. You win for now, but we WILL talk about this later tonight,” he says firmly as his eyes flash with danger. I realize I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to do that. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you,” I begin to try to explain. “But you’re the prince. If people know you’ve found your mate, especially that it’s me, word will spread. It will hurt more when you finally reject me if everyone knows.” My voice is barely a whisper as I finish. I feel so awkward and vulnerable. His free hand lands gently on my hip while the other moves behind my head. He leans to place a soft kiss on my temple. “I will not change my mind, but I won’t hold your hand in public for now if that’s what you truly want. We will figure things out tonight.” He releases me and moves his hands to both my hips now. “It’s a full moon. You’ll be expected at the run tonight. It’s not every day a fancy-pants prince graces Lunar Falls with his presence,” I half-joke with him. “And where will you be? You can’t be alone.” “I usually lock myself in my suite. It’s by the kitchen in the basement and right across from the safe room, just in case.” “Alone?” Seth asks me, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve lived my whole life without a wolf. This isn’t my first full moon. Sometimes, I stay with the young kids who aren’t old enough to shift, but I just want to be alone tonight,” I tell him with complete honesty. “We have a few hours until we need to worry about that. Go on and take your seat. I’ll follow behind in a moment,” Seth tells me. He releases me but quickly reaches out and squeezes my hand. Honestly, he seems like a really nice man. I’ve caused him more headache today than I’m worth, so I do as he told me and head down the aisle to take my seat. My dad is sitting on his Alpha throne on the stage. Mom stands behind him, and Robbie is beside him. Since it’s the passing of the Alpha, no other family members are on stage, and I’ll be sitting alone. As I’m walking to my seat, I hear the whispers start. I’ve gotten used to it from my own pack- and they all know I got the wolf hearing. These guests, though, don’t seem to know. “That’s the wolfless one that Alpha Bardulf found and adopted.” “I heard she’s human.” “Do you think I could make her my whore? She looks too good to go to waste. Too bad she’s not a wolf.” And with that whispered comment, I feel overwhelming anger, but it’s not mine. It’s not like I haven’t heard these kinds of comments before. I realize then that I’m feeling Seth’s emotions through our bond. I know I can’t turn around and look at him. I look up and see my brother coming straight to me in a hurry and my dad with a murderous look on his face. Robbie reaches me and, to my surprise, continues past me to a younger-looking man sitting where I had just walked past. He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him. “You would do well to remember she’s the daughter of an Alpha,” Robbie tells him, releasing him unceremoniously back into his chair. By this time, my brother’s new Beta and Gama are headed to us. I can feel Seth relax some, though he is still very mad. George, Robbie's Beta, offers his arm to me and escorts me to the front row to be seated beside Queen Audrey. We both bow our heads to her and King Peter. She stands up and, to my surprise, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “You look stunning, Molly Dear,” She says loudly while she releases me but holds my hand as we sit down and squeezes it. It would seem that everyone in the room heard the comments. I smell Seth as he gets close and realize I’m in his seat beside his mother. I stand to move, but he shakes his head and motions for me to sit back down where I was. The pack elder stands and walks up to my dad and Robbie. He welcomes everyone, and as he begins, I feel Seth’s arm come up and rest behind my shoulders. He rests his hand on his mother's shoulder beside me. Queen Audrey smiles at Seth before returning to my dad and brother. The ceremony is beautiful. I know today is hard for my dad, handing over his pack to someone else, even if it is his own son. Robbie will do well. His Beta, Delta, and Gamma are all great guys and will do what’s best for the pack. The Elder instructs everyone to stand as Dad stands, and Robbie finally sits on the pack throne, officially becoming Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. As I stand, I feel Seth bring his arm across my shoulders and back before completely releasing me, leaving me suddenly cold and alone. I’ve avoided acknowledging the bond thus far, but after feeling Seth's anger and loneliness at the lack of his touch, it’s really hard to ignore that it’s there. Everyone in the room is looking at my brother, so I take a chance and reach my left hand over just enough to find Seth’s as he wraps his around mine and gently squeezes it. He’s so comforting, and I begin to think that maybe we can make this work. My parents start to descend the stage, and I realize now that people may look our way, so I reluctantly release his hand. Robert sits on the pack throne with his men behind him and releases his first howl as Alpha, causing all but the royal family and present alphas to bow their heads and bare their necks in submission. I notice that I’m not affected, but I always respond to my dad’s Alpha commands. Seth has noticed because he leans over slightly and explains in the lowest of whispers in my ear. “You’re the mate of a royal. Alpha commands won’t work on you anymore.” It definitely wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I suddenly feel more uncomfortable about the situation. The ceremony is complete, and as we stand to leave, I realize my being between Seth and the King and Queen has complicated our exit now. Typically, the new Alpha would exit first, with everyone after in order of hierarchy, but since the Royals are here, they must exit first. As they turn to leave first, King Peter turns back to us, “Seth, why don’t you escort sweet Molly out? I’m sure our new Alpha Robert won’t mind.” He turns to Robbie, who smiles. “Of course,” he agrees easily, but not without shooting a look at the guy he mildly assaulted just 40 minutes before. Seth steps before me and offers me his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. “My lady.” I honestly can’t help but giggle at his face. I catch my mom out of the corner of my eye and she’s simply beaming at the entire interaction. I take Seth's arm with my hand, and he reaches his other hand over to place it on mine. It’s warm, and the bond sparks with excitement over our contact. We walk out behind his parents. Once we reach the end of the aisle and out of view of everyone, my brother reaches forward and grabs Seth and me. He leans forward behind us and tells Seth, “Watch your hands, bro,” with a smirk. “Oh, I will absolutely be watching where they go,” Seth returns to Robbie, and for a moment, I think my brother might actually lose control of his wolf. “I’m joking, Rob. I’ll always take care of her.” The sincerity in his voice touches me. He barely knows me, though. It’s an empty promise, but he’s trying. With the ceremony over, it’s almost time for the reception. Hopefully, my actions earlier and the delay haven’t hurt the dinner service too much. I know I’m not supposed to be in the kitchens today, but Dad has already sent me down once, and it would look terrible on the pack if things didn’t go smoothly. I make up my mind and decide to head down. “Seth, I need to go down to the kitchens and make sure things are ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room once they’re settled,” I tell him, and his brow furrows. “I’m the head chef for the pack, and while my sous chef is handling everything since this was a family gathering, I’d feel much better if I could ensure everything is ready, and they don’t need extra hands,” I continue, realizing I’m unsure if he even knows I’m a chef. “I can come with you if you really need to. I don’t want to leave you.” “I’ll be fine, honestly. It’s just my staff down there, and you met Oliver earlier. I’ll be fine and head up once they’re all ready.” “Molly, you’re the future Queen now. You don’t have to work anymore,” he tells me, and I know he’s trying to be kind, but that hurts. “I’ve never been required to work. I had to convince my dad to let me have this job. I enjoy it. It’s how I’m able to contribute to my pack,” I explain, but I realize that in my hurt, I’ve said more than I meant to. I have complicated feelings about my role in this pack, and I didn’t mean to start telling him about them. “I understand. At least let me walk you to the kitchen so I know you’re safe, please.” I know his request is genuine, and he wants me to be safe, but with more people leaving the ceremony and coming around, I don’t want anyone to see us together. I nod at him but release his arm. “It’s this way,” I tell him, and I start walking toward the service stairs. I can feel his irritation at me for releasing his arm through our bond, but I continue, and he doesn’t say anything. We reach the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly grabs my arm and sniffs the air. He sniffs again, pushes me against a door, and sniffs my neck slowly. His body is pressed against mine, and his breath is hot against my skin. He’s so close and towers over me. His scent has enveloped me, and I’m beginning to feel completely overwhelmed. “Everything down here smells like you,” he finally tells me. ”It’s so strong.” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I spend all my time down here. The kitchen is down that hall, and my office is there. The door behind me is the one to my suite.” I tell him. “Show me, please,” he says, and I consider it momentarily. He’s so close, and it’s making my heart race. He pushes himself against me the slightest bit more and kisses the spot on my neck where his mate’s mark would go. Chapter 6 I almost cave and let him in, but we’re too close to think clearly, and I need to tell him the endless list of problems we have with being together. “Later,” I whisper because it’s as much as I can squeak out with him so close. It’s intoxicating. He takes a deep breath as he pushes his weight off me, but he still stays where he is, towering over me. “Later,” he whispers back to me while we both take a moment to regain our composure. “Are you ready?” he asks after a moment, and all I can do is nod. He steps back and waves his arm, motioning for me to go in front. I walk to the kitchen door with him behind me before I turn to him. “Thank you for walking down with me.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’ll be up for dinner?” “Yeah, Dad will drag me up there if I try anything,” I tell him, and he smiles. “Good. I can’t wait to see you again,” he says, grabbing my right hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. ---------- “I’m surprised you weren’t in here sooner,” Oliver says with a smirk as I step into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re making another appearance. Don’t you trust me?” he says, faking hurt. “Oh, Oliver. You know that I don’t,” I respond jokingly and stick my tongue out at him. “How was the ceremony?” He asked. “It was an Alpha Ceremony. Nothing amazing, kinda boring, there’s a new Alpha.” “Oh really? Because I heard our dear Alpha Robert punched an Alpha visiting from another pack.” “Umm, technically, that happened before, so he wasn’t Alpha Robert… yet,” I tell him with a smirk. “And it wasn’t exactly a punch.” “You want to talk about WHY Robbie punched people you walked by just before being named the Alpha?” I sigh. “You know how it is being me. Someone always says SOMETHING.” I’m exhausted from the day and don’t want to think about anything. “So, how is dinner? Can I help out?” “Molly, I’m capable of running this.” “I know, I know you are. I’m here to help if you need me. I’m not taking over for you.” “I think we’re good. Honestly, someone decided to delay the dinner a few hours while they were running away from their very attractive mate, which gave us more time to prep. I assume you’re not ready to talk about that?” he questions me. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so much to take in. I think tonight is the first full moon I’m glad to be left out of.” “If you want me to stay with you to talk, just let me know. I don’t mind.” “I appreciate it, Oli, but I need some time alone just to think. It’s been overwhelming.” “You’re really not going to mention that your mate is the prince?” “Nope. I’m not ready to even think about that. It just complicates things even more. I don’t know why he hasn’t already rejected me,” I tell him, looking around. Everything appears to be going very well for my brother’s dinner. “Molls,” Oliver says to get my attention while I’m looking around the kitchen and sighs, not saying what I know he wants to. “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow, and I’ll handle breakfast.” “I’d hate to do that to you. There’s a lot of people with all the visitors staying tonight.” I tell him, feeling guilty about throwing a second meal service on him. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the chance to show our new Alpha that I can fill your shoes. When you’re marked, you’ll be moving with Prince Seth, and I want to prove that I can handle this.” I hadn’t considered leaving with a mate- ever. Seth will come to his senses at some point and finally reject me, but Oliver is right. He’s not had many chances to prove himself as head chef. I know he’s capable, and he deserves the chance to show Robbie that, too. “Ok, Oliver. Breakfast service is yours. And if, by some miracle, Seth doesn’t reject me, I’ll put in a good word with the Alpha- though I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I tell him with a small giggle. It’s weird to think my brother is the Alpha we’re talking about. I turn to leave but have an idea for tomorrow. “I’m just going to check and see if we have the stuff to make something tonight during the run, and then I’ll leave.” “Thank you,” he says. “I promise it’ll be amazing. You should change and show the prince all the reasons he shouldn’t reject you. Go put on something sexy and wow him.” I turn to the pantry to check for the ingredients I’ll need. I look around and then move to the fridge and verify that everything I need is on hand before I turn, walk out the door, and head down the hall to my suite. I’ve worn two dresses today, and neither of them was really my choice. It’s been a long day, and I decide to do as Oliver suggested. I walk in and go straight to my closet, looking around. I find a dress that I love and while it’s probably a little bit too formal, I decide to go with it anyway. I head to my bathroom and pull my hair back so it’s finally off my shoulders. I put on a little more makeup to darken my eyes just a tad more and switch from nude to a red lip. The dress is an off-the-shoulder black satin dress in a mermaid cut. It’s basic but classy and feels much more like how I would usually look. I pull out some black strappy heels and look at myself in the mirror. I realize I need to put on a necklace and select one that was handed down from my mom, that was her mom’s. It’s a white gold necklace with just a lot of diamonds, but it dresses up the dress that’s so plain. I look in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I look and feel like myself, and my parents will still be pleased. But then the thought comes that I wonder what Seth will think. With a sigh, I stop just a moment to think about everything that has happened today. I never actually thought I’d have a mate, but if I did, I was sure they would reject me on the spot. I was prepared for it. Instead, I have a mate who is a prince and has not given any indication that he plans to reject me. He hasn’t thought things through, though. He has a wolf, so what he’s feeling from our bond is probably stronger than what I can, and it’s a lot. I don’t have a wolf, and I can’t shift. The only wolf I can mind link is my dad, and it’s probably only because he’s the Alpha or was. I’m not built like a wolf. What if I can’t get pregnant with the heir to the kingdom, or worse, what if I can’t carry a wolf pregnancy? The entire wolf kingdom will surely not accept me and probably wouldn’t accept Seth as King for keeping a broken wolf as a mate. He does seem kind, though. I’m not sure what he was told about me before I made it to Dad’s office, but he’s friends with Robbie, so he has to know a lot. He’s reassured me a few times today that he won’t reject me. He called me “his” earlier, making my heart flutter with hope. And the way he was pressed against me in the hall was more than I could have hoped for. I sigh. There’s not much I can do now, and I need not worry about it. I am who I am, and while he’s given me some hope, I don’t want to have my heart crushed when he realizes I’m no good. I will have to go with it and see what happens. It’s out of my hands. And with that, I decide to head upstairs and find my family. And maybe my mate. I still don’t want the whole kingdom to know, but I enjoy being near him. As much as I try to ignore it, the bond is still tugging at me to get close to him. I reach the door to the dining room and can hear that everyone is already inside. I crack it and slowly slip in, hoping to go unnoticed, which I don’t need to worry about since everyone is walking about mingling and hasn’t been seated yet. I see my mom across the room and head towards her. I haven’t been able to spend time with her since meeting Seth. I just need her hugs. “Hi, Mom,” I say as I approach. “Oh, Molly. You changed clothes. You look lovely!” she tells me, genuine in her compliment. “You look stunning,” I hear from my side and see Queen Audrey as she approaches me. “That lip color suits you.” I can’t help but glow a little as not only the queen but also my mate’s mother complimented me so generously. I remember myself and bow. “Thank you, Your Highness. I feel more myself with the red.” I should have stopped there, but I never know when to quit talking until it’s too late. “Truthfully, I don’t wear much makeup.” “Oh, really, dear? Because you wear it so well.” “I appreciate that,” I tell her. “I don’t wear it often, but my mom taught me well.” “How are you doing, dear? I know it’s been a pretty exciting day for you,” Queen Audrey asks me. “I’m ok, Ma’am. I’m looking forward to some time alone tonight to think about everything while you all go for the run,” I tell her honestly. My mom realizes I’m not quite sure I’m ok and comes to my side to wrap me in a hug. “I’m sure it’s been a bit overwhelming, finding your mate and realizing he’s so damn attractive,” and that’s just what I needed to calm me some. I start giggling, and with the stress of today, I just can’t stop. I smell him and then feel his hand on my lower back. He comes to stand on my other side and pulls me to him. “What’s so funny?” Seth asks me. “Just some girl talk,” Queen Audrey smiles at him, probably to be sure I wouldn’t tell him my mom was drooling over him. Again. Seth releases me, and I suddenly feel sad, but he steps forward, hugs his mother, and kisses her cheek. He releases her and turns back to me, grabbing my hand. “Take a walk with me?” he asks, and I nod. He leads me outside to the balcony, which is not nearly as crowded. It’s a little chilly, but it feels like a perfect fall night. “You look absolutely stunning,” he says when we stop at the railing. “Thanks,” I respond. “It’s the first dress I got to pick for myself all day.” “It’s perfect, Molly. You're perfect,” he says as he places his arm behind me and pulls me to his chest. “The Goddess blessed me when she made you,” he murmurs into the top of my head. I let myself sigh and just be content for a moment. This feels so perfect. If he rejects me, at least I had this precious moment. “I honestly wasn’t sure you’d be back upstairs,” he tells me. “I take it everything was ok in the kitchen?” “Yeah, all was well. Dinner was going well, and Dad’s cake was still good,” I say, realizing I let the surprise slip. “Don’t you mean your brother’s cake?” he inquires, looking down at me. “I mean, I didn’t check on that one. I assumed they could handle it. But there’s a surprise for my dad, too,” I tell him, placing my finger on my lips, indicating it’s a secret, and he smiles at me. “I’m going to skip the run tonight. My parents will be there. That will be enough for the people,” he tells me, and I realize that he’s worried about me being alone. “Umm, I have plans tonight now,” I tell him nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell he’s not happy, so I try to explain. “Sorry, it’s nothing exciting. I’m going to lock myself into my suite and bake. It helps me relax and think clearly.” “I’m worried about you being alone.” He tells me. “I know. Being around someone with a broken wolf is new for you, but it’s been like this my whole life. Do you think my dad would leave me here alone if he didn’t think I was completely safe?” I ask him, and I can tell he’s considering it. “Please don’t miss out on something that would make you happy just for me. I’ll feel terrible if you do.” “But what if something happens to you while we’re all out?” he asks, and I realize there are things he doesn’t know about my situation. “I can mind link my dad and maybe my brother now that he’s Alpha. I promise I’ll reach out if anything happens,” I promise, and I can see him relax. “OK, but make sure your dad knows I’ll always be near him,” he says, and honestly, the thought that he cares enough to do that but still respects my decision warms my heart. “I will. And thank you,” I tell him, pulling him down towards me and kissing his cheek. He growls and rests his forehead against mine. “Aren’t you worried someone will see?” he asks me teasingly, but I can tell he’s serious with his inquiry. “A little, but I’m trying,” I tell him. We stand like that for a while- alone in the quiet. “If we stay like this much longer, everyone will be able to smell me on you,” he points out. “It’s OK,” I whisper to him as I break the contact with our foreheads, but only to lean into him. I reach into his jacket to embrace him, resting my head against his chest. He lowers his chin to the top of my head. The bond is so calm yet still strong. Somehow, though, it is tugging at me for more. We stay just like that until they announce for everyone to take their seats for dinner. “Do you want to go in before me, and I’ll follow again?” he asks me, and it’s so kind and considerate of him. “No, I don’t think I do,” I tell him as we finally separate, but I place my hand inside his. He looks down at our hands and then up at me. “Are you sure? People will definitely see.” “I know,” I tell him. “I’m trying to trust you. I’m trying to be brave.” He beams at me with the biggest smile and leans over to kiss my head before squeezing my hand and leading me into the ballroom. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
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Former special forces soldier Scarlett hides her identity to marry Adam but is betrayed and humiliated. After awakening, Scarlett mercilessly retaliates against Adam and his mistress Aurora. She finally reclaims her true identity and joins her new love, Eric, to pursue her career and success.
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Wrongfully accused of thesis plagiarism, medical grad Kelly can’t find work. She rescues an elder, Carl, who gets her a job at a military hospital—where the director is Carl’s grandson George, her contractual husband.Kelly hides their marriage to avoid attention, but is harassed by George’s admirer Victoria. George defends her, and their contractual bond grows into real affection as they spend time together.
Rise of the Divorced Combat Queen
My younger brother is gone. He'd been doing the exact same thing as me for more than 36 years. Frank started at 16. I started at 17. We both smoked Marlboro Reds until we were 50. ⠀ We quit the same year, two months apart, after we buried our mother. ⠀ I thought we were going to grow old together. We had a fishing trip on the calendar for last October. He stopped being here in August. ⠀ He'd been bringing up the same thing every morning for the last six years and he'd told himself it was just the leftover damage healing. ⠀ I'd been telling myself the same story for eleven years. ⠀ I'd been sitting at the kitchen table at 2:47 in the morning because Linda had finally fallen back asleep and the house was quiet enough that I could hear myself thinking again. ⠀ She'd woken up an hour earlier. Not because I was coughing. Because I'd been laying there listening to my own breathing and somewhere along the way it had gotten loud enough to wake her. ⠀ She didn't say anything when she opened her eyes. She just put her hand on my arm and kept it there until I pretended to fall asleep. ⠀ That was the moment I decided I wasn't going to keep ignoring what my body had been telling me. ⠀ The morning ritual. The wet cough that drags into the wheeze. The same stuff every morning. Same texture. Same color. I'd flush without looking. Same as yesterday. ⠀ I'd kept the pamphlet from the hospital in my desk drawer for eleven years like a contract. ⠀ Most people see substantial improvement in the first two years. After five years, the lungs reach a new baseline. After ten, you were supposed to be in the clear. ⠀ I'd done my part. Cold turkey. Never picked one back up. Not even at Frank's service. ⠀ After Linda fell back asleep that night I did the math at the kitchen table. ⠀ Frank quit at 50. He was 58 when things got worse. Eight years. ⠀ I quit at 50. I was 61 now. Eleven years. ⠀ I opened my laptop and I started looking. Not for hope. For an answer. ⠀ The first hour was useless. Smoking cessation timeline pages. All of them said the same thing the pamphlet had said. ⠀ Around the second hour I found a piece written by a man named Mark Reeves. He'd been a respiratory therapist for 13 years at a VA hospital. He'd watched ex smokers come back to his clinic year after year, doing everything their doctor had told them to do, not feeling any better. ⠀ He said the timeline they hand you when you quit is built on a single number. Lung capacity. They measure how much air you can move and they make a graph. The graph improves for a while and then it plateaus. They tell you you've reached recovery. ⠀ But the graph only measures what they can measure with the test. ⠀ There's something underneath that the test doesn't pick up. A residue that builds up on the inside walls of the airways over decades of smoking. Old tar that the body doesn't have a natural way to break down on its own. ⠀ When you quit smoking that buildup stops growing. But it doesn't go away. ⠀ I sat with that for a long time. Because if that was true, then everything underneath Frank's morning ritual had still been there. And everything underneath mine still was. ⠀ He talked about the body's built in cleaning system inside the airways. Microscopic hairs called cilia that should be sweeping mucus out automatically. In long term smokers those hairs aren't damaged in the way you'd think. They're alive. They're just buried under the buildup. They can't sweep because they can't move. ⠀ The morning ritual was them trying to do manually, with my whole body's cough reflex, what they should have been doing on their own. ⠀ Then he wrote the part that explained why every supplement I'd tried hadn't done anything. ⠀ Every mullein capsule and every NAC pill Frank and I had tried over those years had been broken down by stomach acid before any of it could reach the place it needed to reach. The herb was right. The capsule was the wrong way to get it there. ⠀ And even if one of those capsules had made it through, no single ingredient could break down what was sitting in there. Breaking that buildup down required five different actions happening at the same time. Five jobs. Not one. The mullein alone was never going to be enough. ⠀ Frank and I had bought the same bottles from the same shelves at the same drugstore for six years and neither one of us had been getting anywhere with any of it. ⠀ That was the part nobody had told either of us. ⠀ I started doing what Mark Reeves described that same morning. Five ingredients. Different delivery. The kind that bypasses the stomach completely and goes into the bloodstream directly under the tongue. ⠀ The first week I felt nothing. ⠀ The second week the tissue had something on it I hadn't been seeing in eleven years of mornings. ⠀ The third week Linda came in while I was at the sink and watched me from the doorway. She said your breathing sounds different. ⠀ She didn't say better. She said different. ⠀ The fishing trip we had on the calendar last October is on the calendar again for this October. Just me this time. Same lake. Same cabin. ⠀ Frank ran the race for eight years not knowing what was actually going on underneath. I'd been running it for eleven. ⠀ I wasn't going to keep telling myself the same story he'd been telling himself. ⠀ The mullein wasn't the problem. The capsule was. Five was needed. One was tried. ⠀ The same article Mark Reeves wrote is still online.
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Wrongfully accused of thesis plagiarism, medical grad Kelly can’t find work. She rescues an elder, Carl, who gets her a job at a military hospital—where the director is Carl’s grandson George, her contractual husband.Kelly hides their marriage to avoid attention, but is harassed by George’s admirer Victoria. George defends her, and their contractual bond grows into real affection as they spend time together.
Wrongfully accused of thesis plagiarism, medical grad Kelly can’t find work. She rescues an elder, Carl, who gets her a job at a military hospital—where the director is Carl’s grandson George, her contractual husband.Kelly hides their marriage to avoid attention, but is harassed by George’s admirer Victoria. George defends her, and their contractual bond grows into real affection as they spend time together.
Rise of the Divorced Combat Queen
Rise of the Divorced Combat Queen
Rise of the Divorced Combat Queen
Rise of the Divorced Combat Queen
Rise of the Divorced Combat Queen
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Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted, and broken, I might be the first mateless Alpha’s daughter ever. “Your mate is here. He can smell you on Dad.” said my brother. He will reject me right? I knew he would…anyone would do that to a broken wolf. *** Molly's POV: Today, my brother Robbie will officially be named Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. the Alphas of nearby packs are expected to attend, and some from further decided to make the trip when word spread that the Royal Wolves would be in attendance. Mom was the best of friends with Queen Audrey and my father completed his Alpha training with King Peter over 30 years ago. She was right, though. The color of the dress did make my light green eyes pop, and the cut was very flattering on my curves. I’m the oldest child- they think. See, my birthday isn’t my actual birthday but my gotcha day, as my dad likes to call it. 16 years ago, my dad found me curled in a ball, asleep under a tree right on the edge of the pack territory. There was no one around and no scent to follow. He took me back to the pack house, and I stayed with them while they searched for where I had come from. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but there were no leads- no reports of packs of a missing child. After a year, my parents decided to adopt me and with a blood adoption blessed by the King. This is my family. When we stand together, my eyes always show how much I truly don’t belong here. My brother Robbie has always treated me just like a real sister, probably even more so. He’s younger than me, but as we got older, he definitely took the typical older brother role in our relationship as he grew into his alpha powers while everyone realized I was a broken wolf. My family never treated me any differently, but I know it was probably really hard to be the family of one of the kingdom's strongest alphas with an adopted daughter who was basically a human. I AM a wolf, though. I smell like one, and no one has ever questioned that. But I never had my wolf inside communicating with me. I have advanced hearing and smell- but that’s as far as my wolf abilities go. I think my family had hoped that once I reached 16, a switch would flip inside, and my wolf would wake, and I’d be normal, but that day never came. “Molly, maybe we were wrong on your birthday. Just wait; someday you’ll shift,” my mom would say to me every full moon. But here I am, 22 years old- never shifted and barely helpful to my pack. But still, my parents love me. High School was hard once the other kids realized I wasn’t shifting. Robbie tried to protect me from them. But I decided that if I couldn’t physically protect my pack, I would make myself completely indispensable to them. My dad was pretty unhappy with my choice at first. Since now I have taken over the head cook position for the pack, though he insists the job title now be called Head Chef of the Lunar Falls Pack. I’m a broken wolf, and I don’t think I even have a mate, but my mom is convinced that I do. Or she could just be holding out hope because the reality of being mateless is too sad. If my mom is right, though, and I do have a mate out there, you can be sure that they will reject me as soon as they realize how useless of a wolf I am, which is why I tend to stay in the kitchen and avoid any outsiders when they visit. There is a knock on my door, and I immediately smell my dad. He always smells of cedar and tobacco—the most comforting smell. “Molly, Love, you look absolutely beautiful,” he tells me, looking at me in the mirror from my doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’m almost ready, I promise. I just need to put on my shoes and run down to the kitchen to make sure everything is ready to go for dinner,” I reply with a smile. “You have staff and have been down there all morning, Kiddo. What else could you possibly need to check on?” “I know, Dad. They’re great. But it’s Robbie's big day- and it’s YOUR retirement, too. Don’t you want your meal to be perfect?” “I know it’s a big day for your brother, but who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special, and it’ll be a big day for you, too.” “It won’t be. But I’ll be there in just a few minutes”, I tell him as I slip on my nude pumps. Little did I know, it actually will BE the day that changes my whole life. Chapter 2 My mother is the Luna to end all Lunas. There is absolutely no comparison to how she handles her duties. The pack house is immaculately decorated at all times, but for my brother today it is perfection. Our pack's deep emerald green and gold colors adorn the walls, and as I step outside on the stone stairs, I see that the decorations extend over the outside of the house as well. A banner hangs above the door with the current pack crest- gold embroidery on the green, of the falls we’re so famous for with four stars next to a silver crescent moon. Robbie will update this when he’s ready to fit his family, as it hasn’t been updated since my adoption, and my dad (probably mom) had a star added to represent me. “Oh, Molly. That dress was the perfect choice!” My mother exclaims and pulls me out of my thoughts. She looks perfect, as always. She’s tall and thin, with her straight brown hair in an elegant twist. She never looks bad, but she looks absolutely stunning today. She’ll never admit it, but I know she’s nervous to have the King and Queen here in such a formal setting. She’s been friends with Queen Audrey since they were kids, but they’re rarely seen together in such a public setting. “Thank you, Mom,” I return to her in earnest. Her opinion means so much to me. My brother lucked out and doesn’t have to greet people even though it’s his own Alpha ceremony. “How’s Robbie doing today?” I ask. “Alpha Robert,” she says, emphasizing his full first name, “Is doing wonderfully today. He’s prepared for this role his entire life and is ready. I wish he had found his Luna before assuming the role, but he will be fine. You and I will have to help him out with the Luna duties until he finds her.” she tells me, and while I’d rather do anything than decorate, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. I hear my dad sigh as he hears with his Alpha hearing what I assume are cars coming. “It’s show time, ladies.” A short moment later, I see a car approach, and before they even get to us, a second and third car are seen just behind. The first car stops in front of the pack house, and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a woman with dulling blonde hair step out, followed by a large, dark-haired man with olive skin. “Ahh, Blake! It is so good to have you at the Falls! Thank you for joining us,” my dad exclaims, seeing his old friend. “Celeste, Molly, this is Alpha Blake and his lovely Luna, Amanda. I’m sorry, Blake. I'm not sure I’ve met this young man before,” he says before extending his hand to the younger, very handsome man with them. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Randall,” he says to my dad while accepting his hand to shake. “I’m the future Alpha Chris. Thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Luna Celeste, Molly, the pack house looks lovely,” he says to my mother and me. She looks at me, and I know that look. She’s asking if he’s maybe my mate, to which I barely shake my head. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” my mother expertly says to them with a smile. There’s no social situation my mother can’t handle with grace, and while I’m in awe of her skills, I realize I probably should have said something- anything. But I didn’t. They all stand looking at me, waiting for me to pull it together, but alas, I do not. High-pressure social situations aren’t my forte. Everyone continues to look at me when my dad finally steps in to save me from myself. “We can’t express how much we appreciate you all making the trip here for our son,” he says to them, and they, thankfully, all turn their attention to him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spent quite so much time hiding in the kitchens because that was the first car and I’ve already messed up. A whole line of cars is now waiting for us to greet them. Alpha Blake walks off with his family, and as I’m about to apologize to my father, his eyes go slightly out of focus, a sign that someone has mind-linked him. He gathers his focus back, and with a sigh, he turns to me. “Molly, there’s a situation in the kitchen that they need you for. If you could please hurry back after, that would be most appreciated.” Thank the Goddess! I quickly hug my dad, and he whispers in my ear, “You had better be in there for the ceremony.” I turn around, going to the kitchen in a near run. I’m not sure if I’m moving so quickly because I don’t know the situation in the kitchen or because I’m excited not to greet any more guests, but either way, I head to the kitchen and get there in record time. When I walk into the kitchen, nothing seems amiss. Everything smells fine, and everyone looks pretty calm. I’m confused. “What happened?”. “What do you mean?” Katie Mae asks me. “Someone linked my dad and said there was a situation in the kitchen,” I tell her. “Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replies, “But Oliver is in your office. Go check with him.” Confused, I head to my office to check in with my sous chef, who is running things for dinner tonight. I find him sitting back with his feet propped up on my desk, smirking at me. “Just how badly did you do, Molly?” he asks me. “What do you mean? What’s the emergency?” I ask in a confused panic. “I do believe YOU are the emergency. Alpha Randall linked me and told me he was sending you back to the kitchen. Apparently, you just needed to be let out of your greeting duties. I was told never to speak of this to the Luna.” he says while trying to stifle a laugh. I smile and link my dad. “Thanks, old man.” I can feel his slight chuckle in return. He’s always looking out for me—and probably the whole pack if I was supposed to continue attempting to greet people. “So, what did you do?” Oliver asks me. “I didn’t DO anything, which is the problem. I just forgot to talk.” “Oh, Molls. You’ve got to be the worst-mannered Alpha’s daughter there ever was.” I laugh, but honestly, he’s right. Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted and broken, I’ve never taken the training seriously. I could throw together a dinner party if I had to, but I’d much prefer to be in the kitchen cooking for it instead. “See any hot guys up there?” Oliver asks, breaking me out of my thoughts of my failure. “Oli, I met one family before Dad sent me down. But, of course, I found an attractive guy. He’s the future Alpha of some pack. I don’t think they ever said where. My dad knew his dad well, though.” “I’ll have to sneak up and check out the options during the ceremony, not that I’ll be finding my mate in a room full of Alphas. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy looking,” he tells me as his face falls. My heart stings for my best friend. Oliver is an omega. He probably would have been named head chef if it hadn’t been for me. We’re the same age and became friends while in school. Most Alphas don’t send their kids to the pack schools so that they won’t fraternize with the Omegas, but my dad felt it was important for pack unity if Robbie and I attended the school. He was right, too. Robbie and I made friends with kids from all class structures, and it helped us to understand how privileged we are to be the Alpha’s kids and to have everything we do. Oliver and I met in elementary school and became the best of friends. His dad had passed away when he was small, but his mom was amazing. She used to let me come over after school to play, and sometimes, I’d get to stay for dinner. She taught me how to cook, even though she didn’t work in the pack kitchens. She loved food and taught us everything she could in those years after school and during summer break when we’d go play in the falls and come back completely filthy and starving. When we were in middle school, Oliver came out to me. I’d never met a gay wolf, but it didn’t bother me. Unfortunately, as Oli got older and confided in more people, word spread, and he was treated very poorly by other kids who didn’t understand him. Robbie tried to step in and would hang out with us, but it didn’t matter to the other kids as much as he’d hoped. Oliver's mom died in a rogue attack just before he turned 18, so as soon as he finished school, he started working in the pack kitchen. What happened was terrible, but I’m glad we landed in the kitchen together. Oliver has always been the person who encourages me the most, and it’s helped me be brave. Brave enough to tell my dad I wanted to work in the kitchen. Brave enough to accept that I’m just a broken wolf. Brave enough to try all the new things we wanted in the kitchen and beyond. A few years ago, we cut back the overgrown area behind the pack house and planted a huge edible garden. The first two years weren’t amazing, but we did more research, and with our hard work this year, it has been successful. The packhouse grocery bill was cut almost in half for the summer from everything we’ve been able to harvest, though we didn’t have the abundance we’d hoped for to store for the winter months. I know I’ll find Oliver peeking in during the Alpha ceremony to check out all the guys there. I truly hope that he finds a mate one day. One of us should be happy, and I’m OK that it’s him. “Oli, you better not burn my brother’s dinner because you’re sneaking off to check out the Alphas,” I tell him, mostly joking but completely serious at the same time. “I’d never dream of burning Alpha Robert’s celebration dinner, my dear,” he tells me while grabbing my hand. Suddenly, I’m met with the smell of pine and tobacco and instantly know my brother is walking in. He smells so much like my dad, but still his own. I turn to make a joke about him becoming Alpha today, but when I see his face, I know it’s not the time. He’s so serious, too serious. He’s never like this around me. “Molly, I, uh, I need you to come up to Dad’s office… my office, with me,” he says. He’s so uncomfortable, and he’s rarely ever like this around me- serious and unsure. “What’s wrong? Is everyone OK?” I ask, knowing deep inside that something is wrong. “Everyone is fine, Molly. Dad needs to speak with you,” he tells me, looking anywhere but my eyes. “Dad? Why isn’t he greeting the guests? Why didn’t he mindlink me? Robert,” I say to him, almost in a panic. “What’s going on?!” “Molly,” he says. Finally, he looks me in the eyes. There’s so much emotion and sympathy in his hazel eyes, and I know whatever it is has to be bad. It’s very bad. “Your mate is here.” Chapter 3 My brother’s voice rings through my head as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. My mate? “How… how does he know he’s my mate?” I ask meekly. “I haven’t met anyone but Alpha Blake and Future Alpha Chris. One of them is mated, and the other, well, he didn’t say anything when we met.” “It’s not either of them, it’s Seth. He could smell you on Dad. He said you hugged him just before you came here, and I guess your scent lingered.” “It could be anyone that Dad was near. It’s not me. It CAN’T be me.” “Molly. It’s you. Come on, they’re all waiting.” “All? How many mates do I have?” “It’s just one, kiddo. We’ve got to get up there. You can’t keep them waiting.” “No, Robbie. No. I’m not going up there just to be rejected and hurt,” I tell him. This isn’t happening. It has to be a mistake. I can’t have a mate. “Molly, it’s ok,” Oliver tells me as he sees my panic and recognizes that my brother does not have control of this situation. “You’ve always assumed you have no mate or that they’ll reject you if you do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll see you for the amazing wolf you are.” He’s trying. They both are. Trying to convince me that it’s going to be ok, but you can see in their eyes they both know it won’t be—especially my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look like this on his face before. He’s so worried about me. My mate must be terrible for him to be so concerned. I can barely breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, and my chest hurts with each breath. My fears bubble to the surface, and I can’t contain them. I slowly slip out of my shoes without either of them noticing. There’s a back door out of here right behind them. They’re both faster than me- my brother has the Alpha gene, making him far superior physically to me. There’s only one way I’ll make it past them, so I do what I have to, and I cry. My brother’s face softens, and he walks across the room, enveloping me in a huge hug. It’s a move I wasn’t expecting, making it even harder to remove myself from the kitchen. In all honesty, his hug feels good. I feel so safe when I’m with Robbie. Still, I remember he’s trying to take me to meet my dad, mate, and whoever else is there. I don’t want to be rejected and feel that pain. These thoughts make me cry even harder. Oliver moves closer, so I decide to make my final move to get out of here. “Robbie, I need to sit down,” I tell him, and my ever-doting brother does just what I expected this time and immediately releases me and turns to grab the chair that Oliver had just vacated. I make my move and run to the door. My hand reaches the knob, and the goddess must be with me because it’s unlocked. I take off running to the garden. To my surprise, the smell of my brother gets fainter with each step. I decide to chance a look over my shoulder to see both men standing outside the back kitchen door. Oliver’s arm is across my brother’s chest. “Just let her go, Robert. Give her a few minutes,” Oliver tells him. I run a bit further, but since I know they’re not following me, I finally stop and walk. I’m sure I’ve destroyed all the work I did to look presentable just a few hours ago as I walk barefoot through my favorite place. I can’t be bothered to care right now, though. This was not the plan. This is not the life that I’m supposed to have. I know my family loves me, but it’s obvious at every turn I’m not really theirs. My family always said they loved me so much they couldn’t stand the thought of me leaving when I was small, but who would kick a homeless six-year-old out? I was found under a tree, alone- tiny, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. Was I lost? Or abandoned? Did I have a family that loved and missed me? Or did they leave me in the woods, hoping they’d never have to see me again? I’d accepted all these possibilities before, but as I got older, it became obvious I wasn’t like all the other pups. It became harder and harder to feel like I belonged. I couldn’t play with the kids as I got older because I couldn’t physically keep up with them. That’s what made me love Oliver so much. When the other kids wanted to play tag and throw balls, he’d be there to go on an adventure with me. The first time we made it back to the falls alone was amazing! My dad had taken me once shortly after he found me, but they looked much more amazing when we found them on our own. We got into so much trouble when we got back. I remember Oliver’s mom apologizing repeatedly to my dad. He was angry we’d gone so far without her knowledge. The entire time my dad explained my punishment, my mom smirked and kept telling him we were fine and to calm down. As I got older, I realized that my dad was always worried about me more than anyone else because of my broken wolf. Eventually, he forbade me to go into the woods without a pack warrior nearby- even if I was with Oliver. A few years ago, Robbie had too much to drink and let it slip that Dad was worried someone would kidnap me to use it against him because I wouldn’t be able to get away myself. I was so angry when he first told me, but I quickly realized he was right to be concerned. If another pack did kidnap me, I’d never be able to escape on my own. I’m basically useless and a huge liability. Useless and a liability to my own pack and now, to the mate I never thought I’d have. There’s no reason anyone would not reject me, short of needing a chef, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep around a broken wolf. I don’t know how I'd ever be able to help a mate. And if my mate is in Lunar Falls now for the Alpha ceremony, he’s likely an Alpha himself. While most she-wolves would be thrilled, this is the worst possible scenario for me. I stop walking as I reach the back of my garden. This truly is my absolute favorite place in the pack territory. It’s so peaceful here, and few people ever bother to come this far back. It’s where I spend so much time doing what I can to help take care of my pack in my own way. I know it’s not much, but it’s at least something. The sun is shining brightly now and making it hot, so I climb under the leaning trellis where the squash grow and hide in the shade. I know that eventually someone will be out here to drag me inside, but I decide to stay put until that happens. I hide in the garden for what seems like hours, though I don’t think it’s been that long. I am surprised I’ve been able to stay here alone for so long, but I’m not upset about it either. I peek out from my hiding spot like a small child and see the window to my Father’s study. A man I don’t recognize is staring outside. For just a moment, I wonder if that’s my mate. He’s attractive, from what I can tell. He has longer dark hair above his shoulders and looks pretty muscular. He’s holding a glass with something brown in it- probably some expensive bourbon that my dad hopes will help him overlook my behavior. Maybe he has enough bourbon to have him overlook my brokenness. Doubtful, as I’m not just a broken wolf, but I’m now a filthy wolf wearing no shoes and hiding in actual plants. I smell the familiar scent of my best friend as he approaches and climbs under the trellis with me. The look he’s giving me tells me he knows the situation isn’t great. Oliver knows me so well. He knows that I’m not able to articulate my feelings at the moment, so he doesn’t say a word. He just puts his arms around me and holds me, and I let go of tears I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I cry for the little girl who didn’t get a wolf, and for all the times another kid made me feel less than. I cry for all the nights I spent wondering why I was left by a tree, and I cry for all the memories that I don’t have from before then. I cry for the kid who grew up not meeting anyone's expectations, and for all the times I know I disappointed my parents. They tried so hard to hide it, but I knew. But most of all, I cry for the fear of having to face a mate that I never dreamed I’d have and the pain of the rejection that I’ll have to endure. “He’s not going to reject you,” Oliver tells me. I know he truly thinks that, but there’s no chance someone would want me. “I’m going to go up there, but I need to change clothes first,” I tell him. He looks at me and nods but doesn’t say a word about how I look an absolute mess. I mind link my dad. I’m going to change and make myself presentable, and then I’ll be there. I’m sorry. I know I’ve embarrassed him. “Okay, Molly, I’ll let him know. He’s a good man. You’re going to be alright,” he tells me. I find a small amount of comfort from the man who would do anything to protect me telling me it will all be fine. Chapter 4 I’m back in my room. I showered, re-curled my hair, and did my makeup. Oliver wouldn’t leave me. I realize now that I’ve caused the Alpha ceremony to begin late, which is causing the dinner to start late, and I’ve all but ruined my brother’s day. I feel worse than I did before. Ollie comes from my closet carrying a darker green dress for me to put on. I realize my shoes I left in my kitchen office are now in my room, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to care how they got here. Ollie zips my dress and hands me the shoes. “Good as new,” he says, taking in my appearance with a critical eye. I’m nervous, but he won’t let me walk in to meet my mate looking anything less than amazing. He grabs my hand and starts to walk, but I’m hesitant to move. He turns to meet my eyes. “No running this time. You have to meet him.” I know he’s right, but I’m still absolutely terrified. We make our way across the packhouse to the Alpha office. As we get closer, I begin to smell him, and I know, without a doubt, that my mate is in there. He smells like juniper, with orange and cinnamon. It’s almost overwhelming. I feel so pulled towards him, and I’ve not even seen him. If this is how finding your mate feels with a broken wolf, then maybe it will be so strong for him that I won’t be rejected. I grasp onto that sliver of hope. I take a deep breath and turn the door knob to enter. My Dad and Robert are sitting propped on the edge of their desk. My mom is sitting elegantly in the chair across from them, and in the other chair is… Queen Audrey? With King Peter behind her? I briefly wonder why they are here for this, but thoughts are lost when my eyes go to the window and land on my mate. He IS who I saw from out in the garden, but instead of looking across the grounds, he’s staring at me intently. Our eyes lock, and I start to feel unsteady. Oliver places his hand on my back to steady me and whispers in my ear. “Go say hi.” Biting my lip, I nod and start to close the space between us. To my shock, my mate starts walking towards me as well. Once we’ve made it to each other, he places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks. His pale blue eyes are kind, and he seems genuinely concerned for me. I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod in response. I see my brother out of the corner of my eye and feel such guilt about how I’ve behaved today on his day. I walk towards my brother, and I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to, but he pulls me into a giant hug. “I’m sorry I ruined your ceremony,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. I was so deeply in my feelings that I wasn’t concerned with time, and I knew it was set to begin hours ago. “You didn’t ruin anything, kiddo. You just delayed it,” he tells me, smiling down at me. Releasing me from his hug, he grabs my hand and walks back towards my mate. “Prince Seth, I’m glad to finally introduce you to my sister, Molly. Molls, this is my friend, Prince Seth.” Prince? So that explains why the king and queen are here. I swallow my nerves down. “Prince Seth and I did all our physical training together. He’s a good guy, Molls,” he tells me, squeezing my hand for comfort. “Hi,” I say, looking up at Prince Seth. He’s big, the biggest in the room. He's so tall, and his shoulders are broad and strong. As I saw from the window, his hair is dark and nearly to his shoulders, but he has his mom’s light blue eyes. I know I should say something more, but this situation feels intimidating. “Hi,” he returns with a kind smile and reaches out his hand to me. I release my brother and place my hand in his. He surprises me by bringing my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. “It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Molly I’ve heard so much about.” Everyone is watching me, and I feel even more uncomfortable. I wish I could take their attention off of me. “Umm, maybe we should get the ceremony started soon.” “We should get ready to start the ceremony soon. Why don’t we head down and give Molly and Seth a few moments alone,” my dad suggests as he stands and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. My mom follows over just behind him and grabs my free hand while she leans in and whispers in my ear. “He’s handsome.” They head to the door with Robbie while King Peter and Queen Audrey meet them there. They all exit with my dad closing the door behind them. I thought I’d feel more comfortable without everyone looking at us, but now that we’re alone, I’m even more nervous. He seems kind. Maybe he won’t be too harsh when he rejects me. “So,” he says, breaking the silence between us, “Your mom thinks I’m handsome.” I can’t help but laugh. I don’t think she meant for him to hear her, but I’m glad he did and that he can joke about it. He leads me over to the sofa in the corner by my hand, which I note he still hasn’t let go of. I sit, and he takes the space beside me. He’s close, and he’s warm. He smells so good, but I can’t allow myself to become too attached. “I’m sorry I ran away earlier,” I tell him, trying to take responsibility for my stupidity. He doesn’t respond. He just continues to look at me. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I know this is really disappointing for you”, I finish as my voice lowers to barely above a whisper. “Why would I ever be disappointed with you?” he says, and I can see from his face that he appears to be genuinely surprised by my words. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong. All of BOTH our families were up in my dad’s office while I sat in the garden and cried. They must have talked about me. He has to know. “I, uhh...” I don’t know the words to adequately describe what a mess I am, but I try because he deserves to know before he gets stuck with me. “I’m a broken wolf, Prince Seth.” As I pause to figure out how to explain myself, he finally lets go of my hand, but only so he can gently place his finger under my chin to pull my face to look at him. “It’s just Seth to you. You’re my mate- my equal. Never Prince to you, only ever Seth. You’ll be Princess Molly soon and eventually Queen. But you’ll always be my equal.” It’s at that moment that it hits me that Prince Seth isn’t just his name but his actual identity. Being his mate comes with much more that I’m not made for. Little girls dream of being a princess someday, but it’s an absolute nightmare for me. “I can’t be the queen. I’m not even a real wolf. I saw you in the window and thought my family would have told you. I… I’m so sorry.” My chest begins to hurt as the words come out, and I can barely breathe. “You are a real wolf. It’s in your scent. My wolf is sure of it.” “I’m not, though. I don’t have a wolf. I’ve never shifted. I’m not built as muscular. If anything happens to me, I can’t save myself. I’ll be a huge liability.” “No,” he snaps, and I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “You are NOT a liability. You’re my mate. The Goddess made you for me.” “The Goddess didn’t make me for anyone, Seth. No one wanted me,” I say as my voice begins to waiver. This isn’t going how I thought. I never dreamed I’d have to convince my mate I wasn’t good enough. This man keeps surprising me as he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “There are people who DO want you, Molly. I want you. Your parents adopted you- they wanted you. Robert always wanted you. He never stopped talking about you during training. You’re different, Molly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not enough and that you’re not wanted,” he tells me as he holds me on his lap. “I think maybe we should talk about this later,” I tell him as I stand up. He lets me but keeps his hands on my hips. “I’ve ruined Robbie’s day enough. We should head downstairs.” “ OK, Molly, we can talk about it later tonight,” he says as he stands. I note that he still hasn’t let go of me as he leans down and kisses my forehead. It’s sweet and makes my heart flutter. “You are wanted,” he says, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. “You’re mine.” Chapter 5 We arrive at the side yard of the house, where the ceremony is to be held in silence. Everyone is seated and ready to begin, and both our seats are in front. Seth holds my hand, leading me forward when I suddenly stop and refuse to continue walking. “What’s wrong?” he asks with concern on his face. “I can’t hold your hand. They can’t know I’m your mate,” I tell him, looking away. He won’t want me tomorrow, or maybe next week it will hit him. I don’t know when, but at some point, he’ll see past the bond and know he can find better than me. I hear him growl, and he steps towards me. He gently grabs my chin and tilts my head to look into my eyes. Seth starts to say something but then stops himself. He’s towering over me, and it’s intimidating, but I feel safe with him. It’s probably just from the bond. “OK, Molly. I won’t hold your hand, but they will eventually find out. You win for now, but we WILL talk about this later tonight,” he says firmly as his eyes flash with danger. I realize I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to do that. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you,” I begin to try to explain. “But you’re the prince. If people know you’ve found your mate, especially that it’s me, word will spread. It will hurt more when you finally reject me if everyone knows.” My voice is barely a whisper as I finish. I feel so awkward and vulnerable. His free hand lands gently on my hip while the other moves behind my head. He leans to place a soft kiss on my temple. “I will not change my mind, but I won’t hold your hand in public for now if that’s what you truly want. We will figure things out tonight.” He releases me and moves his hands to both my hips now. “It’s a full moon. You’ll be expected at the run tonight. It’s not every day a fancy-pants prince graces Lunar Falls with his presence,” I half-joke with him. “And where will you be? You can’t be alone.” “I usually lock myself in my suite. It’s by the kitchen in the basement and right across from the safe room, just in case.” “Alone?” Seth asks me, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve lived my whole life without a wolf. This isn’t my first full moon. Sometimes, I stay with the young kids who aren’t old enough to shift, but I just want to be alone tonight,” I tell him with complete honesty. “We have a few hours until we need to worry about that. Go on and take your seat. I’ll follow behind in a moment,” Seth tells me. He releases me but quickly reaches out and squeezes my hand. Honestly, he seems like a really nice man. I’ve caused him more headache today than I’m worth, so I do as he told me and head down the aisle to take my seat. My dad is sitting on his Alpha throne on the stage. Mom stands behind him, and Robbie is beside him. Since it’s the passing of the Alpha, no other family members are on stage, and I’ll be sitting alone. As I’m walking to my seat, I hear the whispers start. I’ve gotten used to it from my own pack- and they all know I got the wolf hearing. These guests, though, don’t seem to know. “That’s the wolfless one that Alpha Bardulf found and adopted.” “I heard she’s human.” “Do you think I could make her my whore? She looks too good to go to waste. Too bad she’s not a wolf.” And with that whispered comment, I feel overwhelming anger, but it’s not mine. It’s not like I haven’t heard these kinds of comments before. I realize then that I’m feeling Seth’s emotions through our bond. I know I can’t turn around and look at him. I look up and see my brother coming straight to me in a hurry and my dad with a murderous look on his face. Robbie reaches me and, to my surprise, continues past me to a younger-looking man sitting where I had just walked past. He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him. “You would do well to remember she’s the daughter of an Alpha,” Robbie tells him, releasing him unceremoniously back into his chair. By this time, my brother’s new Beta and Gama are headed to us. I can feel Seth relax some, though he is still very mad. George, Robbie's Beta, offers his arm to me and escorts me to the front row to be seated beside Queen Audrey. We both bow our heads to her and King Peter. She stands up and, to my surprise, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “You look stunning, Molly Dear,” She says loudly while she releases me but holds my hand as we sit down and squeezes it. It would seem that everyone in the room heard the comments. I smell Seth as he gets close and realize I’m in his seat beside his mother. I stand to move, but he shakes his head and motions for me to sit back down where I was. The pack elder stands and walks up to my dad and Robbie. He welcomes everyone, and as he begins, I feel Seth’s arm come up and rest behind my shoulders. He rests his hand on his mother's shoulder beside me. Queen Audrey smiles at Seth before returning to my dad and brother. The ceremony is beautiful. I know today is hard for my dad, handing over his pack to someone else, even if it is his own son. Robbie will do well. His Beta, Delta, and Gamma are all great guys and will do what’s best for the pack. The Elder instructs everyone to stand as Dad stands, and Robbie finally sits on the pack throne, officially becoming Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. As I stand, I feel Seth bring his arm across my shoulders and back before completely releasing me, leaving me suddenly cold and alone. I’ve avoided acknowledging the bond thus far, but after feeling Seth's anger and loneliness at the lack of his touch, it’s really hard to ignore that it’s there. Everyone in the room is looking at my brother, so I take a chance and reach my left hand over just enough to find Seth’s as he wraps his around mine and gently squeezes it. He’s so comforting, and I begin to think that maybe we can make this work. My parents start to descend the stage, and I realize now that people may look our way, so I reluctantly release his hand. Robert sits on the pack throne with his men behind him and releases his first howl as Alpha, causing all but the royal family and present alphas to bow their heads and bare their necks in submission. I notice that I’m not affected, but I always respond to my dad’s Alpha commands. Seth has noticed because he leans over slightly and explains in the lowest of whispers in my ear. “You’re the mate of a royal. Alpha commands won’t work on you anymore.” It definitely wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I suddenly feel more uncomfortable about the situation. The ceremony is complete, and as we stand to leave, I realize my being between Seth and the King and Queen has complicated our exit now. Typically, the new Alpha would exit first, with everyone after in order of hierarchy, but since the Royals are here, they must exit first. As they turn to leave first, King Peter turns back to us, “Seth, why don’t you escort sweet Molly out? I’m sure our new Alpha Robert won’t mind.” He turns to Robbie, who smiles. “Of course,” he agrees easily, but not without shooting a look at the guy he mildly assaulted just 40 minutes before. Seth steps before me and offers me his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. “My lady.” I honestly can’t help but giggle at his face. I catch my mom out of the corner of my eye and she’s simply beaming at the entire interaction. I take Seth's arm with my hand, and he reaches his other hand over to place it on mine. It’s warm, and the bond sparks with excitement over our contact. We walk out behind his parents. Once we reach the end of the aisle and out of view of everyone, my brother reaches forward and grabs Seth and me. He leans forward behind us and tells Seth, “Watch your hands, bro,” with a smirk. “Oh, I will absolutely be watching where they go,” Seth returns to Robbie, and for a moment, I think my brother might actually lose control of his wolf. “I’m joking, Rob. I’ll always take care of her.” The sincerity in his voice touches me. He barely knows me, though. It’s an empty promise, but he’s trying. With the ceremony over, it’s almost time for the reception. Hopefully, my actions earlier and the delay haven’t hurt the dinner service too much. I know I’m not supposed to be in the kitchens today, but Dad has already sent me down once, and it would look terrible on the pack if things didn’t go smoothly. I make up my mind and decide to head down. “Seth, I need to go down to the kitchens and make sure things are ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room once they’re settled,” I tell him, and his brow furrows. “I’m the head chef for the pack, and while my sous chef is handling everything since this was a family gathering, I’d feel much better if I could ensure everything is ready, and they don’t need extra hands,” I continue, realizing I’m unsure if he even knows I’m a chef. “I can come with you if you really need to. I don’t want to leave you.” “I’ll be fine, honestly. It’s just my staff down there, and you met Oliver earlier. I’ll be fine and head up once they’re all ready.” “Molly, you’re the future Queen now. You don’t have to work anymore,” he tells me, and I know he’s trying to be kind, but that hurts. “I’ve never been required to work. I had to convince my dad to let me have this job. I enjoy it. It’s how I’m able to contribute to my pack,” I explain, but I realize that in my hurt, I’ve said more than I meant to. I have complicated feelings about my role in this pack, and I didn’t mean to start telling him about them. “I understand. At least let me walk you to the kitchen so I know you’re safe, please.” I know his request is genuine, and he wants me to be safe, but with more people leaving the ceremony and coming around, I don’t want anyone to see us together. I nod at him but release his arm. “It’s this way,” I tell him, and I start walking toward the service stairs. I can feel his irritation at me for releasing his arm through our bond, but I continue, and he doesn’t say anything. We reach the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly grabs my arm and sniffs the air. He sniffs again, pushes me against a door, and sniffs my neck slowly. His body is pressed against mine, and his breath is hot against my skin. He’s so close and towers over me. His scent has enveloped me, and I’m beginning to feel completely overwhelmed. “Everything down here smells like you,” he finally tells me. ”It’s so strong.” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I spend all my time down here. The kitchen is down that hall, and my office is there. The door behind me is the one to my suite.” I tell him. “Show me, please,” he says, and I consider it momentarily. He’s so close, and it’s making my heart race. He pushes himself against me the slightest bit more and kisses the spot on my neck where his mate’s mark would go. Chapter 6 I almost cave and let him in, but we’re too close to think clearly, and I need to tell him the endless list of problems we have with being together. “Later,” I whisper because it’s as much as I can squeak out with him so close. It’s intoxicating. He takes a deep breath as he pushes his weight off me, but he still stays where he is, towering over me. “Later,” he whispers back to me while we both take a moment to regain our composure. “Are you ready?” he asks after a moment, and all I can do is nod. He steps back and waves his arm, motioning for me to go in front. I walk to the kitchen door with him behind me before I turn to him. “Thank you for walking down with me.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’ll be up for dinner?” “Yeah, Dad will drag me up there if I try anything,” I tell him, and he smiles. “Good. I can’t wait to see you again,” he says, grabbing my right hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. ---------- “I’m surprised you weren’t in here sooner,” Oliver says with a smirk as I step into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re making another appearance. Don’t you trust me?” he says, faking hurt. “Oh, Oliver. You know that I don’t,” I respond jokingly and stick my tongue out at him. “How was the ceremony?” He asked. “It was an Alpha Ceremony. Nothing amazing, kinda boring, there’s a new Alpha.” “Oh really? Because I heard our dear Alpha Robert punched an Alpha visiting from another pack.” “Umm, technically, that happened before, so he wasn’t Alpha Robert… yet,” I tell him with a smirk. “And it wasn’t exactly a punch.” “You want to talk about WHY Robbie punched people you walked by just before being named the Alpha?” I sigh. “You know how it is being me. Someone always says SOMETHING.” I’m exhausted from the day and don’t want to think about anything. “So, how is dinner? Can I help out?” “Molly, I’m capable of running this.” “I know, I know you are. I’m here to help if you need me. I’m not taking over for you.” “I think we’re good. Honestly, someone decided to delay the dinner a few hours while they were running away from their very attractive mate, which gave us more time to prep. I assume you’re not ready to talk about that?” he questions me. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so much to take in. I think tonight is the first full moon I’m glad to be left out of.” “If you want me to stay with you to talk, just let me know. I don’t mind.” “I appreciate it, Oli, but I need some time alone just to think. It’s been overwhelming.” “You’re really not going to mention that your mate is the prince?” “Nope. I’m not ready to even think about that. It just complicates things even more. I don’t know why he hasn’t already rejected me,” I tell him, looking around. Everything appears to be going very well for my brother’s dinner. “Molls,” Oliver says to get my attention while I’m looking around the kitchen and sighs, not saying what I know he wants to. “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow, and I’ll handle breakfast.” “I’d hate to do that to you. There’s a lot of people with all the visitors staying tonight.” I tell him, feeling guilty about throwing a second meal service on him. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the chance to show our new Alpha that I can fill your shoes. When you’re marked, you’ll be moving with Prince Seth, and I want to prove that I can handle this.” I hadn’t considered leaving with a mate- ever. Seth will come to his senses at some point and finally reject me, but Oliver is right. He’s not had many chances to prove himself as head chef. I know he’s capable, and he deserves the chance to show Robbie that, too. “Ok, Oliver. Breakfast service is yours. And if, by some miracle, Seth doesn’t reject me, I’ll put in a good word with the Alpha- though I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I tell him with a small giggle. It’s weird to think my brother is the Alpha we’re talking about. I turn to leave but have an idea for tomorrow. “I’m just going to check and see if we have the stuff to make something tonight during the run, and then I’ll leave.” “Thank you,” he says. “I promise it’ll be amazing. You should change and show the prince all the reasons he shouldn’t reject you. Go put on something sexy and wow him.” I turn to the pantry to check for the ingredients I’ll need. I look around and then move to the fridge and verify that everything I need is on hand before I turn, walk out the door, and head down the hall to my suite. I’ve worn two dresses today, and neither of them was really my choice. It’s been a long day, and I decide to do as Oliver suggested. I walk in and go straight to my closet, looking around. I find a dress that I love and while it’s probably a little bit too formal, I decide to go with it anyway. I head to my bathroom and pull my hair back so it’s finally off my shoulders. I put on a little more makeup to darken my eyes just a tad more and switch from nude to a red lip. The dress is an off-the-shoulder black satin dress in a mermaid cut. It’s basic but classy and feels much more like how I would usually look. I pull out some black strappy heels and look at myself in the mirror. I realize I need to put on a necklace and select one that was handed down from my mom, that was her mom’s. It’s a white gold necklace with just a lot of diamonds, but it dresses up the dress that’s so plain. I look in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I look and feel like myself, and my parents will still be pleased. But then the thought comes that I wonder what Seth will think. With a sigh, I stop just a moment to think about everything that has happened today. I never actually thought I’d have a mate, but if I did, I was sure they would reject me on the spot. I was prepared for it. Instead, I have a mate who is a prince and has not given any indication that he plans to reject me. He hasn’t thought things through, though. He has a wolf, so what he’s feeling from our bond is probably stronger than what I can, and it’s a lot. I don’t have a wolf, and I can’t shift. The only wolf I can mind link is my dad, and it’s probably only because he’s the Alpha or was. I’m not built like a wolf. What if I can’t get pregnant with the heir to the kingdom, or worse, what if I can’t carry a wolf pregnancy? The entire wolf kingdom will surely not accept me and probably wouldn’t accept Seth as King for keeping a broken wolf as a mate. He does seem kind, though. I’m not sure what he was told about me before I made it to Dad’s office, but he’s friends with Robbie, so he has to know a lot. He’s reassured me a few times today that he won’t reject me. He called me “his” earlier, making my heart flutter with hope. And the way he was pressed against me in the hall was more than I could have hoped for. I sigh. There’s not much I can do now, and I need not worry about it. I am who I am, and while he’s given me some hope, I don’t want to have my heart crushed when he realizes I’m no good. I will have to go with it and see what happens. It’s out of my hands. And with that, I decide to head upstairs and find my family. And maybe my mate. I still don’t want the whole kingdom to know, but I enjoy being near him. As much as I try to ignore it, the bond is still tugging at me to get close to him. I reach the door to the dining room and can hear that everyone is already inside. I crack it and slowly slip in, hoping to go unnoticed, which I don’t need to worry about since everyone is walking about mingling and hasn’t been seated yet. I see my mom across the room and head towards her. I haven’t been able to spend time with her since meeting Seth. I just need her hugs. “Hi, Mom,” I say as I approach. “Oh, Molly. You changed clothes. You look lovely!” she tells me, genuine in her compliment. “You look stunning,” I hear from my side and see Queen Audrey as she approaches me. “That lip color suits you.” I can’t help but glow a little as not only the queen but also my mate’s mother complimented me so generously. I remember myself and bow. “Thank you, Your Highness. I feel more myself with the red.” I should have stopped there, but I never know when to quit talking until it’s too late. “Truthfully, I don’t wear much makeup.” “Oh, really, dear? Because you wear it so well.” “I appreciate that,” I tell her. “I don’t wear it often, but my mom taught me well.” “How are you doing, dear? I know it’s been a pretty exciting day for you,” Queen Audrey asks me. “I’m ok, Ma’am. I’m looking forward to some time alone tonight to think about everything while you all go for the run,” I tell her honestly. My mom realizes I’m not quite sure I’m ok and comes to my side to wrap me in a hug. “I’m sure it’s been a bit overwhelming, finding your mate and realizing he’s so damn attractive,” and that’s just what I needed to calm me some. I start giggling, and with the stress of today, I just can’t stop. I smell him and then feel his hand on my lower back. He comes to stand on my other side and pulls me to him. “What’s so funny?” Seth asks me. “Just some girl talk,” Queen Audrey smiles at him, probably to be sure I wouldn’t tell him my mom was drooling over him. Again. Seth releases me, and I suddenly feel sad, but he steps forward, hugs his mother, and kisses her cheek. He releases her and turns back to me, grabbing my hand. “Take a walk with me?” he asks, and I nod. He leads me outside to the balcony, which is not nearly as crowded. It’s a little chilly, but it feels like a perfect fall night. “You look absolutely stunning,” he says when we stop at the railing. “Thanks,” I respond. “It’s the first dress I got to pick for myself all day.” “It’s perfect, Molly. You're perfect,” he says as he places his arm behind me and pulls me to his chest. “The Goddess blessed me when she made you,” he murmurs into the top of my head. I let myself sigh and just be content for a moment. This feels so perfect. If he rejects me, at least I had this precious moment. “I honestly wasn’t sure you’d be back upstairs,” he tells me. “I take it everything was ok in the kitchen?” “Yeah, all was well. Dinner was going well, and Dad’s cake was still good,” I say, realizing I let the surprise slip. “Don’t you mean your brother’s cake?” he inquires, looking down at me. “I mean, I didn’t check on that one. I assumed they could handle it. But there’s a surprise for my dad, too,” I tell him, placing my finger on my lips, indicating it’s a secret, and he smiles at me. “I’m going to skip the run tonight. My parents will be there. That will be enough for the people,” he tells me, and I realize that he’s worried about me being alone. “Umm, I have plans tonight now,” I tell him nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell he’s not happy, so I try to explain. “Sorry, it’s nothing exciting. I’m going to lock myself into my suite and bake. It helps me relax and think clearly.” “I’m worried about you being alone.” He tells me. “I know. Being around someone with a broken wolf is new for you, but it’s been like this my whole life. Do you think my dad would leave me here alone if he didn’t think I was completely safe?” I ask him, and I can tell he’s considering it. “Please don’t miss out on something that would make you happy just for me. I’ll feel terrible if you do.” “But what if something happens to you while we’re all out?” he asks, and I realize there are things he doesn’t know about my situation. “I can mind link my dad and maybe my brother now that he’s Alpha. I promise I’ll reach out if anything happens,” I promise, and I can see him relax. “OK, but make sure your dad knows I’ll always be near him,” he says, and honestly, the thought that he cares enough to do that but still respects my decision warms my heart. “I will. And thank you,” I tell him, pulling him down towards me and kissing his cheek. He growls and rests his forehead against mine. “Aren’t you worried someone will see?” he asks me teasingly, but I can tell he’s serious with his inquiry. “A little, but I’m trying,” I tell him. We stand like that for a while- alone in the quiet. “If we stay like this much longer, everyone will be able to smell me on you,” he points out. “It’s OK,” I whisper to him as I break the contact with our foreheads, but only to lean into him. I reach into his jacket to embrace him, resting my head against his chest. He lowers his chin to the top of my head. The bond is so calm yet still strong. Somehow, though, it is tugging at me for more. We stay just like that until they announce for everyone to take their seats for dinner. “Do you want to go in before me, and I’ll follow again?” he asks me, and it’s so kind and considerate of him. “No, I don’t think I do,” I tell him as we finally separate, but I place my hand inside his. He looks down at our hands and then up at me. “Are you sure? People will definitely see.” “I know,” I tell him. “I’m trying to trust you. I’m trying to be brave.” He beams at me with the biggest smile and leans over to kiss my head before squeezing my hand and leading me into the ballroom. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted, and broken, I might be the first mateless Alpha’s daughter ever. “Your mate is here. He can smell you on Dad.” said my brother. He will reject me right? I knew he would…anyone would do that to a broken wolf. *** Molly's POV: Today, my brother Robbie will officially be named Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. the Alphas of nearby packs are expected to attend, and some from further decided to make the trip when word spread that the Royal Wolves would be in attendance. Mom was the best of friends with Queen Audrey and my father completed his Alpha training with King Peter over 30 years ago. She was right, though. The color of the dress did make my light green eyes pop, and the cut was very flattering on my curves. I’m the oldest child- they think. See, my birthday isn’t my actual birthday but my gotcha day, as my dad likes to call it. 16 years ago, my dad found me curled in a ball, asleep under a tree right on the edge of the pack territory. There was no one around and no scent to follow. He took me back to the pack house, and I stayed with them while they searched for where I had come from. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but there were no leads- no reports of packs of a missing child. After a year, my parents decided to adopt me and with a blood adoption blessed by the King. This is my family. When we stand together, my eyes always show how much I truly don’t belong here. My brother Robbie has always treated me just like a real sister, probably even more so. He’s younger than me, but as we got older, he definitely took the typical older brother role in our relationship as he grew into his alpha powers while everyone realized I was a broken wolf. My family never treated me any differently, but I know it was probably really hard to be the family of one of the kingdom's strongest alphas with an adopted daughter who was basically a human. I AM a wolf, though. I smell like one, and no one has ever questioned that. But I never had my wolf inside communicating with me. I have advanced hearing and smell- but that’s as far as my wolf abilities go. I think my family had hoped that once I reached 16, a switch would flip inside, and my wolf would wake, and I’d be normal, but that day never came. “Molly, maybe we were wrong on your birthday. Just wait; someday you’ll shift,” my mom would say to me every full moon. But here I am, 22 years old- never shifted and barely helpful to my pack. But still, my parents love me. High School was hard once the other kids realized I wasn’t shifting. Robbie tried to protect me from them. But I decided that if I couldn’t physically protect my pack, I would make myself completely indispensable to them. My dad was pretty unhappy with my choice at first. Since now I have taken over the head cook position for the pack, though he insists the job title now be called Head Chef of the Lunar Falls Pack. I’m a broken wolf, and I don’t think I even have a mate, but my mom is convinced that I do. Or she could just be holding out hope because the reality of being mateless is too sad. If my mom is right, though, and I do have a mate out there, you can be sure that they will reject me as soon as they realize how useless of a wolf I am, which is why I tend to stay in the kitchen and avoid any outsiders when they visit. There is a knock on my door, and I immediately smell my dad. He always smells of cedar and tobacco—the most comforting smell. “Molly, Love, you look absolutely beautiful,” he tells me, looking at me in the mirror from my doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’m almost ready, I promise. I just need to put on my shoes and run down to the kitchen to make sure everything is ready to go for dinner,” I reply with a smile. “You have staff and have been down there all morning, Kiddo. What else could you possibly need to check on?” “I know, Dad. They’re great. But it’s Robbie's big day- and it’s YOUR retirement, too. Don’t you want your meal to be perfect?” “I know it’s a big day for your brother, but who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special, and it’ll be a big day for you, too.” “It won’t be. But I’ll be there in just a few minutes”, I tell him as I slip on my nude pumps. Little did I know, it actually will BE the day that changes my whole life. Chapter 2 My mother is the Luna to end all Lunas. There is absolutely no comparison to how she handles her duties. The pack house is immaculately decorated at all times, but for my brother today it is perfection. Our pack's deep emerald green and gold colors adorn the walls, and as I step outside on the stone stairs, I see that the decorations extend over the outside of the house as well. A banner hangs above the door with the current pack crest- gold embroidery on the green, of the falls we’re so famous for with four stars next to a silver crescent moon. Robbie will update this when he’s ready to fit his family, as it hasn’t been updated since my adoption, and my dad (probably mom) had a star added to represent me. “Oh, Molly. That dress was the perfect choice!” My mother exclaims and pulls me out of my thoughts. She looks perfect, as always. She’s tall and thin, with her straight brown hair in an elegant twist. She never looks bad, but she looks absolutely stunning today. She’ll never admit it, but I know she’s nervous to have the King and Queen here in such a formal setting. She’s been friends with Queen Audrey since they were kids, but they’re rarely seen together in such a public setting. “Thank you, Mom,” I return to her in earnest. Her opinion means so much to me. My brother lucked out and doesn’t have to greet people even though it’s his own Alpha ceremony. “How’s Robbie doing today?” I ask. “Alpha Robert,” she says, emphasizing his full first name, “Is doing wonderfully today. He’s prepared for this role his entire life and is ready. I wish he had found his Luna before assuming the role, but he will be fine. You and I will have to help him out with the Luna duties until he finds her.” she tells me, and while I’d rather do anything than decorate, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. I hear my dad sigh as he hears with his Alpha hearing what I assume are cars coming. “It’s show time, ladies.” A short moment later, I see a car approach, and before they even get to us, a second and third car are seen just behind. The first car stops in front of the pack house, and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a woman with dulling blonde hair step out, followed by a large, dark-haired man with olive skin. “Ahh, Blake! It is so good to have you at the Falls! Thank you for joining us,” my dad exclaims, seeing his old friend. “Celeste, Molly, this is Alpha Blake and his lovely Luna, Amanda. I’m sorry, Blake. I'm not sure I’ve met this young man before,” he says before extending his hand to the younger, very handsome man with them. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Randall,” he says to my dad while accepting his hand to shake. “I’m the future Alpha Chris. Thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Luna Celeste, Molly, the pack house looks lovely,” he says to my mother and me. She looks at me, and I know that look. She’s asking if he’s maybe my mate, to which I barely shake my head. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” my mother expertly says to them with a smile. There’s no social situation my mother can’t handle with grace, and while I’m in awe of her skills, I realize I probably should have said something- anything. But I didn’t. They all stand looking at me, waiting for me to pull it together, but alas, I do not. High-pressure social situations aren’t my forte. Everyone continues to look at me when my dad finally steps in to save me from myself. “We can’t express how much we appreciate you all making the trip here for our son,” he says to them, and they, thankfully, all turn their attention to him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spent quite so much time hiding in the kitchens because that was the first car and I’ve already messed up. A whole line of cars is now waiting for us to greet them. Alpha Blake walks off with his family, and as I’m about to apologize to my father, his eyes go slightly out of focus, a sign that someone has mind-linked him. He gathers his focus back, and with a sigh, he turns to me. “Molly, there’s a situation in the kitchen that they need you for. If you could please hurry back after, that would be most appreciated.” Thank the Goddess! I quickly hug my dad, and he whispers in my ear, “You had better be in there for the ceremony.” I turn around, going to the kitchen in a near run. I’m not sure if I’m moving so quickly because I don’t know the situation in the kitchen or because I’m excited not to greet any more guests, but either way, I head to the kitchen and get there in record time. When I walk into the kitchen, nothing seems amiss. Everything smells fine, and everyone looks pretty calm. I’m confused. “What happened?”. “What do you mean?” Katie Mae asks me. “Someone linked my dad and said there was a situation in the kitchen,” I tell her. “Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replies, “But Oliver is in your office. Go check with him.” Confused, I head to my office to check in with my sous chef, who is running things for dinner tonight. I find him sitting back with his feet propped up on my desk, smirking at me. “Just how badly did you do, Molly?” he asks me. “What do you mean? What’s the emergency?” I ask in a confused panic. “I do believe YOU are the emergency. Alpha Randall linked me and told me he was sending you back to the kitchen. Apparently, you just needed to be let out of your greeting duties. I was told never to speak of this to the Luna.” he says while trying to stifle a laugh. I smile and link my dad. “Thanks, old man.” I can feel his slight chuckle in return. He’s always looking out for me—and probably the whole pack if I was supposed to continue attempting to greet people. “So, what did you do?” Oliver asks me. “I didn’t DO anything, which is the problem. I just forgot to talk.” “Oh, Molls. You’ve got to be the worst-mannered Alpha’s daughter there ever was.” I laugh, but honestly, he’s right. Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted and broken, I’ve never taken the training seriously. I could throw together a dinner party if I had to, but I’d much prefer to be in the kitchen cooking for it instead. “See any hot guys up there?” Oliver asks, breaking me out of my thoughts of my failure. “Oli, I met one family before Dad sent me down. But, of course, I found an attractive guy. He’s the future Alpha of some pack. I don’t think they ever said where. My dad knew his dad well, though.” “I’ll have to sneak up and check out the options during the ceremony, not that I’ll be finding my mate in a room full of Alphas. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy looking,” he tells me as his face falls. My heart stings for my best friend. Oliver is an omega. He probably would have been named head chef if it hadn’t been for me. We’re the same age and became friends while in school. Most Alphas don’t send their kids to the pack schools so that they won’t fraternize with the Omegas, but my dad felt it was important for pack unity if Robbie and I attended the school. He was right, too. Robbie and I made friends with kids from all class structures, and it helped us to understand how privileged we are to be the Alpha’s kids and to have everything we do. Oliver and I met in elementary school and became the best of friends. His dad had passed away when he was small, but his mom was amazing. She used to let me come over after school to play, and sometimes, I’d get to stay for dinner. She taught me how to cook, even though she didn’t work in the pack kitchens. She loved food and taught us everything she could in those years after school and during summer break when we’d go play in the falls and come back completely filthy and starving. When we were in middle school, Oliver came out to me. I’d never met a gay wolf, but it didn’t bother me. Unfortunately, as Oli got older and confided in more people, word spread, and he was treated very poorly by other kids who didn’t understand him. Robbie tried to step in and would hang out with us, but it didn’t matter to the other kids as much as he’d hoped. Oliver's mom died in a rogue attack just before he turned 18, so as soon as he finished school, he started working in the pack kitchen. What happened was terrible, but I’m glad we landed in the kitchen together. Oliver has always been the person who encourages me the most, and it’s helped me be brave. Brave enough to tell my dad I wanted to work in the kitchen. Brave enough to accept that I’m just a broken wolf. Brave enough to try all the new things we wanted in the kitchen and beyond. A few years ago, we cut back the overgrown area behind the pack house and planted a huge edible garden. The first two years weren’t amazing, but we did more research, and with our hard work this year, it has been successful. The packhouse grocery bill was cut almost in half for the summer from everything we’ve been able to harvest, though we didn’t have the abundance we’d hoped for to store for the winter months. I know I’ll find Oliver peeking in during the Alpha ceremony to check out all the guys there. I truly hope that he finds a mate one day. One of us should be happy, and I’m OK that it’s him. “Oli, you better not burn my brother’s dinner because you’re sneaking off to check out the Alphas,” I tell him, mostly joking but completely serious at the same time. “I’d never dream of burning Alpha Robert’s celebration dinner, my dear,” he tells me while grabbing my hand. Suddenly, I’m met with the smell of pine and tobacco and instantly know my brother is walking in. He smells so much like my dad, but still his own. I turn to make a joke about him becoming Alpha today, but when I see his face, I know it’s not the time. He’s so serious, too serious. He’s never like this around me. “Molly, I, uh, I need you to come up to Dad’s office… my office, with me,” he says. He’s so uncomfortable, and he’s rarely ever like this around me- serious and unsure. “What’s wrong? Is everyone OK?” I ask, knowing deep inside that something is wrong. “Everyone is fine, Molly. Dad needs to speak with you,” he tells me, looking anywhere but my eyes. “Dad? Why isn’t he greeting the guests? Why didn’t he mindlink me? Robert,” I say to him, almost in a panic. “What’s going on?!” “Molly,” he says. Finally, he looks me in the eyes. There’s so much emotion and sympathy in his hazel eyes, and I know whatever it is has to be bad. It’s very bad. “Your mate is here.” Chapter 3 My brother’s voice rings through my head as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. My mate? “How… how does he know he’s my mate?” I ask meekly. “I haven’t met anyone but Alpha Blake and Future Alpha Chris. One of them is mated, and the other, well, he didn’t say anything when we met.” “It’s not either of them, it’s Seth. He could smell you on Dad. He said you hugged him just before you came here, and I guess your scent lingered.” “It could be anyone that Dad was near. It’s not me. It CAN’T be me.” “Molly. It’s you. Come on, they’re all waiting.” “All? How many mates do I have?” “It’s just one, kiddo. We’ve got to get up there. You can’t keep them waiting.” “No, Robbie. No. I’m not going up there just to be rejected and hurt,” I tell him. This isn’t happening. It has to be a mistake. I can’t have a mate. “Molly, it’s ok,” Oliver tells me as he sees my panic and recognizes that my brother does not have control of this situation. “You’ve always assumed you have no mate or that they’ll reject you if you do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll see you for the amazing wolf you are.” He’s trying. They both are. Trying to convince me that it’s going to be ok, but you can see in their eyes they both know it won’t be—especially my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look like this on his face before. He’s so worried about me. My mate must be terrible for him to be so concerned. I can barely breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, and my chest hurts with each breath. My fears bubble to the surface, and I can’t contain them. I slowly slip out of my shoes without either of them noticing. There’s a back door out of here right behind them. They’re both faster than me- my brother has the Alpha gene, making him far superior physically to me. There’s only one way I’ll make it past them, so I do what I have to, and I cry. My brother’s face softens, and he walks across the room, enveloping me in a huge hug. It’s a move I wasn’t expecting, making it even harder to remove myself from the kitchen. In all honesty, his hug feels good. I feel so safe when I’m with Robbie. Still, I remember he’s trying to take me to meet my dad, mate, and whoever else is there. I don’t want to be rejected and feel that pain. These thoughts make me cry even harder. Oliver moves closer, so I decide to make my final move to get out of here. “Robbie, I need to sit down,” I tell him, and my ever-doting brother does just what I expected this time and immediately releases me and turns to grab the chair that Oliver had just vacated. I make my move and run to the door. My hand reaches the knob, and the goddess must be with me because it’s unlocked. I take off running to the garden. To my surprise, the smell of my brother gets fainter with each step. I decide to chance a look over my shoulder to see both men standing outside the back kitchen door. Oliver’s arm is across my brother’s chest. “Just let her go, Robert. Give her a few minutes,” Oliver tells him. I run a bit further, but since I know they’re not following me, I finally stop and walk. I’m sure I’ve destroyed all the work I did to look presentable just a few hours ago as I walk barefoot through my favorite place. I can’t be bothered to care right now, though. This was not the plan. This is not the life that I’m supposed to have. I know my family loves me, but it’s obvious at every turn I’m not really theirs. My family always said they loved me so much they couldn’t stand the thought of me leaving when I was small, but who would kick a homeless six-year-old out? I was found under a tree, alone- tiny, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. Was I lost? Or abandoned? Did I have a family that loved and missed me? Or did they leave me in the woods, hoping they’d never have to see me again? I’d accepted all these possibilities before, but as I got older, it became obvious I wasn’t like all the other pups. It became harder and harder to feel like I belonged. I couldn’t play with the kids as I got older because I couldn’t physically keep up with them. That’s what made me love Oliver so much. When the other kids wanted to play tag and throw balls, he’d be there to go on an adventure with me. The first time we made it back to the falls alone was amazing! My dad had taken me once shortly after he found me, but they looked much more amazing when we found them on our own. We got into so much trouble when we got back. I remember Oliver’s mom apologizing repeatedly to my dad. He was angry we’d gone so far without her knowledge. The entire time my dad explained my punishment, my mom smirked and kept telling him we were fine and to calm down. As I got older, I realized that my dad was always worried about me more than anyone else because of my broken wolf. Eventually, he forbade me to go into the woods without a pack warrior nearby- even if I was with Oliver. A few years ago, Robbie had too much to drink and let it slip that Dad was worried someone would kidnap me to use it against him because I wouldn’t be able to get away myself. I was so angry when he first told me, but I quickly realized he was right to be concerned. If another pack did kidnap me, I’d never be able to escape on my own. I’m basically useless and a huge liability. Useless and a liability to my own pack and now, to the mate I never thought I’d have. There’s no reason anyone would not reject me, short of needing a chef, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep around a broken wolf. I don’t know how I'd ever be able to help a mate. And if my mate is in Lunar Falls now for the Alpha ceremony, he’s likely an Alpha himself. While most she-wolves would be thrilled, this is the worst possible scenario for me. I stop walking as I reach the back of my garden. This truly is my absolute favorite place in the pack territory. It’s so peaceful here, and few people ever bother to come this far back. It’s where I spend so much time doing what I can to help take care of my pack in my own way. I know it’s not much, but it’s at least something. The sun is shining brightly now and making it hot, so I climb under the leaning trellis where the squash grow and hide in the shade. I know that eventually someone will be out here to drag me inside, but I decide to stay put until that happens. I hide in the garden for what seems like hours, though I don’t think it’s been that long. I am surprised I’ve been able to stay here alone for so long, but I’m not upset about it either. I peek out from my hiding spot like a small child and see the window to my Father’s study. A man I don’t recognize is staring outside. For just a moment, I wonder if that’s my mate. He’s attractive, from what I can tell. He has longer dark hair above his shoulders and looks pretty muscular. He’s holding a glass with something brown in it- probably some expensive bourbon that my dad hopes will help him overlook my behavior. Maybe he has enough bourbon to have him overlook my brokenness. Doubtful, as I’m not just a broken wolf, but I’m now a filthy wolf wearing no shoes and hiding in actual plants. I smell the familiar scent of my best friend as he approaches and climbs under the trellis with me. The look he’s giving me tells me he knows the situation isn’t great. Oliver knows me so well. He knows that I’m not able to articulate my feelings at the moment, so he doesn’t say a word. He just puts his arms around me and holds me, and I let go of tears I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I cry for the little girl who didn’t get a wolf, and for all the times another kid made me feel less than. I cry for all the nights I spent wondering why I was left by a tree, and I cry for all the memories that I don’t have from before then. I cry for the kid who grew up not meeting anyone's expectations, and for all the times I know I disappointed my parents. They tried so hard to hide it, but I knew. But most of all, I cry for the fear of having to face a mate that I never dreamed I’d have and the pain of the rejection that I’ll have to endure. “He’s not going to reject you,” Oliver tells me. I know he truly thinks that, but there’s no chance someone would want me. “I’m going to go up there, but I need to change clothes first,” I tell him. He looks at me and nods but doesn’t say a word about how I look an absolute mess. I mind link my dad. I’m going to change and make myself presentable, and then I’ll be there. I’m sorry. I know I’ve embarrassed him. “Okay, Molly, I’ll let him know. He’s a good man. You’re going to be alright,” he tells me. I find a small amount of comfort from the man who would do anything to protect me telling me it will all be fine. Chapter 4 I’m back in my room. I showered, re-curled my hair, and did my makeup. Oliver wouldn’t leave me. I realize now that I’ve caused the Alpha ceremony to begin late, which is causing the dinner to start late, and I’ve all but ruined my brother’s day. I feel worse than I did before. Ollie comes from my closet carrying a darker green dress for me to put on. I realize my shoes I left in my kitchen office are now in my room, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to care how they got here. Ollie zips my dress and hands me the shoes. “Good as new,” he says, taking in my appearance with a critical eye. I’m nervous, but he won’t let me walk in to meet my mate looking anything less than amazing. He grabs my hand and starts to walk, but I’m hesitant to move. He turns to meet my eyes. “No running this time. You have to meet him.” I know he’s right, but I’m still absolutely terrified. We make our way across the packhouse to the Alpha office. As we get closer, I begin to smell him, and I know, without a doubt, that my mate is in there. He smells like juniper, with orange and cinnamon. It’s almost overwhelming. I feel so pulled towards him, and I’ve not even seen him. If this is how finding your mate feels with a broken wolf, then maybe it will be so strong for him that I won’t be rejected. I grasp onto that sliver of hope. I take a deep breath and turn the door knob to enter. My Dad and Robert are sitting propped on the edge of their desk. My mom is sitting elegantly in the chair across from them, and in the other chair is… Queen Audrey? With King Peter behind her? I briefly wonder why they are here for this, but thoughts are lost when my eyes go to the window and land on my mate. He IS who I saw from out in the garden, but instead of looking across the grounds, he’s staring at me intently. Our eyes lock, and I start to feel unsteady. Oliver places his hand on my back to steady me and whispers in my ear. “Go say hi.” Biting my lip, I nod and start to close the space between us. To my shock, my mate starts walking towards me as well. Once we’ve made it to each other, he places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks. His pale blue eyes are kind, and he seems genuinely concerned for me. I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod in response. I see my brother out of the corner of my eye and feel such guilt about how I’ve behaved today on his day. I walk towards my brother, and I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to, but he pulls me into a giant hug. “I’m sorry I ruined your ceremony,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. I was so deeply in my feelings that I wasn’t concerned with time, and I knew it was set to begin hours ago. “You didn’t ruin anything, kiddo. You just delayed it,” he tells me, smiling down at me. Releasing me from his hug, he grabs my hand and walks back towards my mate. “Prince Seth, I’m glad to finally introduce you to my sister, Molly. Molls, this is my friend, Prince Seth.” Prince? So that explains why the king and queen are here. I swallow my nerves down. “Prince Seth and I did all our physical training together. He’s a good guy, Molls,” he tells me, squeezing my hand for comfort. “Hi,” I say, looking up at Prince Seth. He’s big, the biggest in the room. He's so tall, and his shoulders are broad and strong. As I saw from the window, his hair is dark and nearly to his shoulders, but he has his mom’s light blue eyes. I know I should say something more, but this situation feels intimidating. “Hi,” he returns with a kind smile and reaches out his hand to me. I release my brother and place my hand in his. He surprises me by bringing my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. “It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Molly I’ve heard so much about.” Everyone is watching me, and I feel even more uncomfortable. I wish I could take their attention off of me. “Umm, maybe we should get the ceremony started soon.” “We should get ready to start the ceremony soon. Why don’t we head down and give Molly and Seth a few moments alone,” my dad suggests as he stands and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. My mom follows over just behind him and grabs my free hand while she leans in and whispers in my ear. “He’s handsome.” They head to the door with Robbie while King Peter and Queen Audrey meet them there. They all exit with my dad closing the door behind them. I thought I’d feel more comfortable without everyone looking at us, but now that we’re alone, I’m even more nervous. He seems kind. Maybe he won’t be too harsh when he rejects me. “So,” he says, breaking the silence between us, “Your mom thinks I’m handsome.” I can’t help but laugh. I don’t think she meant for him to hear her, but I’m glad he did and that he can joke about it. He leads me over to the sofa in the corner by my hand, which I note he still hasn’t let go of. I sit, and he takes the space beside me. He’s close, and he’s warm. He smells so good, but I can’t allow myself to become too attached. “I’m sorry I ran away earlier,” I tell him, trying to take responsibility for my stupidity. He doesn’t respond. He just continues to look at me. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I know this is really disappointing for you”, I finish as my voice lowers to barely above a whisper. “Why would I ever be disappointed with you?” he says, and I can see from his face that he appears to be genuinely surprised by my words. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong. All of BOTH our families were up in my dad’s office while I sat in the garden and cried. They must have talked about me. He has to know. “I, uhh...” I don’t know the words to adequately describe what a mess I am, but I try because he deserves to know before he gets stuck with me. “I’m a broken wolf, Prince Seth.” As I pause to figure out how to explain myself, he finally lets go of my hand, but only so he can gently place his finger under my chin to pull my face to look at him. “It’s just Seth to you. You’re my mate- my equal. Never Prince to you, only ever Seth. You’ll be Princess Molly soon and eventually Queen. But you’ll always be my equal.” It’s at that moment that it hits me that Prince Seth isn’t just his name but his actual identity. Being his mate comes with much more that I’m not made for. Little girls dream of being a princess someday, but it’s an absolute nightmare for me. “I can’t be the queen. I’m not even a real wolf. I saw you in the window and thought my family would have told you. I… I’m so sorry.” My chest begins to hurt as the words come out, and I can barely breathe. “You are a real wolf. It’s in your scent. My wolf is sure of it.” “I’m not, though. I don’t have a wolf. I’ve never shifted. I’m not built as muscular. If anything happens to me, I can’t save myself. I’ll be a huge liability.” “No,” he snaps, and I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “You are NOT a liability. You’re my mate. The Goddess made you for me.” “The Goddess didn’t make me for anyone, Seth. No one wanted me,” I say as my voice begins to waiver. This isn’t going how I thought. I never dreamed I’d have to convince my mate I wasn’t good enough. This man keeps surprising me as he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “There are people who DO want you, Molly. I want you. Your parents adopted you- they wanted you. Robert always wanted you. He never stopped talking about you during training. You’re different, Molly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not enough and that you’re not wanted,” he tells me as he holds me on his lap. “I think maybe we should talk about this later,” I tell him as I stand up. He lets me but keeps his hands on my hips. “I’ve ruined Robbie’s day enough. We should head downstairs.” “ OK, Molly, we can talk about it later tonight,” he says as he stands. I note that he still hasn’t let go of me as he leans down and kisses my forehead. It’s sweet and makes my heart flutter. “You are wanted,” he says, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. “You’re mine.” Chapter 5 We arrive at the side yard of the house, where the ceremony is to be held in silence. Everyone is seated and ready to begin, and both our seats are in front. Seth holds my hand, leading me forward when I suddenly stop and refuse to continue walking. “What’s wrong?” he asks with concern on his face. “I can’t hold your hand. They can’t know I’m your mate,” I tell him, looking away. He won’t want me tomorrow, or maybe next week it will hit him. I don’t know when, but at some point, he’ll see past the bond and know he can find better than me. I hear him growl, and he steps towards me. He gently grabs my chin and tilts my head to look into my eyes. Seth starts to say something but then stops himself. He’s towering over me, and it’s intimidating, but I feel safe with him. It’s probably just from the bond. “OK, Molly. I won’t hold your hand, but they will eventually find out. You win for now, but we WILL talk about this later tonight,” he says firmly as his eyes flash with danger. I realize I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to do that. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you,” I begin to try to explain. “But you’re the prince. If people know you’ve found your mate, especially that it’s me, word will spread. It will hurt more when you finally reject me if everyone knows.” My voice is barely a whisper as I finish. I feel so awkward and vulnerable. His free hand lands gently on my hip while the other moves behind my head. He leans to place a soft kiss on my temple. “I will not change my mind, but I won’t hold your hand in public for now if that’s what you truly want. We will figure things out tonight.” He releases me and moves his hands to both my hips now. “It’s a full moon. You’ll be expected at the run tonight. It’s not every day a fancy-pants prince graces Lunar Falls with his presence,” I half-joke with him. “And where will you be? You can’t be alone.” “I usually lock myself in my suite. It’s by the kitchen in the basement and right across from the safe room, just in case.” “Alone?” Seth asks me, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve lived my whole life without a wolf. This isn’t my first full moon. Sometimes, I stay with the young kids who aren’t old enough to shift, but I just want to be alone tonight,” I tell him with complete honesty. “We have a few hours until we need to worry about that. Go on and take your seat. I’ll follow behind in a moment,” Seth tells me. He releases me but quickly reaches out and squeezes my hand. Honestly, he seems like a really nice man. I’ve caused him more headache today than I’m worth, so I do as he told me and head down the aisle to take my seat. My dad is sitting on his Alpha throne on the stage. Mom stands behind him, and Robbie is beside him. Since it’s the passing of the Alpha, no other family members are on stage, and I’ll be sitting alone. As I’m walking to my seat, I hear the whispers start. I’ve gotten used to it from my own pack- and they all know I got the wolf hearing. These guests, though, don’t seem to know. “That’s the wolfless one that Alpha Bardulf found and adopted.” “I heard she’s human.” “Do you think I could make her my whore? She looks too good to go to waste. Too bad she’s not a wolf.” And with that whispered comment, I feel overwhelming anger, but it’s not mine. It’s not like I haven’t heard these kinds of comments before. I realize then that I’m feeling Seth’s emotions through our bond. I know I can’t turn around and look at him. I look up and see my brother coming straight to me in a hurry and my dad with a murderous look on his face. Robbie reaches me and, to my surprise, continues past me to a younger-looking man sitting where I had just walked past. He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him. “You would do well to remember she’s the daughter of an Alpha,” Robbie tells him, releasing him unceremoniously back into his chair. By this time, my brother’s new Beta and Gama are headed to us. I can feel Seth relax some, though he is still very mad. George, Robbie's Beta, offers his arm to me and escorts me to the front row to be seated beside Queen Audrey. We both bow our heads to her and King Peter. She stands up and, to my surprise, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “You look stunning, Molly Dear,” She says loudly while she releases me but holds my hand as we sit down and squeezes it. It would seem that everyone in the room heard the comments. I smell Seth as he gets close and realize I’m in his seat beside his mother. I stand to move, but he shakes his head and motions for me to sit back down where I was. The pack elder stands and walks up to my dad and Robbie. He welcomes everyone, and as he begins, I feel Seth’s arm come up and rest behind my shoulders. He rests his hand on his mother's shoulder beside me. Queen Audrey smiles at Seth before returning to my dad and brother. The ceremony is beautiful. I know today is hard for my dad, handing over his pack to someone else, even if it is his own son. Robbie will do well. His Beta, Delta, and Gamma are all great guys and will do what’s best for the pack. The Elder instructs everyone to stand as Dad stands, and Robbie finally sits on the pack throne, officially becoming Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. As I stand, I feel Seth bring his arm across my shoulders and back before completely releasing me, leaving me suddenly cold and alone. I’ve avoided acknowledging the bond thus far, but after feeling Seth's anger and loneliness at the lack of his touch, it’s really hard to ignore that it’s there. Everyone in the room is looking at my brother, so I take a chance and reach my left hand over just enough to find Seth’s as he wraps his around mine and gently squeezes it. He’s so comforting, and I begin to think that maybe we can make this work. My parents start to descend the stage, and I realize now that people may look our way, so I reluctantly release his hand. Robert sits on the pack throne with his men behind him and releases his first howl as Alpha, causing all but the royal family and present alphas to bow their heads and bare their necks in submission. I notice that I’m not affected, but I always respond to my dad’s Alpha commands. Seth has noticed because he leans over slightly and explains in the lowest of whispers in my ear. “You’re the mate of a royal. Alpha commands won’t work on you anymore.” It definitely wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I suddenly feel more uncomfortable about the situation. The ceremony is complete, and as we stand to leave, I realize my being between Seth and the King and Queen has complicated our exit now. Typically, the new Alpha would exit first, with everyone after in order of hierarchy, but since the Royals are here, they must exit first. As they turn to leave first, King Peter turns back to us, “Seth, why don’t you escort sweet Molly out? I’m sure our new Alpha Robert won’t mind.” He turns to Robbie, who smiles. “Of course,” he agrees easily, but not without shooting a look at the guy he mildly assaulted just 40 minutes before. Seth steps before me and offers me his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. “My lady.” I honestly can’t help but giggle at his face. I catch my mom out of the corner of my eye and she’s simply beaming at the entire interaction. I take Seth's arm with my hand, and he reaches his other hand over to place it on mine. It’s warm, and the bond sparks with excitement over our contact. We walk out behind his parents. Once we reach the end of the aisle and out of view of everyone, my brother reaches forward and grabs Seth and me. He leans forward behind us and tells Seth, “Watch your hands, bro,” with a smirk. “Oh, I will absolutely be watching where they go,” Seth returns to Robbie, and for a moment, I think my brother might actually lose control of his wolf. “I’m joking, Rob. I’ll always take care of her.” The sincerity in his voice touches me. He barely knows me, though. It’s an empty promise, but he’s trying. With the ceremony over, it’s almost time for the reception. Hopefully, my actions earlier and the delay haven’t hurt the dinner service too much. I know I’m not supposed to be in the kitchens today, but Dad has already sent me down once, and it would look terrible on the pack if things didn’t go smoothly. I make up my mind and decide to head down. “Seth, I need to go down to the kitchens and make sure things are ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room once they’re settled,” I tell him, and his brow furrows. “I’m the head chef for the pack, and while my sous chef is handling everything since this was a family gathering, I’d feel much better if I could ensure everything is ready, and they don’t need extra hands,” I continue, realizing I’m unsure if he even knows I’m a chef. “I can come with you if you really need to. I don’t want to leave you.” “I’ll be fine, honestly. It’s just my staff down there, and you met Oliver earlier. I’ll be fine and head up once they’re all ready.” “Molly, you’re the future Queen now. You don’t have to work anymore,” he tells me, and I know he’s trying to be kind, but that hurts. “I’ve never been required to work. I had to convince my dad to let me have this job. I enjoy it. It’s how I’m able to contribute to my pack,” I explain, but I realize that in my hurt, I’ve said more than I meant to. I have complicated feelings about my role in this pack, and I didn’t mean to start telling him about them. “I understand. At least let me walk you to the kitchen so I know you’re safe, please.” I know his request is genuine, and he wants me to be safe, but with more people leaving the ceremony and coming around, I don’t want anyone to see us together. I nod at him but release his arm. “It’s this way,” I tell him, and I start walking toward the service stairs. I can feel his irritation at me for releasing his arm through our bond, but I continue, and he doesn’t say anything. We reach the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly grabs my arm and sniffs the air. He sniffs again, pushes me against a door, and sniffs my neck slowly. His body is pressed against mine, and his breath is hot against my skin. He’s so close and towers over me. His scent has enveloped me, and I’m beginning to feel completely overwhelmed. “Everything down here smells like you,” he finally tells me. ”It’s so strong.” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I spend all my time down here. The kitchen is down that hall, and my office is there. The door behind me is the one to my suite.” I tell him. “Show me, please,” he says, and I consider it momentarily. He’s so close, and it’s making my heart race. He pushes himself against me the slightest bit more and kisses the spot on my neck where his mate’s mark would go. Chapter 6 I almost cave and let him in, but we’re too close to think clearly, and I need to tell him the endless list of problems we have with being together. “Later,” I whisper because it’s as much as I can squeak out with him so close. It’s intoxicating. He takes a deep breath as he pushes his weight off me, but he still stays where he is, towering over me. “Later,” he whispers back to me while we both take a moment to regain our composure. “Are you ready?” he asks after a moment, and all I can do is nod. He steps back and waves his arm, motioning for me to go in front. I walk to the kitchen door with him behind me before I turn to him. “Thank you for walking down with me.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’ll be up for dinner?” “Yeah, Dad will drag me up there if I try anything,” I tell him, and he smiles. “Good. I can’t wait to see you again,” he says, grabbing my right hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. ---------- “I’m surprised you weren’t in here sooner,” Oliver says with a smirk as I step into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re making another appearance. Don’t you trust me?” he says, faking hurt. “Oh, Oliver. You know that I don’t,” I respond jokingly and stick my tongue out at him. “How was the ceremony?” He asked. “It was an Alpha Ceremony. Nothing amazing, kinda boring, there’s a new Alpha.” “Oh really? Because I heard our dear Alpha Robert punched an Alpha visiting from another pack.” “Umm, technically, that happened before, so he wasn’t Alpha Robert… yet,” I tell him with a smirk. “And it wasn’t exactly a punch.” “You want to talk about WHY Robbie punched people you walked by just before being named the Alpha?” I sigh. “You know how it is being me. Someone always says SOMETHING.” I’m exhausted from the day and don’t want to think about anything. “So, how is dinner? Can I help out?” “Molly, I’m capable of running this.” “I know, I know you are. I’m here to help if you need me. I’m not taking over for you.” “I think we’re good. Honestly, someone decided to delay the dinner a few hours while they were running away from their very attractive mate, which gave us more time to prep. I assume you’re not ready to talk about that?” he questions me. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so much to take in. I think tonight is the first full moon I’m glad to be left out of.” “If you want me to stay with you to talk, just let me know. I don’t mind.” “I appreciate it, Oli, but I need some time alone just to think. It’s been overwhelming.” “You’re really not going to mention that your mate is the prince?” “Nope. I’m not ready to even think about that. It just complicates things even more. I don’t know why he hasn’t already rejected me,” I tell him, looking around. Everything appears to be going very well for my brother’s dinner. “Molls,” Oliver says to get my attention while I’m looking around the kitchen and sighs, not saying what I know he wants to. “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow, and I’ll handle breakfast.” “I’d hate to do that to you. There’s a lot of people with all the visitors staying tonight.” I tell him, feeling guilty about throwing a second meal service on him. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the chance to show our new Alpha that I can fill your shoes. When you’re marked, you’ll be moving with Prince Seth, and I want to prove that I can handle this.” I hadn’t considered leaving with a mate- ever. Seth will come to his senses at some point and finally reject me, but Oliver is right. He’s not had many chances to prove himself as head chef. I know he’s capable, and he deserves the chance to show Robbie that, too. “Ok, Oliver. Breakfast service is yours. And if, by some miracle, Seth doesn’t reject me, I’ll put in a good word with the Alpha- though I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I tell him with a small giggle. It’s weird to think my brother is the Alpha we’re talking about. I turn to leave but have an idea for tomorrow. “I’m just going to check and see if we have the stuff to make something tonight during the run, and then I’ll leave.” “Thank you,” he says. “I promise it’ll be amazing. You should change and show the prince all the reasons he shouldn’t reject you. Go put on something sexy and wow him.” I turn to the pantry to check for the ingredients I’ll need. I look around and then move to the fridge and verify that everything I need is on hand before I turn, walk out the door, and head down the hall to my suite. I’ve worn two dresses today, and neither of them was really my choice. It’s been a long day, and I decide to do as Oliver suggested. I walk in and go straight to my closet, looking around. I find a dress that I love and while it’s probably a little bit too formal, I decide to go with it anyway. I head to my bathroom and pull my hair back so it’s finally off my shoulders. I put on a little more makeup to darken my eyes just a tad more and switch from nude to a red lip. The dress is an off-the-shoulder black satin dress in a mermaid cut. It’s basic but classy and feels much more like how I would usually look. I pull out some black strappy heels and look at myself in the mirror. I realize I need to put on a necklace and select one that was handed down from my mom, that was her mom’s. It’s a white gold necklace with just a lot of diamonds, but it dresses up the dress that’s so plain. I look in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I look and feel like myself, and my parents will still be pleased. But then the thought comes that I wonder what Seth will think. With a sigh, I stop just a moment to think about everything that has happened today. I never actually thought I’d have a mate, but if I did, I was sure they would reject me on the spot. I was prepared for it. Instead, I have a mate who is a prince and has not given any indication that he plans to reject me. He hasn’t thought things through, though. He has a wolf, so what he’s feeling from our bond is probably stronger than what I can, and it’s a lot. I don’t have a wolf, and I can’t shift. The only wolf I can mind link is my dad, and it’s probably only because he’s the Alpha or was. I’m not built like a wolf. What if I can’t get pregnant with the heir to the kingdom, or worse, what if I can’t carry a wolf pregnancy? The entire wolf kingdom will surely not accept me and probably wouldn’t accept Seth as King for keeping a broken wolf as a mate. He does seem kind, though. I’m not sure what he was told about me before I made it to Dad’s office, but he’s friends with Robbie, so he has to know a lot. He’s reassured me a few times today that he won’t reject me. He called me “his” earlier, making my heart flutter with hope. And the way he was pressed against me in the hall was more than I could have hoped for. I sigh. There’s not much I can do now, and I need not worry about it. I am who I am, and while he’s given me some hope, I don’t want to have my heart crushed when he realizes I’m no good. I will have to go with it and see what happens. It’s out of my hands. And with that, I decide to head upstairs and find my family. And maybe my mate. I still don’t want the whole kingdom to know, but I enjoy being near him. As much as I try to ignore it, the bond is still tugging at me to get close to him. I reach the door to the dining room and can hear that everyone is already inside. I crack it and slowly slip in, hoping to go unnoticed, which I don’t need to worry about since everyone is walking about mingling and hasn’t been seated yet. I see my mom across the room and head towards her. I haven’t been able to spend time with her since meeting Seth. I just need her hugs. “Hi, Mom,” I say as I approach. “Oh, Molly. You changed clothes. You look lovely!” she tells me, genuine in her compliment. “You look stunning,” I hear from my side and see Queen Audrey as she approaches me. “That lip color suits you.” I can’t help but glow a little as not only the queen but also my mate’s mother complimented me so generously. I remember myself and bow. “Thank you, Your Highness. I feel more myself with the red.” I should have stopped there, but I never know when to quit talking until it’s too late. “Truthfully, I don’t wear much makeup.” “Oh, really, dear? Because you wear it so well.” “I appreciate that,” I tell her. “I don’t wear it often, but my mom taught me well.” “How are you doing, dear? I know it’s been a pretty exciting day for you,” Queen Audrey asks me. “I’m ok, Ma’am. I’m looking forward to some time alone tonight to think about everything while you all go for the run,” I tell her honestly. My mom realizes I’m not quite sure I’m ok and comes to my side to wrap me in a hug. “I’m sure it’s been a bit overwhelming, finding your mate and realizing he’s so damn attractive,” and that’s just what I needed to calm me some. I start giggling, and with the stress of today, I just can’t stop. I smell him and then feel his hand on my lower back. He comes to stand on my other side and pulls me to him. “What’s so funny?” Seth asks me. “Just some girl talk,” Queen Audrey smiles at him, probably to be sure I wouldn’t tell him my mom was drooling over him. Again. Seth releases me, and I suddenly feel sad, but he steps forward, hugs his mother, and kisses her cheek. He releases her and turns back to me, grabbing my hand. “Take a walk with me?” he asks, and I nod. He leads me outside to the balcony, which is not nearly as crowded. It’s a little chilly, but it feels like a perfect fall night. “You look absolutely stunning,” he says when we stop at the railing. “Thanks,” I respond. “It’s the first dress I got to pick for myself all day.” “It’s perfect, Molly. You're perfect,” he says as he places his arm behind me and pulls me to his chest. “The Goddess blessed me when she made you,” he murmurs into the top of my head. I let myself sigh and just be content for a moment. This feels so perfect. If he rejects me, at least I had this precious moment. “I honestly wasn’t sure you’d be back upstairs,” he tells me. “I take it everything was ok in the kitchen?” “Yeah, all was well. Dinner was going well, and Dad’s cake was still good,” I say, realizing I let the surprise slip. “Don’t you mean your brother’s cake?” he inquires, looking down at me. “I mean, I didn’t check on that one. I assumed they could handle it. But there’s a surprise for my dad, too,” I tell him, placing my finger on my lips, indicating it’s a secret, and he smiles at me. “I’m going to skip the run tonight. My parents will be there. That will be enough for the people,” he tells me, and I realize that he’s worried about me being alone. “Umm, I have plans tonight now,” I tell him nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell he’s not happy, so I try to explain. “Sorry, it’s nothing exciting. I’m going to lock myself into my suite and bake. It helps me relax and think clearly.” “I’m worried about you being alone.” He tells me. “I know. Being around someone with a broken wolf is new for you, but it’s been like this my whole life. Do you think my dad would leave me here alone if he didn’t think I was completely safe?” I ask him, and I can tell he’s considering it. “Please don’t miss out on something that would make you happy just for me. I’ll feel terrible if you do.” “But what if something happens to you while we’re all out?” he asks, and I realize there are things he doesn’t know about my situation. “I can mind link my dad and maybe my brother now that he’s Alpha. I promise I’ll reach out if anything happens,” I promise, and I can see him relax. “OK, but make sure your dad knows I’ll always be near him,” he says, and honestly, the thought that he cares enough to do that but still respects my decision warms my heart. “I will. And thank you,” I tell him, pulling him down towards me and kissing his cheek. He growls and rests his forehead against mine. “Aren’t you worried someone will see?” he asks me teasingly, but I can tell he’s serious with his inquiry. “A little, but I’m trying,” I tell him. We stand like that for a while- alone in the quiet. “If we stay like this much longer, everyone will be able to smell me on you,” he points out. “It’s OK,” I whisper to him as I break the contact with our foreheads, but only to lean into him. I reach into his jacket to embrace him, resting my head against his chest. He lowers his chin to the top of my head. The bond is so calm yet still strong. Somehow, though, it is tugging at me for more. We stay just like that until they announce for everyone to take their seats for dinner. “Do you want to go in before me, and I’ll follow again?” he asks me, and it’s so kind and considerate of him. “No, I don’t think I do,” I tell him as we finally separate, but I place my hand inside his. He looks down at our hands and then up at me. “Are you sure? People will definitely see.” “I know,” I tell him. “I’m trying to trust you. I’m trying to be brave.” He beams at me with the biggest smile and leans over to kiss my head before squeezing my hand and leading me into the ballroom. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted, and broken, I might be the first mateless Alpha’s daughter ever. “Your mate is here. He can smell you on Dad.” said my brother. He will reject me right? I knew he would…anyone would do that to a broken wolf. *** Molly's POV: Today, my brother Robbie will officially be named Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. the Alphas of nearby packs are expected to attend, and some from further decided to make the trip when word spread that the Royal Wolves would be in attendance. Mom was the best of friends with Queen Audrey and my father completed his Alpha training with King Peter over 30 years ago. She was right, though. The color of the dress did make my light green eyes pop, and the cut was very flattering on my curves. I’m the oldest child- they think. See, my birthday isn’t my actual birthday but my gotcha day, as my dad likes to call it. 16 years ago, my dad found me curled in a ball, asleep under a tree right on the edge of the pack territory. There was no one around and no scent to follow. He took me back to the pack house, and I stayed with them while they searched for where I had come from. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but there were no leads- no reports of packs of a missing child. After a year, my parents decided to adopt me and with a blood adoption blessed by the King. This is my family. When we stand together, my eyes always show how much I truly don’t belong here. My brother Robbie has always treated me just like a real sister, probably even more so. He’s younger than me, but as we got older, he definitely took the typical older brother role in our relationship as he grew into his alpha powers while everyone realized I was a broken wolf. My family never treated me any differently, but I know it was probably really hard to be the family of one of the kingdom's strongest alphas with an adopted daughter who was basically a human. I AM a wolf, though. I smell like one, and no one has ever questioned that. But I never had my wolf inside communicating with me. I have advanced hearing and smell- but that’s as far as my wolf abilities go. I think my family had hoped that once I reached 16, a switch would flip inside, and my wolf would wake, and I’d be normal, but that day never came. “Molly, maybe we were wrong on your birthday. Just wait; someday you’ll shift,” my mom would say to me every full moon. But here I am, 22 years old- never shifted and barely helpful to my pack. But still, my parents love me. High School was hard once the other kids realized I wasn’t shifting. Robbie tried to protect me from them. But I decided that if I couldn’t physically protect my pack, I would make myself completely indispensable to them. My dad was pretty unhappy with my choice at first. Since now I have taken over the head cook position for the pack, though he insists the job title now be called Head Chef of the Lunar Falls Pack. I’m a broken wolf, and I don’t think I even have a mate, but my mom is convinced that I do. Or she could just be holding out hope because the reality of being mateless is too sad. If my mom is right, though, and I do have a mate out there, you can be sure that they will reject me as soon as they realize how useless of a wolf I am, which is why I tend to stay in the kitchen and avoid any outsiders when they visit. There is a knock on my door, and I immediately smell my dad. He always smells of cedar and tobacco—the most comforting smell. “Molly, Love, you look absolutely beautiful,” he tells me, looking at me in the mirror from my doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’m almost ready, I promise. I just need to put on my shoes and run down to the kitchen to make sure everything is ready to go for dinner,” I reply with a smile. “You have staff and have been down there all morning, Kiddo. What else could you possibly need to check on?” “I know, Dad. They’re great. But it’s Robbie's big day- and it’s YOUR retirement, too. Don’t you want your meal to be perfect?” “I know it’s a big day for your brother, but who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special, and it’ll be a big day for you, too.” “It won’t be. But I’ll be there in just a few minutes”, I tell him as I slip on my nude pumps. Little did I know, it actually will BE the day that changes my whole life. Chapter 2 My mother is the Luna to end all Lunas. There is absolutely no comparison to how she handles her duties. The pack house is immaculately decorated at all times, but for my brother today it is perfection. Our pack's deep emerald green and gold colors adorn the walls, and as I step outside on the stone stairs, I see that the decorations extend over the outside of the house as well. A banner hangs above the door with the current pack crest- gold embroidery on the green, of the falls we’re so famous for with four stars next to a silver crescent moon. Robbie will update this when he’s ready to fit his family, as it hasn’t been updated since my adoption, and my dad (probably mom) had a star added to represent me. “Oh, Molly. That dress was the perfect choice!” My mother exclaims and pulls me out of my thoughts. She looks perfect, as always. She’s tall and thin, with her straight brown hair in an elegant twist. She never looks bad, but she looks absolutely stunning today. She’ll never admit it, but I know she’s nervous to have the King and Queen here in such a formal setting. She’s been friends with Queen Audrey since they were kids, but they’re rarely seen together in such a public setting. “Thank you, Mom,” I return to her in earnest. Her opinion means so much to me. My brother lucked out and doesn’t have to greet people even though it’s his own Alpha ceremony. “How’s Robbie doing today?” I ask. “Alpha Robert,” she says, emphasizing his full first name, “Is doing wonderfully today. He’s prepared for this role his entire life and is ready. I wish he had found his Luna before assuming the role, but he will be fine. You and I will have to help him out with the Luna duties until he finds her.” she tells me, and while I’d rather do anything than decorate, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. I hear my dad sigh as he hears with his Alpha hearing what I assume are cars coming. “It’s show time, ladies.” A short moment later, I see a car approach, and before they even get to us, a second and third car are seen just behind. The first car stops in front of the pack house, and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a woman with dulling blonde hair step out, followed by a large, dark-haired man with olive skin. “Ahh, Blake! It is so good to have you at the Falls! Thank you for joining us,” my dad exclaims, seeing his old friend. “Celeste, Molly, this is Alpha Blake and his lovely Luna, Amanda. I’m sorry, Blake. I'm not sure I’ve met this young man before,” he says before extending his hand to the younger, very handsome man with them. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Randall,” he says to my dad while accepting his hand to shake. “I’m the future Alpha Chris. Thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Luna Celeste, Molly, the pack house looks lovely,” he says to my mother and me. She looks at me, and I know that look. She’s asking if he’s maybe my mate, to which I barely shake my head. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” my mother expertly says to them with a smile. There’s no social situation my mother can’t handle with grace, and while I’m in awe of her skills, I realize I probably should have said something- anything. But I didn’t. They all stand looking at me, waiting for me to pull it together, but alas, I do not. High-pressure social situations aren’t my forte. Everyone continues to look at me when my dad finally steps in to save me from myself. “We can’t express how much we appreciate you all making the trip here for our son,” he says to them, and they, thankfully, all turn their attention to him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spent quite so much time hiding in the kitchens because that was the first car and I’ve already messed up. A whole line of cars is now waiting for us to greet them. Alpha Blake walks off with his family, and as I’m about to apologize to my father, his eyes go slightly out of focus, a sign that someone has mind-linked him. He gathers his focus back, and with a sigh, he turns to me. “Molly, there’s a situation in the kitchen that they need you for. If you could please hurry back after, that would be most appreciated.” Thank the Goddess! I quickly hug my dad, and he whispers in my ear, “You had better be in there for the ceremony.” I turn around, going to the kitchen in a near run. I’m not sure if I’m moving so quickly because I don’t know the situation in the kitchen or because I’m excited not to greet any more guests, but either way, I head to the kitchen and get there in record time. When I walk into the kitchen, nothing seems amiss. Everything smells fine, and everyone looks pretty calm. I’m confused. “What happened?”. “What do you mean?” Katie Mae asks me. “Someone linked my dad and said there was a situation in the kitchen,” I tell her. “Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replies, “But Oliver is in your office. Go check with him.” Confused, I head to my office to check in with my sous chef, who is running things for dinner tonight. I find him sitting back with his feet propped up on my desk, smirking at me. “Just how badly did you do, Molly?” he asks me. “What do you mean? What’s the emergency?” I ask in a confused panic. “I do believe YOU are the emergency. Alpha Randall linked me and told me he was sending you back to the kitchen. Apparently, you just needed to be let out of your greeting duties. I was told never to speak of this to the Luna.” he says while trying to stifle a laugh. I smile and link my dad. “Thanks, old man.” I can feel his slight chuckle in return. He’s always looking out for me—and probably the whole pack if I was supposed to continue attempting to greet people. “So, what did you do?” Oliver asks me. “I didn’t DO anything, which is the problem. I just forgot to talk.” “Oh, Molls. You’ve got to be the worst-mannered Alpha’s daughter there ever was.” I laugh, but honestly, he’s right. Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted and broken, I’ve never taken the training seriously. I could throw together a dinner party if I had to, but I’d much prefer to be in the kitchen cooking for it instead. “See any hot guys up there?” Oliver asks, breaking me out of my thoughts of my failure. “Oli, I met one family before Dad sent me down. But, of course, I found an attractive guy. He’s the future Alpha of some pack. I don’t think they ever said where. My dad knew his dad well, though.” “I’ll have to sneak up and check out the options during the ceremony, not that I’ll be finding my mate in a room full of Alphas. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy looking,” he tells me as his face falls. My heart stings for my best friend. Oliver is an omega. He probably would have been named head chef if it hadn’t been for me. We’re the same age and became friends while in school. Most Alphas don’t send their kids to the pack schools so that they won’t fraternize with the Omegas, but my dad felt it was important for pack unity if Robbie and I attended the school. He was right, too. Robbie and I made friends with kids from all class structures, and it helped us to understand how privileged we are to be the Alpha’s kids and to have everything we do. Oliver and I met in elementary school and became the best of friends. His dad had passed away when he was small, but his mom was amazing. She used to let me come over after school to play, and sometimes, I’d get to stay for dinner. She taught me how to cook, even though she didn’t work in the pack kitchens. She loved food and taught us everything she could in those years after school and during summer break when we’d go play in the falls and come back completely filthy and starving. When we were in middle school, Oliver came out to me. I’d never met a gay wolf, but it didn’t bother me. Unfortunately, as Oli got older and confided in more people, word spread, and he was treated very poorly by other kids who didn’t understand him. Robbie tried to step in and would hang out with us, but it didn’t matter to the other kids as much as he’d hoped. Oliver's mom died in a rogue attack just before he turned 18, so as soon as he finished school, he started working in the pack kitchen. What happened was terrible, but I’m glad we landed in the kitchen together. Oliver has always been the person who encourages me the most, and it’s helped me be brave. Brave enough to tell my dad I wanted to work in the kitchen. Brave enough to accept that I’m just a broken wolf. Brave enough to try all the new things we wanted in the kitchen and beyond. A few years ago, we cut back the overgrown area behind the pack house and planted a huge edible garden. The first two years weren’t amazing, but we did more research, and with our hard work this year, it has been successful. The packhouse grocery bill was cut almost in half for the summer from everything we’ve been able to harvest, though we didn’t have the abundance we’d hoped for to store for the winter months. I know I’ll find Oliver peeking in during the Alpha ceremony to check out all the guys there. I truly hope that he finds a mate one day. One of us should be happy, and I’m OK that it’s him. “Oli, you better not burn my brother’s dinner because you’re sneaking off to check out the Alphas,” I tell him, mostly joking but completely serious at the same time. “I’d never dream of burning Alpha Robert’s celebration dinner, my dear,” he tells me while grabbing my hand. Suddenly, I’m met with the smell of pine and tobacco and instantly know my brother is walking in. He smells so much like my dad, but still his own. I turn to make a joke about him becoming Alpha today, but when I see his face, I know it’s not the time. He’s so serious, too serious. He’s never like this around me. “Molly, I, uh, I need you to come up to Dad’s office… my office, with me,” he says. He’s so uncomfortable, and he’s rarely ever like this around me- serious and unsure. “What’s wrong? Is everyone OK?” I ask, knowing deep inside that something is wrong. “Everyone is fine, Molly. Dad needs to speak with you,” he tells me, looking anywhere but my eyes. “Dad? Why isn’t he greeting the guests? Why didn’t he mindlink me? Robert,” I say to him, almost in a panic. “What’s going on?!” “Molly,” he says. Finally, he looks me in the eyes. There’s so much emotion and sympathy in his hazel eyes, and I know whatever it is has to be bad. It’s very bad. “Your mate is here.” Chapter 3 My brother’s voice rings through my head as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. My mate? “How… how does he know he’s my mate?” I ask meekly. “I haven’t met anyone but Alpha Blake and Future Alpha Chris. One of them is mated, and the other, well, he didn’t say anything when we met.” “It’s not either of them, it’s Seth. He could smell you on Dad. He said you hugged him just before you came here, and I guess your scent lingered.” “It could be anyone that Dad was near. It’s not me. It CAN’T be me.” “Molly. It’s you. Come on, they’re all waiting.” “All? How many mates do I have?” “It’s just one, kiddo. We’ve got to get up there. You can’t keep them waiting.” “No, Robbie. No. I’m not going up there just to be rejected and hurt,” I tell him. This isn’t happening. It has to be a mistake. I can’t have a mate. “Molly, it’s ok,” Oliver tells me as he sees my panic and recognizes that my brother does not have control of this situation. “You’ve always assumed you have no mate or that they’ll reject you if you do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll see you for the amazing wolf you are.” He’s trying. They both are. Trying to convince me that it’s going to be ok, but you can see in their eyes they both know it won’t be—especially my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look like this on his face before. He’s so worried about me. My mate must be terrible for him to be so concerned. I can barely breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, and my chest hurts with each breath. My fears bubble to the surface, and I can’t contain them. I slowly slip out of my shoes without either of them noticing. There’s a back door out of here right behind them. They’re both faster than me- my brother has the Alpha gene, making him far superior physically to me. There’s only one way I’ll make it past them, so I do what I have to, and I cry. My brother’s face softens, and he walks across the room, enveloping me in a huge hug. It’s a move I wasn’t expecting, making it even harder to remove myself from the kitchen. In all honesty, his hug feels good. I feel so safe when I’m with Robbie. Still, I remember he’s trying to take me to meet my dad, mate, and whoever else is there. I don’t want to be rejected and feel that pain. These thoughts make me cry even harder. Oliver moves closer, so I decide to make my final move to get out of here. “Robbie, I need to sit down,” I tell him, and my ever-doting brother does just what I expected this time and immediately releases me and turns to grab the chair that Oliver had just vacated. I make my move and run to the door. My hand reaches the knob, and the goddess must be with me because it’s unlocked. I take off running to the garden. To my surprise, the smell of my brother gets fainter with each step. I decide to chance a look over my shoulder to see both men standing outside the back kitchen door. Oliver’s arm is across my brother’s chest. “Just let her go, Robert. Give her a few minutes,” Oliver tells him. I run a bit further, but since I know they’re not following me, I finally stop and walk. I’m sure I’ve destroyed all the work I did to look presentable just a few hours ago as I walk barefoot through my favorite place. I can’t be bothered to care right now, though. This was not the plan. This is not the life that I’m supposed to have. I know my family loves me, but it’s obvious at every turn I’m not really theirs. My family always said they loved me so much they couldn’t stand the thought of me leaving when I was small, but who would kick a homeless six-year-old out? I was found under a tree, alone- tiny, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. Was I lost? Or abandoned? Did I have a family that loved and missed me? Or did they leave me in the woods, hoping they’d never have to see me again? I’d accepted all these possibilities before, but as I got older, it became obvious I wasn’t like all the other pups. It became harder and harder to feel like I belonged. I couldn’t play with the kids as I got older because I couldn’t physically keep up with them. That’s what made me love Oliver so much. When the other kids wanted to play tag and throw balls, he’d be there to go on an adventure with me. The first time we made it back to the falls alone was amazing! My dad had taken me once shortly after he found me, but they looked much more amazing when we found them on our own. We got into so much trouble when we got back. I remember Oliver’s mom apologizing repeatedly to my dad. He was angry we’d gone so far without her knowledge. The entire time my dad explained my punishment, my mom smirked and kept telling him we were fine and to calm down. As I got older, I realized that my dad was always worried about me more than anyone else because of my broken wolf. Eventually, he forbade me to go into the woods without a pack warrior nearby- even if I was with Oliver. A few years ago, Robbie had too much to drink and let it slip that Dad was worried someone would kidnap me to use it against him because I wouldn’t be able to get away myself. I was so angry when he first told me, but I quickly realized he was right to be concerned. If another pack did kidnap me, I’d never be able to escape on my own. I’m basically useless and a huge liability. Useless and a liability to my own pack and now, to the mate I never thought I’d have. There’s no reason anyone would not reject me, short of needing a chef, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep around a broken wolf. I don’t know how I'd ever be able to help a mate. And if my mate is in Lunar Falls now for the Alpha ceremony, he’s likely an Alpha himself. While most she-wolves would be thrilled, this is the worst possible scenario for me. I stop walking as I reach the back of my garden. This truly is my absolute favorite place in the pack territory. It’s so peaceful here, and few people ever bother to come this far back. It’s where I spend so much time doing what I can to help take care of my pack in my own way. I know it’s not much, but it’s at least something. The sun is shining brightly now and making it hot, so I climb under the leaning trellis where the squash grow and hide in the shade. I know that eventually someone will be out here to drag me inside, but I decide to stay put until that happens. I hide in the garden for what seems like hours, though I don’t think it’s been that long. I am surprised I’ve been able to stay here alone for so long, but I’m not upset about it either. I peek out from my hiding spot like a small child and see the window to my Father’s study. A man I don’t recognize is staring outside. For just a moment, I wonder if that’s my mate. He’s attractive, from what I can tell. He has longer dark hair above his shoulders and looks pretty muscular. He’s holding a glass with something brown in it- probably some expensive bourbon that my dad hopes will help him overlook my behavior. Maybe he has enough bourbon to have him overlook my brokenness. Doubtful, as I’m not just a broken wolf, but I’m now a filthy wolf wearing no shoes and hiding in actual plants. I smell the familiar scent of my best friend as he approaches and climbs under the trellis with me. The look he’s giving me tells me he knows the situation isn’t great. Oliver knows me so well. He knows that I’m not able to articulate my feelings at the moment, so he doesn’t say a word. He just puts his arms around me and holds me, and I let go of tears I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I cry for the little girl who didn’t get a wolf, and for all the times another kid made me feel less than. I cry for all the nights I spent wondering why I was left by a tree, and I cry for all the memories that I don’t have from before then. I cry for the kid who grew up not meeting anyone's expectations, and for all the times I know I disappointed my parents. They tried so hard to hide it, but I knew. But most of all, I cry for the fear of having to face a mate that I never dreamed I’d have and the pain of the rejection that I’ll have to endure. “He’s not going to reject you,” Oliver tells me. I know he truly thinks that, but there’s no chance someone would want me. “I’m going to go up there, but I need to change clothes first,” I tell him. He looks at me and nods but doesn’t say a word about how I look an absolute mess. I mind link my dad. I’m going to change and make myself presentable, and then I’ll be there. I’m sorry. I know I’ve embarrassed him. “Okay, Molly, I’ll let him know. He’s a good man. You’re going to be alright,” he tells me. I find a small amount of comfort from the man who would do anything to protect me telling me it will all be fine. Chapter 4 I’m back in my room. I showered, re-curled my hair, and did my makeup. Oliver wouldn’t leave me. I realize now that I’ve caused the Alpha ceremony to begin late, which is causing the dinner to start late, and I’ve all but ruined my brother’s day. I feel worse than I did before. Ollie comes from my closet carrying a darker green dress for me to put on. I realize my shoes I left in my kitchen office are now in my room, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to care how they got here. Ollie zips my dress and hands me the shoes. “Good as new,” he says, taking in my appearance with a critical eye. I’m nervous, but he won’t let me walk in to meet my mate looking anything less than amazing. He grabs my hand and starts to walk, but I’m hesitant to move. He turns to meet my eyes. “No running this time. You have to meet him.” I know he’s right, but I’m still absolutely terrified. We make our way across the packhouse to the Alpha office. As we get closer, I begin to smell him, and I know, without a doubt, that my mate is in there. He smells like juniper, with orange and cinnamon. It’s almost overwhelming. I feel so pulled towards him, and I’ve not even seen him. If this is how finding your mate feels with a broken wolf, then maybe it will be so strong for him that I won’t be rejected. I grasp onto that sliver of hope. I take a deep breath and turn the door knob to enter. My Dad and Robert are sitting propped on the edge of their desk. My mom is sitting elegantly in the chair across from them, and in the other chair is… Queen Audrey? With King Peter behind her? I briefly wonder why they are here for this, but thoughts are lost when my eyes go to the window and land on my mate. He IS who I saw from out in the garden, but instead of looking across the grounds, he’s staring at me intently. Our eyes lock, and I start to feel unsteady. Oliver places his hand on my back to steady me and whispers in my ear. “Go say hi.” Biting my lip, I nod and start to close the space between us. To my shock, my mate starts walking towards me as well. Once we’ve made it to each other, he places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks. His pale blue eyes are kind, and he seems genuinely concerned for me. I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod in response. I see my brother out of the corner of my eye and feel such guilt about how I’ve behaved today on his day. I walk towards my brother, and I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to, but he pulls me into a giant hug. “I’m sorry I ruined your ceremony,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. I was so deeply in my feelings that I wasn’t concerned with time, and I knew it was set to begin hours ago. “You didn’t ruin anything, kiddo. You just delayed it,” he tells me, smiling down at me. Releasing me from his hug, he grabs my hand and walks back towards my mate. “Prince Seth, I’m glad to finally introduce you to my sister, Molly. Molls, this is my friend, Prince Seth.” Prince? So that explains why the king and queen are here. I swallow my nerves down. “Prince Seth and I did all our physical training together. He’s a good guy, Molls,” he tells me, squeezing my hand for comfort. “Hi,” I say, looking up at Prince Seth. He’s big, the biggest in the room. He's so tall, and his shoulders are broad and strong. As I saw from the window, his hair is dark and nearly to his shoulders, but he has his mom’s light blue eyes. I know I should say something more, but this situation feels intimidating. “Hi,” he returns with a kind smile and reaches out his hand to me. I release my brother and place my hand in his. He surprises me by bringing my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. “It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Molly I’ve heard so much about.” Everyone is watching me, and I feel even more uncomfortable. I wish I could take their attention off of me. “Umm, maybe we should get the ceremony started soon.” “We should get ready to start the ceremony soon. Why don’t we head down and give Molly and Seth a few moments alone,” my dad suggests as he stands and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. My mom follows over just behind him and grabs my free hand while she leans in and whispers in my ear. “He’s handsome.” They head to the door with Robbie while King Peter and Queen Audrey meet them there. They all exit with my dad closing the door behind them. I thought I’d feel more comfortable without everyone looking at us, but now that we’re alone, I’m even more nervous. He seems kind. Maybe he won’t be too harsh when he rejects me. “So,” he says, breaking the silence between us, “Your mom thinks I’m handsome.” I can’t help but laugh. I don’t think she meant for him to hear her, but I’m glad he did and that he can joke about it. He leads me over to the sofa in the corner by my hand, which I note he still hasn’t let go of. I sit, and he takes the space beside me. He’s close, and he’s warm. He smells so good, but I can’t allow myself to become too attached. “I’m sorry I ran away earlier,” I tell him, trying to take responsibility for my stupidity. He doesn’t respond. He just continues to look at me. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I know this is really disappointing for you”, I finish as my voice lowers to barely above a whisper. “Why would I ever be disappointed with you?” he says, and I can see from his face that he appears to be genuinely surprised by my words. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong. All of BOTH our families were up in my dad’s office while I sat in the garden and cried. They must have talked about me. He has to know. “I, uhh...” I don’t know the words to adequately describe what a mess I am, but I try because he deserves to know before he gets stuck with me. “I’m a broken wolf, Prince Seth.” As I pause to figure out how to explain myself, he finally lets go of my hand, but only so he can gently place his finger under my chin to pull my face to look at him. “It’s just Seth to you. You’re my mate- my equal. Never Prince to you, only ever Seth. You’ll be Princess Molly soon and eventually Queen. But you’ll always be my equal.” It’s at that moment that it hits me that Prince Seth isn’t just his name but his actual identity. Being his mate comes with much more that I’m not made for. Little girls dream of being a princess someday, but it’s an absolute nightmare for me. “I can’t be the queen. I’m not even a real wolf. I saw you in the window and thought my family would have told you. I… I’m so sorry.” My chest begins to hurt as the words come out, and I can barely breathe. “You are a real wolf. It’s in your scent. My wolf is sure of it.” “I’m not, though. I don’t have a wolf. I’ve never shifted. I’m not built as muscular. If anything happens to me, I can’t save myself. I’ll be a huge liability.” “No,” he snaps, and I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “You are NOT a liability. You’re my mate. The Goddess made you for me.” “The Goddess didn’t make me for anyone, Seth. No one wanted me,” I say as my voice begins to waiver. This isn’t going how I thought. I never dreamed I’d have to convince my mate I wasn’t good enough. This man keeps surprising me as he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “There are people who DO want you, Molly. I want you. Your parents adopted you- they wanted you. Robert always wanted you. He never stopped talking about you during training. You’re different, Molly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not enough and that you’re not wanted,” he tells me as he holds me on his lap. “I think maybe we should talk about this later,” I tell him as I stand up. He lets me but keeps his hands on my hips. “I’ve ruined Robbie’s day enough. We should head downstairs.” “ OK, Molly, we can talk about it later tonight,” he says as he stands. I note that he still hasn’t let go of me as he leans down and kisses my forehead. It’s sweet and makes my heart flutter. “You are wanted,” he says, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. “You’re mine.” Chapter 5 We arrive at the side yard of the house, where the ceremony is to be held in silence. Everyone is seated and ready to begin, and both our seats are in front. Seth holds my hand, leading me forward when I suddenly stop and refuse to continue walking. “What’s wrong?” he asks with concern on his face. “I can’t hold your hand. They can’t know I’m your mate,” I tell him, looking away. He won’t want me tomorrow, or maybe next week it will hit him. I don’t know when, but at some point, he’ll see past the bond and know he can find better than me. I hear him growl, and he steps towards me. He gently grabs my chin and tilts my head to look into my eyes. Seth starts to say something but then stops himself. He’s towering over me, and it’s intimidating, but I feel safe with him. It’s probably just from the bond. “OK, Molly. I won’t hold your hand, but they will eventually find out. You win for now, but we WILL talk about this later tonight,” he says firmly as his eyes flash with danger. I realize I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to do that. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you,” I begin to try to explain. “But you’re the prince. If people know you’ve found your mate, especially that it’s me, word will spread. It will hurt more when you finally reject me if everyone knows.” My voice is barely a whisper as I finish. I feel so awkward and vulnerable. His free hand lands gently on my hip while the other moves behind my head. He leans to place a soft kiss on my temple. “I will not change my mind, but I won’t hold your hand in public for now if that’s what you truly want. We will figure things out tonight.” He releases me and moves his hands to both my hips now. “It’s a full moon. You’ll be expected at the run tonight. It’s not every day a fancy-pants prince graces Lunar Falls with his presence,” I half-joke with him. “And where will you be? You can’t be alone.” “I usually lock myself in my suite. It’s by the kitchen in the basement and right across from the safe room, just in case.” “Alone?” Seth asks me, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve lived my whole life without a wolf. This isn’t my first full moon. Sometimes, I stay with the young kids who aren’t old enough to shift, but I just want to be alone tonight,” I tell him with complete honesty. “We have a few hours until we need to worry about that. Go on and take your seat. I’ll follow behind in a moment,” Seth tells me. He releases me but quickly reaches out and squeezes my hand. Honestly, he seems like a really nice man. I’ve caused him more headache today than I’m worth, so I do as he told me and head down the aisle to take my seat. My dad is sitting on his Alpha throne on the stage. Mom stands behind him, and Robbie is beside him. Since it’s the passing of the Alpha, no other family members are on stage, and I’ll be sitting alone. As I’m walking to my seat, I hear the whispers start. I’ve gotten used to it from my own pack- and they all know I got the wolf hearing. These guests, though, don’t seem to know. “That’s the wolfless one that Alpha Bardulf found and adopted.” “I heard she’s human.” “Do you think I could make her my whore? She looks too good to go to waste. Too bad she’s not a wolf.” And with that whispered comment, I feel overwhelming anger, but it’s not mine. It’s not like I haven’t heard these kinds of comments before. I realize then that I’m feeling Seth’s emotions through our bond. I know I can’t turn around and look at him. I look up and see my brother coming straight to me in a hurry and my dad with a murderous look on his face. Robbie reaches me and, to my surprise, continues past me to a younger-looking man sitting where I had just walked past. He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him. “You would do well to remember she’s the daughter of an Alpha,” Robbie tells him, releasing him unceremoniously back into his chair. By this time, my brother’s new Beta and Gama are headed to us. I can feel Seth relax some, though he is still very mad. George, Robbie's Beta, offers his arm to me and escorts me to the front row to be seated beside Queen Audrey. We both bow our heads to her and King Peter. She stands up and, to my surprise, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “You look stunning, Molly Dear,” She says loudly while she releases me but holds my hand as we sit down and squeezes it. It would seem that everyone in the room heard the comments. I smell Seth as he gets close and realize I’m in his seat beside his mother. I stand to move, but he shakes his head and motions for me to sit back down where I was. The pack elder stands and walks up to my dad and Robbie. He welcomes everyone, and as he begins, I feel Seth’s arm come up and rest behind my shoulders. He rests his hand on his mother's shoulder beside me. Queen Audrey smiles at Seth before returning to my dad and brother. The ceremony is beautiful. I know today is hard for my dad, handing over his pack to someone else, even if it is his own son. Robbie will do well. His Beta, Delta, and Gamma are all great guys and will do what’s best for the pack. The Elder instructs everyone to stand as Dad stands, and Robbie finally sits on the pack throne, officially becoming Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. As I stand, I feel Seth bring his arm across my shoulders and back before completely releasing me, leaving me suddenly cold and alone. I’ve avoided acknowledging the bond thus far, but after feeling Seth's anger and loneliness at the lack of his touch, it’s really hard to ignore that it’s there. Everyone in the room is looking at my brother, so I take a chance and reach my left hand over just enough to find Seth’s as he wraps his around mine and gently squeezes it. He’s so comforting, and I begin to think that maybe we can make this work. My parents start to descend the stage, and I realize now that people may look our way, so I reluctantly release his hand. Robert sits on the pack throne with his men behind him and releases his first howl as Alpha, causing all but the royal family and present alphas to bow their heads and bare their necks in submission. I notice that I’m not affected, but I always respond to my dad’s Alpha commands. Seth has noticed because he leans over slightly and explains in the lowest of whispers in my ear. “You’re the mate of a royal. Alpha commands won’t work on you anymore.” It definitely wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I suddenly feel more uncomfortable about the situation. The ceremony is complete, and as we stand to leave, I realize my being between Seth and the King and Queen has complicated our exit now. Typically, the new Alpha would exit first, with everyone after in order of hierarchy, but since the Royals are here, they must exit first. As they turn to leave first, King Peter turns back to us, “Seth, why don’t you escort sweet Molly out? I’m sure our new Alpha Robert won’t mind.” He turns to Robbie, who smiles. “Of course,” he agrees easily, but not without shooting a look at the guy he mildly assaulted just 40 minutes before. Seth steps before me and offers me his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. “My lady.” I honestly can’t help but giggle at his face. I catch my mom out of the corner of my eye and she’s simply beaming at the entire interaction. I take Seth's arm with my hand, and he reaches his other hand over to place it on mine. It’s warm, and the bond sparks with excitement over our contact. We walk out behind his parents. Once we reach the end of the aisle and out of view of everyone, my brother reaches forward and grabs Seth and me. He leans forward behind us and tells Seth, “Watch your hands, bro,” with a smirk. “Oh, I will absolutely be watching where they go,” Seth returns to Robbie, and for a moment, I think my brother might actually lose control of his wolf. “I’m joking, Rob. I’ll always take care of her.” The sincerity in his voice touches me. He barely knows me, though. It’s an empty promise, but he’s trying. With the ceremony over, it’s almost time for the reception. Hopefully, my actions earlier and the delay haven’t hurt the dinner service too much. I know I’m not supposed to be in the kitchens today, but Dad has already sent me down once, and it would look terrible on the pack if things didn’t go smoothly. I make up my mind and decide to head down. “Seth, I need to go down to the kitchens and make sure things are ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room once they’re settled,” I tell him, and his brow furrows. “I’m the head chef for the pack, and while my sous chef is handling everything since this was a family gathering, I’d feel much better if I could ensure everything is ready, and they don’t need extra hands,” I continue, realizing I’m unsure if he even knows I’m a chef. “I can come with you if you really need to. I don’t want to leave you.” “I’ll be fine, honestly. It’s just my staff down there, and you met Oliver earlier. I’ll be fine and head up once they’re all ready.” “Molly, you’re the future Queen now. You don’t have to work anymore,” he tells me, and I know he’s trying to be kind, but that hurts. “I’ve never been required to work. I had to convince my dad to let me have this job. I enjoy it. It’s how I’m able to contribute to my pack,” I explain, but I realize that in my hurt, I’ve said more than I meant to. I have complicated feelings about my role in this pack, and I didn’t mean to start telling him about them. “I understand. At least let me walk you to the kitchen so I know you’re safe, please.” I know his request is genuine, and he wants me to be safe, but with more people leaving the ceremony and coming around, I don’t want anyone to see us together. I nod at him but release his arm. “It’s this way,” I tell him, and I start walking toward the service stairs. I can feel his irritation at me for releasing his arm through our bond, but I continue, and he doesn’t say anything. We reach the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly grabs my arm and sniffs the air. He sniffs again, pushes me against a door, and sniffs my neck slowly. His body is pressed against mine, and his breath is hot against my skin. He’s so close and towers over me. His scent has enveloped me, and I’m beginning to feel completely overwhelmed. “Everything down here smells like you,” he finally tells me. ”It’s so strong.” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I spend all my time down here. The kitchen is down that hall, and my office is there. The door behind me is the one to my suite.” I tell him. “Show me, please,” he says, and I consider it momentarily. He’s so close, and it’s making my heart race. He pushes himself against me the slightest bit more and kisses the spot on my neck where his mate’s mark would go. Chapter 6 I almost cave and let him in, but we’re too close to think clearly, and I need to tell him the endless list of problems we have with being together. “Later,” I whisper because it’s as much as I can squeak out with him so close. It’s intoxicating. He takes a deep breath as he pushes his weight off me, but he still stays where he is, towering over me. “Later,” he whispers back to me while we both take a moment to regain our composure. “Are you ready?” he asks after a moment, and all I can do is nod. He steps back and waves his arm, motioning for me to go in front. I walk to the kitchen door with him behind me before I turn to him. “Thank you for walking down with me.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’ll be up for dinner?” “Yeah, Dad will drag me up there if I try anything,” I tell him, and he smiles. “Good. I can’t wait to see you again,” he says, grabbing my right hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. ---------- “I’m surprised you weren’t in here sooner,” Oliver says with a smirk as I step into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re making another appearance. Don’t you trust me?” he says, faking hurt. “Oh, Oliver. You know that I don’t,” I respond jokingly and stick my tongue out at him. “How was the ceremony?” He asked. “It was an Alpha Ceremony. Nothing amazing, kinda boring, there’s a new Alpha.” “Oh really? Because I heard our dear Alpha Robert punched an Alpha visiting from another pack.” “Umm, technically, that happened before, so he wasn’t Alpha Robert… yet,” I tell him with a smirk. “And it wasn’t exactly a punch.” “You want to talk about WHY Robbie punched people you walked by just before being named the Alpha?” I sigh. “You know how it is being me. Someone always says SOMETHING.” I’m exhausted from the day and don’t want to think about anything. “So, how is dinner? Can I help out?” “Molly, I’m capable of running this.” “I know, I know you are. I’m here to help if you need me. I’m not taking over for you.” “I think we’re good. Honestly, someone decided to delay the dinner a few hours while they were running away from their very attractive mate, which gave us more time to prep. I assume you’re not ready to talk about that?” he questions me. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so much to take in. I think tonight is the first full moon I’m glad to be left out of.” “If you want me to stay with you to talk, just let me know. I don’t mind.” “I appreciate it, Oli, but I need some time alone just to think. It’s been overwhelming.” “You’re really not going to mention that your mate is the prince?” “Nope. I’m not ready to even think about that. It just complicates things even more. I don’t know why he hasn’t already rejected me,” I tell him, looking around. Everything appears to be going very well for my brother’s dinner. “Molls,” Oliver says to get my attention while I’m looking around the kitchen and sighs, not saying what I know he wants to. “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow, and I’ll handle breakfast.” “I’d hate to do that to you. There’s a lot of people with all the visitors staying tonight.” I tell him, feeling guilty about throwing a second meal service on him. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the chance to show our new Alpha that I can fill your shoes. When you’re marked, you’ll be moving with Prince Seth, and I want to prove that I can handle this.” I hadn’t considered leaving with a mate- ever. Seth will come to his senses at some point and finally reject me, but Oliver is right. He’s not had many chances to prove himself as head chef. I know he’s capable, and he deserves the chance to show Robbie that, too. “Ok, Oliver. Breakfast service is yours. And if, by some miracle, Seth doesn’t reject me, I’ll put in a good word with the Alpha- though I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I tell him with a small giggle. It’s weird to think my brother is the Alpha we’re talking about. I turn to leave but have an idea for tomorrow. “I’m just going to check and see if we have the stuff to make something tonight during the run, and then I’ll leave.” “Thank you,” he says. “I promise it’ll be amazing. You should change and show the prince all the reasons he shouldn’t reject you. Go put on something sexy and wow him.” I turn to the pantry to check for the ingredients I’ll need. I look around and then move to the fridge and verify that everything I need is on hand before I turn, walk out the door, and head down the hall to my suite. I’ve worn two dresses today, and neither of them was really my choice. It’s been a long day, and I decide to do as Oliver suggested. I walk in and go straight to my closet, looking around. I find a dress that I love and while it’s probably a little bit too formal, I decide to go with it anyway. I head to my bathroom and pull my hair back so it’s finally off my shoulders. I put on a little more makeup to darken my eyes just a tad more and switch from nude to a red lip. The dress is an off-the-shoulder black satin dress in a mermaid cut. It’s basic but classy and feels much more like how I would usually look. I pull out some black strappy heels and look at myself in the mirror. I realize I need to put on a necklace and select one that was handed down from my mom, that was her mom’s. It’s a white gold necklace with just a lot of diamonds, but it dresses up the dress that’s so plain. I look in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I look and feel like myself, and my parents will still be pleased. But then the thought comes that I wonder what Seth will think. With a sigh, I stop just a moment to think about everything that has happened today. I never actually thought I’d have a mate, but if I did, I was sure they would reject me on the spot. I was prepared for it. Instead, I have a mate who is a prince and has not given any indication that he plans to reject me. He hasn’t thought things through, though. He has a wolf, so what he’s feeling from our bond is probably stronger than what I can, and it’s a lot. I don’t have a wolf, and I can’t shift. The only wolf I can mind link is my dad, and it’s probably only because he’s the Alpha or was. I’m not built like a wolf. What if I can’t get pregnant with the heir to the kingdom, or worse, what if I can’t carry a wolf pregnancy? The entire wolf kingdom will surely not accept me and probably wouldn’t accept Seth as King for keeping a broken wolf as a mate. He does seem kind, though. I’m not sure what he was told about me before I made it to Dad’s office, but he’s friends with Robbie, so he has to know a lot. He’s reassured me a few times today that he won’t reject me. He called me “his” earlier, making my heart flutter with hope. And the way he was pressed against me in the hall was more than I could have hoped for. I sigh. There’s not much I can do now, and I need not worry about it. I am who I am, and while he’s given me some hope, I don’t want to have my heart crushed when he realizes I’m no good. I will have to go with it and see what happens. It’s out of my hands. And with that, I decide to head upstairs and find my family. And maybe my mate. I still don’t want the whole kingdom to know, but I enjoy being near him. As much as I try to ignore it, the bond is still tugging at me to get close to him. I reach the door to the dining room and can hear that everyone is already inside. I crack it and slowly slip in, hoping to go unnoticed, which I don’t need to worry about since everyone is walking about mingling and hasn’t been seated yet. I see my mom across the room and head towards her. I haven’t been able to spend time with her since meeting Seth. I just need her hugs. “Hi, Mom,” I say as I approach. “Oh, Molly. You changed clothes. You look lovely!” she tells me, genuine in her compliment. “You look stunning,” I hear from my side and see Queen Audrey as she approaches me. “That lip color suits you.” I can’t help but glow a little as not only the queen but also my mate’s mother complimented me so generously. I remember myself and bow. “Thank you, Your Highness. I feel more myself with the red.” I should have stopped there, but I never know when to quit talking until it’s too late. “Truthfully, I don’t wear much makeup.” “Oh, really, dear? Because you wear it so well.” “I appreciate that,” I tell her. “I don’t wear it often, but my mom taught me well.” “How are you doing, dear? I know it’s been a pretty exciting day for you,” Queen Audrey asks me. “I’m ok, Ma’am. I’m looking forward to some time alone tonight to think about everything while you all go for the run,” I tell her honestly. My mom realizes I’m not quite sure I’m ok and comes to my side to wrap me in a hug. “I’m sure it’s been a bit overwhelming, finding your mate and realizing he’s so damn attractive,” and that’s just what I needed to calm me some. I start giggling, and with the stress of today, I just can’t stop. I smell him and then feel his hand on my lower back. He comes to stand on my other side and pulls me to him. “What’s so funny?” Seth asks me. “Just some girl talk,” Queen Audrey smiles at him, probably to be sure I wouldn’t tell him my mom was drooling over him. Again. Seth releases me, and I suddenly feel sad, but he steps forward, hugs his mother, and kisses her cheek. He releases her and turns back to me, grabbing my hand. “Take a walk with me?” he asks, and I nod. He leads me outside to the balcony, which is not nearly as crowded. It’s a little chilly, but it feels like a perfect fall night. “You look absolutely stunning,” he says when we stop at the railing. “Thanks,” I respond. “It’s the first dress I got to pick for myself all day.” “It’s perfect, Molly. You're perfect,” he says as he places his arm behind me and pulls me to his chest. “The Goddess blessed me when she made you,” he murmurs into the top of my head. I let myself sigh and just be content for a moment. This feels so perfect. If he rejects me, at least I had this precious moment. “I honestly wasn’t sure you’d be back upstairs,” he tells me. “I take it everything was ok in the kitchen?” “Yeah, all was well. Dinner was going well, and Dad’s cake was still good,” I say, realizing I let the surprise slip. “Don’t you mean your brother’s cake?” he inquires, looking down at me. “I mean, I didn’t check on that one. I assumed they could handle it. But there’s a surprise for my dad, too,” I tell him, placing my finger on my lips, indicating it’s a secret, and he smiles at me. “I’m going to skip the run tonight. My parents will be there. That will be enough for the people,” he tells me, and I realize that he’s worried about me being alone. “Umm, I have plans tonight now,” I tell him nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell he’s not happy, so I try to explain. “Sorry, it’s nothing exciting. I’m going to lock myself into my suite and bake. It helps me relax and think clearly.” “I’m worried about you being alone.” He tells me. “I know. Being around someone with a broken wolf is new for you, but it’s been like this my whole life. Do you think my dad would leave me here alone if he didn’t think I was completely safe?” I ask him, and I can tell he’s considering it. “Please don’t miss out on something that would make you happy just for me. I’ll feel terrible if you do.” “But what if something happens to you while we’re all out?” he asks, and I realize there are things he doesn’t know about my situation. “I can mind link my dad and maybe my brother now that he’s Alpha. I promise I’ll reach out if anything happens,” I promise, and I can see him relax. “OK, but make sure your dad knows I’ll always be near him,” he says, and honestly, the thought that he cares enough to do that but still respects my decision warms my heart. “I will. And thank you,” I tell him, pulling him down towards me and kissing his cheek. He growls and rests his forehead against mine. “Aren’t you worried someone will see?” he asks me teasingly, but I can tell he’s serious with his inquiry. “A little, but I’m trying,” I tell him. We stand like that for a while- alone in the quiet. “If we stay like this much longer, everyone will be able to smell me on you,” he points out. “It’s OK,” I whisper to him as I break the contact with our foreheads, but only to lean into him. I reach into his jacket to embrace him, resting my head against his chest. He lowers his chin to the top of my head. The bond is so calm yet still strong. Somehow, though, it is tugging at me for more. We stay just like that until they announce for everyone to take their seats for dinner. “Do you want to go in before me, and I’ll follow again?” he asks me, and it’s so kind and considerate of him. “No, I don’t think I do,” I tell him as we finally separate, but I place my hand inside his. He looks down at our hands and then up at me. “Are you sure? People will definitely see.” “I know,” I tell him. “I’m trying to trust you. I’m trying to be brave.” He beams at me with the biggest smile and leans over to kiss my head before squeezing my hand and leading me into the ballroom. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
She appears to be a wealthy, abandoned woman dependent on her husband, but in reality, she is a brilliant scientist with patents and hidden wealth. Her husband sees her as a parasite, unaware of her illustrious background and the resources she already possesses to fight back. ===== Chapter 1 The rain at the cemetery was not a drizzle. It was a deluge, a vertical sheet of gray water that turned the manicured grass of the private burial ground into a slick, treacherous mud pit. Eliana Heath stood at the very edge of the gathering. The heels of her black pumps sank into the softened earth, anchoring her in place like a statue forgotten by its sculptor. She held her black umbrella with both hands. Her knuckles were white, the skin stretched tight over the bone. The wind tugged at the canopy, threatening to invert it, but she did not adjust her grip. She did not move. She watched the mahogany casket of Harrison Vargas being lowered into the ground. Around her, the whispers of New York's elite were louder than the rain. She heard them. She always heard them. Poor thing. Just a trophy. Look at her, standing there like a mannequin while her husband holds another woman. Eliana's eyes shifted. Ten feet away, under the shelter of a massive tent reserved for the immediate family, stood Hayes Vargas. He was not looking at the grave of his father. He was looking down at the woman weeping against his ch**t. Felicity Branch. Felicity looked fragile. She wore a black dress that was tastefully modest yet perfectly tailored to suggest vulnerability. Her blonde hair was damp, plastered to her cheeks in artful disarray. She sobbed into the lapel of Hayes's expensive suit, her small hands clutching the fabric as if he were the only solid thing left in the world. Hayes's arm was wrapped securely around her waist. His hand rubbed her back in slow, soothing circles. He whispered something into her hair, his expression etched with a pain and tenderness that Eliana had not seen directed at herself in three years of marriage. Eliana felt a physical coldness that had nothing to do with the weather. It started in her stomach, a heavy, leaden weight that pulled her internal organs downward. It spread to her fingertips, making them numb. She was the wife. She was Mrs. Vargas. Yet she stood in the rain, unshielded, while her husband comforted his childhood sweetheart, a woman who was not just a friend, but family. Felicity was the widow of Hayes's older brother, William, who had died in a boating accident only months prior. No one talked about that today, though. Today was about Felicity's grief for her "second father," Harrison. The tragic widow, losing both husband and father-in-law in one year. It was a narrative the tabloids loved, and Hayes was playing his part as the protective surviving brother a little too well. The service ended. The priest closed his bible. The crowd began to disperse, a sea of black umbrellas moving toward the line of waiting limousines. Hayes guided Felicity toward the lead car, the extended Lincoln with the Vargas family crest on the door. He shielded her head with his hand, ignoring the rain soaking his own shoulders. The driver, a man named Thomas who had always been kind to Eliana, opened the rear door. Hayes helped Felicity inside. He leaned in, ensuring she was settled, before straightening up. He looked around then, as if suddenly remembering he had brought someone else. His eyes found Eliana. He gestured vaguely for her to come. It was the kind of gesture one used for a trailing pet. Eliana closed her umbrella. The mechanism clicked, a sharp sound that seemed to sever something inside her ch**t. She walked to the car. Thomas held the door open, his eyes downcast, embarrassed on her behalf. Eliana did not get in the back. She saw Felicity sprawled across the leather seat, occupying the center, dabbing her eyes with Hayes's handkerchief. Hayes was already climbing in beside her. Eliana opened the front passenger door. "Mrs. Vargas?" Thomas asked, surprised. "I prefer the view," Eliana said. Her voice was steady. Flat. She slid into the front seat and closed the door. The interior of the car smelled of wet wool and Felicity's cloying, floral perfume. It was suffocating. The partition between the front and back was open. Eliana could hear Felicity's hitched breathing. "Oh, Hayes, I don't know what I'm going to do," Felicity whimpered. "Leo is going to be so lost without Grandpa Harrison. First William, now this... he has no male figures left." Hayes's voice was low, a rumble that vibrated through the seat frame. "You aren't alone, Felicity. I promised William, and I promised you. I am here. I'm not going anywhere." Eliana stared at the rain streaking the windshield. The wipers sl**ped back and forth. s**p. s**p. s**p. A rhythmic countdown. She watched her own reflection in the side mirror. She looked perfect. Not a hair out of place, her makeup sealed with setting spray, her expression vacuous. The perfect doll Hayes believed he had married. "Hayes," Eliana said. She did not turn around. She spoke to the windshield. The murmuring in the back stopped. "What is it, Eliana?" Hayes asked. His tone shifted instantly. The tenderness evaporated, replaced by the weary impatience of a man dealing with a tedious obligation. "The funeral is over," she said. "We need to discuss the divorce." The car swerved slightly. Thomas corrected the wheel, his hands tightening on the leather. Silence filled the cabin. It was heavy, pressurized silence. Then, Felicity let out a small, shocked g**p. Hayes let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Eliana, seriously? Now?" He sounded disgusted. "My father is barely in the ground. Felicity is having a panic attack. And you choose this moment to pull one of your stunts for attention?" Eliana watched a droplet of water trace a path down the glass. It wasn't a stunt. "I am not playing games, Hayes. I am serious. Your father passed. The merger is secure. Your responsibility is back." She could hear the rustle of fabric as Hayes shifted, likely leaning forward to glare at the back of her head. "My responsibility? You mean Felicity?" Hayes's voice rose. "Have some respect. She is grieving. She is my brother's widow. You have everything you could possibly want. You live in a mansion, you have an unlimited allowance, you do nothing all day but shop and plan parties. Do not threaten me with leaving. We both know you can't survive a day without the Vargas trust fund." Eliana looked down at her hands. They were resting on her lap, still and composed. He really believed that. He believed she was a parasite. She didn't correct him. She didn't scream that she had three patents pending under a pseudonym. She didn't tell him that her "shopping trips" were meetings with pharmaceutical developers. She just nodded. "Fine," she said. The word hung there. "See?" Hayes said to Felicity, his voice dropping back to that soothing register. "She's just upset because I didn't hold her hand. She'll get over it." The car turned through the massive wrought-iron gates of the Vargas estate. The gravel crunched under the tires. When the car stopped, the front door of the mansion opened. Martha, the head housekeeper, stood there with two maids. Hayes got out first. He turned and extended a hand to Felicity, helping her descend from the vehicle as if she were made of spun glass. Leo, Felicity's five-year-old son, ran out of the house. He was dressed in a miniature suit, holding a toy airplane. "Daddy!" Leo shouted. He slammed into Hayes's legs. Hayes did not correct the boy. He never did. He reached down and scooped the child up, balancing him on his hip. "Hey, buddy," Hayes said, ki**ing the boy's cheek. Eliana got out of the front seat. She opened a large black umbrella again, though the walk to the porch was short. She stood at the bottom of the stone steps, looking up at them. The handsome billionaire. The beautiful, grieving widow. The adorable child. It was a perfect family portrait. Eliana was just the smudge on the lens. "Martha," Hayes called out, walking up the steps with Leo in his arms and Felicity clinging to his elbow. "Have the staff prepare the East Wing master suite. Felicity and Leo will be staying there for the foreseeable future. She needs support right now." Martha froze. Her eyes darted to Eliana. "But... sir," Martha stammered. "The East Wing? That's... that's the primary guest suite next to your..." "Just do it, Martha," Hayes snapped. "Eliana has been sl**ping in the West Wing guest room for three years. It's not like it interferes with her space." He didn't even look back at his wife. He walked through the double doors, carrying his new family into Eliana's home. Eliana stood in the rain. The water splashed against her ankles. She felt a strange sensation in her ch**t. It wasn't pain. It was the snapping of a tether. The final thread that had bound her to this farce of a marriage had just been cut. She looked at Martha, who was staring at her with pity. "Mrs. Vargas?" Martha asked softly. Eliana closed her umbrella and shook off the water. She walked up the steps, her spine straight, her chin high. "It's fine, Martha," Eliana said. "Do as he says." She walked past the housekeeper and into the foyer. She didn't look at the grand staircase where Hayes had disappeared. She turned left, toward the West Wing, toward the exit. "Whatever you say," she whispered to the empty hallway. Chapter 2 The next morning, the sky was a bruised purple, clearing after the storm. Eliana did not wake up in the Vargas estate. She hadn't sl**t there. She had sl**t in a small, sterile room at a private club in Manhattan, one that required a retinal scan to enter. She wore a beige trench coat over a simple white blouse and trousers. She drove a nondescript Audi sedan, a car she had bought with cash two years ago and kept parked three blocks from the estate. She pulled up to a brownstone on the Upper East Side. There was no sign on the door, just a brass number plate. She buzzed. The door clicked open. Inside, the office smelled of old books and expensive coffee. Talia Winters sat behind a mahogany desk that was cluttered with files. Talia was sharp-featured, with a bob cut that looked like it could slice paper. She was the best divorce attorney in the city, and she was Eliana's only friend. Talia looked up and whistled. "You look like a spy," Talia said. Eliana took off her sunglasses. Her eyes were rimmed with red, not from crying, but from lack of sl**p. She sat down and placed her leather bag on the floor. "Draft it," Eliana said. "I'm done." Talia didn't blink. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a thick folder. "I've had this ready for six months, Eliana. You know that." Talia opened the folder. "We go for half," Talia said, uncapping a pen. "The pre-nup has a cheating clause. If we can prove emotional infidelity-which, given the photos from the funeral yesterday, is a slam dunk-we can pierce the trust." "No," Eliana said. Talia paused. "What?" "I don't want his money," Eliana said. Her voice was quiet but hard. "I don't want the estate. I don't want the stocks. I want out. Clean break. Immediately." Talia dropped the pen. "Eliana, you spent three years playing the dutiful wife to that man-child. You were his nurse, his PR manager, his emotional punching bag. You earned that payout." Eliana reached into her bag and pulled out a sealed medical envelope. She slid it across the desk. Talia frowned. "What is this?" "Open it." Talia ripped the seal. She scanned the document. It was a gynecological report from a top specialist, dated yesterday. Talia's eyes widened. She looked up, her mouth slightly open. "Intact?" Talia whispered. "You... after three years?" Eliana leaned back in the chair. "He wanted to save himself for her. He told me on our wedding night. He said the marriage was just business, a merger between his father and the board. He said he wouldn't dishonor his memory of Nina-that's what he calls Felicity-by sl**ping with me." Talia slammed the file shut. "That son of a bi**h. That is constructive abandonment. That is fraud. We can destroy him. We can make him pay until he bleeds." "No," Eliana said. She leaned forward, her hands clasping together. "Listen to me, Talia. The Santos family is looking for me." The air in the room changed. Talia went rigid. "My grandmother's private investigators were spotted near the clinic last week," Eliana continued. "If I drag this out with a messy divorce trial, if my face is on the cover of the tabloids fighting for money, the Santos family will find me. They will drag me back. And you know what that means." Talia swallowed. She knew. She was the only one who knew. Eliana took a breath. "I need speed. I need Hayes to sign a waiver of contest. I need him to think he's winning. If I ask for nothing, if I leave with just my clothes, his ego will let me go. He thinks I'm helpless. He thinks I'll come crawling back." Talia looked at the medical report, then at Eliana's determined face. She sighed, a long, defeated sound. "Fine," Talia said. "I'll draft the 'Decoy' agreement. Mutual separation, no alimony, no asset division. It's the worst deal in history." "It's the price of freedom," Eliana said. Her phone buzzed on the desk. A text from Hayes. Family dinner tonight. Don't be late. Eliana stared at the screen. She typed: Received. Then she deleted the message. She stood up. "Have it ready by tomorrow." Eliana drove back to the estate. She parked the Audi three blocks away, walked to the service entrance, and slipped into the house. She changed into one of the pastel dresses Hayes liked-something soft, unthreatening. She walked down the grand staircase. She stopped on the landing. The main living room, a space Eliana had curated with minimalist, elegant art, was in chaos. Movers were hauling out the abstract sculptures she had commissioned. In their place, they were hanging large, garish photographs in cheap, colorful plastic frames. The photos were everywhere. Felicity and Leo at the beach. Felicity and Leo at Disney World. Felicity and Leo baking cookies. It looked like a shrine. Felicity was standing in the center of the room, pointing at the mantle. "No, move that vase," she instructed a worker. "It blocks the picture of Leo's first tooth." Eliana walked down the remaining steps. Her heels clicked on the marble. Felicity turned. Her face lit up with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh! Eliana!" Felicity clapped her hands. "I hope you don't mind. I just felt this place was so... cold. It needed some life. Some family energy." Eliana looked at the wall where her favorite painting, a moody seascape, used to hang. It was now occupied by a blown-up photo of Leo eating spaghetti. "Taste is subjective, I suppose," Eliana said. "Though some things are objectively loud." Felicity's smile faltered. She bit her lip, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "I just wanted to make it nice..." Hayes walked in from the library. He saw Felicity's face and immediately stepped between the two women. "Eliana," Hayes warned. "Felicity is a guest. Can you try, for once, to be gracious?" Eliana looked at him. He was wearing a casual sweater, looking every bit the suburban dad he pretended to be with Felicity. "A guest?" Eliana asked. "Then why is she redecorating the host's home?" Hayes's jaw tightened. "This is my house, Eliana. And Felicity is trying to make it comfortable for Leo. The boy has been through enough." Eliana looked around the room. It didn't look like a home anymore. It looked like territory that had been marked. "You're right," Eliana said. Hayes blinked, surprised by her capitulation. "It is your house," she continued. "Soon, it will be entirely yours." She turned and walked toward the stairs. Hayes watched her go. He felt a prickle of annoyance, a strange itch at the back of his neck. Usually, she would argue. Usually, she would fight for her aesthetic. Why did she give up so easily? Hayes turned back to Felicity, who was sniffing bravely. "Don't worry, honey," Hayes said, wrapping an arm around her. "She's just jealous. It looks great." Chapter 3 Dinner was a nightmare of noise. The dining room table was set for four, but only three people were eating. Leo was not eating. Leo was drumming. He held a silver fork in one fist and a spoon in the other, banging them rhythmically against the rim of a crystal goblet. Clink. Clink. Smash. Clink. Eliana sat at her usual spot. She tried to cut her chicken, but the noise was drilling into her temples. "Hayes," she said softly. Hayes looked up from his phone. He was scrolling through emails. "Hmm?" "The noise," Eliana said. "It's crystal." Felicity laughed lightly. She was feeding Leo a piece of bread. "Oh, Eliana, let him express himself. He's a musical genius in the making. He's just a spirited boy." Leo, emboldened by his mother's praise, hit the glass harder. Eliana put her kn**e down. "It's not about spirit. It's about manners." Leo stopped drumming. He slid off his chair. He ran around the table, his heavy shoes thudding on the Persian rug. He headed for the fireplace in the adjoining sitting area. On the mantle, pushed to the far side by Felicity's invasion of photos, sat a single, small silver frame. It was an old, black-and-white photograph of a couple standing in front of a vineyard. It was the only photo Eliana had of her parents. The only thing she had managed to smuggle out of the Santos estate when she fled at eighteen. Leo grabbed the frame. "Ugly!" Leo shouted. "Old people are ugly!" Eliana's bl**d went cold. "Put that down," she said. Her voice was not loud, but it carried a vibration that made the candles on the table flicker. Leo stuck out his tongue. "No! Uncle Hayes said this is his house! That means it's my house!" He raised the frame high above his head. "Leo, no!" Eliana stood up, her chair scraping violently against the floor. Leo threw it. He didn't just drop it. He hurled it downward with all the force his five-year-old body could muster. The sound of the glass shattering on the marble hearth was like a gunshot. The room went silent. Eliana stood frozen. She stared at the shards. The photo lay face down amidst the glittering debris. Leo looked at her, then at the mess. His face crumpled. He opened his mouth and let out a wail that sounded like a siren. Felicity was out of her chair in a second. She rushed to Leo, falling to her knees to embrace him. "You scared him!" Felicity screamed at Eliana. "You yelled at him and scared him!" Hayes rushed over. He looked at the crying boy, then at the broken glass. He recognized the photo. A flash of guilt crossed his face, but it was quickly drowned out by Leo's screams. "Eliana," Hayes said, his voice stern. "He's a child. You didn't have to lunge at him like that." Eliana walked toward them. She didn't look at Hayes. She didn't look at Felicity. Her eyes were locked on the photo. She knelt down. "Don't touch it," Hayes said. "You'll cut yourself. We'll get the maid to-" Eliana reached into the jagged pile. Her fingers closed around the photo paper. A shard of glass, sharp as a scalpel, sliced into the pad of her thumb. Another cut her palm. She didn't flinch. She didn't pull back. Bl**d welled up, bright red and fast. It dripped onto the white marble. It smeared onto the corner of the black-and-white photo. She picked it up. She brushed the glass dust off her mother's face with a bl**dy thumb. "It's just a photo," Hayes said, exasperated now. "We can get it restored. I'll pay for it. Stop being dramatic." Eliana stood up. She clutched the photo to her ch**t, staining her silk blouse with bl**d. "There is no negative," she whispered. "This was the only one." Hayes ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I didn't know that. Look, I'm sorry, okay? But look at Leo. He's terrified. You need to apologize for screaming." Eliana slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Her eyes were dry. They were terrifyingly empty. It was the look of a building that had been controlled-demolished, collapsing inward into dust. "Apologize?" she asked. "Yes," Hayes said. "Be the adult here." Eliana looked at Leo, who was peeking out from Felicity's shoulder, a smirk playing on his tear-stained lips. She looked at Hayes, the man she had tried to love for three years. The man she had protected from the board, from the press, from his own incompetence. "I will not," Eliana said. She turned and walked toward the stairs. Bl**d dripped from her hand, leaving a trail of small red dots on the floor. "Where are you going?" Hayes called after her. To pack, she didn't say. To call Talia, she didn't say. She just kept walking. Upstairs, in her room, she locked the door. She went to the bathroom and ran her hand under cold water. The sting was sharp, grounding. She wrapped her hand in gauze. Then she picked up her phone. She dialed Talia. "Do it," Eliana said. "Tomorrow. I don't care how we do it. I want his signature on that paper." Chapter 4 The next morning, the library was a war zone of paperwork. Hayes sat behind his massive oak desk, surrounded by stacks of documents related to the transfer of a property deed for Felicity. He looked exhausted. Eliana walked in. She held a tray with a single cup of black coffee. Her hand was bandaged, the white gauze stark against her black sleeve. She placed the coffee on a coaster near his elbow. "Morning," she said. Hayes grunted. He didn't look at her hand. "Thanks." Eliana pulled a thick stack of papers from under her arm. "The quarterly reports for the family foundation," she said. "The accountants are chasing me. They need these signed by noon or we miss the tax filing window." Hayes rubbed his temples. "Can't you just forge it? You usually do." That was a joke. Or maybe it wasn't. "Not for the IRS," Eliana said. "Just a few signatures. I tabbed them for you." She placed the stack in front of him. She had arranged it masterfully. The top pages were boring, dense financial spreadsheets. She flipped through them quickly. "Here," she pointed to a yellow sticky tab. Hayes signed. Hayes A. Vargas. "And here." He signed again. Eliana's heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her palms were sweating inside her bandages. She flipped to the next tab. This page was positioned so that the top half was covered by the previous document, folded over as if to keep the place. Only the signature line was visible. It was the Waiver of Contest and Dissolution of Marriage. "Here," Eliana said. Her voice was steady, practiced. Hayes brought the pen down. The tip touched the paper. From the hallway, a shriek pierced the air. "Hayes! Hayes, help!" It was Felicity. Hayes jumped. His hand jerked, the pen skidding across the paper, creating a long, jagged line before he scribbled his name quickly. "What happened?" Hayes yelled, dropping the pen. He stood up so fast his chair tipped over. He shoved past Eliana. He didn't mean to shove her hard, but in his panic, he used his full weight. Eliana stumbled back. Her hip slammed into the corner of the heavy bookshelf. A sharp pain shot down her leg. She gasped, grabbing the shelf for support. Hayes didn't stop. He didn't even turn his head. He sprinted out of the room. Eliana bit her lip to keep from crying out. She steadied herself. She looked at the desk. The paper. She reached out with trembling fingers and pulled the document free from the stack. There it was. Hayes A. Vargas. The signature was messy, trailed by a line of ink from his startle response, but it was there. It was legal. Downstairs, she heard Felicity sobbing. "I stubbed my toe! It hurts so bad! I think it's broken!" Eliana closed her eyes for a second. A stubbed toe. She heard Hayes's frantic voice. "I've got you. Let's get you to the car. We're going to the ER." The front door slammed. Silence returned to the house. Eliana let out a breath she felt she had been holding for three years. She looked at the paper in her hand. It was more valuable than diamonds. It was her ticket out of h**l. She took her phone out and snapped a photo of the signature page. She sent it to Talia via an encrypted app. Got it, she typed. Talia replied instantly. You're free. Legally, you are a single woman. I'll file it with the clerk in an hour. Eliana looked at the message. A strange smile touched her lips. It wasn't a happy smile. It was the smile of a prisoner who had just dug the last scoop of dirt from the tunnel. She walked over to the desk. Hayes's phone was sitting there, forgotten in his rush to save Felicity's toe. The screen lit up. A notification from Felicity. Heart emoji. Thank you for being my hero. Eliana stared at it. She turned the phone face down. "Not a hero," she whispered. "Just a f**l." She gathered the rest of the papers, the fake financial reports, and placed them neatly in the recycling bin. She folded the divorce agreement and slid it into the inside pocket of her blazer, right against her heart. Chapter 5 Two days later, the atmosphere in the house shifted. Mr. Sterling was coming. Mr. Sterling was not just a butler. He was the executor of the Vargas Family Trust, the eyes and ears of the board, and a man who terrified Hayes more than his own father had. Eliana prepared the living room. She went to the safe in the basement and brought out a long, rectangular box. From it, she removed a scroll. It was a painting. A classic Chinese ink wash painting, depicting a lonely mountain peak shrouded in mist. It was attributed to a master from the Song Dynasty. It was a registered gift from the Santos Matriarch to the Vargas family upon the wedding-a symbol of the alliance so valuable it was listed on the family's insurance as a separate entity. Eliana hung it on the main wall, replacing the photo of Leo eating spaghetti. Felicity came in with Leo just as Eliana was adjusting the wire. "What is that dreary thing?" Felicity asked, wrinkling her nose. "It's so... gray." "It's history," Eliana said. "It's worth twelve million dollars." Felicity scoffed. "For a piece of paper? Ridiculous." Leo ran into the room. He was holding a juice box. Grape juice. He was squeezing it, making the purple liquid bubble at the straw. Eliana sat down on the sofa. She opened a book, but she didn't read. She watched Leo. Leo wandered toward the painting. Eliana stood up. "Leo, be careful. That is very expensive." She made sure her voice lacked authority. She made sure it sounded like a challenge. Felicity rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop hovering. He's just looking." Eliana took a step forward, then stopped. "It belongs to the Santos family, really. If anything happened to it... Hayes would be in a lot of trouble." Felicity heard the name 'Hayes' and bristled. She looked at Leo. "Go on, Leo," Felicity said. "Look at the fancy paper. See if it's special." Leo grinned. He ran toward the wall. He squeezed the juice box with both hands. A jet of purple liquid arched through the air. It splattered across the delicate rice paper. The mist on the mountain turned a violent, sugary violet. The ink ran. The paper soaked it up instantly, warping and buckling. "Oh no!" Eliana gasped. She brought her hands to her mouth. Leo laughed. "It looks better now! It has color!" Felicity giggled. "See? He's an artist." The heavy oak doors of the living room opened. Mr. Sterling stood there. He was a tall man with silver hair and a posture like a steel rod. Behind him stood two lawyers in gray suits. Sterling looked at the wall. His face did not move, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. He walked over to the painting. He inspected the purple stain. He turned to look at Felicity. "Mrs. Vargas," Sterling said, addressing Eliana but looking at Felicity. "What has happened?" Eliana lowered her head. "I tried to stop him, Mr. Sterling. But Felicity said..." Sterling turned his gaze to Felicity. It was a gaze that could peel paint. "Ms. Branch," Sterling said. Felicity smiled nervously. "Hi, Sterling. It's just a little accident. Leo spilled some juice. It's just an old paper, we can wipe it off." Sterling's voice was like grinding stones. "That 'old paper' is a national treasure on loan from the Santos collection. It is valued at twelve million dollars. And it is uninsured against acts of gross negligence." Felicity's smile vanished. "Twelve... million?" Sterling took out his phone. "I am notifying the board. This comes out of Hayes's personal equity." "But..." Felicity stammered. "That's Hayes's money!" Sterling looked at Leo, who was su**ing on the empty juice box. "The boy has destroyed the equivalent of the quarterly dividend," Sterling said. "Until the debt is repaid, all discretionary accounts linked to Hayes Vargas are frozen. The credit cards, the expense accounts, the liquid assets. Everything." "What?" Felicity shrieked. "You can't do that! We have expenses!" Sterling ignored her. He turned to the lawyers. "Document the damage. Remove the artifact." Eliana stood in the corner. She watched Sterling berate Felicity. She watched Felicity crumble into a sobbing mess on the sofa. She felt a tiny, cold flame of satisfaction in her gut. "Oh, dear," Eliana said, her voice dripping with fake concern. "This is going to be very bad for Hayes." &4&
She appears to be a wealthy, abandoned woman dependent on her husband, but in reality, she is a brilliant scientist with patents and hidden wealth. Her husband sees her as a parasite, unaware of her illustrious background and the resources she already possesses to fight back. ===== Chapter 1 The rain at the cemetery was not a drizzle. It was a deluge, a vertical sheet of gray water that turned the manicured grass of the private burial ground into a slick, treacherous mud pit. Eliana Heath stood at the very edge of the gathering. The heels of her black pumps sank into the softened earth, anchoring her in place like a statue forgotten by its sculptor. She held her black umbrella with both hands. Her knuckles were white, the skin stretched tight over the bone. The wind tugged at the canopy, threatening to invert it, but she did not adjust her grip. She did not move. She watched the mahogany casket of Harrison Vargas being lowered into the ground. Around her, the whispers of New York's elite were louder than the rain. She heard them. She always heard them. Poor thing. Just a trophy. Look at her, standing there like a mannequin while her husband holds another woman. Eliana's eyes shifted. Ten feet away, under the shelter of a massive tent reserved for the immediate family, stood Hayes Vargas. He was not looking at the grave of his father. He was looking down at the woman weeping against his ch**t. Felicity Branch. Felicity looked fragile. She wore a black dress that was tastefully modest yet perfectly tailored to suggest vulnerability. Her blonde hair was damp, plastered to her cheeks in artful disarray. She sobbed into the lapel of Hayes's expensive suit, her small hands clutching the fabric as if he were the only solid thing left in the world. Hayes's arm was wrapped securely around her waist. His hand rubbed her back in slow, soothing circles. He whispered something into her hair, his expression etched with a pain and tenderness that Eliana had not seen directed at herself in three years of marriage. Eliana felt a physical coldness that had nothing to do with the weather. It started in her stomach, a heavy, leaden weight that pulled her internal organs downward. It spread to her fingertips, making them numb. She was the wife. She was Mrs. Vargas. Yet she stood in the rain, unshielded, while her husband comforted his childhood sweetheart, a woman who was not just a friend, but family. Felicity was the widow of Hayes's older brother, William, who had died in a boating accident only months prior. No one talked about that today, though. Today was about Felicity's grief for her "second father," Harrison. The tragic widow, losing both husband and father-in-law in one year. It was a narrative the tabloids loved, and Hayes was playing his part as the protective surviving brother a little too well. The service ended. The priest closed his bible. The crowd began to disperse, a sea of black umbrellas moving toward the line of waiting limousines. Hayes guided Felicity toward the lead car, the extended Lincoln with the Vargas family crest on the door. He shielded her head with his hand, ignoring the rain soaking his own shoulders. The driver, a man named Thomas who had always been kind to Eliana, opened the rear door. Hayes helped Felicity inside. He leaned in, ensuring she was settled, before straightening up. He looked around then, as if suddenly remembering he had brought someone else. His eyes found Eliana. He gestured vaguely for her to come. It was the kind of gesture one used for a trailing pet. Eliana closed her umbrella. The mechanism clicked, a sharp sound that seemed to sever something inside her ch**t. She walked to the car. Thomas held the door open, his eyes downcast, embarrassed on her behalf. Eliana did not get in the back. She saw Felicity sprawled across the leather seat, occupying the center, dabbing her eyes with Hayes's handkerchief. Hayes was already climbing in beside her. Eliana opened the front passenger door. "Mrs. Vargas?" Thomas asked, surprised. "I prefer the view," Eliana said. Her voice was steady. Flat. She slid into the front seat and closed the door. The interior of the car smelled of wet wool and Felicity's cloying, floral perfume. It was suffocating. The partition between the front and back was open. Eliana could hear Felicity's hitched breathing. "Oh, Hayes, I don't know what I'm going to do," Felicity whimpered. "Leo is going to be so lost without Grandpa Harrison. First William, now this... he has no male figures left." Hayes's voice was low, a rumble that vibrated through the seat frame. "You aren't alone, Felicity. I promised William, and I promised you. I am here. I'm not going anywhere." Eliana stared at the rain streaking the windshield. The wipers sl**ped back and forth. s**p. s**p. s**p. A rhythmic countdown. She watched her own reflection in the side mirror. She looked perfect. Not a hair out of place, her makeup sealed with setting spray, her expression vacuous. The perfect doll Hayes believed he had married. "Hayes," Eliana said. She did not turn around. She spoke to the windshield. The murmuring in the back stopped. "What is it, Eliana?" Hayes asked. His tone shifted instantly. The tenderness evaporated, replaced by the weary impatience of a man dealing with a tedious obligation. "The funeral is over," she said. "We need to discuss the divorce." The car swerved slightly. Thomas corrected the wheel, his hands tightening on the leather. Silence filled the cabin. It was heavy, pressurized silence. Then, Felicity let out a small, shocked g**p. Hayes let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Eliana, seriously? Now?" He sounded disgusted. "My father is barely in the ground. Felicity is having a panic attack. And you choose this moment to pull one of your stunts for attention?" Eliana watched a droplet of water trace a path down the glass. It wasn't a stunt. "I am not playing games, Hayes. I am serious. Your father passed. The merger is secure. Your responsibility is back." She could hear the rustle of fabric as Hayes shifted, likely leaning forward to glare at the back of her head. "My responsibility? You mean Felicity?" Hayes's voice rose. "Have some respect. She is grieving. She is my brother's widow. You have everything you could possibly want. You live in a mansion, you have an unlimited allowance, you do nothing all day but shop and plan parties. Do not threaten me with leaving. We both know you can't survive a day without the Vargas trust fund." Eliana looked down at her hands. They were resting on her lap, still and composed. He really believed that. He believed she was a parasite. She didn't correct him. She didn't scream that she had three patents pending under a pseudonym. She didn't tell him that her "shopping trips" were meetings with pharmaceutical developers. She just nodded. "Fine," she said. The word hung there. "See?" Hayes said to Felicity, his voice dropping back to that soothing register. "She's just upset because I didn't hold her hand. She'll get over it." The car turned through the massive wrought-iron gates of the Vargas estate. The gravel crunched under the tires. When the car stopped, the front door of the mansion opened. Martha, the head housekeeper, stood there with two maids. Hayes got out first. He turned and extended a hand to Felicity, helping her descend from the vehicle as if she were made of spun glass. Leo, Felicity's five-year-old son, ran out of the house. He was dressed in a miniature suit, holding a toy airplane. "Daddy!" Leo shouted. He slammed into Hayes's legs. Hayes did not correct the boy. He never did. He reached down and scooped the child up, balancing him on his hip. "Hey, buddy," Hayes said, ki**ing the boy's cheek. Eliana got out of the front seat. She opened a large black umbrella again, though the walk to the porch was short. She stood at the bottom of the stone steps, looking up at them. The handsome billionaire. The beautiful, grieving widow. The adorable child. It was a perfect family portrait. Eliana was just the smudge on the lens. "Martha," Hayes called out, walking up the steps with Leo in his arms and Felicity clinging to his elbow. "Have the staff prepare the East Wing master suite. Felicity and Leo will be staying there for the foreseeable future. She needs support right now." Martha froze. Her eyes darted to Eliana. "But... sir," Martha stammered. "The East Wing? That's... that's the primary guest suite next to your..." "Just do it, Martha," Hayes snapped. "Eliana has been sl**ping in the West Wing guest room for three years. It's not like it interferes with her space." He didn't even look back at his wife. He walked through the double doors, carrying his new family into Eliana's home. Eliana stood in the rain. The water splashed against her ankles. She felt a strange sensation in her ch**t. It wasn't pain. It was the snapping of a tether. The final thread that had bound her to this farce of a marriage had just been cut. She looked at Martha, who was staring at her with pity. "Mrs. Vargas?" Martha asked softly. Eliana closed her umbrella and shook off the water. She walked up the steps, her spine straight, her chin high. "It's fine, Martha," Eliana said. "Do as he says." She walked past the housekeeper and into the foyer. She didn't look at the grand staircase where Hayes had disappeared. She turned left, toward the West Wing, toward the exit. "Whatever you say," she whispered to the empty hallway. Chapter 2 The next morning, the sky was a bruised purple, clearing after the storm. Eliana did not wake up in the Vargas estate. She hadn't sl**t there. She had sl**t in a small, sterile room at a private club in Manhattan, one that required a retinal scan to enter. She wore a beige trench coat over a simple white blouse and trousers. She drove a nondescript Audi sedan, a car she had bought with cash two years ago and kept parked three blocks from the estate. She pulled up to a brownstone on the Upper East Side. There was no sign on the door, just a brass number plate. She buzzed. The door clicked open. Inside, the office smelled of old books and expensive coffee. Talia Winters sat behind a mahogany desk that was cluttered with files. Talia was sharp-featured, with a bob cut that looked like it could slice paper. She was the best divorce attorney in the city, and she was Eliana's only friend. Talia looked up and whistled. "You look like a spy," Talia said. Eliana took off her sunglasses. Her eyes were rimmed with red, not from crying, but from lack of sl**p. She sat down and placed her leather bag on the floor. "Draft it," Eliana said. "I'm done." Talia didn't blink. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a thick folder. "I've had this ready for six months, Eliana. You know that." Talia opened the folder. "We go for half," Talia said, uncapping a pen. "The pre-nup has a cheating clause. If we can prove emotional infidelity-which, given the photos from the funeral yesterday, is a slam dunk-we can pierce the trust." "No," Eliana said. Talia paused. "What?" "I don't want his money," Eliana said. Her voice was quiet but hard. "I don't want the estate. I don't want the stocks. I want out. Clean break. Immediately." Talia dropped the pen. "Eliana, you spent three years playing the dutiful wife to that man-child. You were his nurse, his PR manager, his emotional punching bag. You earned that payout." Eliana reached into her bag and pulled out a sealed medical envelope. She slid it across the desk. Talia frowned. "What is this?" "Open it." Talia ripped the seal. She scanned the document. It was a gynecological report from a top specialist, dated yesterday. Talia's eyes widened. She looked up, her mouth slightly open. "Intact?" Talia whispered. "You... after three years?" Eliana leaned back in the chair. "He wanted to save himself for her. He told me on our wedding night. He said the marriage was just business, a merger between his father and the board. He said he wouldn't dishonor his memory of Nina-that's what he calls Felicity-by sl**ping with me." Talia slammed the file shut. "That son of a bi**h. That is constructive abandonment. That is fraud. We can destroy him. We can make him pay until he bleeds." "No," Eliana said. She leaned forward, her hands clasping together. "Listen to me, Talia. The Santos family is looking for me." The air in the room changed. Talia went rigid. "My grandmother's private investigators were spotted near the clinic last week," Eliana continued. "If I drag this out with a messy divorce trial, if my face is on the cover of the tabloids fighting for money, the Santos family will find me. They will drag me back. And you know what that means." Talia swallowed. She knew. She was the only one who knew. Eliana took a breath. "I need speed. I need Hayes to sign a waiver of contest. I need him to think he's winning. If I ask for nothing, if I leave with just my clothes, his ego will let me go. He thinks I'm helpless. He thinks I'll come crawling back." Talia looked at the medical report, then at Eliana's determined face. She sighed, a long, defeated sound. "Fine," Talia said. "I'll draft the 'Decoy' agreement. Mutual separation, no alimony, no asset division. It's the worst deal in history." "It's the price of freedom," Eliana said. Her phone buzzed on the desk. A text from Hayes. Family dinner tonight. Don't be late. Eliana stared at the screen. She typed: Received. Then she deleted the message. She stood up. "Have it ready by tomorrow." Eliana drove back to the estate. She parked the Audi three blocks away, walked to the service entrance, and slipped into the house. She changed into one of the pastel dresses Hayes liked-something soft, unthreatening. She walked down the grand staircase. She stopped on the landing. The main living room, a space Eliana had curated with minimalist, elegant art, was in chaos. Movers were hauling out the abstract sculptures she had commissioned. In their place, they were hanging large, garish photographs in cheap, colorful plastic frames. The photos were everywhere. Felicity and Leo at the beach. Felicity and Leo at Disney World. Felicity and Leo baking cookies. It looked like a shrine. Felicity was standing in the center of the room, pointing at the mantle. "No, move that vase," she instructed a worker. "It blocks the picture of Leo's first tooth." Eliana walked down the remaining steps. Her heels clicked on the marble. Felicity turned. Her face lit up with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh! Eliana!" Felicity clapped her hands. "I hope you don't mind. I just felt this place was so... cold. It needed some life. Some family energy." Eliana looked at the wall where her favorite painting, a moody seascape, used to hang. It was now occupied by a blown-up photo of Leo eating spaghetti. "Taste is subjective, I suppose," Eliana said. "Though some things are objectively loud." Felicity's smile faltered. She bit her lip, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "I just wanted to make it nice..." Hayes walked in from the library. He saw Felicity's face and immediately stepped between the two women. "Eliana," Hayes warned. "Felicity is a guest. Can you try, for once, to be gracious?" Eliana looked at him. He was wearing a casual sweater, looking every bit the suburban dad he pretended to be with Felicity. "A guest?" Eliana asked. "Then why is she redecorating the host's home?" Hayes's jaw tightened. "This is my house, Eliana. And Felicity is trying to make it comfortable for Leo. The boy has been through enough." Eliana looked around the room. It didn't look like a home anymore. It looked like territory that had been marked. "You're right," Eliana said. Hayes blinked, surprised by her capitulation. "It is your house," she continued. "Soon, it will be entirely yours." She turned and walked toward the stairs. Hayes watched her go. He felt a prickle of annoyance, a strange itch at the back of his neck. Usually, she would argue. Usually, she would fight for her aesthetic. Why did she give up so easily? Hayes turned back to Felicity, who was sniffing bravely. "Don't worry, honey," Hayes said, wrapping an arm around her. "She's just jealous. It looks great." Chapter 3 Dinner was a nightmare of noise. The dining room table was set for four, but only three people were eating. Leo was not eating. Leo was drumming. He held a silver fork in one fist and a spoon in the other, banging them rhythmically against the rim of a crystal goblet. Clink. Clink. Smash. Clink. Eliana sat at her usual spot. She tried to cut her chicken, but the noise was drilling into her temples. "Hayes," she said softly. Hayes looked up from his phone. He was scrolling through emails. "Hmm?" "The noise," Eliana said. "It's crystal." Felicity laughed lightly. She was feeding Leo a piece of bread. "Oh, Eliana, let him express himself. He's a musical genius in the making. He's just a spirited boy." Leo, emboldened by his mother's praise, hit the glass harder. Eliana put her kn**e down. "It's not about spirit. It's about manners." Leo stopped drumming. He slid off his chair. He ran around the table, his heavy shoes thudding on the Persian rug. He headed for the fireplace in the adjoining sitting area. On the mantle, pushed to the far side by Felicity's invasion of photos, sat a single, small silver frame. It was an old, black-and-white photograph of a couple standing in front of a vineyard. It was the only photo Eliana had of her parents. The only thing she had managed to smuggle out of the Santos estate when she fled at eighteen. Leo grabbed the frame. "Ugly!" Leo shouted. "Old people are ugly!" Eliana's bl**d went cold. "Put that down," she said. Her voice was not loud, but it carried a vibration that made the candles on the table flicker. Leo stuck out his tongue. "No! Uncle Hayes said this is his house! That means it's my house!" He raised the frame high above his head. "Leo, no!" Eliana stood up, her chair scraping violently against the floor. Leo threw it. He didn't just drop it. He hurled it downward with all the force his five-year-old body could muster. The sound of the glass shattering on the marble hearth was like a gunshot. The room went silent. Eliana stood frozen. She stared at the shards. The photo lay face down amidst the glittering debris. Leo looked at her, then at the mess. His face crumpled. He opened his mouth and let out a wail that sounded like a siren. Felicity was out of her chair in a second. She rushed to Leo, falling to her knees to embrace him. "You scared him!" Felicity screamed at Eliana. "You yelled at him and scared him!" Hayes rushed over. He looked at the crying boy, then at the broken glass. He recognized the photo. A flash of guilt crossed his face, but it was quickly drowned out by Leo's screams. "Eliana," Hayes said, his voice stern. "He's a child. You didn't have to lunge at him like that." Eliana walked toward them. She didn't look at Hayes. She didn't look at Felicity. Her eyes were locked on the photo. She knelt down. "Don't touch it," Hayes said. "You'll cut yourself. We'll get the maid to-" Eliana reached into the jagged pile. Her fingers closed around the photo paper. A shard of glass, sharp as a scalpel, sliced into the pad of her thumb. Another cut her palm. She didn't flinch. She didn't pull back. Bl**d welled up, bright red and fast. It dripped onto the white marble. It smeared onto the corner of the black-and-white photo. She picked it up. She brushed the glass dust off her mother's face with a bl**dy thumb. "It's just a photo," Hayes said, exasperated now. "We can get it restored. I'll pay for it. Stop being dramatic." Eliana stood up. She clutched the photo to her ch**t, staining her silk blouse with bl**d. "There is no negative," she whispered. "This was the only one." Hayes ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I didn't know that. Look, I'm sorry, okay? But look at Leo. He's terrified. You need to apologize for screaming." Eliana slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Her eyes were dry. They were terrifyingly empty. It was the look of a building that had been controlled-demolished, collapsing inward into dust. "Apologize?" she asked. "Yes," Hayes said. "Be the adult here." Eliana looked at Leo, who was peeking out from Felicity's shoulder, a smirk playing on his tear-stained lips. She looked at Hayes, the man she had tried to love for three years. The man she had protected from the board, from the press, from his own incompetence. "I will not," Eliana said. She turned and walked toward the stairs. Bl**d dripped from her hand, leaving a trail of small red dots on the floor. "Where are you going?" Hayes called after her. To pack, she didn't say. To call Talia, she didn't say. She just kept walking. Upstairs, in her room, she locked the door. She went to the bathroom and ran her hand under cold water. The sting was sharp, grounding. She wrapped her hand in gauze. Then she picked up her phone. She dialed Talia. "Do it," Eliana said. "Tomorrow. I don't care how we do it. I want his signature on that paper." Chapter 4 The next morning, the library was a war zone of paperwork. Hayes sat behind his massive oak desk, surrounded by stacks of documents related to the transfer of a property deed for Felicity. He looked exhausted. Eliana walked in. She held a tray with a single cup of black coffee. Her hand was bandaged, the white gauze stark against her black sleeve. She placed the coffee on a coaster near his elbow. "Morning," she said. Hayes grunted. He didn't look at her hand. "Thanks." Eliana pulled a thick stack of papers from under her arm. "The quarterly reports for the family foundation," she said. "The accountants are chasing me. They need these signed by noon or we miss the tax filing window." Hayes rubbed his temples. "Can't you just forge it? You usually do." That was a joke. Or maybe it wasn't. "Not for the IRS," Eliana said. "Just a few signatures. I tabbed them for you." She placed the stack in front of him. She had arranged it masterfully. The top pages were boring, dense financial spreadsheets. She flipped through them quickly. "Here," she pointed to a yellow sticky tab. Hayes signed. Hayes A. Vargas. "And here." He signed again. Eliana's heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her palms were sweating inside her bandages. She flipped to the next tab. This page was positioned so that the top half was covered by the previous document, folded over as if to keep the place. Only the signature line was visible. It was the Waiver of Contest and Dissolution of Marriage. "Here," Eliana said. Her voice was steady, practiced. Hayes brought the pen down. The tip touched the paper. From the hallway, a shriek pierced the air. "Hayes! Hayes, help!" It was Felicity. Hayes jumped. His hand jerked, the pen skidding across the paper, creating a long, jagged line before he scribbled his name quickly. "What happened?" Hayes yelled, dropping the pen. He stood up so fast his chair tipped over. He shoved past Eliana. He didn't mean to shove her hard, but in his panic, he used his full weight. Eliana stumbled back. Her hip slammed into the corner of the heavy bookshelf. A sharp pain shot down her leg. She gasped, grabbing the shelf for support. Hayes didn't stop. He didn't even turn his head. He sprinted out of the room. Eliana bit her lip to keep from crying out. She steadied herself. She looked at the desk. The paper. She reached out with trembling fingers and pulled the document free from the stack. There it was. Hayes A. Vargas. The signature was messy, trailed by a line of ink from his startle response, but it was there. It was legal. Downstairs, she heard Felicity sobbing. "I stubbed my toe! It hurts so bad! I think it's broken!" Eliana closed her eyes for a second. A stubbed toe. She heard Hayes's frantic voice. "I've got you. Let's get you to the car. We're going to the ER." The front door slammed. Silence returned to the house. Eliana let out a breath she felt she had been holding for three years. She looked at the paper in her hand. It was more valuable than diamonds. It was her ticket out of h**l. She took her phone out and snapped a photo of the signature page. She sent it to Talia via an encrypted app. Got it, she typed. Talia replied instantly. You're free. Legally, you are a single woman. I'll file it with the clerk in an hour. Eliana looked at the message. A strange smile touched her lips. It wasn't a happy smile. It was the smile of a prisoner who had just dug the last scoop of dirt from the tunnel. She walked over to the desk. Hayes's phone was sitting there, forgotten in his rush to save Felicity's toe. The screen lit up. A notification from Felicity. Heart emoji. Thank you for being my hero. Eliana stared at it. She turned the phone face down. "Not a hero," she whispered. "Just a f**l." She gathered the rest of the papers, the fake financial reports, and placed them neatly in the recycling bin. She folded the divorce agreement and slid it into the inside pocket of her blazer, right against her heart. Chapter 5 Two days later, the atmosphere in the house shifted. Mr. Sterling was coming. Mr. Sterling was not just a butler. He was the executor of the Vargas Family Trust, the eyes and ears of the board, and a man who terrified Hayes more than his own father had. Eliana prepared the living room. She went to the safe in the basement and brought out a long, rectangular box. From it, she removed a scroll. It was a painting. A classic Chinese ink wash painting, depicting a lonely mountain peak shrouded in mist. It was attributed to a master from the Song Dynasty. It was a registered gift from the Santos Matriarch to the Vargas family upon the wedding-a symbol of the alliance so valuable it was listed on the family's insurance as a separate entity. Eliana hung it on the main wall, replacing the photo of Leo eating spaghetti. Felicity came in with Leo just as Eliana was adjusting the wire. "What is that dreary thing?" Felicity asked, wrinkling her nose. "It's so... gray." "It's history," Eliana said. "It's worth twelve million dollars." Felicity scoffed. "For a piece of paper? Ridiculous." Leo ran into the room. He was holding a juice box. Grape juice. He was squeezing it, making the purple liquid bubble at the straw. Eliana sat down on the sofa. She opened a book, but she didn't read. She watched Leo. Leo wandered toward the painting. Eliana stood up. "Leo, be careful. That is very expensive." She made sure her voice lacked authority. She made sure it sounded like a challenge. Felicity rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop hovering. He's just looking." Eliana took a step forward, then stopped. "It belongs to the Santos family, really. If anything happened to it... Hayes would be in a lot of trouble." Felicity heard the name 'Hayes' and bristled. She looked at Leo. "Go on, Leo," Felicity said. "Look at the fancy paper. See if it's special." Leo grinned. He ran toward the wall. He squeezed the juice box with both hands. A jet of purple liquid arched through the air. It splattered across the delicate rice paper. The mist on the mountain turned a violent, sugary violet. The ink ran. The paper soaked it up instantly, warping and buckling. "Oh no!" Eliana gasped. She brought her hands to her mouth. Leo laughed. "It looks better now! It has color!" Felicity giggled. "See? He's an artist." The heavy oak doors of the living room opened. Mr. Sterling stood there. He was a tall man with silver hair and a posture like a steel rod. Behind him stood two lawyers in gray suits. Sterling looked at the wall. His face did not move, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. He walked over to the painting. He inspected the purple stain. He turned to look at Felicity. "Mrs. Vargas," Sterling said, addressing Eliana but looking at Felicity. "What has happened?" Eliana lowered her head. "I tried to stop him, Mr. Sterling. But Felicity said..." Sterling turned his gaze to Felicity. It was a gaze that could peel paint. "Ms. Branch," Sterling said. Felicity smiled nervously. "Hi, Sterling. It's just a little accident. Leo spilled some juice. It's just an old paper, we can wipe it off." Sterling's voice was like grinding stones. "That 'old paper' is a national treasure on loan from the Santos collection. It is valued at twelve million dollars. And it is uninsured against acts of gross negligence." Felicity's smile vanished. "Twelve... million?" Sterling took out his phone. "I am notifying the board. This comes out of Hayes's personal equity." "But..." Felicity stammered. "That's Hayes's money!" Sterling looked at Leo, who was su**ing on the empty juice box. "The boy has destroyed the equivalent of the quarterly dividend," Sterling said. "Until the debt is repaid, all discretionary accounts linked to Hayes Vargas are frozen. The credit cards, the expense accounts, the liquid assets. Everything." "What?" Felicity shrieked. "You can't do that! We have expenses!" Sterling ignored her. He turned to the lawyers. "Document the damage. Remove the artifact." Eliana stood in the corner. She watched Sterling berate Felicity. She watched Felicity crumble into a sobbing mess on the sofa. She felt a tiny, cold flame of satisfaction in her gut. "Oh, dear," Eliana said, her voice dripping with fake concern. "This is going to be very bad for Hayes." &4&
She appears to be a wealthy, abandoned woman dependent on her husband, but in reality, she is a brilliant scientist with patents and hidden wealth. Her husband sees her as a parasite, unaware of her illustrious background and the resources she already possesses to fight back. ===== Chapter 1 The rain at the cemetery was not a drizzle. It was a deluge, a vertical sheet of gray water that turned the manicured grass of the private burial ground into a slick, treacherous mud pit. Eliana Heath stood at the very edge of the gathering. The heels of her black pumps sank into the softened earth, anchoring her in place like a statue forgotten by its sculptor. She held her black umbrella with both hands. Her knuckles were white, the skin stretched tight over the bone. The wind tugged at the canopy, threatening to invert it, but she did not adjust her grip. She did not move. She watched the mahogany casket of Harrison Vargas being lowered into the ground. Around her, the whispers of New York's elite were louder than the rain. She heard them. She always heard them. Poor thing. Just a trophy. Look at her, standing there like a mannequin while her husband holds another woman. Eliana's eyes shifted. Ten feet away, under the shelter of a massive tent reserved for the immediate family, stood Hayes Vargas. He was not looking at the grave of his father. He was looking down at the woman weeping against his ch**t. Felicity Branch. Felicity looked fragile. She wore a black dress that was tastefully modest yet perfectly tailored to suggest vulnerability. Her blonde hair was damp, plastered to her cheeks in artful disarray. She sobbed into the lapel of Hayes's expensive suit, her small hands clutching the fabric as if he were the only solid thing left in the world. Hayes's arm was wrapped securely around her waist. His hand rubbed her back in slow, soothing circles. He whispered something into her hair, his expression etched with a pain and tenderness that Eliana had not seen directed at herself in three years of marriage. Eliana felt a physical coldness that had nothing to do with the weather. It started in her stomach, a heavy, leaden weight that pulled her internal organs downward. It spread to her fingertips, making them numb. She was the wife. She was Mrs. Vargas. Yet she stood in the rain, unshielded, while her husband comforted his childhood sweetheart, a woman who was not just a friend, but family. Felicity was the widow of Hayes's older brother, William, who had died in a boating accident only months prior. No one talked about that today, though. Today was about Felicity's grief for her "second father," Harrison. The tragic widow, losing both husband and father-in-law in one year. It was a narrative the tabloids loved, and Hayes was playing his part as the protective surviving brother a little too well. The service ended. The priest closed his bible. The crowd began to disperse, a sea of black umbrellas moving toward the line of waiting limousines. Hayes guided Felicity toward the lead car, the extended Lincoln with the Vargas family crest on the door. He shielded her head with his hand, ignoring the rain soaking his own shoulders. The driver, a man named Thomas who had always been kind to Eliana, opened the rear door. Hayes helped Felicity inside. He leaned in, ensuring she was settled, before straightening up. He looked around then, as if suddenly remembering he had brought someone else. His eyes found Eliana. He gestured vaguely for her to come. It was the kind of gesture one used for a trailing pet. Eliana closed her umbrella. The mechanism clicked, a sharp sound that seemed to sever something inside her ch**t. She walked to the car. Thomas held the door open, his eyes downcast, embarrassed on her behalf. Eliana did not get in the back. She saw Felicity sprawled across the leather seat, occupying the center, dabbing her eyes with Hayes's handkerchief. Hayes was already climbing in beside her. Eliana opened the front passenger door. "Mrs. Vargas?" Thomas asked, surprised. "I prefer the view," Eliana said. Her voice was steady. Flat. She slid into the front seat and closed the door. The interior of the car smelled of wet wool and Felicity's cloying, floral perfume. It was suffocating. The partition between the front and back was open. Eliana could hear Felicity's hitched breathing. "Oh, Hayes, I don't know what I'm going to do," Felicity whimpered. "Leo is going to be so lost without Grandpa Harrison. First William, now this... he has no male figures left." Hayes's voice was low, a rumble that vibrated through the seat frame. "You aren't alone, Felicity. I promised William, and I promised you. I am here. I'm not going anywhere." Eliana stared at the rain streaking the windshield. The wipers sl**ped back and forth. s**p. s**p. s**p. A rhythmic countdown. She watched her own reflection in the side mirror. She looked perfect. Not a hair out of place, her makeup sealed with setting spray, her expression vacuous. The perfect doll Hayes believed he had married. "Hayes," Eliana said. She did not turn around. She spoke to the windshield. The murmuring in the back stopped. "What is it, Eliana?" Hayes asked. His tone shifted instantly. The tenderness evaporated, replaced by the weary impatience of a man dealing with a tedious obligation. "The funeral is over," she said. "We need to discuss the divorce." The car swerved slightly. Thomas corrected the wheel, his hands tightening on the leather. Silence filled the cabin. It was heavy, pressurized silence. Then, Felicity let out a small, shocked g**p. Hayes let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Eliana, seriously? Now?" He sounded disgusted. "My father is barely in the ground. Felicity is having a panic attack. And you choose this moment to pull one of your stunts for attention?" Eliana watched a droplet of water trace a path down the glass. It wasn't a stunt. "I am not playing games, Hayes. I am serious. Your father passed. The merger is secure. Your responsibility is back." She could hear the rustle of fabric as Hayes shifted, likely leaning forward to glare at the back of her head. "My responsibility? You mean Felicity?" Hayes's voice rose. "Have some respect. She is grieving. She is my brother's widow. You have everything you could possibly want. You live in a mansion, you have an unlimited allowance, you do nothing all day but shop and plan parties. Do not threaten me with leaving. We both know you can't survive a day without the Vargas trust fund." Eliana looked down at her hands. They were resting on her lap, still and composed. He really believed that. He believed she was a parasite. She didn't correct him. She didn't scream that she had three patents pending under a pseudonym. She didn't tell him that her "shopping trips" were meetings with pharmaceutical developers. She just nodded. "Fine," she said. The word hung there. "See?" Hayes said to Felicity, his voice dropping back to that soothing register. "She's just upset because I didn't hold her hand. She'll get over it." The car turned through the massive wrought-iron gates of the Vargas estate. The gravel crunched under the tires. When the car stopped, the front door of the mansion opened. Martha, the head housekeeper, stood there with two maids. Hayes got out first. He turned and extended a hand to Felicity, helping her descend from the vehicle as if she were made of spun glass. Leo, Felicity's five-year-old son, ran out of the house. He was dressed in a miniature suit, holding a toy airplane. "Daddy!" Leo shouted. He slammed into Hayes's legs. Hayes did not correct the boy. He never did. He reached down and scooped the child up, balancing him on his hip. "Hey, buddy," Hayes said, ki**ing the boy's cheek. Eliana got out of the front seat. She opened a large black umbrella again, though the walk to the porch was short. She stood at the bottom of the stone steps, looking up at them. The handsome billionaire. The beautiful, grieving widow. The adorable child. It was a perfect family portrait. Eliana was just the smudge on the lens. "Martha," Hayes called out, walking up the steps with Leo in his arms and Felicity clinging to his elbow. "Have the staff prepare the East Wing master suite. Felicity and Leo will be staying there for the foreseeable future. She needs support right now." Martha froze. Her eyes darted to Eliana. "But... sir," Martha stammered. "The East Wing? That's... that's the primary guest suite next to your..." "Just do it, Martha," Hayes snapped. "Eliana has been sl**ping in the West Wing guest room for three years. It's not like it interferes with her space." He didn't even look back at his wife. He walked through the double doors, carrying his new family into Eliana's home. Eliana stood in the rain. The water splashed against her ankles. She felt a strange sensation in her ch**t. It wasn't pain. It was the snapping of a tether. The final thread that had bound her to this farce of a marriage had just been cut. She looked at Martha, who was staring at her with pity. "Mrs. Vargas?" Martha asked softly. Eliana closed her umbrella and shook off the water. She walked up the steps, her spine straight, her chin high. "It's fine, Martha," Eliana said. "Do as he says." She walked past the housekeeper and into the foyer. She didn't look at the grand staircase where Hayes had disappeared. She turned left, toward the West Wing, toward the exit. "Whatever you say," she whispered to the empty hallway. Chapter 2 The next morning, the sky was a bruised purple, clearing after the storm. Eliana did not wake up in the Vargas estate. She hadn't sl**t there. She had sl**t in a small, sterile room at a private club in Manhattan, one that required a retinal scan to enter. She wore a beige trench coat over a simple white blouse and trousers. She drove a nondescript Audi sedan, a car she had bought with cash two years ago and kept parked three blocks from the estate. She pulled up to a brownstone on the Upper East Side. There was no sign on the door, just a brass number plate. She buzzed. The door clicked open. Inside, the office smelled of old books and expensive coffee. Talia Winters sat behind a mahogany desk that was cluttered with files. Talia was sharp-featured, with a bob cut that looked like it could slice paper. She was the best divorce attorney in the city, and she was Eliana's only friend. Talia looked up and whistled. "You look like a spy," Talia said. Eliana took off her sunglasses. Her eyes were rimmed with red, not from crying, but from lack of sl**p. She sat down and placed her leather bag on the floor. "Draft it," Eliana said. "I'm done." Talia didn't blink. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a thick folder. "I've had this ready for six months, Eliana. You know that." Talia opened the folder. "We go for half," Talia said, uncapping a pen. "The pre-nup has a cheating clause. If we can prove emotional infidelity-which, given the photos from the funeral yesterday, is a slam dunk-we can pierce the trust." "No," Eliana said. Talia paused. "What?" "I don't want his money," Eliana said. Her voice was quiet but hard. "I don't want the estate. I don't want the stocks. I want out. Clean break. Immediately." Talia dropped the pen. "Eliana, you spent three years playing the dutiful wife to that man-child. You were his nurse, his PR manager, his emotional punching bag. You earned that payout." Eliana reached into her bag and pulled out a sealed medical envelope. She slid it across the desk. Talia frowned. "What is this?" "Open it." Talia ripped the seal. She scanned the document. It was a gynecological report from a top specialist, dated yesterday. Talia's eyes widened. She looked up, her mouth slightly open. "Intact?" Talia whispered. "You... after three years?" Eliana leaned back in the chair. "He wanted to save himself for her. He told me on our wedding night. He said the marriage was just business, a merger between his father and the board. He said he wouldn't dishonor his memory of Nina-that's what he calls Felicity-by sl**ping with me." Talia slammed the file shut. "That son of a bi**h. That is constructive abandonment. That is fraud. We can destroy him. We can make him pay until he bleeds." "No," Eliana said. She leaned forward, her hands clasping together. "Listen to me, Talia. The Santos family is looking for me." The air in the room changed. Talia went rigid. "My grandmother's private investigators were spotted near the clinic last week," Eliana continued. "If I drag this out with a messy divorce trial, if my face is on the cover of the tabloids fighting for money, the Santos family will find me. They will drag me back. And you know what that means." Talia swallowed. She knew. She was the only one who knew. Eliana took a breath. "I need speed. I need Hayes to sign a waiver of contest. I need him to think he's winning. If I ask for nothing, if I leave with just my clothes, his ego will let me go. He thinks I'm helpless. He thinks I'll come crawling back." Talia looked at the medical report, then at Eliana's determined face. She sighed, a long, defeated sound. "Fine," Talia said. "I'll draft the 'Decoy' agreement. Mutual separation, no alimony, no asset division. It's the worst deal in history." "It's the price of freedom," Eliana said. Her phone buzzed on the desk. A text from Hayes. Family dinner tonight. Don't be late. Eliana stared at the screen. She typed: Received. Then she deleted the message. She stood up. "Have it ready by tomorrow." Eliana drove back to the estate. She parked the Audi three blocks away, walked to the service entrance, and slipped into the house. She changed into one of the pastel dresses Hayes liked-something soft, unthreatening. She walked down the grand staircase. She stopped on the landing. The main living room, a space Eliana had curated with minimalist, elegant art, was in chaos. Movers were hauling out the abstract sculptures she had commissioned. In their place, they were hanging large, garish photographs in cheap, colorful plastic frames. The photos were everywhere. Felicity and Leo at the beach. Felicity and Leo at Disney World. Felicity and Leo baking cookies. It looked like a shrine. Felicity was standing in the center of the room, pointing at the mantle. "No, move that vase," she instructed a worker. "It blocks the picture of Leo's first tooth." Eliana walked down the remaining steps. Her heels clicked on the marble. Felicity turned. Her face lit up with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh! Eliana!" Felicity clapped her hands. "I hope you don't mind. I just felt this place was so... cold. It needed some life. Some family energy." Eliana looked at the wall where her favorite painting, a moody seascape, used to hang. It was now occupied by a blown-up photo of Leo eating spaghetti. "Taste is subjective, I suppose," Eliana said. "Though some things are objectively loud." Felicity's smile faltered. She bit her lip, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "I just wanted to make it nice..." Hayes walked in from the library. He saw Felicity's face and immediately stepped between the two women. "Eliana," Hayes warned. "Felicity is a guest. Can you try, for once, to be gracious?" Eliana looked at him. He was wearing a casual sweater, looking every bit the suburban dad he pretended to be with Felicity. "A guest?" Eliana asked. "Then why is she redecorating the host's home?" Hayes's jaw tightened. "This is my house, Eliana. And Felicity is trying to make it comfortable for Leo. The boy has been through enough." Eliana looked around the room. It didn't look like a home anymore. It looked like territory that had been marked. "You're right," Eliana said. Hayes blinked, surprised by her capitulation. "It is your house," she continued. "Soon, it will be entirely yours." She turned and walked toward the stairs. Hayes watched her go. He felt a prickle of annoyance, a strange itch at the back of his neck. Usually, she would argue. Usually, she would fight for her aesthetic. Why did she give up so easily? Hayes turned back to Felicity, who was sniffing bravely. "Don't worry, honey," Hayes said, wrapping an arm around her. "She's just jealous. It looks great." Chapter 3 Dinner was a nightmare of noise. The dining room table was set for four, but only three people were eating. Leo was not eating. Leo was drumming. He held a silver fork in one fist and a spoon in the other, banging them rhythmically against the rim of a crystal goblet. Clink. Clink. Smash. Clink. Eliana sat at her usual spot. She tried to cut her chicken, but the noise was drilling into her temples. "Hayes," she said softly. Hayes looked up from his phone. He was scrolling through emails. "Hmm?" "The noise," Eliana said. "It's crystal." Felicity laughed lightly. She was feeding Leo a piece of bread. "Oh, Eliana, let him express himself. He's a musical genius in the making. He's just a spirited boy." Leo, emboldened by his mother's praise, hit the glass harder. Eliana put her kn**e down. "It's not about spirit. It's about manners." Leo stopped drumming. He slid off his chair. He ran around the table, his heavy shoes thudding on the Persian rug. He headed for the fireplace in the adjoining sitting area. On the mantle, pushed to the far side by Felicity's invasion of photos, sat a single, small silver frame. It was an old, black-and-white photograph of a couple standing in front of a vineyard. It was the only photo Eliana had of her parents. The only thing she had managed to smuggle out of the Santos estate when she fled at eighteen. Leo grabbed the frame. "Ugly!" Leo shouted. "Old people are ugly!" Eliana's bl**d went cold. "Put that down," she said. Her voice was not loud, but it carried a vibration that made the candles on the table flicker. Leo stuck out his tongue. "No! Uncle Hayes said this is his house! That means it's my house!" He raised the frame high above his head. "Leo, no!" Eliana stood up, her chair scraping violently against the floor. Leo threw it. He didn't just drop it. He hurled it downward with all the force his five-year-old body could muster. The sound of the glass shattering on the marble hearth was like a gunshot. The room went silent. Eliana stood frozen. She stared at the shards. The photo lay face down amidst the glittering debris. Leo looked at her, then at the mess. His face crumpled. He opened his mouth and let out a wail that sounded like a siren. Felicity was out of her chair in a second. She rushed to Leo, falling to her knees to embrace him. "You scared him!" Felicity screamed at Eliana. "You yelled at him and scared him!" Hayes rushed over. He looked at the crying boy, then at the broken glass. He recognized the photo. A flash of guilt crossed his face, but it was quickly drowned out by Leo's screams. "Eliana," Hayes said, his voice stern. "He's a child. You didn't have to lunge at him like that." Eliana walked toward them. She didn't look at Hayes. She didn't look at Felicity. Her eyes were locked on the photo. She knelt down. "Don't touch it," Hayes said. "You'll cut yourself. We'll get the maid to-" Eliana reached into the jagged pile. Her fingers closed around the photo paper. A shard of glass, sharp as a scalpel, sliced into the pad of her thumb. Another cut her palm. She didn't flinch. She didn't pull back. Bl**d welled up, bright red and fast. It dripped onto the white marble. It smeared onto the corner of the black-and-white photo. She picked it up. She brushed the glass dust off her mother's face with a bl**dy thumb. "It's just a photo," Hayes said, exasperated now. "We can get it restored. I'll pay for it. Stop being dramatic." Eliana stood up. She clutched the photo to her ch**t, staining her silk blouse with bl**d. "There is no negative," she whispered. "This was the only one." Hayes ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I didn't know that. Look, I'm sorry, okay? But look at Leo. He's terrified. You need to apologize for screaming." Eliana slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Her eyes were dry. They were terrifyingly empty. It was the look of a building that had been controlled-demolished, collapsing inward into dust. "Apologize?" she asked. "Yes," Hayes said. "Be the adult here." Eliana looked at Leo, who was peeking out from Felicity's shoulder, a smirk playing on his tear-stained lips. She looked at Hayes, the man she had tried to love for three years. The man she had protected from the board, from the press, from his own incompetence. "I will not," Eliana said. She turned and walked toward the stairs. Bl**d dripped from her hand, leaving a trail of small red dots on the floor. "Where are you going?" Hayes called after her. To pack, she didn't say. To call Talia, she didn't say. She just kept walking. Upstairs, in her room, she locked the door. She went to the bathroom and ran her hand under cold water. The sting was sharp, grounding. She wrapped her hand in gauze. Then she picked up her phone. She dialed Talia. "Do it," Eliana said. "Tomorrow. I don't care how we do it. I want his signature on that paper." Chapter 4 The next morning, the library was a war zone of paperwork. Hayes sat behind his massive oak desk, surrounded by stacks of documents related to the transfer of a property deed for Felicity. He looked exhausted. Eliana walked in. She held a tray with a single cup of black coffee. Her hand was bandaged, the white gauze stark against her black sleeve. She placed the coffee on a coaster near his elbow. "Morning," she said. Hayes grunted. He didn't look at her hand. "Thanks." Eliana pulled a thick stack of papers from under her arm. "The quarterly reports for the family foundation," she said. "The accountants are chasing me. They need these signed by noon or we miss the tax filing window." Hayes rubbed his temples. "Can't you just forge it? You usually do." That was a joke. Or maybe it wasn't. "Not for the IRS," Eliana said. "Just a few signatures. I tabbed them for you." She placed the stack in front of him. She had arranged it masterfully. The top pages were boring, dense financial spreadsheets. She flipped through them quickly. "Here," she pointed to a yellow sticky tab. Hayes signed. Hayes A. Vargas. "And here." He signed again. Eliana's heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her palms were sweating inside her bandages. She flipped to the next tab. This page was positioned so that the top half was covered by the previous document, folded over as if to keep the place. Only the signature line was visible. It was the Waiver of Contest and Dissolution of Marriage. "Here," Eliana said. Her voice was steady, practiced. Hayes brought the pen down. The tip touched the paper. From the hallway, a shriek pierced the air. "Hayes! Hayes, help!" It was Felicity. Hayes jumped. His hand jerked, the pen skidding across the paper, creating a long, jagged line before he scribbled his name quickly. "What happened?" Hayes yelled, dropping the pen. He stood up so fast his chair tipped over. He shoved past Eliana. He didn't mean to shove her hard, but in his panic, he used his full weight. Eliana stumbled back. Her hip slammed into the corner of the heavy bookshelf. A sharp pain shot down her leg. She gasped, grabbing the shelf for support. Hayes didn't stop. He didn't even turn his head. He sprinted out of the room. Eliana bit her lip to keep from crying out. She steadied herself. She looked at the desk. The paper. She reached out with trembling fingers and pulled the document free from the stack. There it was. Hayes A. Vargas. The signature was messy, trailed by a line of ink from his startle response, but it was there. It was legal. Downstairs, she heard Felicity sobbing. "I stubbed my toe! It hurts so bad! I think it's broken!" Eliana closed her eyes for a second. A stubbed toe. She heard Hayes's frantic voice. "I've got you. Let's get you to the car. We're going to the ER." The front door slammed. Silence returned to the house. Eliana let out a breath she felt she had been holding for three years. She looked at the paper in her hand. It was more valuable than diamonds. It was her ticket out of h**l. She took her phone out and snapped a photo of the signature page. She sent it to Talia via an encrypted app. Got it, she typed. Talia replied instantly. You're free. Legally, you are a single woman. I'll file it with the clerk in an hour. Eliana looked at the message. A strange smile touched her lips. It wasn't a happy smile. It was the smile of a prisoner who had just dug the last scoop of dirt from the tunnel. She walked over to the desk. Hayes's phone was sitting there, forgotten in his rush to save Felicity's toe. The screen lit up. A notification from Felicity. Heart emoji. Thank you for being my hero. Eliana stared at it. She turned the phone face down. "Not a hero," she whispered. "Just a f**l." She gathered the rest of the papers, the fake financial reports, and placed them neatly in the recycling bin. She folded the divorce agreement and slid it into the inside pocket of her blazer, right against her heart. Chapter 5 Two days later, the atmosphere in the house shifted. Mr. Sterling was coming. Mr. Sterling was not just a butler. He was the executor of the Vargas Family Trust, the eyes and ears of the board, and a man who terrified Hayes more than his own father had. Eliana prepared the living room. She went to the safe in the basement and brought out a long, rectangular box. From it, she removed a scroll. It was a painting. A classic Chinese ink wash painting, depicting a lonely mountain peak shrouded in mist. It was attributed to a master from the Song Dynasty. It was a registered gift from the Santos Matriarch to the Vargas family upon the wedding-a symbol of the alliance so valuable it was listed on the family's insurance as a separate entity. Eliana hung it on the main wall, replacing the photo of Leo eating spaghetti. Felicity came in with Leo just as Eliana was adjusting the wire. "What is that dreary thing?" Felicity asked, wrinkling her nose. "It's so... gray." "It's history," Eliana said. "It's worth twelve million dollars." Felicity scoffed. "For a piece of paper? Ridiculous." Leo ran into the room. He was holding a juice box. Grape juice. He was squeezing it, making the purple liquid bubble at the straw. Eliana sat down on the sofa. She opened a book, but she didn't read. She watched Leo. Leo wandered toward the painting. Eliana stood up. "Leo, be careful. That is very expensive." She made sure her voice lacked authority. She made sure it sounded like a challenge. Felicity rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop hovering. He's just looking." Eliana took a step forward, then stopped. "It belongs to the Santos family, really. If anything happened to it... Hayes would be in a lot of trouble." Felicity heard the name 'Hayes' and bristled. She looked at Leo. "Go on, Leo," Felicity said. "Look at the fancy paper. See if it's special." Leo grinned. He ran toward the wall. He squeezed the juice box with both hands. A jet of purple liquid arched through the air. It splattered across the delicate rice paper. The mist on the mountain turned a violent, sugary violet. The ink ran. The paper soaked it up instantly, warping and buckling. "Oh no!" Eliana gasped. She brought her hands to her mouth. Leo laughed. "It looks better now! It has color!" Felicity giggled. "See? He's an artist." The heavy oak doors of the living room opened. Mr. Sterling stood there. He was a tall man with silver hair and a posture like a steel rod. Behind him stood two lawyers in gray suits. Sterling looked at the wall. His face did not move, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. He walked over to the painting. He inspected the purple stain. He turned to look at Felicity. "Mrs. Vargas," Sterling said, addressing Eliana but looking at Felicity. "What has happened?" Eliana lowered her head. "I tried to stop him, Mr. Sterling. But Felicity said..." Sterling turned his gaze to Felicity. It was a gaze that could peel paint. "Ms. Branch," Sterling said. Felicity smiled nervously. "Hi, Sterling. It's just a little accident. Leo spilled some juice. It's just an old paper, we can wipe it off." Sterling's voice was like grinding stones. "That 'old paper' is a national treasure on loan from the Santos collection. It is valued at twelve million dollars. And it is uninsured against acts of gross negligence." Felicity's smile vanished. "Twelve... million?" Sterling took out his phone. "I am notifying the board. This comes out of Hayes's personal equity." "But..." Felicity stammered. "That's Hayes's money!" Sterling looked at Leo, who was su**ing on the empty juice box. "The boy has destroyed the equivalent of the quarterly dividend," Sterling said. "Until the debt is repaid, all discretionary accounts linked to Hayes Vargas are frozen. The credit cards, the expense accounts, the liquid assets. Everything." "What?" Felicity shrieked. "You can't do that! We have expenses!" Sterling ignored her. He turned to the lawyers. "Document the damage. Remove the artifact." Eliana stood in the corner. She watched Sterling berate Felicity. She watched Felicity crumble into a sobbing mess on the sofa. She felt a tiny, cold flame of satisfaction in her gut. "Oh, dear," Eliana said, her voice dripping with fake concern. "This is going to be very bad for Hayes." &4&
"“Who fvcks you better, huh? Me… or your g0ddam husband?” The Lycan King poised above me, a malicious smile curving his lips. He thrvsts deeper, harder, relentlessly, hitting that spot with precision — the one that makes my back ar’ch and my breath hitch as I ga’sp his name. Meanwhile, my husband roars through the phone, “Ember, answer me! Who are you with? Tell me now!” I shake my head frantically, eyes wide with panic and arousal. “The divorce papers are already being prepared by my legal team,” Knox continues smoothly, like he’s discussing the weather and not currently fvcking me. “And I assure you, they’re very thorough. Very expensive. You won’t like the settlement terms.” “Is that... no. No way. Is that King Knox Volkov? He’s fvcking you?” Gale sounds like he’s choking. “What the fvck is going on? Ember, what did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?” “What she did,” Knox says, his voice dropping to something dark and possessive, “is realize she deserves better than a closeted alpha who can’t even make her c0me.” Knox hangs up and drops the phone in my lap. “C0me for me,” Knox murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. “C0me for me while you think about how much better this feels than anything your husband ever gave you.” His words push me over the edge." --- EMBER’S POV I bought expensive red lingerie to save my marriage. Christmas Eve. The one day of the year when miracles are supposed to happen. When love is supposed to triumph. When broken things are supposed to become whole again. I clutched the shopping bags in my trembling hands. The lingerie cost half my savings, but I didn’t care. It was red lace and silk ribbon, promised to reignite the fiery passion of love and sx. Red was Gale’s favorite color. His assistant mentioned it casually last week over coffee, and I could see the pity in her eyes when she looked at me. Everyone knew. The entire pack whispered about it behind my back. “Poor Ember. Eight months and her husband still won’t touch her. What kind of omega can’t even satisfy her own mate?” Gale had insisted I spend the day at the spa. “Relax, baby. Get your nails done. I need you perfect for tomorrow’s Christmas gala.” The word baby had made my heart leap with pathetic hope. Maybe things would finally change. Maybe tonight he’d want me again. I pulled into our driveway, my hands gripping the bags so tightly my knuckles turned white. Tonight had to work. It had to. The moment I opened the front door, I knew something was wrong. The smell hit me immediately. Raw and musky and unmistakably sexual. My wolf Sapphire bristled, warning me to turn around and leave, but I kept walking like an idiot. Following the sounds that made my stomach twist. Moaning. Laughter. Flesh slapping against flesh. The sounds were coming from the living room. Our living room with the floor-to-ceiling windows and the white Italian leather couch Gale insisted we needed because “only the best for my wife.” I rounded the corner and stopped breathing. Gale was on his knees with his face buried between Logan Reeves’ legs. Logan, his so-called business partner who came over twice a week for “late-night strategy sessions.” There was a younger man I’d never seen before bent over the couch arm while another stranger fked him from behind. A full or'gy. All men. All of them barely covered body and sweating and laughing. My brain couldn’t process what I was seeing. Gale always talked about how ‘disgusting’ homosexuality was, how unnatural it was, how pack traditions forbade such behavior. He’d shamed people for it publicly. And now he was here doing this. But the shock of seeing him with men wasn’t even the worst part. “God, Gale,” Logan groaned, his fingers tangled in my husband’s hair. “You’re incredible. No wonder you keep that frigid omega around for appearances.” The younger man laughed breathlessly. “Does she even know her Alpha husband has never been interested in center?” “Of course not,” Gale said, pulling back to wipe his mouth. His voice was casual, amused, like they were discussing the weather. “She’s too dumb to figure it out. Too desperate and pathetic to see what’s right in front of her face.” Then he did something that made my world shatter completely. He mimicked my voice, high-pitched and whiny. “Gale, please touch me. Gale, don’t you want me? Gale, what am I doing wrong?” They all burst into cruel laughter that echoed off the walls. My hands went numb. The shopping bags slipped from my fingers and hit the marble floor with a crash. Red lingerie spilled out across white tile like a pool of blood. Four heads whipped toward me. Gale’s face went pale, then red. “Ember, this isn’t what it looks like—” I was already running. Down the hallway, through the front door, into my car. My hands shook so violently I could barely get the key in the ignition. My phone started buzzing immediately. Text after text flooding in. Gale: It’s not what it looked like. Gale: Come back so we can talk. Gale: You’re being dramatic. Then the threats started. Gale: If you tell anyone what you saw, I will destroy you. The treaty requires our marriage. You ruin me, you ruin both packs. Think about that, Ember. Tears blurred my vision as I drove. I didn’t know where I was going until I saw the airport sign and turned in automatically. I needed to get away. Needed to go home to Alaska, to my family house. I’d file for divorce the moment I landed. I couldn’t stay married to him. I couldn’t. I made it to the airport in shock, my body moving on autopilot while my brain tried to process what I’d seen. At the ticket counter, I pulled out my credit card with shaking hands. “Next available first-class ticket to Alaska,” I told the woman, my voice barely above a whisper. She processed the payment quickly. It took almost all the money I could access from my personal account, but I didn’t care. I just needed to get home. My phone kept buzzing. I looked down at the screen and saw message after message flooding in. Gale’s texts had shifted from apologetic to threatening to manipulative. Gale: Please, baby, let me explain. Gale: You’re overreacting. It was just stress relief. Gale: If you leave me, you’ll have nothing. NOTHING. Gale: Your parents will disown you for breaking the treaty. Gale: Come home right now or I’ll make sure every pack knows what a failure you are. I blocked his number with trembling fingers and shoved the phone deep into my purse. I made it onto the plane somehow and found my seat. The numbness started wearing off, replaced by a pain so intense I couldn’t breathe. Eight years I’d given him. Two years of dating where he’d courted me to convince his father I was the right choice—submissive, obedient, from a good family. The perfect arranged match. Six years of marriage where I’d tried everything to please him, to be the perfect omega wife, to make him want me. And it was all a lie. Good. Maybe now you’ll stop defending the bаst3rd who hits you, Sapphire snarled with venom. My wolf had hated him from the start. But I’d loved him. Or thought I did. I was the useless omega who couldn’t even keep her husband interested. The failure who drove her mate into the arms of other men. No, not even that. He’d never wanted me at all. I stumbled to the bathroom and locked myself inside. The sobs came from somewhere deep in my chest, ugly and raw and unstoppable. I pressed my hands over my mouth, trying to stay quiet, but the grief was too big to contain. I’d spent months questioning everything about myself. Was I too much or not enough? And when I pushed too hard for answers, for affection, for anything, his hands became fists. The bruises always hidden where no one could see. All those business trips. All those late nights at the office. All those times he said he was too tired or too stressed. He’d been with them. With those men. Laughing at how pathetic I was for believing his lies. Someone knocked on the door hard enough to rattle it. “Occupied!” I choked out. The knocking continued, louder and more insistent. “I said it’s occupied! Go away!” The door opened anyway. “You do realize this is the men’s room, right?” The voice was deep and rough, vibrating through the tiny space and cutting through my spiral of misery. I looked up through tear-blurred eyes and froze. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Tall enough that he had to duck slightly through the doorway, with broad shoulders that filled the entire frame. Dark hair that looked like he’d been running his hands through it, a sharp jawline, and eyes so blue they looked almost unnatural. There was something dangerous about him, something predatory that made my wolf sit up and take notice despite my broken state. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—” I tried to squeeze past him, but the bathroom was too small and he was too big and suddenly we were close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. He caught my arm gently but firmly, stopping me completely. The touch sent a shock of electricity racing up my skin that made me gasp. “Why are you crying?” His voice had gone cold and commanding in a way that made something low in my stomach tighten. I couldn’t speak. His blue eyes bored into mine like he could see straight through to my soul, and there was heat in that gaze that made my breath catch. I knew this man from somewhere. I’d seen his face before, maybe in pack newsletters or territory reports, but I couldn’t place it through the fog of grief. His scent felt like a substance. Pine and winter and something wild that made my head spin. “It’s none of your business,” I whispered, trying to pull my arm free. “Please just let me go.” His grip tightened slightly, possessive in a way that should have scared me but didn’t. “I think it is my business. I don’t like seeing a beautiful woman cry.” Beautiful. The word hit me with surprise. When was the last time anyone called me beautiful? When was the last time someone looked at me like I was worth something instead of a disappointing burden? Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. “You want to know why I’m crying? Fine!” The words came out bitter and sharp. “I just caught my husband in a full or'gy with his business partners. In our living room. On our couch. He was on his knees servicing another man while they all laughed about how Silly and desperate I am.” His expression darkened immediately. Something feral and violent flashed in those ice-blue eyes, there and gone so fast I almost missed it. Then his gaze turned molten, heated in a way that made my skin flush despite everything. “Your husband is a fool,” he said, his voice dropping lower and rougher. The sound of it sent shivers racing down my spine. “What kind of man would have you and choose anyone else?” The words were so unexpected, so genuine, that something inside me warmed. This stranger was looking at me with more desire and appreciation than my own husband had shown me in months of marriage. More than Gale had shown me in years, if I was being honest with myself. My voice broke as I spoke. “I tried so hard to be what he wanted.” I looked away, unable to meet his gaze as I admitted this to a stranger. “And the whole time, he was just... laughing at me.” His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking there. “There’s nothing wrong with you. The problem is him.” “You don’t know that,” I murmured. “I know enough from where I’m standing.” He stepped closer, crowding me back against the small sink. His hand came up to cup my face, thumb brushing away my tears with surprising gentleness. “You’re trembling.” “I’m angry,” I whispered, but it came out breathless because his touch was doing things to me that I didn’t understand. I swallowed hard. “I don’t know what to do with all of it.” “What do you want to do?” What did I want? I wanted to stop feeling worthless. I wanted to stop being the pathetic omega everyone pitied. I wanted to feel desired instead of discarded. I wanted someone to look at me like this stranger was looking at me right now, like I was something precious and wanted and worth having. I was so tired of being good. Of following all the rules while everyone else broke them. Of trying to be the perfect wife while my husband made a fool of me. If Gale could have his fun, why couldn’t I? “If you really want to be a gentleman right now and save the damsel in distress...” I paused, watching his eyes darken further, pupils blowing wide. “Then you should bend me over right here and f'k- me against this wall.” His pupils went completely black. A low, rough sound rumbled from his chest—something between a growl and a groan that made my thighs clench. Yes, I just asked him to f'k- me. EMBER’S POV The words hang between us, and I can’t believe I just said them. But there’s no denying the intensity of my desire for this man, even in the midst of my heartbreak. Sapphire is going absolutely feral inside me—she wants to feel his hands run down every inch of my skin and it makes no sense. We don’t even know him. He raises an eyebrow at me, something dark and amused flickering across his devastatingly handsome face. “Is that really what you want?” His voice drops lower, rougher, each word like a physical caress. I nod, feeling a rush of heat flood through me. I know it’s reckless, but I can’t help myself. I need this. I need him. I need to feel wanted instead of worthless. I need to forget Gale’s mocking voice, Logan’s cruel laughter, the image of my husband on his knees. If Gale can f'k- whoever he wants, so can I. But just as quickly as the moment ignited, it flickers out as he takes a step back from me, his expression cooling into something almost bored. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid I have other business to attend to.” What? He’s rejecting me? Something hot and humiliating floods through my chest. Of course. Of course even a stranger doesn’t want me. Gale was right—I’m desperate, pathetic, not worth— No. f'k- that. Wild instinct takes over and I grab his arm as he turns to leave, yanking him back around. Before I can second-guess myself, before I can think about consequences or propriety or anything beyond this moment, I kiss him with everything I have. His lips are sinfully soft, perfect, and the contact sends a rush of liquid heat straight between my legs. For a moment, he’s completely still, and panic claws at me—oh god, he really doesn’t want me— Then he growls. The sound is purely animalistic, vibrating against my mouth as his hands suddenly slam against the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. He kisses me back with bruising intensity, all teeth and tongue and raw hunger that makes my knees weak. Our tongues meet in a fierce dance and I cling to him desperately, wanting to lose myself in this moment, in this feeling of being wanted so intensely it borders on violence. His hands roam over my body with clear purpose—gripping my waist, my hips, my bottom—each touch sending electric shocks down my spine. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Maybe my relationship with Gale kept me so Intimately starved that even this contact with a stranger drives me mad with desire, but I don’t care. I don’t fking care anymore. He shoves me back against the wall, pinning my wrists above my head with one large hand. His body presses hard against mine and I can feel every muscled inch of him, including the thick length of his cok straining against his pants, pressing into my stomach. Oh god. His hot breath teases my neck as he peppers kisses along my throat, biting down on my pulse point hard enough to make me cry out. The pleasure-pain is exquisite, and I arch into him shamelessly. “Such pretty sounds,” he murmurs against my skin, voice like gravel. “I wonder what other noises I can make you make.” His free hand slides underneath my dress, trailing up my inner thigh with agonizing slowness. I’m trembling, desperate, my panties already soaked through. When his fingers finally brush against the lace, I gasp. “f'k-,” he breathes, pressing harder. “You’re dripping wet already.” His fingers hook under the fabric, pushing it aside, and when he touches my bare pusy I actually whimper. “Are you this desperate to get fked by me? By a complete stranger?” I should feel ashamed. I should stop this. Instead, I moan and lean into his touch, spreading my legs wider in shameless invitation. This is who I am now. The good girl who followed every rule is gone. I just want to feel something other than pain. “I want to hear you say it.” His finger circles my cl1t, slow and torturous, making my hips buck. “If you want my cok inside you that badly, then beg for it. Convince me you deserve it.” Then he plunges two fingers deep inside me. “Oh god!” The cry rips from my throat as he fks me with his fingers, rough and fast and perfect. My thighs shake, my whole body trembling as pleasure builds at an impossible rate. “Say it,” he demands, curling his fingers to hit that spot that makes me see stars. “Yes! Please!” I’m gasping, grinding down on his hand. “Please f'k- me. I need you to take me right here. Use me, ruin me—I don’t care. Just please—” He chuckles darkly against my skin, the vibrations sending me even closer to the edge. Then his lips brush my ear, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I never thought I’d see the day where you’d be such a naughty girl, Ember.” I freeze. Wait. How does he know my name? Why does he sound like he knows me? The pleasure has completely disoriented my thoughts, but I manage to pull back slightly, staring at this gorgeous stranger carefully. He still looks so familiar, I just can’t place from where... “W-what?” My voice is breathless, shaky. “How do you know my name?” The devious man smirks, wicked intentions etched into every handsome line of his face. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize your Lycan King, Ember darling.” His blue eyes hold that cruel, calculating glint I’ve seen before, and suddenly it hits me like a fkn freight train. “I certainly know about the beautiful mate of Alpha Gale Crawford.” No. Oh god, no. King Knox Volkov. I just kissed the most dangerous man in the world. I just begged the Lycan King to f'k- me in an airplane bathroom. As the Lycan King, he rules with an iron fist—both the urban city as a filthy rich CEO and the supreme ruler of the werewolf realm. He’s ruthless and unforgiving, with a reputation that precedes him. Stories of alphas who crossed him and simply disappeared. Packs that challenged his authority and were wiped off the map. He’s a man who commands respect and fear in equal measure, and I just threw myself at him like a Beach in heat. Mortification crashes over me. He’s Gale’s boss. The supreme authority over every pack in North America. Do you know how ruined my life would be if word gets out that I tried seducing the Lycan King? Alpha Gale’s wife throwing herself at his superior? The scandal would destroy what little reputation I have left. I flush with embarrassment and try to push him away, but he steps in closer instead, his fingers still buried inside me, making me cry out involuntarily. “Don’t stop the fun now.” His grin is pure wickedness. “Why do you seem so frightened?” My mind is in chaos, my whole body overcome with conflicting urges—run, stay, hide, submit. “No... no... no.” I shake my head frantically when he leans in to kiss me again. “I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. This was a mistake. A huge mistake.” His expression darkens immediately, eyes flashing gold—his wolf rising to the surface. My heart pounds and all my false courage evaporates. “It’s too late for that.” King Knox growls. “You begged me to f'k- you, Ember. You asked me to ruin you. And that is exactly what I’m going to do. Nothing less.” “Wait—” But before I can object, before I can think, he spins me around to face the mirror and bends me over the sink. My hands slam against the counter to catch myself, and I watch in the mirror as he yanks my skirt up around my waist. His hand runs up my inner thigh and he discovers what his fingers already confirmed—I’m soaking wet, my thighs slick with arousal despite my protests. “Look at yourself,” he commands, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “Look at how desperate you are for this. For me.” My reflection stares back—face flushed, lips swollen from his kisses, eyes wide and glassy with need. I look wrecked. I look like someone I don’t recognize. “This is your last chance to back out,” Knox says, his voice rough as his hands grip my hips. “Because once I’m inside you, you belong to me until I decide we’re done. Understand?” I should say no. Should push him away. Should think about the consequences. Instead, I push my hips back against him in answer. Knox growls in satisfaction. I hear the sound of fabric tearing and feel cool air against my core as he rips my panties completely off. Then he slams into me in one brutal move. “f'k-!” The scream tears from my throat as he splits me open. He’s huge, so thick I can barely breathe, filling me so completely it borders on pain. His hand clamps over my mouth immediately. “Quiet,” he orders against my ear. “Unless you want everyone on this plane to know what a desperate little bimbo you are.” He pulls out almost completely, then drives back in, setting a devastating rhythm that has the counter rattling beneath me. Each thrvst pushes me forward, my palms squeaking against the mirror as I try to brace myself. “Watch,” he commands, forcing my head up to meet my own eyes in the reflection. “Watch how good you look getting fked properly.” And I do. I watch myself take his cok, watch my face transform with pleasure, watch the way my body moves with each brutal thrvst. I’ve never hа'd sex standing up before. Never felt anything like this raw, desperate claiming. It felt so fkn good. His hand moves from my mouth to wrap around my throat, possessing, owning. His other hand grips my hip hard enough to bruise. “When’s the last time someone made you come?” he growls in my ear. I can barely think, barely breathe. “I... I don’t remember...” He stills completely, and the look on his face in the mirror is pure fury. “You don’t remember?” “Gale never... he never could...” Something feral crosses Knox’s expression. He pulls out suddenly and I whimper at the loss, feeling empty and aching. But then he spins me around, lifts me onto the counter, and drops to his knees. “What are you—oh my GOD!” His mouth is on me, tongue finding my cl1t with devastating precision. His fingers push inside me, curling to hit that spot that makes my vision go white. I’ve never felt anything like this. Gale never wanted to do this, said it was degrading, that good omegas shouldn’t expect— I have to bite down on my own fist to keep from screaming as pleasure crashes over me in waves. My thighs clamp around Knox’s head, my whole body shaking as I come harder than I ever have in my life. Knox doesn’t give me time to recover. He stands, positions himself between my spread thighs, and fks into me again—this time slower, deeper, watching my face as I take every inch. “Count,” he orders. “W-what?” “Count how many times you come. Because you’re going to remember exactly who gave you real pleasure for the first time.” He punctuates the words with a brutal thrvst that hits something deep inside me, and I’m already climbing toward another or'gаsm, my body still sensitive from the first. “One,” I gasp out as the second one hits. Knox smirks and picks up his pace. By the time I gasp out “Three,” my voice hoarse and broken, there’s loud pounding on the bathroom door. “This is the flight attendant! You need to exit the bathroom immediately!” shhht. EMBER’S POV King Knox doesn’t stop, not even when the flight attendant keeps knocking and demanding to know if everything’s alright. If only she knew that the Lycan King is currently buried deep inside me, fcking me like he owns me. I bite down hа'rd-on my bottom lip to contain my moans, watching the feral hunger blazing in Knox’s golden eyes. His thrvsts keep getting deeper, harder, more brutal—each one hitting something inside me that makes my toes curl and my vision go white. Then he closes the distance between us and captures my lips in a devastating kiss, swallowing my desperate whimpers as he drives in one final time, so deep I swear I can feel him in my throat. His teeth sink into my shoulder—not quite a mating bite but close enough to leave a mark—and he groans against my skin as his cok pulses inside me. I come one last time, clenching around him as he fills me, both of us frozen together, panting. The flight attendant pounds on the door again, more insistent this time. Knox pulls out slowly and I whimper at the loss, immediately feeling his cvm start to leak down my inner thighs. He calmly zips up and smooths his suit like he didn’t just rail me in an airplane bathroom, then helps fix my skirt with surprising gentleness. He picks up my destroyed panties from the floor and pockets them with a smirk. “You’re not wearing these for the rest of the flight,” he says, his voice still rough with satisfaction. “I want you to feel my cvm leaking out of you and remember exactly who fked you properly.” My face burns. This man has absolutely no shame. Knox opens the door to face the mortified flight attendant. The woman’s eyes go wide when she recognizes him—everyone knows what the Lycan King looks like—and her face goes completely white. Knox slips her several hundred-dollar bills without blinking. “For your discretion and excellent service.” Then he walks back to his seat without looking back at me, leaving me standing in the bathroom doorway, thoroughly fckd, pantyless, and realizing I just hа'd sex with the most powerful alpha in North America. Oh my god. Oh my god. What did I just do? This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. I just fked the Lycan King. In an airplane bathroom. Without protection. And now his cvm is literally dripping down my thighs and I have no underwear because he ripped them off and pocketed them like some kind of trophy. I return to my seat on shaky legs, acutely aware of Knox’s warm cvm. The businessman in 3B is definitely smirking like he heard everything. The flight attendant won’t make eye contact and keeps her distance. I collapse into my seat, face burning with mortification. I refuse to look across the aisle where Knox has calmly returned to his seat and is reading something on his phone like he didn’t just f'k- me senseless thirty seconds ago. How can he be so calm? How can he act like nothing happened? Meanwhile I’m over here trying not to hyperventilate because I just cheated on my husband—even though my husband was literally in an or'gy—with the most dangerous man in the werewolf world. The Lycan King. Gale’s boss. The man who could destroy both our packs with a single word. I need to process this. Need to think. Need to figure out what the hll I’m going to do now. My phone buzzes in my bag. Thanks to advanced wolf technology, a special communication layer allows calls even during flight—one of the few perks of travelling on a pack-owned airline. I pull it out and see an unknown number calling. My finger hovers over the decline button, but something makes me answer. “Ember! Thank god you picked up!” Gale’s voice makes my entire body go rigid with rage. He’s calling from someone else’s phone since I blocked him. Of course he is. Of course he found a way around my boundaries. “Don’t hang up, please, just listen to me for one second—” “I have nothing to say to you,” I snap, but he talks right over me like he always does. “What you saw wasn’t what you think!” His voice is high-pitched, hysterical, manic. “I love you, Ember. I swear to god, I love you. Those men meant nothing. It was just stress relief, it doesn’t count as cheating—” Doesn’t count as cheating? DOESN’T COUNT AS CHEATING? I can hear Logan Reeves coaching him in the background. “Tell her you’ll go to therapy. Tell her you’ll change. Women love that. Tell her it’ll never happen again.” The audacity. The absolute fkn audacity of both of them. “You’re calling me from Logan’s phone?” I gasp. “The same Logan whose his not-so-little friend was in your mouth two hours ago. Do you see the irony here, Gale? Do you?” “Baby, please, you have to understand—” “Don’t. Call. Me. That.” “I was confused! I didn’t know what I wanted! But I know now, I know I want you, I want our marriage—” “What you want,” I interrupt, my voice shaking with barely contained fury, “is for me to keep playing the perfect little omega wife while you f'k- whoever you want behind my back. That’s what you want.” “No! That’s not—where are you right now? Just tell me where you are and we can talk about this face to face. We can work through this together like adults—” “Work through this? You want to work through the fact that I caught you in a full gay or'gy in our living room?” “It wasn’t—you’re making it sound worse than it was—” “How am I making it worse? There were three of you! You were on your knees! They were laughing about how pathetic I am!” Gale’s voice shifts, becomes harder, more calculated. “Our marriage is a pack treaty, Ember. If you leave me, you destroy both our packs. Is that what you want? To be responsible for a war? Think about your parents. Think about everyone who depends on this alliance—” “Oh, so now you’re threatening me?” “I’m not threatening you, I’m just being realistic. You can’t just run away because you’re upset. You have responsibilities. We both do. This is bigger than us—” A large, warm hand suddenly wraps around my wrist. I startle and look to my left to find Knox has moved from his seat across the aisle and is now sitting in the empty seat right beside me, his blue eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that steals my breath. When did he—how did I not notice him moving? Before I can ask, before I can protest, he plucks the phone from my hand with the casual dominance of someone who’s used to being obeyed without question. My eyes go wide. “What are you—” Knox puts the call on speaker. Gale’s pathetic pleading fills the quiet first-class cabin. “—I know I hurt you, but running away isn’t the answer. Come home and we’ll figure this out. I promise I’ll be better. I’ll be the husband you deserve. I’ll do whatever it takes—” Then Knox does something that makes my brain completely short-circuit. He slides his hand up my thigh, under my skirt, and pushes two fingers inside my still-sensitive center. Right there. In my seat. With other passengers nearby. With my husband on the phone. I open my mouth to protest but only a strangled gasp comes out. Knox’s eyes meet mine and there’s pure wicked amusement in them as his fingers curl inside me, finding that spot that makes me see stars. “What the—are you okay, Ember? Why are you breathing like that?” Gale’s voice sharpens with suspicion. “Who’s there with you? Is someone there?” I can’t answer. Can’t speak. Knox’s thumb finds my cl1t and starts circling it with maddening precision while his fingers pump slowly in and out of me. This is insane. This is absolutely insane. I’m furious—how dare he answer my phone, how dare he touch me like this in public, how dare he interfere—but I’m also getting dangerously close to coming and I can’t find the words to tell him to stop. My hand grips the armrest so hard my knuckles turn white. I bite down on my lip to keep from making noise. Gale is still talking. “Ember, answer me! Who’s breathing like that? Are you with someone? Tell me right now!” Knox leans down, his lips brushing my ear as he whispers just loud enough for me to hear. “Should I tell him? Should I tell your pathetic excuse for a husband that you’re currently dripping wet and clenching around my fingers?” I shake my head frantically, eyes wide with panic and arousal. Knox chuckles darkly and straightens up, his fingers never stopping their devastating rhythm inside me. Then he speaks into the phone, his voice cold and commanding. “She heard you clearly, Gale. She’s done.” Silence on the other end. Complete, dead silence. Then— “Who the fck is this?” “The divorce papers are already being prepared by my legal team,” Knox continues smoothly, like he’s discussing the weather and not currently finger-fkn me. “And I assure you, they’re very thorough. Very expensive. You won’t like the settlement terms.” His thumb presses harder against my cl1t and I have to bite my fist to keep from crying out. “Is that... no. No way. Is that King Knox Volkov?” Gale sounds like he’s choking. “What the fck is going on? Ember, what did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?” “What she did,” Knox says, his voice dropping to something dark and possessive, “is realize she deserves better than a closeted alpha who can’t even make her come.” Oh my god. He did not just say that. “You son of a bimbo! You think you can just swoop in and—” “I don’t think anything,” Knox interrupts. “I know. And here’s what I know: Ember will be far too busy screaming my name to take any more of your pathetic calls. So stop calling.” “You’re fkn her? You’re fking my wife?! How long?!” Gale is screaming now. “I’ll destroy you! I’ll go to the Council! I’ll—” Knox hangs up and drops the phone in my lap. His fingers never stop moving inside me. In fact, they speed up, curling harder, hitting that spot over and over while his thumb works my cllt with devastating precision. I’m right on the edge, trembling, trying desperately to stay quiet. The businessman a few rows back has headphones in but the flight attendant definitely knows what’s happening and is pointedly facing away, her face bright red. “Come for me,” Knox murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. “Come on my fingers while you think about how much better this feels than anything your husband ever gave you.” His words push me over the edge. I come hard, biting down on my fist to muffle the sound, my pusy clenching rhythmically around his fingers, my whole body shaking with the intensity of it. Knox works me through every wave, drawing it out until I’m boneless and gasping. Slowly, he withdraws his fingers. I watch in horrified fascination as he brings them to his mouth and licks them clean, his eyes locked on mine the entire time. “Delicious,” he says softly. Then he calmly returns to his seat across the aisle like he didn’t just make me come in the middle of a commercial flight. I sit there trembling, unable to move, unable to think, my mind completely blank except for one repeating thought: What on eаrth just happened? EMBER’S POV This morning I was a married omega trying to save her marriage with expensive lingerie. Now I’m a soon-to-be-divorced omega who fckd the Lycan King in an airplane bathroom and let him finger me to or'gаsm while my husband was on the phone. My life has become a complete disaster. The pilot’s voice crackles over the intercom. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Anchorage. Local time is 7:43 PM and the current temperature is minus twelve degrees.” Anchorage. Home. The seatbelt sign dings off and passengers spring into action. I have no luggage, no coat, no plan. Just the clothes on my back and about two hundred dollars in my bank account. I’ll find a cheap hotel, I decide. One of those budget places near the airport. I’ll figure out my next steps in the morning. Call my parents and try to explain why their daughter’s arranged marriage just imploded on Christmas Eve. Yeah. That’ll be a fun conversation. I stand on shaky legs, my body still feeling the aftermath of everything Knox did to me. His cvm has dried uncomfortably in my skirt and I’m painfully aware that I’m still not wearing underwear because the Lycan King pocketed my torn panties like some kind of perv. I step into the aisle and immediately freeze. Knox is suddenly there, blocking my path, his blue eyes locked onto mine with that same intensity that makes my heart race. “You’re coming with me.” I blink up at him. “I appreciate what happened back there, I do. But you’re still basically a stranger and I barely know you beyond the fact that you’re the Lycan King and you just—” My face heats. “Well. You know.” “fckd you senseless in an airplane bathroom?” His lips curve slightly. “Yes, I’m aware.” “Right. That.” I clear my throat. “Look, it was... good. Really good. But it was just sx. We don’t owe each other anything.” “I disagree.” “You can disagree all you want, but I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” I try to move past him but he doesn’t budge. “Excuse me.” “Where exactly are you planning to go?” “Hotel. There’s a Holiday Inn near the airport.” “With what money?” I lift my chin. “I have enough.” “For how long?” He tilts his head, studying me. “One night? Two? What happens when that runs out?” “I’ll figure it out. People do it all the time.” “And what happens when Gale tracks your credit card and shows up at your door?” My stomach drops. I hadn’t thought of that. Of course he’ll track my card. He has access to all our accounts. Knox sees the realization on my face. “You have two choices, Ember. Walk out of here with me willingly, or I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out. Either way, you’re coming with me.” “You wouldn’t dare.” But even as I say it, I can see in his eyes that he absolutely would. “That’s kidnapping.” “It’s protection.” His voice softens slightly. “I’m not going to hurt you, Ember. But I’m also not going to let you wander around Anchorage alone, broke, with your unhinged husband hunting you down.” The scary part is, I believe him. This man I barely know, this Lycan King who just finger-fckd me while my husband was on the phone, actually seems concerned about my safety. Maybe I’ve completely lost my mind, but I’m considering it. “Why?” I ask quietly. “Why do you care what happens to me?” Something flickers across his face, there and gone too fast for me to read. “Let’s just say I’ve always been intrigued by Gale’s little omega wife. The way you smiled at those boring pack events while he ignored you. The way you’d bring us coffee during meetings and pretend you didn’t notice when he looked right through you.” His hand comes up to cup my jaw, thumb brushing over my bottom lip. “You deserved better than him. And I have a proposition that might interest you. Especially if you’re interested in making Gale Crawford’s life a living hll.” That gets my attention. “You’re bribing me with revenge?” “I’m offering you options.” His lips curve into a smile that’s pure sin. “The question is whether you’re brave enough to take them.” I should walk away. Should tell him to leave me alone and handle my problems myself like an adult. But the truth is, I’m terrified. I have no real plan, barely any resources, and Gale is probably already on his way here. I’m trying to act tough, trying to stand tall, but I’m a house cat trying to roar like a wolf. And the idea of making Gale suffer the way he made me suffer? That sounds really, really good. “If this proposition turns out to be something creepy,” I say, meeting his eyes with more bravery than I feel, “I’m kneeing you in the balls and stealing your car.” His laugh is genuine, surprised. “Fair enough.” He extends his hand. After a long moment’s hesitation, I take it. His fingers close around mine, warm and possessive, and he pulls me into the aisle. My heart is pounding. I’m literally leaving with the Lycan King. The most powerful, most dangerous alpha in North America. What am I doing? We move through the jetway and into the terminal. Knox’s hand settles on the small of my back, and even through my shirt I can feel the heat of his palm burning into my skin. “So where exactly are you taking me?” I ask, trying to sound casual and failing. “Please tell me it’s not some creepy murder cabin in the woods.” “I don’t do cabins. Too rustic.” There’s amusement in his voice. “I’m taking you somewhere you’ll be safe, fed, and properly taken care of.” “Properly taken care of.” I swallow hard. “That’s ominously vague.” Knox glances down at me, and the heat in his eyes makes my stomach flip. “Would you prefer I be specific? I’m taking you somewhere I can strip you out of that cvm-stained skirt, put you in a hot bath, feed you something that isn’t airplane food, and then f'k- you in an actual bed like you deserve.” My face flames. “You really have no filter, do you?” “None whatsoever.” He sounds completely unbothered. “Life’s too short for false modesty.” We round a corner and suddenly chaos erupts ahead of us. Camera flashes everywhere. Shouting. Reporters swarming like vultures sensing blood. And in the middle of baggage claim, looking absolutely unhinged— “EMBER! EMBER, I KNOW YOU’RE HERE!” Gale. He’s actually here. He flew here ahead of me somehow and is now having a complete public meltdown. His suit is wrinkled, his tie gone, his hair sticking up in every direction like he’s been tearing at it. Logan Reeves stands behind him looking deeply uncomfortable while two other pack members try unsuccessfully to calm him down. “We need to talk! Please! I love you! Don’t do this!” Several reporters are filming everything, phones out, clearly sensing a major scandal brewing. Oh my god. This is going to be everywhere by tomorrow morning. Every pack in North America will see this. Knox’s hand tightens protectively on my back. “This way.” He steers me toward a corridor marked “Private Access” and pushes through the door like he owns the place. Maybe he does. The Lycan King probably has access to everything. We emerge into a quiet hallway and I can still hear Gale’s voice echoing behind us, muffled but desperate. “EMBER! Please! I can change! I’ll be better! I’ll go to therapy!” “He sounds stable,” Knox comments dryly. “He’s probably been drinking with Logan.” The words slip out before I can stop them. “They do that when they’re stressed.” Knox’s eyes sharpen with interest but he doesn’t push. “Come on.” We reach another door and he pushes it open, revealing a private parking area. A sleek black BMW M8 is waiting, engine purring, driver standing at attention beside it. “Mr. Volkov.” The driver opens the back door immediately. Knox guides me toward the car but I stop, my feet refusing to move forward. This is it. Once I get in that car, there’s no going back. I’m making a choice to trust a man I barely know, a man whose reputation includes making alphas disappear when they cross him. But what’s my alternative? Go back out there where Gale is having a meltdown? Find a cheap hotel where he’ll track me down within hours? Who knows what he’d do when groveling doesn’t work? “I need to know what this proposition is,” I say, looking up at Knox. “Before I get in that car with you.” Knox turns to face me fully. The parking garage lighting casts shadows across his sharp features, making him look even more dangerous than usual. More devastating too, in a way that makes my breath catch despite everything. His hand comes up again, fingers gentle as they tilt my chin up. “Not here. But I promise you, Ember—what I’m offering will give you everything you need. Safety. Protection. Resources. And the chance to make Gale Crawford wish he’d never been born.” My pulse races. “That’s still vague.” “Get in the car and I’ll explain everything.” His thumb traces my bottom lip. “Trust me.” “I don’t know you well enough to trust you.” “No,” he agrees. “But you know Gale. And you know what’s waiting for you if you walk away from me right now.” His eyes hold mine. “So what’s it going to be, Ember? Take a chance on the devil you don’t know, or go back to on eаrth you’re trying to escape?” I look at the car. At the open door. At the promise of something different, something that might actually give me the power to fight back. Then I look back toward the terminal where my husband is probably still screaming my name for cameras. The choice suddenly seems very simple. I slide into the back seat. Knox follows immediately, the door closing with an expensive thunk, sealing us into leather-scented darkness. The car pulls away smoothly, leaving the airport—and Gale’s public breakdown—behind us. My heart won’t stop racing. I’m in a car with the Lycan King. Alone. After hа'ving sex with him. This is insane. “So,” I say, my voice coming out smaller than I’d like as city lights stream past the windows. “What’s this proposition?” Knox settles back against the seat, looking completely at ease, like he didn’t just orchestrate my escape from a very public scene. In the dim light, his eyes catch the passing streetlamps, turning them almost silver. When he smiles, it’s pure wickedness. “How would you feel about being my fake girlfriend for the next week?” EMBER’S POV My brain stutters. “Fake girlfriend?” I repeat. “As in… pretend we’re dating?” Knox smiles like a wolf who’s just cornered a rabbit. “You catch on fast, Ember.” The car slides through the icy city, neon and halogen smearing the windows. I half expect him to take it back, say it’s a joke, but King Knox is not a man who jokes. I stare at his profile—clean, sharp, intimidating as gosh—and the last few hours tumble through my head like dice in a rigged game. I crossed a line with this man. Lines don’t matter to him. He just redraws them to suit himself. “I don’t get it,” I say, and my voice sounds thin, even to me. “Why me? You could have anyone—” He cuts a look my way, ice-blue and amused. “That’s exactly why it’ll work. No one expects me to pick the omega wife of my own subordinate, especially not after tonight’s little airport meltdown.” He’s right. It’s the kind of power move that’d keep every rumor mill spinning for months. “But you don’t even know me,” I protest. “I know enough.” His eyes rake over me deliberately. “I know you’re smart enough to recognize an opportunity when you see one. Beautiful enough to make every alpha in that room jealous when I walk in with you on my arm.” He leans closer. “And I know I want to f'k- you again. Everything else is just details.” I cross my arms, suddenly aware of how tight my sweater is. My cheeks burn. “It’s only for a week,” Knox says. “One week of holding hands at events and letting everyone believe you’re my latest obsession. In exchange, you get protection, money, and I’ll make sure Gale never bothers you again. If you want the divorce, I’ll sign the paperwork myself. No strings.” A short laugh escapes me. “So your solution to my cheating husband problem is to become a kept woman for a week. That’s genuinely your best idea?” He shrugs, though his gaze stays intense. “The Christmas Summit starts tomorrow. You want to face Gale and his lawyers alone? Or do you want to walk into that resort on my arm and make him shift himself in front of every pack alpha on the continent?” I go silent. The car’s heater is blasting, but my hands are cold. “What’s the catch?” I ask, because there’s always a catch. Knox leans in, voice dropping. “You do what I say. No arguments. That includes in public and in private. If you’re not up for the full girlfriend experience, find another sugar daddy, princess.” His eyes drop to my mouth, linger there a half-second too long. I can’t breathe. He means sx. Of course he does. He wants me as a prop, a property, and a f'k- toy all rolled into one neat little package. The thought should make me sick. Instead, it sends a pulse of heat straight through my body, turning my bones to jelly. Sapphire is purring inside me, little traitor. I open my mouth to argue, but the car is already slowing, pulling up a long drive lined with glittering evergreens. At the end of the lane, a building rises out of the darkness—gargantuan, all glass and intimidating angles, every window ablaze with light. Mystic Fire Winter Resort. A valet sprints to open the car door and the cold night air slaps my face, shocking me into the present. Knox is out first, tossing keys to the valet and dropping a bill that looks suspiciously like a hundred. He circles the car to my side and offers a hand. I ignore it, because if I touch him, I might forget how to walk. He doesn’t seem to mind. His hand settles on the small of my back, pushing me forward. The entryway is a study in opulence—high glass ceilings, enormous stone fireplace, entire trees inside the lobby hung with silver ornaments and glass moons. There’s a hush, the way there always is before a bloodbath. The desk clerk looks up and goes pale, like she’s seeing a ghost. Behind her, two men in tailored suits glance over and immediately drop their voices. I’m not an idiot. Every eye in the place is on Lycan King Knox Volkov. And, by extension, on me. We cross the lobby, past more security than an airport, and into a private elevator. The doors slide shut with a hiss. Knox hits the button for the top floor and lets out a slow exhale. “Relax,” he says, glancing sidelong at me. “I am relaxed,” I lie, voice strangled. His eyes sweep down my body and linger at my legs, and then he leans in, nose almost brushing my ear. “You’re still wet, Ember. You really thought I wouldn’t notice?” My face goes thermonuclear. He chuckles. “We’ll have to do something about that when we get to the suite.” The doors open onto a private corridor carpeted in black. At the end, double doors. Knox pushes them open without ceremony. The penthouse is a cathedral of luxury—windows floor to ceiling, a view of the snow-drowned valley, a modern fireplace already burning, and a bar stocked with more liquor than I could drink in a decade. Every surface gleams, nothing out of place. It’s the kind of setting where a normal person would feel instantly smaller. He motions for me to sit. My knees are shaking, so I do. I don’t belong here. Not just in this room, but in this world. I’m wearing a wrinkled skirt, my thighs still sticky, and I haven’t brushed my hair since the plane. Even my shoes look pathetic on the white marble. Knox fixes two drinks—whiskey, neat, no questions. He hands me a glass and perches on the arm of a leather chair across from me, suit jacket unbuttoned, blue eyes never leaving my face. I’m actually in a hotel room alone with the fkn Lycan King. My mind is still baffled. He waits until I’ve taken two desperate sips before speaking. “Here’s how this works,” he says, voice suddenly businesslike. “We attend every event together for the next seven days. You do as I say in public and in private. You’ll act like my girlfriend—no less, but also no more. When it’s over, you get a check, and if you want a permanent job, you’ll have it. If not, we part ways. I don’t care if you f'k- off to Bali or start a cult0.” I take another gulp of whiskey. It burns, in a good way. “Why?” I say, because none of this adds up. “Why bother?” Knox studies me. “You know who Rayana is?” “Of course.” I remember her from the pack newsletters. Supermodel, business mogul, former girlfriend of the Lycan King. Most gorgeous woman alive, according to Cosmo and every shifter gossip site. “She’s your ex.” “‘Ex’ is a generous term,” Knox says. “She’s an obsession that refuses to die. She’s back in Alaska, claiming she has six months to live and wants ‘one last Christmas together.’ She’s told every elder in the northern territories that we’re reuniting, she’s milked the sob story for all it’s worth, and if I don’t play ball, she’ll make it a public spectacle.” “That sounds… dramatic.” “That sounds like blackmail,” Knox corrects, deadpan. “So, I need a girlfriend. A real one. At least in the eyes of the media and the packs. Someone with just enough public disgrace to be interesting, and just enough dignity to make Rayana look like an idiot.” It takes me a second to realize he’s talking about me. “But you could have any woman you want,” I say, and it comes out so pathetic I want to bite my tongue off. He takes a long swallow of whiskey, then sets the glass down. “That’s the point. I want one no one expects. I want to humiliate Gale, I want to f'k- Rayana off my doorstep, and I want a woman who won’t fall apart if I make her scream in a bathroom.” I stare at him. “Why not just pay a professional escort?” I blurt. Knox grins viciously. “I did, once. She tried to blackmail me for an extra fifty grand. I had her deported.” I believe him. I weigh my options. My alternatives are: (a) go back to a hotel and wait for Gale to ruin my life, or (b) play trophy girlfriend to the Lycan King and get a severance check big enough to make all my problems disappear. “Say I agree,” I hedge, setting my glass down. “What do you get out of this?” Knox leans forward, elbows on knees. “What do you think I get out of this, Ember?” My mouth goes dry. “sx.” He doesn’t deny it. “And you’ll enjoy it.” That cockiness should be a turnoff, but instead it makes me want to see how far he’ll go. I close my eyes, just for a second. Try to imagine the next week. The gossips, the events, the way the other omegas will stare at me with envy or disgust or both. The way Gale will absolutely lose his mind. The way I’ll wake up every morning in the arms of a man who knows how to make me come with a single look. It’s not a fantasy I ever had, but now that I see it, I want it. “Okay,” I say. “But I have conditions.” He raises an eyebrow. “Let’s hear them.” “One: You don’t get to treat me like an idiot. If I have to act like your girlfriend, I get to know what’s going on. No secrets that’ll make me look like a fool.” “Deal.” “Two: If this ends in disaster, and I mean real disaster, you help me disappear. No one should have to go back to Gale or face pack exile because their boss wanted to win a pissing contest with his ex.” Knox’s lips curve. “You’d like Australia. Plenty of wild animals. I’ll have you on a flight in under an hour if it comes to that.” He’s probably not joking. “And three…” My face burns so hot it could melt the whiskey glass. “You have to promise to make me come every time. I need to see stars. No exceptions. Because Gale never did, and I refuse to go back to being a sad, unsatisfied omega.” The silence that follows is so heavy I could drown in it. Then Knox stands, crossing the space in three steps. He’s right in front of me, looming, heat and energy radiating off him like a wildfire. He takes my chin between his fingers, tilts my head back until I’m forced to meet his eyes. “That won’t be a problem, darling,” he murmurs. “In fact, starting from tonight, you’ll be lucky if you ever walk straight again.”
"“Who fvcks you better, huh? Me… or your g0ddam husband?” The Lycan King poised above me, a malicious smile curving his lips. He thrvsts deeper, harder, relentlessly, hitting that spot with precision — the one that makes my back ar’ch and my breath hitch as I ga’sp his name. Meanwhile, my husband roars through the phone, “Ember, answer me! Who are you with? Tell me now!” I shake my head frantically, eyes wide with panic and arousal. “The divorce papers are already being prepared by my legal team,” Knox continues smoothly, like he’s discussing the weather and not currently fvcking me. “And I assure you, they’re very thorough. Very expensive. You won’t like the settlement terms.” “Is that... no. No way. Is that King Knox Volkov? He’s fvcking you?” Gale sounds like he’s choking. “What the fvck is going on? Ember, what did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?” “What she did,” Knox says, his voice dropping to something dark and possessive, “is realize she deserves better than a closeted alpha who can’t even make her c0me.” Knox hangs up and drops the phone in my lap. “C0me for me,” Knox murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. “C0me for me while you think about how much better this feels than anything your husband ever gave you.” His words push me over the edge." --- EMBER’S POV I bought expensive red lingerie to save my marriage. Christmas Eve. The one day of the year when miracles are supposed to happen. When love is supposed to triumph. When broken things are supposed to become whole again. I clutched the shopping bags in my trembling hands. The lingerie cost half my savings, but I didn’t care. It was red lace and silk ribbon, promised to reignite the fiery passion of love and sx. Red was Gale’s favorite color. His assistant mentioned it casually last week over coffee, and I could see the pity in her eyes when she looked at me. Everyone knew. The entire pack whispered about it behind my back. “Poor Ember. Eight months and her husband still won’t touch her. What kind of omega can’t even satisfy her own mate?” Gale had insisted I spend the day at the spa. “Relax, baby. Get your nails done. I need you perfect for tomorrow’s Christmas gala.” The word baby had made my heart leap with pathetic hope. Maybe things would finally change. Maybe tonight he’d want me again. I pulled into our driveway, my hands gripping the bags so tightly my knuckles turned white. Tonight had to work. It had to. The moment I opened the front door, I knew something was wrong. The smell hit me immediately. Raw and musky and unmistakably sexual. My wolf Sapphire bristled, warning me to turn around and leave, but I kept walking like an idiot. Following the sounds that made my stomach twist. Moaning. Laughter. Flesh slapping against flesh. The sounds were coming from the living room. Our living room with the floor-to-ceiling windows and the white Italian leather couch Gale insisted we needed because “only the best for my wife.” I rounded the corner and stopped breathing. Gale was on his knees with his face buried between Logan Reeves’ legs. Logan, his so-called business partner who came over twice a week for “late-night strategy sessions.” There was a younger man I’d never seen before bent over the couch arm while another stranger fked him from behind. A full or'gy. All men. All of them barely covered body and sweating and laughing. My brain couldn’t process what I was seeing. Gale always talked about how ‘disgusting’ homosexuality was, how unnatural it was, how pack traditions forbade such behavior. He’d shamed people for it publicly. And now he was here doing this. But the shock of seeing him with men wasn’t even the worst part. “God, Gale,” Logan groaned, his fingers tangled in my husband’s hair. “You’re incredible. No wonder you keep that frigid omega around for appearances.” The younger man laughed breathlessly. “Does she even know her Alpha husband has never been interested in center?” “Of course not,” Gale said, pulling back to wipe his mouth. His voice was casual, amused, like they were discussing the weather. “She’s too dumb to figure it out. Too desperate and pathetic to see what’s right in front of her face.” Then he did something that made my world shatter completely. He mimicked my voice, high-pitched and whiny. “Gale, please touch me. Gale, don’t you want me? Gale, what am I doing wrong?” They all burst into cruel laughter that echoed off the walls. My hands went numb. The shopping bags slipped from my fingers and hit the marble floor with a crash. Red lingerie spilled out across white tile like a pool of blood. Four heads whipped toward me. Gale’s face went pale, then red. “Ember, this isn’t what it looks like—” I was already running. Down the hallway, through the front door, into my car. My hands shook so violently I could barely get the key in the ignition. My phone started buzzing immediately. Text after text flooding in. Gale: It’s not what it looked like. Gale: Come back so we can talk. Gale: You’re being dramatic. Then the threats started. Gale: If you tell anyone what you saw, I will destroy you. The treaty requires our marriage. You ruin me, you ruin both packs. Think about that, Ember. Tears blurred my vision as I drove. I didn’t know where I was going until I saw the airport sign and turned in automatically. I needed to get away. Needed to go home to Alaska, to my family house. I’d file for divorce the moment I landed. I couldn’t stay married to him. I couldn’t. I made it to the airport in shock, my body moving on autopilot while my brain tried to process what I’d seen. At the ticket counter, I pulled out my credit card with shaking hands. “Next available first-class ticket to Alaska,” I told the woman, my voice barely above a whisper. She processed the payment quickly. It took almost all the money I could access from my personal account, but I didn’t care. I just needed to get home. My phone kept buzzing. I looked down at the screen and saw message after message flooding in. Gale’s texts had shifted from apologetic to threatening to manipulative. Gale: Please, baby, let me explain. Gale: You’re overreacting. It was just stress relief. Gale: If you leave me, you’ll have nothing. NOTHING. Gale: Your parents will disown you for breaking the treaty. Gale: Come home right now or I’ll make sure every pack knows what a failure you are. I blocked his number with trembling fingers and shoved the phone deep into my purse. I made it onto the plane somehow and found my seat. The numbness started wearing off, replaced by a pain so intense I couldn’t breathe. Eight years I’d given him. Two years of dating where he’d courted me to convince his father I was the right choice—submissive, obedient, from a good family. The perfect arranged match. Six years of marriage where I’d tried everything to please him, to be the perfect omega wife, to make him want me. And it was all a lie. Good. Maybe now you’ll stop defending the bаst3rd who hits you, Sapphire snarled with venom. My wolf had hated him from the start. But I’d loved him. Or thought I did. I was the useless omega who couldn’t even keep her husband interested. The failure who drove her mate into the arms of other men. No, not even that. He’d never wanted me at all. I stumbled to the bathroom and locked myself inside. The sobs came from somewhere deep in my chest, ugly and raw and unstoppable. I pressed my hands over my mouth, trying to stay quiet, but the grief was too big to contain. I’d spent months questioning everything about myself. Was I too much or not enough? And when I pushed too hard for answers, for affection, for anything, his hands became fists. The bruises always hidden where no one could see. All those business trips. All those late nights at the office. All those times he said he was too tired or too stressed. He’d been with them. With those men. Laughing at how pathetic I was for believing his lies. Someone knocked on the door hard enough to rattle it. “Occupied!” I choked out. The knocking continued, louder and more insistent. “I said it’s occupied! Go away!” The door opened anyway. “You do realize this is the men’s room, right?” The voice was deep and rough, vibrating through the tiny space and cutting through my spiral of misery. I looked up through tear-blurred eyes and froze. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Tall enough that he had to duck slightly through the doorway, with broad shoulders that filled the entire frame. Dark hair that looked like he’d been running his hands through it, a sharp jawline, and eyes so blue they looked almost unnatural. There was something dangerous about him, something predatory that made my wolf sit up and take notice despite my broken state. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—” I tried to squeeze past him, but the bathroom was too small and he was too big and suddenly we were close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. He caught my arm gently but firmly, stopping me completely. The touch sent a shock of electricity racing up my skin that made me gasp. “Why are you crying?” His voice had gone cold and commanding in a way that made something low in my stomach tighten. I couldn’t speak. His blue eyes bored into mine like he could see straight through to my soul, and there was heat in that gaze that made my breath catch. I knew this man from somewhere. I’d seen his face before, maybe in pack newsletters or territory reports, but I couldn’t place it through the fog of grief. His scent felt like a substance. Pine and winter and something wild that made my head spin. “It’s none of your business,” I whispered, trying to pull my arm free. “Please just let me go.” His grip tightened slightly, possessive in a way that should have scared me but didn’t. “I think it is my business. I don’t like seeing a beautiful woman cry.” Beautiful. The word hit me with surprise. When was the last time anyone called me beautiful? When was the last time someone looked at me like I was worth something instead of a disappointing burden? Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. “You want to know why I’m crying? Fine!” The words came out bitter and sharp. “I just caught my husband in a full or'gy with his business partners. In our living room. On our couch. He was on his knees servicing another man while they all laughed about how Silly and desperate I am.” His expression darkened immediately. Something feral and violent flashed in those ice-blue eyes, there and gone so fast I almost missed it. Then his gaze turned molten, heated in a way that made my skin flush despite everything. “Your husband is a fool,” he said, his voice dropping lower and rougher. The sound of it sent shivers racing down my spine. “What kind of man would have you and choose anyone else?” The words were so unexpected, so genuine, that something inside me warmed. This stranger was looking at me with more desire and appreciation than my own husband had shown me in months of marriage. More than Gale had shown me in years, if I was being honest with myself. My voice broke as I spoke. “I tried so hard to be what he wanted.” I looked away, unable to meet his gaze as I admitted this to a stranger. “And the whole time, he was just... laughing at me.” His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking there. “There’s nothing wrong with you. The problem is him.” “You don’t know that,” I murmured. “I know enough from where I’m standing.” He stepped closer, crowding me back against the small sink. His hand came up to cup my face, thumb brushing away my tears with surprising gentleness. “You’re trembling.” “I’m angry,” I whispered, but it came out breathless because his touch was doing things to me that I didn’t understand. I swallowed hard. “I don’t know what to do with all of it.” “What do you want to do?” What did I want? I wanted to stop feeling worthless. I wanted to stop being the pathetic omega everyone pitied. I wanted to feel desired instead of discarded. I wanted someone to look at me like this stranger was looking at me right now, like I was something precious and wanted and worth having. I was so tired of being good. Of following all the rules while everyone else broke them. Of trying to be the perfect wife while my husband made a fool of me. If Gale could have his fun, why couldn’t I? “If you really want to be a gentleman right now and save the damsel in distress...” I paused, watching his eyes darken further, pupils blowing wide. “Then you should bend me over right here and f'k- me against this wall.” His pupils went completely black. A low, rough sound rumbled from his chest—something between a growl and a groan that made my thighs clench. Yes, I just asked him to f'k- me. EMBER’S POV The words hang between us, and I can’t believe I just said them. But there’s no denying the intensity of my desire for this man, even in the midst of my heartbreak. Sapphire is going absolutely feral inside me—she wants to feel his hands run down every inch of my skin and it makes no sense. We don’t even know him. He raises an eyebrow at me, something dark and amused flickering across his devastatingly handsome face. “Is that really what you want?” His voice drops lower, rougher, each word like a physical caress. I nod, feeling a rush of heat flood through me. I know it’s reckless, but I can’t help myself. I need this. I need him. I need to feel wanted instead of worthless. I need to forget Gale’s mocking voice, Logan’s cruel laughter, the image of my husband on his knees. If Gale can f'k- whoever he wants, so can I. But just as quickly as the moment ignited, it flickers out as he takes a step back from me, his expression cooling into something almost bored. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid I have other business to attend to.” What? He’s rejecting me? Something hot and humiliating floods through my chest. Of course. Of course even a stranger doesn’t want me. Gale was right—I’m desperate, pathetic, not worth— No. f'k- that. Wild instinct takes over and I grab his arm as he turns to leave, yanking him back around. Before I can second-guess myself, before I can think about consequences or propriety or anything beyond this moment, I kiss him with everything I have. His lips are sinfully soft, perfect, and the contact sends a rush of liquid heat straight between my legs. For a moment, he’s completely still, and panic claws at me—oh god, he really doesn’t want me— Then he growls. The sound is purely animalistic, vibrating against my mouth as his hands suddenly slam against the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. He kisses me back with bruising intensity, all teeth and tongue and raw hunger that makes my knees weak. Our tongues meet in a fierce dance and I cling to him desperately, wanting to lose myself in this moment, in this feeling of being wanted so intensely it borders on violence. His hands roam over my body with clear purpose—gripping my waist, my hips, my bottom—each touch sending electric shocks down my spine. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Maybe my relationship with Gale kept me so Intimately starved that even this contact with a stranger drives me mad with desire, but I don’t care. I don’t fking care anymore. He shoves me back against the wall, pinning my wrists above my head with one large hand. His body presses hard against mine and I can feel every muscled inch of him, including the thick length of his cok straining against his pants, pressing into my stomach. Oh god. His hot breath teases my neck as he peppers kisses along my throat, biting down on my pulse point hard enough to make me cry out. The pleasure-pain is exquisite, and I arch into him shamelessly. “Such pretty sounds,” he murmurs against my skin, voice like gravel. “I wonder what other noises I can make you make.” His free hand slides underneath my dress, trailing up my inner thigh with agonizing slowness. I’m trembling, desperate, my panties already soaked through. When his fingers finally brush against the lace, I gasp. “f'k-,” he breathes, pressing harder. “You’re dripping wet already.” His fingers hook under the fabric, pushing it aside, and when he touches my bare pusy I actually whimper. “Are you this desperate to get fked by me? By a complete stranger?” I should feel ashamed. I should stop this. Instead, I moan and lean into his touch, spreading my legs wider in shameless invitation. This is who I am now. The good girl who followed every rule is gone. I just want to feel something other than pain. “I want to hear you say it.” His finger circles my cl1t, slow and torturous, making my hips buck. “If you want my cok inside you that badly, then beg for it. Convince me you deserve it.” Then he plunges two fingers deep inside me. “Oh god!” The cry rips from my throat as he fks me with his fingers, rough and fast and perfect. My thighs shake, my whole body trembling as pleasure builds at an impossible rate. “Say it,” he demands, curling his fingers to hit that spot that makes me see stars. “Yes! Please!” I’m gasping, grinding down on his hand. “Please f'k- me. I need you to take me right here. Use me, ruin me—I don’t care. Just please—” He chuckles darkly against my skin, the vibrations sending me even closer to the edge. Then his lips brush my ear, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I never thought I’d see the day where you’d be such a naughty girl, Ember.” I freeze. Wait. How does he know my name? Why does he sound like he knows me? The pleasure has completely disoriented my thoughts, but I manage to pull back slightly, staring at this gorgeous stranger carefully. He still looks so familiar, I just can’t place from where... “W-what?” My voice is breathless, shaky. “How do you know my name?” The devious man smirks, wicked intentions etched into every handsome line of his face. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize your Lycan King, Ember darling.” His blue eyes hold that cruel, calculating glint I’ve seen before, and suddenly it hits me like a fkn freight train. “I certainly know about the beautiful mate of Alpha Gale Crawford.” No. Oh god, no. King Knox Volkov. I just kissed the most dangerous man in the world. I just begged the Lycan King to f'k- me in an airplane bathroom. As the Lycan King, he rules with an iron fist—both the urban city as a filthy rich CEO and the supreme ruler of the werewolf realm. He’s ruthless and unforgiving, with a reputation that precedes him. Stories of alphas who crossed him and simply disappeared. Packs that challenged his authority and were wiped off the map. He’s a man who commands respect and fear in equal measure, and I just threw myself at him like a Beach in heat. Mortification crashes over me. He’s Gale’s boss. The supreme authority over every pack in North America. Do you know how ruined my life would be if word gets out that I tried seducing the Lycan King? Alpha Gale’s wife throwing herself at his superior? The scandal would destroy what little reputation I have left. I flush with embarrassment and try to push him away, but he steps in closer instead, his fingers still buried inside me, making me cry out involuntarily. “Don’t stop the fun now.” His grin is pure wickedness. “Why do you seem so frightened?” My mind is in chaos, my whole body overcome with conflicting urges—run, stay, hide, submit. “No... no... no.” I shake my head frantically when he leans in to kiss me again. “I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. This was a mistake. A huge mistake.” His expression darkens immediately, eyes flashing gold—his wolf rising to the surface. My heart pounds and all my false courage evaporates. “It’s too late for that.” King Knox growls. “You begged me to f'k- you, Ember. You asked me to ruin you. And that is exactly what I’m going to do. Nothing less.” “Wait—” But before I can object, before I can think, he spins me around to face the mirror and bends me over the sink. My hands slam against the counter to catch myself, and I watch in the mirror as he yanks my skirt up around my waist. His hand runs up my inner thigh and he discovers what his fingers already confirmed—I’m soaking wet, my thighs slick with arousal despite my protests. “Look at yourself,” he commands, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “Look at how desperate you are for this. For me.” My reflection stares back—face flushed, lips swollen from his kisses, eyes wide and glassy with need. I look wrecked. I look like someone I don’t recognize. “This is your last chance to back out,” Knox says, his voice rough as his hands grip my hips. “Because once I’m inside you, you belong to me until I decide we’re done. Understand?” I should say no. Should push him away. Should think about the consequences. Instead, I push my hips back against him in answer. Knox growls in satisfaction. I hear the sound of fabric tearing and feel cool air against my core as he rips my panties completely off. Then he slams into me in one brutal move. “f'k-!” The scream tears from my throat as he splits me open. He’s huge, so thick I can barely breathe, filling me so completely it borders on pain. His hand clamps over my mouth immediately. “Quiet,” he orders against my ear. “Unless you want everyone on this plane to know what a desperate little bimbo you are.” He pulls out almost completely, then drives back in, setting a devastating rhythm that has the counter rattling beneath me. Each thrvst pushes me forward, my palms squeaking against the mirror as I try to brace myself. “Watch,” he commands, forcing my head up to meet my own eyes in the reflection. “Watch how good you look getting fked properly.” And I do. I watch myself take his cok, watch my face transform with pleasure, watch the way my body moves with each brutal thrvst. I’ve never hа'd sex standing up before. Never felt anything like this raw, desperate claiming. It felt so fkn good. His hand moves from my mouth to wrap around my throat, possessing, owning. His other hand grips my hip hard enough to bruise. “When’s the last time someone made you come?” he growls in my ear. I can barely think, barely breathe. “I... I don’t remember...” He stills completely, and the look on his face in the mirror is pure fury. “You don’t remember?” “Gale never... he never could...” Something feral crosses Knox’s expression. He pulls out suddenly and I whimper at the loss, feeling empty and aching. But then he spins me around, lifts me onto the counter, and drops to his knees. “What are you—oh my GOD!” His mouth is on me, tongue finding my cl1t with devastating precision. His fingers push inside me, curling to hit that spot that makes my vision go white. I’ve never felt anything like this. Gale never wanted to do this, said it was degrading, that good omegas shouldn’t expect— I have to bite down on my own fist to keep from screaming as pleasure crashes over me in waves. My thighs clamp around Knox’s head, my whole body shaking as I come harder than I ever have in my life. Knox doesn’t give me time to recover. He stands, positions himself between my spread thighs, and fks into me again—this time slower, deeper, watching my face as I take every inch. “Count,” he orders. “W-what?” “Count how many times you come. Because you’re going to remember exactly who gave you real pleasure for the first time.” He punctuates the words with a brutal thrvst that hits something deep inside me, and I’m already climbing toward another or'gаsm, my body still sensitive from the first. “One,” I gasp out as the second one hits. Knox smirks and picks up his pace. By the time I gasp out “Three,” my voice hoarse and broken, there’s loud pounding on the bathroom door. “This is the flight attendant! You need to exit the bathroom immediately!” shhht. EMBER’S POV King Knox doesn’t stop, not even when the flight attendant keeps knocking and demanding to know if everything’s alright. If only she knew that the Lycan King is currently buried deep inside me, fcking me like he owns me. I bite down hа'rd-on my bottom lip to contain my moans, watching the feral hunger blazing in Knox’s golden eyes. His thrvsts keep getting deeper, harder, more brutal—each one hitting something inside me that makes my toes curl and my vision go white. Then he closes the distance between us and captures my lips in a devastating kiss, swallowing my desperate whimpers as he drives in one final time, so deep I swear I can feel him in my throat. His teeth sink into my shoulder—not quite a mating bite but close enough to leave a mark—and he groans against my skin as his cok pulses inside me. I come one last time, clenching around him as he fills me, both of us frozen together, panting. The flight attendant pounds on the door again, more insistent this time. Knox pulls out slowly and I whimper at the loss, immediately feeling his cvm start to leak down my inner thighs. He calmly zips up and smooths his suit like he didn’t just rail me in an airplane bathroom, then helps fix my skirt with surprising gentleness. He picks up my destroyed panties from the floor and pockets them with a smirk. “You’re not wearing these for the rest of the flight,” he says, his voice still rough with satisfaction. “I want you to feel my cvm leaking out of you and remember exactly who fked you properly.” My face burns. This man has absolutely no shame. Knox opens the door to face the mortified flight attendant. The woman’s eyes go wide when she recognizes him—everyone knows what the Lycan King looks like—and her face goes completely white. Knox slips her several hundred-dollar bills without blinking. “For your discretion and excellent service.” Then he walks back to his seat without looking back at me, leaving me standing in the bathroom doorway, thoroughly fckd, pantyless, and realizing I just hа'd sex with the most powerful alpha in North America. Oh my god. Oh my god. What did I just do? This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. I just fked the Lycan King. In an airplane bathroom. Without protection. And now his cvm is literally dripping down my thighs and I have no underwear because he ripped them off and pocketed them like some kind of trophy. I return to my seat on shaky legs, acutely aware of Knox’s warm cvm. The businessman in 3B is definitely smirking like he heard everything. The flight attendant won’t make eye contact and keeps her distance. I collapse into my seat, face burning with mortification. I refuse to look across the aisle where Knox has calmly returned to his seat and is reading something on his phone like he didn’t just f'k- me senseless thirty seconds ago. How can he be so calm? How can he act like nothing happened? Meanwhile I’m over here trying not to hyperventilate because I just cheated on my husband—even though my husband was literally in an or'gy—with the most dangerous man in the werewolf world. The Lycan King. Gale’s boss. The man who could destroy both our packs with a single word. I need to process this. Need to think. Need to figure out what the hll I’m going to do now. My phone buzzes in my bag. Thanks to advanced wolf technology, a special communication layer allows calls even during flight—one of the few perks of travelling on a pack-owned airline. I pull it out and see an unknown number calling. My finger hovers over the decline button, but something makes me answer. “Ember! Thank god you picked up!” Gale’s voice makes my entire body go rigid with rage. He’s calling from someone else’s phone since I blocked him. Of course he is. Of course he found a way around my boundaries. “Don’t hang up, please, just listen to me for one second—” “I have nothing to say to you,” I snap, but he talks right over me like he always does. “What you saw wasn’t what you think!” His voice is high-pitched, hysterical, manic. “I love you, Ember. I swear to god, I love you. Those men meant nothing. It was just stress relief, it doesn’t count as cheating—” Doesn’t count as cheating? DOESN’T COUNT AS CHEATING? I can hear Logan Reeves coaching him in the background. “Tell her you’ll go to therapy. Tell her you’ll change. Women love that. Tell her it’ll never happen again.” The audacity. The absolute fkn audacity of both of them. “You’re calling me from Logan’s phone?” I gasp. “The same Logan whose his not-so-little friend was in your mouth two hours ago. Do you see the irony here, Gale? Do you?” “Baby, please, you have to understand—” “Don’t. Call. Me. That.” “I was confused! I didn’t know what I wanted! But I know now, I know I want you, I want our marriage—” “What you want,” I interrupt, my voice shaking with barely contained fury, “is for me to keep playing the perfect little omega wife while you f'k- whoever you want behind my back. That’s what you want.” “No! That’s not—where are you right now? Just tell me where you are and we can talk about this face to face. We can work through this together like adults—” “Work through this? You want to work through the fact that I caught you in a full gay or'gy in our living room?” “It wasn’t—you’re making it sound worse than it was—” “How am I making it worse? There were three of you! You were on your knees! They were laughing about how pathetic I am!” Gale’s voice shifts, becomes harder, more calculated. “Our marriage is a pack treaty, Ember. If you leave me, you destroy both our packs. Is that what you want? To be responsible for a war? Think about your parents. Think about everyone who depends on this alliance—” “Oh, so now you’re threatening me?” “I’m not threatening you, I’m just being realistic. You can’t just run away because you’re upset. You have responsibilities. We both do. This is bigger than us—” A large, warm hand suddenly wraps around my wrist. I startle and look to my left to find Knox has moved from his seat across the aisle and is now sitting in the empty seat right beside me, his blue eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that steals my breath. When did he—how did I not notice him moving? Before I can ask, before I can protest, he plucks the phone from my hand with the casual dominance of someone who’s used to being obeyed without question. My eyes go wide. “What are you—” Knox puts the call on speaker. Gale’s pathetic pleading fills the quiet first-class cabin. “—I know I hurt you, but running away isn’t the answer. Come home and we’ll figure this out. I promise I’ll be better. I’ll be the husband you deserve. I’ll do whatever it takes—” Then Knox does something that makes my brain completely short-circuit. He slides his hand up my thigh, under my skirt, and pushes two fingers inside my still-sensitive center. Right there. In my seat. With other passengers nearby. With my husband on the phone. I open my mouth to protest but only a strangled gasp comes out. Knox’s eyes meet mine and there’s pure wicked amusement in them as his fingers curl inside me, finding that spot that makes me see stars. “What the—are you okay, Ember? Why are you breathing like that?” Gale’s voice sharpens with suspicion. “Who’s there with you? Is someone there?” I can’t answer. Can’t speak. Knox’s thumb finds my cl1t and starts circling it with maddening precision while his fingers pump slowly in and out of me. This is insane. This is absolutely insane. I’m furious—how dare he answer my phone, how dare he touch me like this in public, how dare he interfere—but I’m also getting dangerously close to coming and I can’t find the words to tell him to stop. My hand grips the armrest so hard my knuckles turn white. I bite down on my lip to keep from making noise. Gale is still talking. “Ember, answer me! Who’s breathing like that? Are you with someone? Tell me right now!” Knox leans down, his lips brushing my ear as he whispers just loud enough for me to hear. “Should I tell him? Should I tell your pathetic excuse for a husband that you’re currently dripping wet and clenching around my fingers?” I shake my head frantically, eyes wide with panic and arousal. Knox chuckles darkly and straightens up, his fingers never stopping their devastating rhythm inside me. Then he speaks into the phone, his voice cold and commanding. “She heard you clearly, Gale. She’s done.” Silence on the other end. Complete, dead silence. Then— “Who the fck is this?” “The divorce papers are already being prepared by my legal team,” Knox continues smoothly, like he’s discussing the weather and not currently finger-fkn me. “And I assure you, they’re very thorough. Very expensive. You won’t like the settlement terms.” His thumb presses harder against my cl1t and I have to bite my fist to keep from crying out. “Is that... no. No way. Is that King Knox Volkov?” Gale sounds like he’s choking. “What the fck is going on? Ember, what did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?” “What she did,” Knox says, his voice dropping to something dark and possessive, “is realize she deserves better than a closeted alpha who can’t even make her come.” Oh my god. He did not just say that. “You son of a bimbo! You think you can just swoop in and—” “I don’t think anything,” Knox interrupts. “I know. And here’s what I know: Ember will be far too busy screaming my name to take any more of your pathetic calls. So stop calling.” “You’re fkn her? You’re fking my wife?! How long?!” Gale is screaming now. “I’ll destroy you! I’ll go to the Council! I’ll—” Knox hangs up and drops the phone in my lap. His fingers never stop moving inside me. In fact, they speed up, curling harder, hitting that spot over and over while his thumb works my cllt with devastating precision. I’m right on the edge, trembling, trying desperately to stay quiet. The businessman a few rows back has headphones in but the flight attendant definitely knows what’s happening and is pointedly facing away, her face bright red. “Come for me,” Knox murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. “Come on my fingers while you think about how much better this feels than anything your husband ever gave you.” His words push me over the edge. I come hard, biting down on my fist to muffle the sound, my pusy clenching rhythmically around his fingers, my whole body shaking with the intensity of it. Knox works me through every wave, drawing it out until I’m boneless and gasping. Slowly, he withdraws his fingers. I watch in horrified fascination as he brings them to his mouth and licks them clean, his eyes locked on mine the entire time. “Delicious,” he says softly. Then he calmly returns to his seat across the aisle like he didn’t just make me come in the middle of a commercial flight. I sit there trembling, unable to move, unable to think, my mind completely blank except for one repeating thought: What on eаrth just happened? EMBER’S POV This morning I was a married omega trying to save her marriage with expensive lingerie. Now I’m a soon-to-be-divorced omega who fckd the Lycan King in an airplane bathroom and let him finger me to or'gаsm while my husband was on the phone. My life has become a complete disaster. The pilot’s voice crackles over the intercom. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Anchorage. Local time is 7:43 PM and the current temperature is minus twelve degrees.” Anchorage. Home. The seatbelt sign dings off and passengers spring into action. I have no luggage, no coat, no plan. Just the clothes on my back and about two hundred dollars in my bank account. I’ll find a cheap hotel, I decide. One of those budget places near the airport. I’ll figure out my next steps in the morning. Call my parents and try to explain why their daughter’s arranged marriage just imploded on Christmas Eve. Yeah. That’ll be a fun conversation. I stand on shaky legs, my body still feeling the aftermath of everything Knox did to me. His cvm has dried uncomfortably in my skirt and I’m painfully aware that I’m still not wearing underwear because the Lycan King pocketed my torn panties like some kind of perv. I step into the aisle and immediately freeze. Knox is suddenly there, blocking my path, his blue eyes locked onto mine with that same intensity that makes my heart race. “You’re coming with me.” I blink up at him. “I appreciate what happened back there, I do. But you’re still basically a stranger and I barely know you beyond the fact that you’re the Lycan King and you just—” My face heats. “Well. You know.” “fckd you senseless in an airplane bathroom?” His lips curve slightly. “Yes, I’m aware.” “Right. That.” I clear my throat. “Look, it was... good. Really good. But it was just sx. We don’t owe each other anything.” “I disagree.” “You can disagree all you want, but I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” I try to move past him but he doesn’t budge. “Excuse me.” “Where exactly are you planning to go?” “Hotel. There’s a Holiday Inn near the airport.” “With what money?” I lift my chin. “I have enough.” “For how long?” He tilts his head, studying me. “One night? Two? What happens when that runs out?” “I’ll figure it out. People do it all the time.” “And what happens when Gale tracks your credit card and shows up at your door?” My stomach drops. I hadn’t thought of that. Of course he’ll track my card. He has access to all our accounts. Knox sees the realization on my face. “You have two choices, Ember. Walk out of here with me willingly, or I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out. Either way, you’re coming with me.” “You wouldn’t dare.” But even as I say it, I can see in his eyes that he absolutely would. “That’s kidnapping.” “It’s protection.” His voice softens slightly. “I’m not going to hurt you, Ember. But I’m also not going to let you wander around Anchorage alone, broke, with your unhinged husband hunting you down.” The scary part is, I believe him. This man I barely know, this Lycan King who just finger-fckd me while my husband was on the phone, actually seems concerned about my safety. Maybe I’ve completely lost my mind, but I’m considering it. “Why?” I ask quietly. “Why do you care what happens to me?” Something flickers across his face, there and gone too fast for me to read. “Let’s just say I’ve always been intrigued by Gale’s little omega wife. The way you smiled at those boring pack events while he ignored you. The way you’d bring us coffee during meetings and pretend you didn’t notice when he looked right through you.” His hand comes up to cup my jaw, thumb brushing over my bottom lip. “You deserved better than him. And I have a proposition that might interest you. Especially if you’re interested in making Gale Crawford’s life a living hll.” That gets my attention. “You’re bribing me with revenge?” “I’m offering you options.” His lips curve into a smile that’s pure sin. “The question is whether you’re brave enough to take them.” I should walk away. Should tell him to leave me alone and handle my problems myself like an adult. But the truth is, I’m terrified. I have no real plan, barely any resources, and Gale is probably already on his way here. I’m trying to act tough, trying to stand tall, but I’m a house cat trying to roar like a wolf. And the idea of making Gale suffer the way he made me suffer? That sounds really, really good. “If this proposition turns out to be something creepy,” I say, meeting his eyes with more bravery than I feel, “I’m kneeing you in the balls and stealing your car.” His laugh is genuine, surprised. “Fair enough.” He extends his hand. After a long moment’s hesitation, I take it. His fingers close around mine, warm and possessive, and he pulls me into the aisle. My heart is pounding. I’m literally leaving with the Lycan King. The most powerful, most dangerous alpha in North America. What am I doing? We move through the jetway and into the terminal. Knox’s hand settles on the small of my back, and even through my shirt I can feel the heat of his palm burning into my skin. “So where exactly are you taking me?” I ask, trying to sound casual and failing. “Please tell me it’s not some creepy murder cabin in the woods.” “I don’t do cabins. Too rustic.” There’s amusement in his voice. “I’m taking you somewhere you’ll be safe, fed, and properly taken care of.” “Properly taken care of.” I swallow hard. “That’s ominously vague.” Knox glances down at me, and the heat in his eyes makes my stomach flip. “Would you prefer I be specific? I’m taking you somewhere I can strip you out of that cvm-stained skirt, put you in a hot bath, feed you something that isn’t airplane food, and then f'k- you in an actual bed like you deserve.” My face flames. “You really have no filter, do you?” “None whatsoever.” He sounds completely unbothered. “Life’s too short for false modesty.” We round a corner and suddenly chaos erupts ahead of us. Camera flashes everywhere. Shouting. Reporters swarming like vultures sensing blood. And in the middle of baggage claim, looking absolutely unhinged— “EMBER! EMBER, I KNOW YOU’RE HERE!” Gale. He’s actually here. He flew here ahead of me somehow and is now having a complete public meltdown. His suit is wrinkled, his tie gone, his hair sticking up in every direction like he’s been tearing at it. Logan Reeves stands behind him looking deeply uncomfortable while two other pack members try unsuccessfully to calm him down. “We need to talk! Please! I love you! Don’t do this!” Several reporters are filming everything, phones out, clearly sensing a major scandal brewing. Oh my god. This is going to be everywhere by tomorrow morning. Every pack in North America will see this. Knox’s hand tightens protectively on my back. “This way.” He steers me toward a corridor marked “Private Access” and pushes through the door like he owns the place. Maybe he does. The Lycan King probably has access to everything. We emerge into a quiet hallway and I can still hear Gale’s voice echoing behind us, muffled but desperate. “EMBER! Please! I can change! I’ll be better! I’ll go to therapy!” “He sounds stable,” Knox comments dryly. “He’s probably been drinking with Logan.” The words slip out before I can stop them. “They do that when they’re stressed.” Knox’s eyes sharpen with interest but he doesn’t push. “Come on.” We reach another door and he pushes it open, revealing a private parking area. A sleek black BMW M8 is waiting, engine purring, driver standing at attention beside it. “Mr. Volkov.” The driver opens the back door immediately. Knox guides me toward the car but I stop, my feet refusing to move forward. This is it. Once I get in that car, there’s no going back. I’m making a choice to trust a man I barely know, a man whose reputation includes making alphas disappear when they cross him. But what’s my alternative? Go back out there where Gale is having a meltdown? Find a cheap hotel where he’ll track me down within hours? Who knows what he’d do when groveling doesn’t work? “I need to know what this proposition is,” I say, looking up at Knox. “Before I get in that car with you.” Knox turns to face me fully. The parking garage lighting casts shadows across his sharp features, making him look even more dangerous than usual. More devastating too, in a way that makes my breath catch despite everything. His hand comes up again, fingers gentle as they tilt my chin up. “Not here. But I promise you, Ember—what I’m offering will give you everything you need. Safety. Protection. Resources. And the chance to make Gale Crawford wish he’d never been born.” My pulse races. “That’s still vague.” “Get in the car and I’ll explain everything.” His thumb traces my bottom lip. “Trust me.” “I don’t know you well enough to trust you.” “No,” he agrees. “But you know Gale. And you know what’s waiting for you if you walk away from me right now.” His eyes hold mine. “So what’s it going to be, Ember? Take a chance on the devil you don’t know, or go back to on eаrth you’re trying to escape?” I look at the car. At the open door. At the promise of something different, something that might actually give me the power to fight back. Then I look back toward the terminal where my husband is probably still screaming my name for cameras. The choice suddenly seems very simple. I slide into the back seat. Knox follows immediately, the door closing with an expensive thunk, sealing us into leather-scented darkness. The car pulls away smoothly, leaving the airport—and Gale’s public breakdown—behind us. My heart won’t stop racing. I’m in a car with the Lycan King. Alone. After hа'ving sex with him. This is insane. “So,” I say, my voice coming out smaller than I’d like as city lights stream past the windows. “What’s this proposition?” Knox settles back against the seat, looking completely at ease, like he didn’t just orchestrate my escape from a very public scene. In the dim light, his eyes catch the passing streetlamps, turning them almost silver. When he smiles, it’s pure wickedness. “How would you feel about being my fake girlfriend for the next week?” EMBER’S POV My brain stutters. “Fake girlfriend?” I repeat. “As in… pretend we’re dating?” Knox smiles like a wolf who’s just cornered a rabbit. “You catch on fast, Ember.” The car slides through the icy city, neon and halogen smearing the windows. I half expect him to take it back, say it’s a joke, but King Knox is not a man who jokes. I stare at his profile—clean, sharp, intimidating as gosh—and the last few hours tumble through my head like dice in a rigged game. I crossed a line with this man. Lines don’t matter to him. He just redraws them to suit himself. “I don’t get it,” I say, and my voice sounds thin, even to me. “Why me? You could have anyone—” He cuts a look my way, ice-blue and amused. “That’s exactly why it’ll work. No one expects me to pick the omega wife of my own subordinate, especially not after tonight’s little airport meltdown.” He’s right. It’s the kind of power move that’d keep every rumor mill spinning for months. “But you don’t even know me,” I protest. “I know enough.” His eyes rake over me deliberately. “I know you’re smart enough to recognize an opportunity when you see one. Beautiful enough to make every alpha in that room jealous when I walk in with you on my arm.” He leans closer. “And I know I want to f'k- you again. Everything else is just details.” I cross my arms, suddenly aware of how tight my sweater is. My cheeks burn. “It’s only for a week,” Knox says. “One week of holding hands at events and letting everyone believe you’re my latest obsession. In exchange, you get protection, money, and I’ll make sure Gale never bothers you again. If you want the divorce, I’ll sign the paperwork myself. No strings.” A short laugh escapes me. “So your solution to my cheating husband problem is to become a kept woman for a week. That’s genuinely your best idea?” He shrugs, though his gaze stays intense. “The Christmas Summit starts tomorrow. You want to face Gale and his lawyers alone? Or do you want to walk into that resort on my arm and make him shift himself in front of every pack alpha on the continent?” I go silent. The car’s heater is blasting, but my hands are cold. “What’s the catch?” I ask, because there’s always a catch. Knox leans in, voice dropping. “You do what I say. No arguments. That includes in public and in private. If you’re not up for the full girlfriend experience, find another sugar daddy, princess.” His eyes drop to my mouth, linger there a half-second too long. I can’t breathe. He means sx. Of course he does. He wants me as a prop, a property, and a f'k- toy all rolled into one neat little package. The thought should make me sick. Instead, it sends a pulse of heat straight through my body, turning my bones to jelly. Sapphire is purring inside me, little traitor. I open my mouth to argue, but the car is already slowing, pulling up a long drive lined with glittering evergreens. At the end of the lane, a building rises out of the darkness—gargantuan, all glass and intimidating angles, every window ablaze with light. Mystic Fire Winter Resort. A valet sprints to open the car door and the cold night air slaps my face, shocking me into the present. Knox is out first, tossing keys to the valet and dropping a bill that looks suspiciously like a hundred. He circles the car to my side and offers a hand. I ignore it, because if I touch him, I might forget how to walk. He doesn’t seem to mind. His hand settles on the small of my back, pushing me forward. The entryway is a study in opulence—high glass ceilings, enormous stone fireplace, entire trees inside the lobby hung with silver ornaments and glass moons. There’s a hush, the way there always is before a bloodbath. The desk clerk looks up and goes pale, like she’s seeing a ghost. Behind her, two men in tailored suits glance over and immediately drop their voices. I’m not an idiot. Every eye in the place is on Lycan King Knox Volkov. And, by extension, on me. We cross the lobby, past more security than an airport, and into a private elevator. The doors slide shut with a hiss. Knox hits the button for the top floor and lets out a slow exhale. “Relax,” he says, glancing sidelong at me. “I am relaxed,” I lie, voice strangled. His eyes sweep down my body and linger at my legs, and then he leans in, nose almost brushing my ear. “You’re still wet, Ember. You really thought I wouldn’t notice?” My face goes thermonuclear. He chuckles. “We’ll have to do something about that when we get to the suite.” The doors open onto a private corridor carpeted in black. At the end, double doors. Knox pushes them open without ceremony. The penthouse is a cathedral of luxury—windows floor to ceiling, a view of the snow-drowned valley, a modern fireplace already burning, and a bar stocked with more liquor than I could drink in a decade. Every surface gleams, nothing out of place. It’s the kind of setting where a normal person would feel instantly smaller. He motions for me to sit. My knees are shaking, so I do. I don’t belong here. Not just in this room, but in this world. I’m wearing a wrinkled skirt, my thighs still sticky, and I haven’t brushed my hair since the plane. Even my shoes look pathetic on the white marble. Knox fixes two drinks—whiskey, neat, no questions. He hands me a glass and perches on the arm of a leather chair across from me, suit jacket unbuttoned, blue eyes never leaving my face. I’m actually in a hotel room alone with the fkn Lycan King. My mind is still baffled. He waits until I’ve taken two desperate sips before speaking. “Here’s how this works,” he says, voice suddenly businesslike. “We attend every event together for the next seven days. You do as I say in public and in private. You’ll act like my girlfriend—no less, but also no more. When it’s over, you get a check, and if you want a permanent job, you’ll have it. If not, we part ways. I don’t care if you f'k- off to Bali or start a cult0.” I take another gulp of whiskey. It burns, in a good way. “Why?” I say, because none of this adds up. “Why bother?” Knox studies me. “You know who Rayana is?” “Of course.” I remember her from the pack newsletters. Supermodel, business mogul, former girlfriend of the Lycan King. Most gorgeous woman alive, according to Cosmo and every shifter gossip site. “She’s your ex.” “‘Ex’ is a generous term,” Knox says. “She’s an obsession that refuses to die. She’s back in Alaska, claiming she has six months to live and wants ‘one last Christmas together.’ She’s told every elder in the northern territories that we’re reuniting, she’s milked the sob story for all it’s worth, and if I don’t play ball, she’ll make it a public spectacle.” “That sounds… dramatic.” “That sounds like blackmail,” Knox corrects, deadpan. “So, I need a girlfriend. A real one. At least in the eyes of the media and the packs. Someone with just enough public disgrace to be interesting, and just enough dignity to make Rayana look like an idiot.” It takes me a second to realize he’s talking about me. “But you could have any woman you want,” I say, and it comes out so pathetic I want to bite my tongue off. He takes a long swallow of whiskey, then sets the glass down. “That’s the point. I want one no one expects. I want to humiliate Gale, I want to f'k- Rayana off my doorstep, and I want a woman who won’t fall apart if I make her scream in a bathroom.” I stare at him. “Why not just pay a professional escort?” I blurt. Knox grins viciously. “I did, once. She tried to blackmail me for an extra fifty grand. I had her deported.” I believe him. I weigh my options. My alternatives are: (a) go back to a hotel and wait for Gale to ruin my life, or (b) play trophy girlfriend to the Lycan King and get a severance check big enough to make all my problems disappear. “Say I agree,” I hedge, setting my glass down. “What do you get out of this?” Knox leans forward, elbows on knees. “What do you think I get out of this, Ember?” My mouth goes dry. “sx.” He doesn’t deny it. “And you’ll enjoy it.” That cockiness should be a turnoff, but instead it makes me want to see how far he’ll go. I close my eyes, just for a second. Try to imagine the next week. The gossips, the events, the way the other omegas will stare at me with envy or disgust or both. The way Gale will absolutely lose his mind. The way I’ll wake up every morning in the arms of a man who knows how to make me come with a single look. It’s not a fantasy I ever had, but now that I see it, I want it. “Okay,” I say. “But I have conditions.” He raises an eyebrow. “Let’s hear them.” “One: You don’t get to treat me like an idiot. If I have to act like your girlfriend, I get to know what’s going on. No secrets that’ll make me look like a fool.” “Deal.” “Two: If this ends in disaster, and I mean real disaster, you help me disappear. No one should have to go back to Gale or face pack exile because their boss wanted to win a pissing contest with his ex.” Knox’s lips curve. “You’d like Australia. Plenty of wild animals. I’ll have you on a flight in under an hour if it comes to that.” He’s probably not joking. “And three…” My face burns so hot it could melt the whiskey glass. “You have to promise to make me come every time. I need to see stars. No exceptions. Because Gale never did, and I refuse to go back to being a sad, unsatisfied omega.” The silence that follows is so heavy I could drown in it. Then Knox stands, crossing the space in three steps. He’s right in front of me, looming, heat and energy radiating off him like a wildfire. He takes my chin between his fingers, tilts my head back until I’m forced to meet his eyes. “That won’t be a problem, darling,” he murmurs. “In fact, starting from tonight, you’ll be lucky if you ever walk straight again.”
We’re still looking for volunteers for our befriending service ☺️ We’re really excited to be launching our new befriending service 💜 for those in Neath port talbot please read on 🙂 Loneliness is something we see far too often in our community, and this service is all about creating safe, meaningful connections that make a real difference. We’re now looking for compassionate volunteers to join us as befrienders. You don’t need loads of experience — just empathy, reliability, and a genuine desire to support others. In return, we’ll provide full training, ongoing support, and a welcoming community around you. If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, we’d love to hear from you. 📧 hello@onestepcounselling.org We’ll be in touch in mid-May with next steps. Rydym yn gyffrous iawn i lansio ein gwasanaeth cyfeillio newydd 💜 Mae unigrwydd yn rhywbeth rydym yn ei weld yn rhy aml yn ein cymuned, ac mae’r gwasanaeth hwn yn ymwneud â chreu cysylltiadau diogel ac ystyrlon sy’n gwneud gwahaniaeth go iawn. Rydym nawr yn chwilio am wirfoddolwyr tosturiol i ymuno â ni fel cyfeillion. Nid oes angen llawer o brofiad — dim ond empathi, dibynadwyedd, ac awydd gwirioneddol i gefnogi eraill. Yn gyfnewid, byddwn yn darparu hyfforddiant llawn, cefnogaeth barhaus, a chymuned groesawgar o’ch cwmpas. Os yw hyn yn swnio fel rhywbeth yr hoffech fod yn rhan ohono, byddem wrth ein bodd yn clywed gennych. 📧 hello@onestepcounselling.org Byddwn mewn cysylltiad yng nghanol mis Mai gyda’r camau nesaf.
Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted, and broken, I might be the first mateless Alpha’s daughter ever. “Your mate is here. He can smell you on Dad.” said my brother. He will reject me right? I knew he would…anyone would do that to a broken wolf. *** Molly's POV: Today, my brother Robbie will officially be named Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. the Alphas of nearby packs are expected to attend, and some from further decided to make the trip when word spread that the Royal Wolves would be in attendance. Mom was the best of friends with Queen Audrey and my father completed his Alpha training with King Peter over 30 years ago. She was right, though. The color of the dress did make my light green eyes pop, and the cut was very flattering on my curves. I’m the oldest child- they think. See, my birthday isn’t my actual birthday but my gotcha day, as my dad likes to call it. 16 years ago, my dad found me curled in a ball, asleep under a tree right on the edge of the pack territory. There was no one around and no scent to follow. He took me back to the pack house, and I stayed with them while they searched for where I had come from. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, but there were no leads- no reports of packs of a missing child. After a year, my parents decided to adopt me and with a blood adoption blessed by the King. This is my family. When we stand together, my eyes always show how much I truly don’t belong here. My brother Robbie has always treated me just like a real sister, probably even more so. He’s younger than me, but as we got older, he definitely took the typical older brother role in our relationship as he grew into his alpha powers while everyone realized I was a broken wolf. My family never treated me any differently, but I know it was probably really hard to be the family of one of the kingdom's strongest alphas with an adopted daughter who was basically a human. I AM a wolf, though. I smell like one, and no one has ever questioned that. But I never had my wolf inside communicating with me. I have advanced hearing and smell- but that’s as far as my wolf abilities go. I think my family had hoped that once I reached 16, a switch would flip inside, and my wolf would wake, and I’d be normal, but that day never came. “Molly, maybe we were wrong on your birthday. Just wait; someday you’ll shift,” my mom would say to me every full moon. But here I am, 22 years old- never shifted and barely helpful to my pack. But still, my parents love me. High School was hard once the other kids realized I wasn’t shifting. Robbie tried to protect me from them. But I decided that if I couldn’t physically protect my pack, I would make myself completely indispensable to them. My dad was pretty unhappy with my choice at first. Since now I have taken over the head cook position for the pack, though he insists the job title now be called Head Chef of the Lunar Falls Pack. I’m a broken wolf, and I don’t think I even have a mate, but my mom is convinced that I do. Or she could just be holding out hope because the reality of being mateless is too sad. If my mom is right, though, and I do have a mate out there, you can be sure that they will reject me as soon as they realize how useless of a wolf I am, which is why I tend to stay in the kitchen and avoid any outsiders when they visit. There is a knock on my door, and I immediately smell my dad. He always smells of cedar and tobacco—the most comforting smell. “Molly, Love, you look absolutely beautiful,” he tells me, looking at me in the mirror from my doorway. “Thanks, Dad. I’m almost ready, I promise. I just need to put on my shoes and run down to the kitchen to make sure everything is ready to go for dinner,” I reply with a smile. “You have staff and have been down there all morning, Kiddo. What else could you possibly need to check on?” “I know, Dad. They’re great. But it’s Robbie's big day- and it’s YOUR retirement, too. Don’t you want your meal to be perfect?” “I know it’s a big day for your brother, but who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone special, and it’ll be a big day for you, too.” “It won’t be. But I’ll be there in just a few minutes”, I tell him as I slip on my nude pumps. Little did I know, it actually will BE the day that changes my whole life. Chapter 2 My mother is the Luna to end all Lunas. There is absolutely no comparison to how she handles her duties. The pack house is immaculately decorated at all times, but for my brother today it is perfection. Our pack's deep emerald green and gold colors adorn the walls, and as I step outside on the stone stairs, I see that the decorations extend over the outside of the house as well. A banner hangs above the door with the current pack crest- gold embroidery on the green, of the falls we’re so famous for with four stars next to a silver crescent moon. Robbie will update this when he’s ready to fit his family, as it hasn’t been updated since my adoption, and my dad (probably mom) had a star added to represent me. “Oh, Molly. That dress was the perfect choice!” My mother exclaims and pulls me out of my thoughts. She looks perfect, as always. She’s tall and thin, with her straight brown hair in an elegant twist. She never looks bad, but she looks absolutely stunning today. She’ll never admit it, but I know she’s nervous to have the King and Queen here in such a formal setting. She’s been friends with Queen Audrey since they were kids, but they’re rarely seen together in such a public setting. “Thank you, Mom,” I return to her in earnest. Her opinion means so much to me. My brother lucked out and doesn’t have to greet people even though it’s his own Alpha ceremony. “How’s Robbie doing today?” I ask. “Alpha Robert,” she says, emphasizing his full first name, “Is doing wonderfully today. He’s prepared for this role his entire life and is ready. I wish he had found his Luna before assuming the role, but he will be fine. You and I will have to help him out with the Luna duties until he finds her.” she tells me, and while I’d rather do anything than decorate, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. I hear my dad sigh as he hears with his Alpha hearing what I assume are cars coming. “It’s show time, ladies.” A short moment later, I see a car approach, and before they even get to us, a second and third car are seen just behind. The first car stops in front of the pack house, and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a woman with dulling blonde hair step out, followed by a large, dark-haired man with olive skin. “Ahh, Blake! It is so good to have you at the Falls! Thank you for joining us,” my dad exclaims, seeing his old friend. “Celeste, Molly, this is Alpha Blake and his lovely Luna, Amanda. I’m sorry, Blake. I'm not sure I’ve met this young man before,” he says before extending his hand to the younger, very handsome man with them. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Randall,” he says to my dad while accepting his hand to shake. “I’m the future Alpha Chris. Thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Luna Celeste, Molly, the pack house looks lovely,” he says to my mother and me. She looks at me, and I know that look. She’s asking if he’s maybe my mate, to which I barely shake my head. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” my mother expertly says to them with a smile. There’s no social situation my mother can’t handle with grace, and while I’m in awe of her skills, I realize I probably should have said something- anything. But I didn’t. They all stand looking at me, waiting for me to pull it together, but alas, I do not. High-pressure social situations aren’t my forte. Everyone continues to look at me when my dad finally steps in to save me from myself. “We can’t express how much we appreciate you all making the trip here for our son,” he says to them, and they, thankfully, all turn their attention to him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spent quite so much time hiding in the kitchens because that was the first car and I’ve already messed up. A whole line of cars is now waiting for us to greet them. Alpha Blake walks off with his family, and as I’m about to apologize to my father, his eyes go slightly out of focus, a sign that someone has mind-linked him. He gathers his focus back, and with a sigh, he turns to me. “Molly, there’s a situation in the kitchen that they need you for. If you could please hurry back after, that would be most appreciated.” Thank the Goddess! I quickly hug my dad, and he whispers in my ear, “You had better be in there for the ceremony.” I turn around, going to the kitchen in a near run. I’m not sure if I’m moving so quickly because I don’t know the situation in the kitchen or because I’m excited not to greet any more guests, but either way, I head to the kitchen and get there in record time. When I walk into the kitchen, nothing seems amiss. Everything smells fine, and everyone looks pretty calm. I’m confused. “What happened?”. “What do you mean?” Katie Mae asks me. “Someone linked my dad and said there was a situation in the kitchen,” I tell her. “Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replies, “But Oliver is in your office. Go check with him.” Confused, I head to my office to check in with my sous chef, who is running things for dinner tonight. I find him sitting back with his feet propped up on my desk, smirking at me. “Just how badly did you do, Molly?” he asks me. “What do you mean? What’s the emergency?” I ask in a confused panic. “I do believe YOU are the emergency. Alpha Randall linked me and told me he was sending you back to the kitchen. Apparently, you just needed to be let out of your greeting duties. I was told never to speak of this to the Luna.” he says while trying to stifle a laugh. I smile and link my dad. “Thanks, old man.” I can feel his slight chuckle in return. He’s always looking out for me—and probably the whole pack if I was supposed to continue attempting to greet people. “So, what did you do?” Oliver asks me. “I didn’t DO anything, which is the problem. I just forgot to talk.” “Oh, Molls. You’ve got to be the worst-mannered Alpha’s daughter there ever was.” I laugh, but honestly, he’s right. Daughters in the Alpha lineage are always trained to be mated to an Alpha and become their Luna. But since I’m adopted and broken, I’ve never taken the training seriously. I could throw together a dinner party if I had to, but I’d much prefer to be in the kitchen cooking for it instead. “See any hot guys up there?” Oliver asks, breaking me out of my thoughts of my failure. “Oli, I met one family before Dad sent me down. But, of course, I found an attractive guy. He’s the future Alpha of some pack. I don’t think they ever said where. My dad knew his dad well, though.” “I’ll have to sneak up and check out the options during the ceremony, not that I’ll be finding my mate in a room full of Alphas. It doesn’t hurt to enjoy looking,” he tells me as his face falls. My heart stings for my best friend. Oliver is an omega. He probably would have been named head chef if it hadn’t been for me. We’re the same age and became friends while in school. Most Alphas don’t send their kids to the pack schools so that they won’t fraternize with the Omegas, but my dad felt it was important for pack unity if Robbie and I attended the school. He was right, too. Robbie and I made friends with kids from all class structures, and it helped us to understand how privileged we are to be the Alpha’s kids and to have everything we do. Oliver and I met in elementary school and became the best of friends. His dad had passed away when he was small, but his mom was amazing. She used to let me come over after school to play, and sometimes, I’d get to stay for dinner. She taught me how to cook, even though she didn’t work in the pack kitchens. She loved food and taught us everything she could in those years after school and during summer break when we’d go play in the falls and come back completely filthy and starving. When we were in middle school, Oliver came out to me. I’d never met a gay wolf, but it didn’t bother me. Unfortunately, as Oli got older and confided in more people, word spread, and he was treated very poorly by other kids who didn’t understand him. Robbie tried to step in and would hang out with us, but it didn’t matter to the other kids as much as he’d hoped. Oliver's mom died in a rogue attack just before he turned 18, so as soon as he finished school, he started working in the pack kitchen. What happened was terrible, but I’m glad we landed in the kitchen together. Oliver has always been the person who encourages me the most, and it’s helped me be brave. Brave enough to tell my dad I wanted to work in the kitchen. Brave enough to accept that I’m just a broken wolf. Brave enough to try all the new things we wanted in the kitchen and beyond. A few years ago, we cut back the overgrown area behind the pack house and planted a huge edible garden. The first two years weren’t amazing, but we did more research, and with our hard work this year, it has been successful. The packhouse grocery bill was cut almost in half for the summer from everything we’ve been able to harvest, though we didn’t have the abundance we’d hoped for to store for the winter months. I know I’ll find Oliver peeking in during the Alpha ceremony to check out all the guys there. I truly hope that he finds a mate one day. One of us should be happy, and I’m OK that it’s him. “Oli, you better not burn my brother’s dinner because you’re sneaking off to check out the Alphas,” I tell him, mostly joking but completely serious at the same time. “I’d never dream of burning Alpha Robert’s celebration dinner, my dear,” he tells me while grabbing my hand. Suddenly, I’m met with the smell of pine and tobacco and instantly know my brother is walking in. He smells so much like my dad, but still his own. I turn to make a joke about him becoming Alpha today, but when I see his face, I know it’s not the time. He’s so serious, too serious. He’s never like this around me. “Molly, I, uh, I need you to come up to Dad’s office… my office, with me,” he says. He’s so uncomfortable, and he’s rarely ever like this around me- serious and unsure. “What’s wrong? Is everyone OK?” I ask, knowing deep inside that something is wrong. “Everyone is fine, Molly. Dad needs to speak with you,” he tells me, looking anywhere but my eyes. “Dad? Why isn’t he greeting the guests? Why didn’t he mindlink me? Robert,” I say to him, almost in a panic. “What’s going on?!” “Molly,” he says. Finally, he looks me in the eyes. There’s so much emotion and sympathy in his hazel eyes, and I know whatever it is has to be bad. It’s very bad. “Your mate is here.” Chapter 3 My brother’s voice rings through my head as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. My mate? “How… how does he know he’s my mate?” I ask meekly. “I haven’t met anyone but Alpha Blake and Future Alpha Chris. One of them is mated, and the other, well, he didn’t say anything when we met.” “It’s not either of them, it’s Seth. He could smell you on Dad. He said you hugged him just before you came here, and I guess your scent lingered.” “It could be anyone that Dad was near. It’s not me. It CAN’T be me.” “Molly. It’s you. Come on, they’re all waiting.” “All? How many mates do I have?” “It’s just one, kiddo. We’ve got to get up there. You can’t keep them waiting.” “No, Robbie. No. I’m not going up there just to be rejected and hurt,” I tell him. This isn’t happening. It has to be a mistake. I can’t have a mate. “Molly, it’s ok,” Oliver tells me as he sees my panic and recognizes that my brother does not have control of this situation. “You’ve always assumed you have no mate or that they’ll reject you if you do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll see you for the amazing wolf you are.” He’s trying. They both are. Trying to convince me that it’s going to be ok, but you can see in their eyes they both know it won’t be—especially my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look like this on his face before. He’s so worried about me. My mate must be terrible for him to be so concerned. I can barely breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, and my chest hurts with each breath. My fears bubble to the surface, and I can’t contain them. I slowly slip out of my shoes without either of them noticing. There’s a back door out of here right behind them. They’re both faster than me- my brother has the Alpha gene, making him far superior physically to me. There’s only one way I’ll make it past them, so I do what I have to, and I cry. My brother’s face softens, and he walks across the room, enveloping me in a huge hug. It’s a move I wasn’t expecting, making it even harder to remove myself from the kitchen. In all honesty, his hug feels good. I feel so safe when I’m with Robbie. Still, I remember he’s trying to take me to meet my dad, mate, and whoever else is there. I don’t want to be rejected and feel that pain. These thoughts make me cry even harder. Oliver moves closer, so I decide to make my final move to get out of here. “Robbie, I need to sit down,” I tell him, and my ever-doting brother does just what I expected this time and immediately releases me and turns to grab the chair that Oliver had just vacated. I make my move and run to the door. My hand reaches the knob, and the goddess must be with me because it’s unlocked. I take off running to the garden. To my surprise, the smell of my brother gets fainter with each step. I decide to chance a look over my shoulder to see both men standing outside the back kitchen door. Oliver’s arm is across my brother’s chest. “Just let her go, Robert. Give her a few minutes,” Oliver tells him. I run a bit further, but since I know they’re not following me, I finally stop and walk. I’m sure I’ve destroyed all the work I did to look presentable just a few hours ago as I walk barefoot through my favorite place. I can’t be bothered to care right now, though. This was not the plan. This is not the life that I’m supposed to have. I know my family loves me, but it’s obvious at every turn I’m not really theirs. My family always said they loved me so much they couldn’t stand the thought of me leaving when I was small, but who would kick a homeless six-year-old out? I was found under a tree, alone- tiny, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. Was I lost? Or abandoned? Did I have a family that loved and missed me? Or did they leave me in the woods, hoping they’d never have to see me again? I’d accepted all these possibilities before, but as I got older, it became obvious I wasn’t like all the other pups. It became harder and harder to feel like I belonged. I couldn’t play with the kids as I got older because I couldn’t physically keep up with them. That’s what made me love Oliver so much. When the other kids wanted to play tag and throw balls, he’d be there to go on an adventure with me. The first time we made it back to the falls alone was amazing! My dad had taken me once shortly after he found me, but they looked much more amazing when we found them on our own. We got into so much trouble when we got back. I remember Oliver’s mom apologizing repeatedly to my dad. He was angry we’d gone so far without her knowledge. The entire time my dad explained my punishment, my mom smirked and kept telling him we were fine and to calm down. As I got older, I realized that my dad was always worried about me more than anyone else because of my broken wolf. Eventually, he forbade me to go into the woods without a pack warrior nearby- even if I was with Oliver. A few years ago, Robbie had too much to drink and let it slip that Dad was worried someone would kidnap me to use it against him because I wouldn’t be able to get away myself. I was so angry when he first told me, but I quickly realized he was right to be concerned. If another pack did kidnap me, I’d never be able to escape on my own. I’m basically useless and a huge liability. Useless and a liability to my own pack and now, to the mate I never thought I’d have. There’s no reason anyone would not reject me, short of needing a chef, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep around a broken wolf. I don’t know how I'd ever be able to help a mate. And if my mate is in Lunar Falls now for the Alpha ceremony, he’s likely an Alpha himself. While most she-wolves would be thrilled, this is the worst possible scenario for me. I stop walking as I reach the back of my garden. This truly is my absolute favorite place in the pack territory. It’s so peaceful here, and few people ever bother to come this far back. It’s where I spend so much time doing what I can to help take care of my pack in my own way. I know it’s not much, but it’s at least something. The sun is shining brightly now and making it hot, so I climb under the leaning trellis where the squash grow and hide in the shade. I know that eventually someone will be out here to drag me inside, but I decide to stay put until that happens. I hide in the garden for what seems like hours, though I don’t think it’s been that long. I am surprised I’ve been able to stay here alone for so long, but I’m not upset about it either. I peek out from my hiding spot like a small child and see the window to my Father’s study. A man I don’t recognize is staring outside. For just a moment, I wonder if that’s my mate. He’s attractive, from what I can tell. He has longer dark hair above his shoulders and looks pretty muscular. He’s holding a glass with something brown in it- probably some expensive bourbon that my dad hopes will help him overlook my behavior. Maybe he has enough bourbon to have him overlook my brokenness. Doubtful, as I’m not just a broken wolf, but I’m now a filthy wolf wearing no shoes and hiding in actual plants. I smell the familiar scent of my best friend as he approaches and climbs under the trellis with me. The look he’s giving me tells me he knows the situation isn’t great. Oliver knows me so well. He knows that I’m not able to articulate my feelings at the moment, so he doesn’t say a word. He just puts his arms around me and holds me, and I let go of tears I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. I cry for the little girl who didn’t get a wolf, and for all the times another kid made me feel less than. I cry for all the nights I spent wondering why I was left by a tree, and I cry for all the memories that I don’t have from before then. I cry for the kid who grew up not meeting anyone's expectations, and for all the times I know I disappointed my parents. They tried so hard to hide it, but I knew. But most of all, I cry for the fear of having to face a mate that I never dreamed I’d have and the pain of the rejection that I’ll have to endure. “He’s not going to reject you,” Oliver tells me. I know he truly thinks that, but there’s no chance someone would want me. “I’m going to go up there, but I need to change clothes first,” I tell him. He looks at me and nods but doesn’t say a word about how I look an absolute mess. I mind link my dad. I’m going to change and make myself presentable, and then I’ll be there. I’m sorry. I know I’ve embarrassed him. “Okay, Molly, I’ll let him know. He’s a good man. You’re going to be alright,” he tells me. I find a small amount of comfort from the man who would do anything to protect me telling me it will all be fine. Chapter 4 I’m back in my room. I showered, re-curled my hair, and did my makeup. Oliver wouldn’t leave me. I realize now that I’ve caused the Alpha ceremony to begin late, which is causing the dinner to start late, and I’ve all but ruined my brother’s day. I feel worse than I did before. Ollie comes from my closet carrying a darker green dress for me to put on. I realize my shoes I left in my kitchen office are now in my room, but I’m too emotionally exhausted to care how they got here. Ollie zips my dress and hands me the shoes. “Good as new,” he says, taking in my appearance with a critical eye. I’m nervous, but he won’t let me walk in to meet my mate looking anything less than amazing. He grabs my hand and starts to walk, but I’m hesitant to move. He turns to meet my eyes. “No running this time. You have to meet him.” I know he’s right, but I’m still absolutely terrified. We make our way across the packhouse to the Alpha office. As we get closer, I begin to smell him, and I know, without a doubt, that my mate is in there. He smells like juniper, with orange and cinnamon. It’s almost overwhelming. I feel so pulled towards him, and I’ve not even seen him. If this is how finding your mate feels with a broken wolf, then maybe it will be so strong for him that I won’t be rejected. I grasp onto that sliver of hope. I take a deep breath and turn the door knob to enter. My Dad and Robert are sitting propped on the edge of their desk. My mom is sitting elegantly in the chair across from them, and in the other chair is… Queen Audrey? With King Peter behind her? I briefly wonder why they are here for this, but thoughts are lost when my eyes go to the window and land on my mate. He IS who I saw from out in the garden, but instead of looking across the grounds, he’s staring at me intently. Our eyes lock, and I start to feel unsteady. Oliver places his hand on my back to steady me and whispers in my ear. “Go say hi.” Biting my lip, I nod and start to close the space between us. To my shock, my mate starts walking towards me as well. Once we’ve made it to each other, he places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks. His pale blue eyes are kind, and he seems genuinely concerned for me. I can’t bring myself to speak, so I nod in response. I see my brother out of the corner of my eye and feel such guilt about how I’ve behaved today on his day. I walk towards my brother, and I can tell he wasn’t expecting me to, but he pulls me into a giant hug. “I’m sorry I ruined your ceremony,” I tell him, and it’s the truth. I was so deeply in my feelings that I wasn’t concerned with time, and I knew it was set to begin hours ago. “You didn’t ruin anything, kiddo. You just delayed it,” he tells me, smiling down at me. Releasing me from his hug, he grabs my hand and walks back towards my mate. “Prince Seth, I’m glad to finally introduce you to my sister, Molly. Molls, this is my friend, Prince Seth.” Prince? So that explains why the king and queen are here. I swallow my nerves down. “Prince Seth and I did all our physical training together. He’s a good guy, Molls,” he tells me, squeezing my hand for comfort. “Hi,” I say, looking up at Prince Seth. He’s big, the biggest in the room. He's so tall, and his shoulders are broad and strong. As I saw from the window, his hair is dark and nearly to his shoulders, but he has his mom’s light blue eyes. I know I should say something more, but this situation feels intimidating. “Hi,” he returns with a kind smile and reaches out his hand to me. I release my brother and place my hand in his. He surprises me by bringing my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. “It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Molly I’ve heard so much about.” Everyone is watching me, and I feel even more uncomfortable. I wish I could take their attention off of me. “Umm, maybe we should get the ceremony started soon.” “We should get ready to start the ceremony soon. Why don’t we head down and give Molly and Seth a few moments alone,” my dad suggests as he stands and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. My mom follows over just behind him and grabs my free hand while she leans in and whispers in my ear. “He’s handsome.” They head to the door with Robbie while King Peter and Queen Audrey meet them there. They all exit with my dad closing the door behind them. I thought I’d feel more comfortable without everyone looking at us, but now that we’re alone, I’m even more nervous. He seems kind. Maybe he won’t be too harsh when he rejects me. “So,” he says, breaking the silence between us, “Your mom thinks I’m handsome.” I can’t help but laugh. I don’t think she meant for him to hear her, but I’m glad he did and that he can joke about it. He leads me over to the sofa in the corner by my hand, which I note he still hasn’t let go of. I sit, and he takes the space beside me. He’s close, and he’s warm. He smells so good, but I can’t allow myself to become too attached. “I’m sorry I ran away earlier,” I tell him, trying to take responsibility for my stupidity. He doesn’t respond. He just continues to look at me. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I know this is really disappointing for you”, I finish as my voice lowers to barely above a whisper. “Why would I ever be disappointed with you?” he says, and I can see from his face that he appears to be genuinely surprised by my words. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong. All of BOTH our families were up in my dad’s office while I sat in the garden and cried. They must have talked about me. He has to know. “I, uhh...” I don’t know the words to adequately describe what a mess I am, but I try because he deserves to know before he gets stuck with me. “I’m a broken wolf, Prince Seth.” As I pause to figure out how to explain myself, he finally lets go of my hand, but only so he can gently place his finger under my chin to pull my face to look at him. “It’s just Seth to you. You’re my mate- my equal. Never Prince to you, only ever Seth. You’ll be Princess Molly soon and eventually Queen. But you’ll always be my equal.” It’s at that moment that it hits me that Prince Seth isn’t just his name but his actual identity. Being his mate comes with much more that I’m not made for. Little girls dream of being a princess someday, but it’s an absolute nightmare for me. “I can’t be the queen. I’m not even a real wolf. I saw you in the window and thought my family would have told you. I… I’m so sorry.” My chest begins to hurt as the words come out, and I can barely breathe. “You are a real wolf. It’s in your scent. My wolf is sure of it.” “I’m not, though. I don’t have a wolf. I’ve never shifted. I’m not built as muscular. If anything happens to me, I can’t save myself. I’ll be a huge liability.” “No,” he snaps, and I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “You are NOT a liability. You’re my mate. The Goddess made you for me.” “The Goddess didn’t make me for anyone, Seth. No one wanted me,” I say as my voice begins to waiver. This isn’t going how I thought. I never dreamed I’d have to convince my mate I wasn’t good enough. This man keeps surprising me as he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “There are people who DO want you, Molly. I want you. Your parents adopted you- they wanted you. Robert always wanted you. He never stopped talking about you during training. You’re different, Molly, but that doesn’t mean you’re not enough and that you’re not wanted,” he tells me as he holds me on his lap. “I think maybe we should talk about this later,” I tell him as I stand up. He lets me but keeps his hands on my hips. “I’ve ruined Robbie’s day enough. We should head downstairs.” “ OK, Molly, we can talk about it later tonight,” he says as he stands. I note that he still hasn’t let go of me as he leans down and kisses my forehead. It’s sweet and makes my heart flutter. “You are wanted,” he says, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. “You’re mine.” Chapter 5 We arrive at the side yard of the house, where the ceremony is to be held in silence. Everyone is seated and ready to begin, and both our seats are in front. Seth holds my hand, leading me forward when I suddenly stop and refuse to continue walking. “What’s wrong?” he asks with concern on his face. “I can’t hold your hand. They can’t know I’m your mate,” I tell him, looking away. He won’t want me tomorrow, or maybe next week it will hit him. I don’t know when, but at some point, he’ll see past the bond and know he can find better than me. I hear him growl, and he steps towards me. He gently grabs my chin and tilts my head to look into my eyes. Seth starts to say something but then stops himself. He’s towering over me, and it’s intimidating, but I feel safe with him. It’s probably just from the bond. “OK, Molly. I won’t hold your hand, but they will eventually find out. You win for now, but we WILL talk about this later tonight,” he says firmly as his eyes flash with danger. I realize I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to do that. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you,” I begin to try to explain. “But you’re the prince. If people know you’ve found your mate, especially that it’s me, word will spread. It will hurt more when you finally reject me if everyone knows.” My voice is barely a whisper as I finish. I feel so awkward and vulnerable. His free hand lands gently on my hip while the other moves behind my head. He leans to place a soft kiss on my temple. “I will not change my mind, but I won’t hold your hand in public for now if that’s what you truly want. We will figure things out tonight.” He releases me and moves his hands to both my hips now. “It’s a full moon. You’ll be expected at the run tonight. It’s not every day a fancy-pants prince graces Lunar Falls with his presence,” I half-joke with him. “And where will you be? You can’t be alone.” “I usually lock myself in my suite. It’s by the kitchen in the basement and right across from the safe room, just in case.” “Alone?” Seth asks me, concern evident in his voice. “I’ve lived my whole life without a wolf. This isn’t my first full moon. Sometimes, I stay with the young kids who aren’t old enough to shift, but I just want to be alone tonight,” I tell him with complete honesty. “We have a few hours until we need to worry about that. Go on and take your seat. I’ll follow behind in a moment,” Seth tells me. He releases me but quickly reaches out and squeezes my hand. Honestly, he seems like a really nice man. I’ve caused him more headache today than I’m worth, so I do as he told me and head down the aisle to take my seat. My dad is sitting on his Alpha throne on the stage. Mom stands behind him, and Robbie is beside him. Since it’s the passing of the Alpha, no other family members are on stage, and I’ll be sitting alone. As I’m walking to my seat, I hear the whispers start. I’ve gotten used to it from my own pack- and they all know I got the wolf hearing. These guests, though, don’t seem to know. “That’s the wolfless one that Alpha Bardulf found and adopted.” “I heard she’s human.” “Do you think I could make her my whore? She looks too good to go to waste. Too bad she’s not a wolf.” And with that whispered comment, I feel overwhelming anger, but it’s not mine. It’s not like I haven’t heard these kinds of comments before. I realize then that I’m feeling Seth’s emotions through our bond. I know I can’t turn around and look at him. I look up and see my brother coming straight to me in a hurry and my dad with a murderous look on his face. Robbie reaches me and, to my surprise, continues past me to a younger-looking man sitting where I had just walked past. He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him. “You would do well to remember she’s the daughter of an Alpha,” Robbie tells him, releasing him unceremoniously back into his chair. By this time, my brother’s new Beta and Gama are headed to us. I can feel Seth relax some, though he is still very mad. George, Robbie's Beta, offers his arm to me and escorts me to the front row to be seated beside Queen Audrey. We both bow our heads to her and King Peter. She stands up and, to my surprise, pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. “You look stunning, Molly Dear,” She says loudly while she releases me but holds my hand as we sit down and squeezes it. It would seem that everyone in the room heard the comments. I smell Seth as he gets close and realize I’m in his seat beside his mother. I stand to move, but he shakes his head and motions for me to sit back down where I was. The pack elder stands and walks up to my dad and Robbie. He welcomes everyone, and as he begins, I feel Seth’s arm come up and rest behind my shoulders. He rests his hand on his mother's shoulder beside me. Queen Audrey smiles at Seth before returning to my dad and brother. The ceremony is beautiful. I know today is hard for my dad, handing over his pack to someone else, even if it is his own son. Robbie will do well. His Beta, Delta, and Gamma are all great guys and will do what’s best for the pack. The Elder instructs everyone to stand as Dad stands, and Robbie finally sits on the pack throne, officially becoming Alpha Robert of the Lunar Falls Pack. As I stand, I feel Seth bring his arm across my shoulders and back before completely releasing me, leaving me suddenly cold and alone. I’ve avoided acknowledging the bond thus far, but after feeling Seth's anger and loneliness at the lack of his touch, it’s really hard to ignore that it’s there. Everyone in the room is looking at my brother, so I take a chance and reach my left hand over just enough to find Seth’s as he wraps his around mine and gently squeezes it. He’s so comforting, and I begin to think that maybe we can make this work. My parents start to descend the stage, and I realize now that people may look our way, so I reluctantly release his hand. Robert sits on the pack throne with his men behind him and releases his first howl as Alpha, causing all but the royal family and present alphas to bow their heads and bare their necks in submission. I notice that I’m not affected, but I always respond to my dad’s Alpha commands. Seth has noticed because he leans over slightly and explains in the lowest of whispers in my ear. “You’re the mate of a royal. Alpha commands won’t work on you anymore.” It definitely wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I suddenly feel more uncomfortable about the situation. The ceremony is complete, and as we stand to leave, I realize my being between Seth and the King and Queen has complicated our exit now. Typically, the new Alpha would exit first, with everyone after in order of hierarchy, but since the Royals are here, they must exit first. As they turn to leave first, King Peter turns back to us, “Seth, why don’t you escort sweet Molly out? I’m sure our new Alpha Robert won’t mind.” He turns to Robbie, who smiles. “Of course,” he agrees easily, but not without shooting a look at the guy he mildly assaulted just 40 minutes before. Seth steps before me and offers me his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. “My lady.” I honestly can’t help but giggle at his face. I catch my mom out of the corner of my eye and she’s simply beaming at the entire interaction. I take Seth's arm with my hand, and he reaches his other hand over to place it on mine. It’s warm, and the bond sparks with excitement over our contact. We walk out behind his parents. Once we reach the end of the aisle and out of view of everyone, my brother reaches forward and grabs Seth and me. He leans forward behind us and tells Seth, “Watch your hands, bro,” with a smirk. “Oh, I will absolutely be watching where they go,” Seth returns to Robbie, and for a moment, I think my brother might actually lose control of his wolf. “I’m joking, Rob. I’ll always take care of her.” The sincerity in his voice touches me. He barely knows me, though. It’s an empty promise, but he’s trying. With the ceremony over, it’s almost time for the reception. Hopefully, my actions earlier and the delay haven’t hurt the dinner service too much. I know I’m not supposed to be in the kitchens today, but Dad has already sent me down once, and it would look terrible on the pack if things didn’t go smoothly. I make up my mind and decide to head down. “Seth, I need to go down to the kitchens and make sure things are ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room once they’re settled,” I tell him, and his brow furrows. “I’m the head chef for the pack, and while my sous chef is handling everything since this was a family gathering, I’d feel much better if I could ensure everything is ready, and they don’t need extra hands,” I continue, realizing I’m unsure if he even knows I’m a chef. “I can come with you if you really need to. I don’t want to leave you.” “I’ll be fine, honestly. It’s just my staff down there, and you met Oliver earlier. I’ll be fine and head up once they’re all ready.” “Molly, you’re the future Queen now. You don’t have to work anymore,” he tells me, and I know he’s trying to be kind, but that hurts. “I’ve never been required to work. I had to convince my dad to let me have this job. I enjoy it. It’s how I’m able to contribute to my pack,” I explain, but I realize that in my hurt, I’ve said more than I meant to. I have complicated feelings about my role in this pack, and I didn’t mean to start telling him about them. “I understand. At least let me walk you to the kitchen so I know you’re safe, please.” I know his request is genuine, and he wants me to be safe, but with more people leaving the ceremony and coming around, I don’t want anyone to see us together. I nod at him but release his arm. “It’s this way,” I tell him, and I start walking toward the service stairs. I can feel his irritation at me for releasing his arm through our bond, but I continue, and he doesn’t say anything. We reach the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly grabs my arm and sniffs the air. He sniffs again, pushes me against a door, and sniffs my neck slowly. His body is pressed against mine, and his breath is hot against my skin. He’s so close and towers over me. His scent has enveloped me, and I’m beginning to feel completely overwhelmed. “Everything down here smells like you,” he finally tells me. ”It’s so strong.” “Oh, uhh, yeah. I spend all my time down here. The kitchen is down that hall, and my office is there. The door behind me is the one to my suite.” I tell him. “Show me, please,” he says, and I consider it momentarily. He’s so close, and it’s making my heart race. He pushes himself against me the slightest bit more and kisses the spot on my neck where his mate’s mark would go. Chapter 6 I almost cave and let him in, but we’re too close to think clearly, and I need to tell him the endless list of problems we have with being together. “Later,” I whisper because it’s as much as I can squeak out with him so close. It’s intoxicating. He takes a deep breath as he pushes his weight off me, but he still stays where he is, towering over me. “Later,” he whispers back to me while we both take a moment to regain our composure. “Are you ready?” he asks after a moment, and all I can do is nod. He steps back and waves his arm, motioning for me to go in front. I walk to the kitchen door with him behind me before I turn to him. “Thank you for walking down with me.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’ll be up for dinner?” “Yeah, Dad will drag me up there if I try anything,” I tell him, and he smiles. “Good. I can’t wait to see you again,” he says, grabbing my right hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. ---------- “I’m surprised you weren’t in here sooner,” Oliver says with a smirk as I step into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re making another appearance. Don’t you trust me?” he says, faking hurt. “Oh, Oliver. You know that I don’t,” I respond jokingly and stick my tongue out at him. “How was the ceremony?” He asked. “It was an Alpha Ceremony. Nothing amazing, kinda boring, there’s a new Alpha.” “Oh really? Because I heard our dear Alpha Robert punched an Alpha visiting from another pack.” “Umm, technically, that happened before, so he wasn’t Alpha Robert… yet,” I tell him with a smirk. “And it wasn’t exactly a punch.” “You want to talk about WHY Robbie punched people you walked by just before being named the Alpha?” I sigh. “You know how it is being me. Someone always says SOMETHING.” I’m exhausted from the day and don’t want to think about anything. “So, how is dinner? Can I help out?” “Molly, I’m capable of running this.” “I know, I know you are. I’m here to help if you need me. I’m not taking over for you.” “I think we’re good. Honestly, someone decided to delay the dinner a few hours while they were running away from their very attractive mate, which gave us more time to prep. I assume you’re not ready to talk about that?” he questions me. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so much to take in. I think tonight is the first full moon I’m glad to be left out of.” “If you want me to stay with you to talk, just let me know. I don’t mind.” “I appreciate it, Oli, but I need some time alone just to think. It’s been overwhelming.” “You’re really not going to mention that your mate is the prince?” “Nope. I’m not ready to even think about that. It just complicates things even more. I don’t know why he hasn’t already rejected me,” I tell him, looking around. Everything appears to be going very well for my brother’s dinner. “Molls,” Oliver says to get my attention while I’m looking around the kitchen and sighs, not saying what I know he wants to. “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow, and I’ll handle breakfast.” “I’d hate to do that to you. There’s a lot of people with all the visitors staying tonight.” I tell him, feeling guilty about throwing a second meal service on him. “Honestly, I’d appreciate the chance to show our new Alpha that I can fill your shoes. When you’re marked, you’ll be moving with Prince Seth, and I want to prove that I can handle this.” I hadn’t considered leaving with a mate- ever. Seth will come to his senses at some point and finally reject me, but Oliver is right. He’s not had many chances to prove himself as head chef. I know he’s capable, and he deserves the chance to show Robbie that, too. “Ok, Oliver. Breakfast service is yours. And if, by some miracle, Seth doesn’t reject me, I’ll put in a good word with the Alpha- though I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I tell him with a small giggle. It’s weird to think my brother is the Alpha we’re talking about. I turn to leave but have an idea for tomorrow. “I’m just going to check and see if we have the stuff to make something tonight during the run, and then I’ll leave.” “Thank you,” he says. “I promise it’ll be amazing. You should change and show the prince all the reasons he shouldn’t reject you. Go put on something sexy and wow him.” I turn to the pantry to check for the ingredients I’ll need. I look around and then move to the fridge and verify that everything I need is on hand before I turn, walk out the door, and head down the hall to my suite. I’ve worn two dresses today, and neither of them was really my choice. It’s been a long day, and I decide to do as Oliver suggested. I walk in and go straight to my closet, looking around. I find a dress that I love and while it’s probably a little bit too formal, I decide to go with it anyway. I head to my bathroom and pull my hair back so it’s finally off my shoulders. I put on a little more makeup to darken my eyes just a tad more and switch from nude to a red lip. The dress is an off-the-shoulder black satin dress in a mermaid cut. It’s basic but classy and feels much more like how I would usually look. I pull out some black strappy heels and look at myself in the mirror. I realize I need to put on a necklace and select one that was handed down from my mom, that was her mom’s. It’s a white gold necklace with just a lot of diamonds, but it dresses up the dress that’s so plain. I look in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I look and feel like myself, and my parents will still be pleased. But then the thought comes that I wonder what Seth will think. With a sigh, I stop just a moment to think about everything that has happened today. I never actually thought I’d have a mate, but if I did, I was sure they would reject me on the spot. I was prepared for it. Instead, I have a mate who is a prince and has not given any indication that he plans to reject me. He hasn’t thought things through, though. He has a wolf, so what he’s feeling from our bond is probably stronger than what I can, and it’s a lot. I don’t have a wolf, and I can’t shift. The only wolf I can mind link is my dad, and it’s probably only because he’s the Alpha or was. I’m not built like a wolf. What if I can’t get pregnant with the heir to the kingdom, or worse, what if I can’t carry a wolf pregnancy? The entire wolf kingdom will surely not accept me and probably wouldn’t accept Seth as King for keeping a broken wolf as a mate. He does seem kind, though. I’m not sure what he was told about me before I made it to Dad’s office, but he’s friends with Robbie, so he has to know a lot. He’s reassured me a few times today that he won’t reject me. He called me “his” earlier, making my heart flutter with hope. And the way he was pressed against me in the hall was more than I could have hoped for. I sigh. There’s not much I can do now, and I need not worry about it. I am who I am, and while he’s given me some hope, I don’t want to have my heart crushed when he realizes I’m no good. I will have to go with it and see what happens. It’s out of my hands. And with that, I decide to head upstairs and find my family. And maybe my mate. I still don’t want the whole kingdom to know, but I enjoy being near him. As much as I try to ignore it, the bond is still tugging at me to get close to him. I reach the door to the dining room and can hear that everyone is already inside. I crack it and slowly slip in, hoping to go unnoticed, which I don’t need to worry about since everyone is walking about mingling and hasn’t been seated yet. I see my mom across the room and head towards her. I haven’t been able to spend time with her since meeting Seth. I just need her hugs. “Hi, Mom,” I say as I approach. “Oh, Molly. You changed clothes. You look lovely!” she tells me, genuine in her compliment. “You look stunning,” I hear from my side and see Queen Audrey as she approaches me. “That lip color suits you.” I can’t help but glow a little as not only the queen but also my mate’s mother complimented me so generously. I remember myself and bow. “Thank you, Your Highness. I feel more myself with the red.” I should have stopped there, but I never know when to quit talking until it’s too late. “Truthfully, I don’t wear much makeup.” “Oh, really, dear? Because you wear it so well.” “I appreciate that,” I tell her. “I don’t wear it often, but my mom taught me well.” “How are you doing, dear? I know it’s been a pretty exciting day for you,” Queen Audrey asks me. “I’m ok, Ma’am. I’m looking forward to some time alone tonight to think about everything while you all go for the run,” I tell her honestly. My mom realizes I’m not quite sure I’m ok and comes to my side to wrap me in a hug. “I’m sure it’s been a bit overwhelming, finding your mate and realizing he’s so damn attractive,” and that’s just what I needed to calm me some. I start giggling, and with the stress of today, I just can’t stop. I smell him and then feel his hand on my lower back. He comes to stand on my other side and pulls me to him. “What’s so funny?” Seth asks me. “Just some girl talk,” Queen Audrey smiles at him, probably to be sure I wouldn’t tell him my mom was drooling over him. Again. Seth releases me, and I suddenly feel sad, but he steps forward, hugs his mother, and kisses her cheek. He releases her and turns back to me, grabbing my hand. “Take a walk with me?” he asks, and I nod. He leads me outside to the balcony, which is not nearly as crowded. It’s a little chilly, but it feels like a perfect fall night. “You look absolutely stunning,” he says when we stop at the railing. “Thanks,” I respond. “It’s the first dress I got to pick for myself all day.” “It’s perfect, Molly. You're perfect,” he says as he places his arm behind me and pulls me to his chest. “The Goddess blessed me when she made you,” he murmurs into the top of my head. I let myself sigh and just be content for a moment. This feels so perfect. If he rejects me, at least I had this precious moment. “I honestly wasn’t sure you’d be back upstairs,” he tells me. “I take it everything was ok in the kitchen?” “Yeah, all was well. Dinner was going well, and Dad’s cake was still good,” I say, realizing I let the surprise slip. “Don’t you mean your brother’s cake?” he inquires, looking down at me. “I mean, I didn’t check on that one. I assumed they could handle it. But there’s a surprise for my dad, too,” I tell him, placing my finger on my lips, indicating it’s a secret, and he smiles at me. “I’m going to skip the run tonight. My parents will be there. That will be enough for the people,” he tells me, and I realize that he’s worried about me being alone. “Umm, I have plans tonight now,” I tell him nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell he’s not happy, so I try to explain. “Sorry, it’s nothing exciting. I’m going to lock myself into my suite and bake. It helps me relax and think clearly.” “I’m worried about you being alone.” He tells me. “I know. Being around someone with a broken wolf is new for you, but it’s been like this my whole life. Do you think my dad would leave me here alone if he didn’t think I was completely safe?” I ask him, and I can tell he’s considering it. “Please don’t miss out on something that would make you happy just for me. I’ll feel terrible if you do.” “But what if something happens to you while we’re all out?” he asks, and I realize there are things he doesn’t know about my situation. “I can mind link my dad and maybe my brother now that he’s Alpha. I promise I’ll reach out if anything happens,” I promise, and I can see him relax. “OK, but make sure your dad knows I’ll always be near him,” he says, and honestly, the thought that he cares enough to do that but still respects my decision warms my heart. “I will. And thank you,” I tell him, pulling him down towards me and kissing his cheek. He growls and rests his forehead against mine. “Aren’t you worried someone will see?” he asks me teasingly, but I can tell he’s serious with his inquiry. “A little, but I’m trying,” I tell him. We stand like that for a while- alone in the quiet. “If we stay like this much longer, everyone will be able to smell me on you,” he points out. “It’s OK,” I whisper to him as I break the contact with our foreheads, but only to lean into him. I reach into his jacket to embrace him, resting my head against his chest. He lowers his chin to the top of my head. The bond is so calm yet still strong. Somehow, though, it is tugging at me for more. We stay just like that until they announce for everyone to take their seats for dinner. “Do you want to go in before me, and I’ll follow again?” he asks me, and it’s so kind and considerate of him. “No, I don’t think I do,” I tell him as we finally separate, but I place my hand inside his. He looks down at our hands and then up at me. “Are you sure? People will definitely see.” “I know,” I tell him. “I’m trying to trust you. I’m trying to be brave.” He beams at me with the biggest smile and leans over to kiss my head before squeezing my hand and leading me into the ballroom. .... Open the app and continue reading the rest of the story . 👉(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app)
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Cache-cache des jumeaux après une nuit " Piégée. Drogée. Sa première nuit… volée par un homme qu'elle prenait pour un simple gigolo. 💔😵💫 Chassée de chez elle. Sa fille nouveau-née enlevée à la naissance. Abandonnée pour avoir péri dans les flammes. 🔥👶💨 Mais elle a survécu – avec son fils, l'un de ses jumeaux. 👩👦✨ Six ans plus tard, elle revient avec son fils, un génie de l'informatique, prête à se venger. 💻😈 Soudain, une petite fille se jette dans ses bras et l'appelle… « Maman ». 😳💔 Et cet homme qu'elle croyait être un simple gigolo ? Ce n'est pas un gigolo. C'est un PDG milliardaire impitoyable… 👔💼 ▶️👉 Cache-cache entre jumeaux après une nuit d'amour #BonneNouvelle #ObjetsRetrouvés #SecretDesJumeaux #RomanceAvecUnMillionnaire #DrameDeVengeance" #GoodShort
Cache-cache des jumeaux après une nuit " Piégée. Drogée. Sa première nuit… volée par un homme qu'elle prenait pour un simple gigolo. 💔😵💫 Chassée de chez elle. Sa fille nouveau-née enlevée à la naissance. Abandonnée pour avoir péri dans les flammes. 🔥👶💨 Mais elle a survécu – avec son fils, l'un de ses jumeaux. 👩👦✨ Six ans plus tard, elle revient avec son fils, un génie de l'informatique, prête à se venger. 💻😈 Soudain, une petite fille se jette dans ses bras et l'appelle… « Maman ». 😳💔 Et cet homme qu'elle croyait être un simple gigolo ? Ce n'est pas un gigolo. C'est un PDG milliardaire impitoyable… 👔💼 ▶️👉 Cache-cache entre jumeaux après une nuit d'amour #BonneNouvelle #ObjetsRetrouvés #SecretDesJumeaux #RomanceAvecUnMillionnaire #DrameDeVengeance" #GoodShort
"Oh, God, Adam! Just like that! Don't stop…" screamed my sister. "God, Fiona, I love you!" my fiancé, Adam, followed. I thought to myself. "So, this is why I was asked to take his place on a business trip." "Adam, you're not going to marry Anna, are you?" Fiona's voice pleaded. "I don't want to, my love. But you know the marriage contract has been signed. If I don't go through with it, then the company will revert to sole ownership of Anna. If she were to find out about us, you and I would lose our jobs, income, everything! It's only for a year. We just have to stay married for a year, then when she dies, I inherit everything. The business, the house, and her vehicles will all be mine. We'll be set." "So, you still plan on arranging an accident for her? Like Dad arranged for her mother?" Fiona questioned, her voice full of undisguised glee. "Of course I do. She disgusts me. Except for being unable to babytrap her, I am thankful she won't have to sleep with me. The thought of it makes me sick. Do you really think I would have pretended to love her if it wasn't for her wealth? I mean, twenty million dollars. Think of the life we can live with that kind of money." Adam chortled. I pulled my cell phone from my suit coat jacket and started to record. I needed all the evidence I could get. Once in my car, I drove to the apartment complex I owned, parked in the underground garage, and took the private elevator to the penthouse. I was thankful I had never told Adam or Fiona about this building. It was here I ran my multi-billion-dollar business empire. An empire they knew nothing about.
"Oh, God, Adam! Just like that! Don't stop…" screamed my sister. "God, Fiona, I love you!" my fiancé, Adam, followed. I thought to myself. "So, this is why I was asked to take his place on a business trip." "Adam, you're not going to marry Anna, are you?" Fiona's voice pleaded. "I don't want to, my love. But you know the marriage contract has been signed. If I don't go through with it, then the company will revert to sole ownership of Anna. If she were to find out about us, you and I would lose our jobs, income, everything! It's only for a year. We just have to stay married for a year, then when she dies, I inherit everything. The business, the house, and her vehicles will all be mine. We'll be set." "So, you still plan on arranging an accident for her? Like Dad arranged for her mother?" Fiona questioned, her voice full of undisguised glee. "Of course I do. She disgusts me. Except for being unable to babytrap her, I am thankful she won't have to sleep with me. The thought of it makes me sick. Do you really think I would have pretended to love her if it wasn't for her wealth? I mean, twenty million dollars. Think of the life we can live with that kind of money." Adam chortled. I pulled my cell phone from my suit coat jacket and started to record. I needed all the evidence I could get. Once in my car, I drove to the apartment complex I owned, parked in the underground garage, and took the private elevator to the penthouse. I was thankful I had never told Adam or Fiona about this building. It was here I ran my multi-billion-dollar business empire. An empire they knew nothing about.
Wrongfully accused of thesis plagiarism, medical grad Kelly can’t find work. She rescues an elder, Carl, who gets her a job at a military hospital—where the director is Carl’s grandson George, her contractual husband.Kelly hides their marriage to avoid attention, but is harassed by George’s admirer Victoria. George defends her, and their contractual bond grows into real affection as they spend time together.
Cache-cache des jumeaux après une nuit " Piégée. Drogée. Sa première nuit… volée par un homme qu'elle prenait pour un simple gigolo. 💔😵💫 Chassée de chez elle. Sa fille nouveau-née enlevée à la naissance. Abandonnée pour avoir péri dans les flammes. 🔥👶💨 Mais elle a survécu – avec son fils, l'un de ses jumeaux. 👩👦✨ Six ans plus tard, elle revient avec son fils, un génie de l'informatique, prête à se venger. 💻😈 Soudain, une petite fille se jette dans ses bras et l'appelle… « Maman ». 😳💔 Et cet homme qu'elle croyait être un simple gigolo ? Ce n'est pas un gigolo. C'est un PDG milliardaire impitoyable… 👔💼 ▶️👉 Cache-cache entre jumeaux après une nuit d'amour #BonneNouvelle #ObjetsRetrouvés #SecretDesJumeaux #RomanceAvecUnMillionnaire #DrameDeVengeance" #GoodShort
Make Every Journey to Chiang Mai More Special with Bangkok Airways. ✈️ Fly direct from Bangkok to Chiang Mai starting from 1,630 THB/one-way* Booking Period: Now – 31 July 2026 Travel Period: From now onwards 🔹 Bangkok Airways passengers will receive complimentary services as follows: 🧳 20 kg Checked Baggage Allowance 🍹 Access to Boutique Lounge** and enjoy our light meals and drinks buffet 🥪 In-flight Meal 💺 Seat Selection*** Remarks: *The price includes taxes, surcharges (for international routes), and a ticketing fee. Terms and Conditions apply. ** Boutique Lounge is currently available at Bangkok / Chiang Mai / Phuket Airport, and Courtesy Corner at Samui Airport. ***The scope of seat selection on the flight depends on the airfare selected. #BangkokAirways #FlyBangkokAirways #AsiasBoutiqueAirline #ChiangMai #CNX
"Oh, God, Adam! Just like that! Don't stop…" screamed my sister. "God, Fiona, I love you!" my fiancé, Adam, followed. I thought to myself. "So, this is why I was asked to take his place on a business trip." "Adam, you're not going to marry Anna, are you?" Fiona's voice pleaded. "I don't want to, my love. But you know the marriage contract has been signed. If I don't go through with it, then the company will revert to sole ownership of Anna. If she were to find out about us, you and I would lose our jobs, income, everything! It's only for a year. We just have to stay married for a year, then when she dies, I inherit everything. The business, the house, and her vehicles will all be mine. We'll be set." "So, you still plan on arranging an accident for her? Like Dad arranged for her mother?" Fiona questioned, her voice full of undisguised glee. "Of course I do. She disgusts me. Except for being unable to babytrap her, I am thankful she won't have to sleep with me. The thought of it makes me sick. Do you really think I would have pretended to love her if it wasn't for her wealth? I mean, twenty million dollars. Think of the life we can live with that kind of money." Adam chortled. I pulled my cell phone from my suit coat jacket and started to record. I needed all the evidence I could get. Once in my car, I drove to the apartment complex I owned, parked in the underground garage, and took the private elevator to the penthouse. I was thankful I had never told Adam or Fiona about this building. It was here I ran my multi-billion-dollar business empire. An empire they knew nothing about.
"Oh, God, Adam! Just like that! Don't stop…" screamed my sister. "God, Fiona, I love you!" my fiancé, Adam, followed. I thought to myself. "So, this is why I was asked to take his place on a business trip." "Adam, you're not going to marry Anna, are you?" Fiona's voice pleaded. "I don't want to, my love. But you know the marriage contract has been signed. If I don't go through with it, then the company will revert to sole ownership of Anna. If she were to find out about us, you and I would lose our jobs, income, everything! It's only for a year. We just have to stay married for a year, then when she dies, I inherit everything. The business, the house, and her vehicles will all be mine. We'll be set." "So, you still plan on arranging an accident for her? Like Dad arranged for her mother?" Fiona questioned, her voice full of undisguised glee. "Of course I do. She disgusts me. Except for being unable to babytrap her, I am thankful she won't have to sleep with me. The thought of it makes me sick. Do you really think I would have pretended to love her if it wasn't for her wealth? I mean, twenty million dollars. Think of the life we can live with that kind of money." Adam chortled. I pulled my cell phone from my suit coat jacket and started to record. I needed all the evidence I could get. Once in my car, I drove to the apartment complex I owned, parked in the underground garage, and took the private elevator to the penthouse. I was thankful I had never told Adam or Fiona about this building. It was here I ran my multi-billion-dollar business empire. An empire they knew nothing about.
"“Who fvcks you better, huh? Me… or your g0ddam husband?” The Lycan King poised above me, a malicious smile curving his lips. He thrvsts deeper, harder, relentlessly, hitting that spot with precision — the one that makes my back ar’ch and my breath hitch as I ga’sp his name. Meanwhile, my husband roars through the phone, “Ember, answer me! Who are you with? Tell me now!” I shake my head frantically, eyes wide with panic and arousal. “The divorce papers are already being prepared by my legal team,” Knox continues smoothly, like he’s discussing the weather and not currently fvcking me. “And I assure you, they’re very thorough. Very expensive. You won’t like the settlement terms.” “Is that... no. No way. Is that King Knox Volkov? He’s fvcking you?” Gale sounds like he’s choking. “What the fvck is going on? Ember, what did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?” “What she did,” Knox says, his voice dropping to something dark and possessive, “is realize she deserves better than a closeted alpha who can’t even make her c0me.” Knox hangs up and drops the phone in my lap. “C0me for me,” Knox murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. “C0me for me while you think about how much better this feels than anything your husband ever gave you.” His words push me over the edge." --- EMBER’S POV I bought expensive red lingerie to save my marriage. Christmas Eve. The one day of the year when miracles are supposed to happen. When love is supposed to triumph. When broken things are supposed to become whole again. I clutched the shopping bags in my trembling hands. The lingerie cost half my savings, but I didn’t care. It was red lace and silk ribbon, promised to reignite the fiery passion of love and sx. Red was Gale’s favorite color. His assistant mentioned it casually last week over coffee, and I could see the pity in her eyes when she looked at me. Everyone knew. The entire pack whispered about it behind my back. “Poor Ember. Eight months and her husband still won’t touch her. What kind of omega can’t even satisfy her own mate?” Gale had insisted I spend the day at the spa. “Relax, baby. Get your nails done. I need you perfect for tomorrow’s Christmas gala.” The word baby had made my heart leap with pathetic hope. Maybe things would finally change. Maybe tonight he’d want me again. I pulled into our driveway, my hands gripping the bags so tightly my knuckles turned white. Tonight had to work. It had to. The moment I opened the front door, I knew something was wrong. The smell hit me immediately. Raw and musky and unmistakably sexual. My wolf Sapphire bristled, warning me to turn around and leave, but I kept walking like an idiot. Following the sounds that made my stomach twist. Moaning. Laughter. Flesh slapping against flesh. The sounds were coming from the living room. Our living room with the floor-to-ceiling windows and the white Italian leather couch Gale insisted we needed because “only the best for my wife.” I rounded the corner and stopped breathing. Gale was on his knees with his face buried between Logan Reeves’ legs. Logan, his so-called business partner who came over twice a week for “late-night strategy sessions.” There was a younger man I’d never seen before bent over the couch arm while another stranger fked him from behind. A full or'gy. All men. All of them barely covered body and sweating and laughing. My brain couldn’t process what I was seeing. Gale always talked about how ‘disgusting’ homosexuality was, how unnatural it was, how pack traditions forbade such behavior. He’d shamed people for it publicly. And now he was here doing this. But the shock of seeing him with men wasn’t even the worst part. “God, Gale,” Logan groaned, his fingers tangled in my husband’s hair. “You’re incredible. No wonder you keep that frigid omega around for appearances.” The younger man laughed breathlessly. “Does she even know her Alpha husband has never been interested in center?” “Of course not,” Gale said, pulling back to wipe his mouth. His voice was casual, amused, like they were discussing the weather. “She’s too dumb to figure it out. Too desperate and pathetic to see what’s right in front of her face.” Then he did something that made my world shatter completely. He mimicked my voice, high-pitched and whiny. “Gale, please touch me. Gale, don’t you want me? Gale, what am I doing wrong?” They all burst into cruel laughter that echoed off the walls. My hands went numb. The shopping bags slipped from my fingers and hit the marble floor with a crash. Red lingerie spilled out across white tile like a pool of blood. Four heads whipped toward me. Gale’s face went pale, then red. “Ember, this isn’t what it looks like—” I was already running. Down the hallway, through the front door, into my car. My hands shook so violently I could barely get the key in the ignition. My phone started buzzing immediately. Text after text flooding in. Gale: It’s not what it looked like. Gale: Come back so we can talk. Gale: You’re being dramatic. Then the threats started. Gale: If you tell anyone what you saw, I will destroy you. The treaty requires our marriage. You ruin me, you ruin both packs. Think about that, Ember. Tears blurred my vision as I drove. I didn’t know where I was going until I saw the airport sign and turned in automatically. I needed to get away. Needed to go home to Alaska, to my family house. I’d file for divorce the moment I landed. I couldn’t stay married to him. I couldn’t. I made it to the airport in shock, my body moving on autopilot while my brain tried to process what I’d seen. At the ticket counter, I pulled out my credit card with shaking hands. “Next available first-class ticket to Alaska,” I told the woman, my voice barely above a whisper. She processed the payment quickly. It took almost all the money I could access from my personal account, but I didn’t care. I just needed to get home. My phone kept buzzing. I looked down at the screen and saw message after message flooding in. Gale’s texts had shifted from apologetic to threatening to manipulative. Gale: Please, baby, let me explain. Gale: You’re overreacting. It was just stress relief. Gale: If you leave me, you’ll have nothing. NOTHING. Gale: Your parents will disown you for breaking the treaty. Gale: Come home right now or I’ll make sure every pack knows what a failure you are. I blocked his number with trembling fingers and shoved the phone deep into my purse. I made it onto the plane somehow and found my seat. The numbness started wearing off, replaced by a pain so intense I couldn’t breathe. Eight years I’d given him. Two years of dating where he’d courted me to convince his father I was the right choice—submissive, obedient, from a good family. The perfect arranged match. Six years of marriage where I’d tried everything to please him, to be the perfect omega wife, to make him want me. And it was all a lie. Good. Maybe now you’ll stop defending the bаst3rd who hits you, Sapphire snarled with venom. My wolf had hated him from the start. But I’d loved him. Or thought I did. I was the useless omega who couldn’t even keep her husband interested. The failure who drove her mate into the arms of other men. No, not even that. He’d never wanted me at all. I stumbled to the bathroom and locked myself inside. The sobs came from somewhere deep in my chest, ugly and raw and unstoppable. I pressed my hands over my mouth, trying to stay quiet, but the grief was too big to contain. I’d spent months questioning everything about myself. Was I too much or not enough? And when I pushed too hard for answers, for affection, for anything, his hands became fists. The bruises always hidden where no one could see. All those business trips. All those late nights at the office. All those times he said he was too tired or too stressed. He’d been with them. With those men. Laughing at how pathetic I was for believing his lies. Someone knocked on the door hard enough to rattle it. “Occupied!” I choked out. The knocking continued, louder and more insistent. “I said it’s occupied! Go away!” The door opened anyway. “You do realize this is the men’s room, right?” The voice was deep and rough, vibrating through the tiny space and cutting through my spiral of misery. I looked up through tear-blurred eyes and froze. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Tall enough that he had to duck slightly through the doorway, with broad shoulders that filled the entire frame. Dark hair that looked like he’d been running his hands through it, a sharp jawline, and eyes so blue they looked almost unnatural. There was something dangerous about him, something predatory that made my wolf sit up and take notice despite my broken state. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—” I tried to squeeze past him, but the bathroom was too small and he was too big and suddenly we were close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. He caught my arm gently but firmly, stopping me completely. The touch sent a shock of electricity racing up my skin that made me gasp. “Why are you crying?” His voice had gone cold and commanding in a way that made something low in my stomach tighten. I couldn’t speak. His blue eyes bored into mine like he could see straight through to my soul, and there was heat in that gaze that made my breath catch. I knew this man from somewhere. I’d seen his face before, maybe in pack newsletters or territory reports, but I couldn’t place it through the fog of grief. His scent felt like a substance. Pine and winter and something wild that made my head spin. “It’s none of your business,” I whispered, trying to pull my arm free. “Please just let me go.” His grip tightened slightly, possessive in a way that should have scared me but didn’t. “I think it is my business. I don’t like seeing a beautiful woman cry.” Beautiful. The word hit me with surprise. When was the last time anyone called me beautiful? When was the last time someone looked at me like I was worth something instead of a disappointing burden? Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. “You want to know why I’m crying? Fine!” The words came out bitter and sharp. “I just caught my husband in a full or'gy with his business partners. In our living room. On our couch. He was on his knees servicing another man while they all laughed about how Silly and desperate I am.” His expression darkened immediately. Something feral and violent flashed in those ice-blue eyes, there and gone so fast I almost missed it. Then his gaze turned molten, heated in a way that made my skin flush despite everything. “Your husband is a fool,” he said, his voice dropping lower and rougher. The sound of it sent shivers racing down my spine. “What kind of man would have you and choose anyone else?” The words were so unexpected, so genuine, that something inside me warmed. This stranger was looking at me with more desire and appreciation than my own husband had shown me in months of marriage. More than Gale had shown me in years, if I was being honest with myself. My voice broke as I spoke. “I tried so hard to be what he wanted.” I looked away, unable to meet his gaze as I admitted this to a stranger. “And the whole time, he was just... laughing at me.” His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking there. “There’s nothing wrong with you. The problem is him.” “You don’t know that,” I murmured. “I know enough from where I’m standing.” He stepped closer, crowding me back against the small sink. His hand came up to cup my face, thumb brushing away my tears with surprising gentleness. “You’re trembling.” “I’m angry,” I whispered, but it came out breathless because his touch was doing things to me that I didn’t understand. I swallowed hard. “I don’t know what to do with all of it.” “What do you want to do?” What did I want? I wanted to stop feeling worthless. I wanted to stop being the pathetic omega everyone pitied. I wanted to feel desired instead of discarded. I wanted someone to look at me like this stranger was looking at me right now, like I was something precious and wanted and worth having. I was so tired of being good. Of following all the rules while everyone else broke them. Of trying to be the perfect wife while my husband made a fool of me. If Gale could have his fun, why couldn’t I? “If you really want to be a gentleman right now and save the damsel in distress...” I paused, watching his eyes darken further, pupils blowing wide. “Then you should bend me over right here and f'k- me against this wall.” His pupils went completely black. A low, rough sound rumbled from his chest—something between a growl and a groan that made my thighs clench. Yes, I just asked him to f'k- me. EMBER’S POV The words hang between us, and I can’t believe I just said them. But there’s no denying the intensity of my desire for this man, even in the midst of my heartbreak. Sapphire is going absolutely feral inside me—she wants to feel his hands run down every inch of my skin and it makes no sense. We don’t even know him. He raises an eyebrow at me, something dark and amused flickering across his devastatingly handsome face. “Is that really what you want?” His voice drops lower, rougher, each word like a physical caress. I nod, feeling a rush of heat flood through me. I know it’s reckless, but I can’t help myself. I need this. I need him. I need to feel wanted instead of worthless. I need to forget Gale’s mocking voice, Logan’s cruel laughter, the image of my husband on his knees. If Gale can f'k- whoever he wants, so can I. But just as quickly as the moment ignited, it flickers out as he takes a step back from me, his expression cooling into something almost bored. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid I have other business to attend to.” What? He’s rejecting me? Something hot and humiliating floods through my chest. Of course. Of course even a stranger doesn’t want me. Gale was right—I’m desperate, pathetic, not worth— No. f'k- that. Wild instinct takes over and I grab his arm as he turns to leave, yanking him back around. Before I can second-guess myself, before I can think about consequences or propriety or anything beyond this moment, I kiss him with everything I have. His lips are sinfully soft, perfect, and the contact sends a rush of liquid heat straight between my legs. For a moment, he’s completely still, and panic claws at me—oh god, he really doesn’t want me— Then he growls. The sound is purely animalistic, vibrating against my mouth as his hands suddenly slam against the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. He kisses me back with bruising intensity, all teeth and tongue and raw hunger that makes my knees weak. Our tongues meet in a fierce dance and I cling to him desperately, wanting to lose myself in this moment, in this feeling of being wanted so intensely it borders on violence. His hands roam over my body with clear purpose—gripping my waist, my hips, my bottom—each touch sending electric shocks down my spine. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Maybe my relationship with Gale kept me so Intimately starved that even this contact with a stranger drives me mad with desire, but I don’t care. I don’t fking care anymore. He shoves me back against the wall, pinning my wrists above my head with one large hand. His body presses hard against mine and I can feel every muscled inch of him, including the thick length of his cok straining against his pants, pressing into my stomach. Oh god. His hot breath teases my neck as he peppers kisses along my throat, biting down on my pulse point hard enough to make me cry out. The pleasure-pain is exquisite, and I arch into him shamelessly. “Such pretty sounds,” he murmurs against my skin, voice like gravel. “I wonder what other noises I can make you make.” His free hand slides underneath my dress, trailing up my inner thigh with agonizing slowness. I’m trembling, desperate, my panties already soaked through. When his fingers finally brush against the lace, I gasp. “f'k-,” he breathes, pressing harder. “You’re dripping wet already.” His fingers hook under the fabric, pushing it aside, and when he touches my bare pusy I actually whimper. “Are you this desperate to get fked by me? By a complete stranger?” I should feel ashamed. I should stop this. Instead, I moan and lean into his touch, spreading my legs wider in shameless invitation. This is who I am now. The good girl who followed every rule is gone. I just want to feel something other than pain. “I want to hear you say it.” His finger circles my cl1t, slow and torturous, making my hips buck. “If you want my cok inside you that badly, then beg for it. Convince me you deserve it.” Then he plunges two fingers deep inside me. “Oh god!” The cry rips from my throat as he fks me with his fingers, rough and fast and perfect. My thighs shake, my whole body trembling as pleasure builds at an impossible rate. “Say it,” he demands, curling his fingers to hit that spot that makes me see stars. “Yes! Please!” I’m gasping, grinding down on his hand. “Please f'k- me. I need you to take me right here. Use me, ruin me—I don’t care. Just please—” He chuckles darkly against my skin, the vibrations sending me even closer to the edge. Then his lips brush my ear, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I never thought I’d see the day where you’d be such a naughty girl, Ember.” I freeze. Wait. How does he know my name? Why does he sound like he knows me? The pleasure has completely disoriented my thoughts, but I manage to pull back slightly, staring at this gorgeous stranger carefully. He still looks so familiar, I just can’t place from where... “W-what?” My voice is breathless, shaky. “How do you know my name?” The devious man smirks, wicked intentions etched into every handsome line of his face. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize your Lycan King, Ember darling.” His blue eyes hold that cruel, calculating glint I’ve seen before, and suddenly it hits me like a fkn freight train. “I certainly know about the beautiful mate of Alpha Gale Crawford.” No. Oh god, no. King Knox Volkov. I just kissed the most dangerous man in the world. I just begged the Lycan King to f'k- me in an airplane bathroom. As the Lycan King, he rules with an iron fist—both the urban city as a filthy rich CEO and the supreme ruler of the werewolf realm. He’s ruthless and unforgiving, with a reputation that precedes him. Stories of alphas who crossed him and simply disappeared. Packs that challenged his authority and were wiped off the map. He’s a man who commands respect and fear in equal measure, and I just threw myself at him like a Beach in heat. Mortification crashes over me. He’s Gale’s boss. The supreme authority over every pack in North America. Do you know how ruined my life would be if word gets out that I tried seducing the Lycan King? Alpha Gale’s wife throwing herself at his superior? The scandal would destroy what little reputation I have left. I flush with embarrassment and try to push him away, but he steps in closer instead, his fingers still buried inside me, making me cry out involuntarily. “Don’t stop the fun now.” His grin is pure wickedness. “Why do you seem so frightened?” My mind is in chaos, my whole body overcome with conflicting urges—run, stay, hide, submit. “No... no... no.” I shake my head frantically when he leans in to kiss me again. “I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. This was a mistake. A huge mistake.” His expression darkens immediately, eyes flashing gold—his wolf rising to the surface. My heart pounds and all my false courage evaporates. “It’s too late for that.” King Knox growls. “You begged me to f'k- you, Ember. You asked me to ruin you. And that is exactly what I’m going to do. Nothing less.” “Wait—” But before I can object, before I can think, he spins me around to face the mirror and bends me over the sink. My hands slam against the counter to catch myself, and I watch in the mirror as he yanks my skirt up around my waist. His hand runs up my inner thigh and he discovers what his fingers already confirmed—I’m soaking wet, my thighs slick with arousal despite my protests. “Look at yourself,” he commands, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “Look at how desperate you are for this. For me.” My reflection stares back—face flushed, lips swollen from his kisses, eyes wide and glassy with need. I look wrecked. I look like someone I don’t recognize. “This is your last chance to back out,” Knox says, his voice rough as his hands grip my hips. “Because once I’m inside you, you belong to me until I decide we’re done. Understand?” I should say no. Should push him away. Should think about the consequences. Instead, I push my hips back against him in answer. Knox growls in satisfaction. I hear the sound of fabric tearing and feel cool air against my core as he rips my panties completely off. Then he slams into me in one brutal move. “f'k-!” The scream tears from my throat as he splits me open. He’s huge, so thick I can barely breathe, filling me so completely it borders on pain. His hand clamps over my mouth immediately. “Quiet,” he orders against my ear. “Unless you want everyone on this plane to know what a desperate little bimbo you are.” He pulls out almost completely, then drives back in, setting a devastating rhythm that has the counter rattling beneath me. Each thrvst pushes me forward, my palms squeaking against the mirror as I try to brace myself. “Watch,” he commands, forcing my head up to meet my own eyes in the reflection. “Watch how good you look getting fked properly.” And I do. I watch myself take his cok, watch my face transform with pleasure, watch the way my body moves with each brutal thrvst. I’ve never hа'd sex standing up before. Never felt anything like this raw, desperate claiming. It felt so fkn good. His hand moves from my mouth to wrap around my throat, possessing, owning. His other hand grips my hip hard enough to bruise. “When’s the last time someone made you come?” he growls in my ear. I can barely think, barely breathe. “I... I don’t remember...” He stills completely, and the look on his face in the mirror is pure fury. “You don’t remember?” “Gale never... he never could...” Something feral crosses Knox’s expression. He pulls out suddenly and I whimper at the loss, feeling empty and aching. But then he spins me around, lifts me onto the counter, and drops to his knees. “What are you—oh my GOD!” His mouth is on me, tongue finding my cl1t with devastating precision. His fingers push inside me, curling to hit that spot that makes my vision go white. I’ve never felt anything like this. Gale never wanted to do this, said it was degrading, that good omegas shouldn’t expect— I have to bite down on my own fist to keep from screaming as pleasure crashes over me in waves. My thighs clamp around Knox’s head, my whole body shaking as I come harder than I ever have in my life. Knox doesn’t give me time to recover. He stands, positions himself between my spread thighs, and fks into me again—this time slower, deeper, watching my face as I take every inch. “Count,” he orders. “W-what?” “Count how many times you come. Because you’re going to remember exactly who gave you real pleasure for the first time.” He punctuates the words with a brutal thrvst that hits something deep inside me, and I’m already climbing toward another or'gаsm, my body still sensitive from the first. “One,” I gasp out as the second one hits. Knox smirks and picks up his pace. By the time I gasp out “Three,” my voice hoarse and broken, there’s loud pounding on the bathroom door. “This is the flight attendant! You need to exit the bathroom immediately!” shhht. EMBER’S POV King Knox doesn’t stop, not even when the flight attendant keeps knocking and demanding to know if everything’s alright. If only she knew that the Lycan King is currently buried deep inside me, fcking me like he owns me. I bite down hа'rd-on my bottom lip to contain my moans, watching the feral hunger blazing in Knox’s golden eyes. His thrvsts keep getting deeper, harder, more brutal—each one hitting something inside me that makes my toes curl and my vision go white. Then he closes the distance between us and captures my lips in a devastating kiss, swallowing my desperate whimpers as he drives in one final time, so deep I swear I can feel him in my throat. His teeth sink into my shoulder—not quite a mating bite but close enough to leave a mark—and he groans against my skin as his cok pulses inside me. I come one last time, clenching around him as he fills me, both of us frozen together, panting. The flight attendant pounds on the door again, more insistent this time. Knox pulls out slowly and I whimper at the loss, immediately feeling his cvm start to leak down my inner thighs. He calmly zips up and smooths his suit like he didn’t just rail me in an airplane bathroom, then helps fix my skirt with surprising gentleness. He picks up my destroyed panties from the floor and pockets them with a smirk. “You’re not wearing these for the rest of the flight,” he says, his voice still rough with satisfaction. “I want you to feel my cvm leaking out of you and remember exactly who fked you properly.” My face burns. This man has absolutely no shame. Knox opens the door to face the mortified flight attendant. The woman’s eyes go wide when she recognizes him—everyone knows what the Lycan King looks like—and her face goes completely white. Knox slips her several hundred-dollar bills without blinking. “For your discretion and excellent service.” Then he walks back to his seat without looking back at me, leaving me standing in the bathroom doorway, thoroughly fckd, pantyless, and realizing I just hа'd sex with the most powerful alpha in North America. Oh my god. Oh my god. What did I just do? This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. I just fked the Lycan King. In an airplane bathroom. Without protection. And now his cvm is literally dripping down my thighs and I have no underwear because he ripped them off and pocketed them like some kind of trophy. I return to my seat on shaky legs, acutely aware of Knox’s warm cvm. The businessman in 3B is definitely smirking like he heard everything. The flight attendant won’t make eye contact and keeps her distance. I collapse into my seat, face burning with mortification. I refuse to look across the aisle where Knox has calmly returned to his seat and is reading something on his phone like he didn’t just f'k- me senseless thirty seconds ago. How can he be so calm? How can he act like nothing happened? Meanwhile I’m over here trying not to hyperventilate because I just cheated on my husband—even though my husband was literally in an or'gy—with the most dangerous man in the werewolf world. The Lycan King. Gale’s boss. The man who could destroy both our packs with a single word. I need to process this. Need to think. Need to figure out what the hll I’m going to do now. My phone buzzes in my bag. Thanks to advanced wolf technology, a special communication layer allows calls even during flight—one of the few perks of travelling on a pack-owned airline. I pull it out and see an unknown number calling. My finger hovers over the decline button, but something makes me answer. “Ember! Thank god you picked up!” Gale’s voice makes my entire body go rigid with rage. He’s calling from someone else’s phone since I blocked him. Of course he is. Of course he found a way around my boundaries. “Don’t hang up, please, just listen to me for one second—” “I have nothing to say to you,” I snap, but he talks right over me like he always does. “What you saw wasn’t what you think!” His voice is high-pitched, hysterical, manic. “I love you, Ember. I swear to god, I love you. Those men meant nothing. It was just stress relief, it doesn’t count as cheating—” Doesn’t count as cheating? DOESN’T COUNT AS CHEATING? I can hear Logan Reeves coaching him in the background. “Tell her you’ll go to therapy. Tell her you’ll change. Women love that. Tell her it’ll never happen again.” The audacity. The absolute fkn audacity of both of them. “You’re calling me from Logan’s phone?” I gasp. “The same Logan whose his not-so-little friend was in your mouth two hours ago. Do you see the irony here, Gale? Do you?” “Baby, please, you have to understand—” “Don’t. Call. Me. That.” “I was confused! I didn’t know what I wanted! But I know now, I know I want you, I want our marriage—” “What you want,” I interrupt, my voice shaking with barely contained fury, “is for me to keep playing the perfect little omega wife while you f'k- whoever you want behind my back. That’s what you want.” “No! That’s not—where are you right now? Just tell me where you are and we can talk about this face to face. We can work through this together like adults—” “Work through this? You want to work through the fact that I caught you in a full gay or'gy in our living room?” “It wasn’t—you’re making it sound worse than it was—” “How am I making it worse? There were three of you! You were on your knees! They were laughing about how pathetic I am!” Gale’s voice shifts, becomes harder, more calculated. “Our marriage is a pack treaty, Ember. If you leave me, you destroy both our packs. Is that what you want? To be responsible for a war? Think about your parents. Think about everyone who depends on this alliance—” “Oh, so now you’re threatening me?” “I’m not threatening you, I’m just being realistic. You can’t just run away because you’re upset. You have responsibilities. We both do. This is bigger than us—” A large, warm hand suddenly wraps around my wrist. I startle and look to my left to find Knox has moved from his seat across the aisle and is now sitting in the empty seat right beside me, his blue eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that steals my breath. When did he—how did I not notice him moving? Before I can ask, before I can protest, he plucks the phone from my hand with the casual dominance of someone who’s used to being obeyed without question. My eyes go wide. “What are you—” Knox puts the call on speaker. Gale’s pathetic pleading fills the quiet first-class cabin. “—I know I hurt you, but running away isn’t the answer. Come home and we’ll figure this out. I promise I’ll be better. I’ll be the husband you deserve. I’ll do whatever it takes—” Then Knox does something that makes my brain completely short-circuit. He slides his hand up my thigh, under my skirt, and pushes two fingers inside my still-sensitive center. Right there. In my seat. With other passengers nearby. With my husband on the phone. I open my mouth to protest but only a strangled gasp comes out. Knox’s eyes meet mine and there’s pure wicked amusement in them as his fingers curl inside me, finding that spot that makes me see stars. “What the—are you okay, Ember? Why are you breathing like that?” Gale’s voice sharpens with suspicion. “Who’s there with you? Is someone there?” I can’t answer. Can’t speak. Knox’s thumb finds my cl1t and starts circling it with maddening precision while his fingers pump slowly in and out of me. This is insane. This is absolutely insane. I’m furious—how dare he answer my phone, how dare he touch me like this in public, how dare he interfere—but I’m also getting dangerously close to coming and I can’t find the words to tell him to stop. My hand grips the armrest so hard my knuckles turn white. I bite down on my lip to keep from making noise. Gale is still talking. “Ember, answer me! Who’s breathing like that? Are you with someone? Tell me right now!” Knox leans down, his lips brushing my ear as he whispers just loud enough for me to hear. “Should I tell him? Should I tell your pathetic excuse for a husband that you’re currently dripping wet and clenching around my fingers?” I shake my head frantically, eyes wide with panic and arousal. Knox chuckles darkly and straightens up, his fingers never stopping their devastating rhythm inside me. Then he speaks into the phone, his voice cold and commanding. “She heard you clearly, Gale. She’s done.” Silence on the other end. Complete, dead silence. Then— “Who the fck is this?” “The divorce papers are already being prepared by my legal team,” Knox continues smoothly, like he’s discussing the weather and not currently finger-fkn me. “And I assure you, they’re very thorough. Very expensive. You won’t like the settlement terms.” His thumb presses harder against my cl1t and I have to bite my fist to keep from crying out. “Is that... no. No way. Is that King Knox Volkov?” Gale sounds like he’s choking. “What the fck is going on? Ember, what did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?” “What she did,” Knox says, his voice dropping to something dark and possessive, “is realize she deserves better than a closeted alpha who can’t even make her come.” Oh my god. He did not just say that. “You son of a bimbo! You think you can just swoop in and—” “I don’t think anything,” Knox interrupts. “I know. And here’s what I know: Ember will be far too busy screaming my name to take any more of your pathetic calls. So stop calling.” “You’re fkn her? You’re fking my wife?! How long?!” Gale is screaming now. “I’ll destroy you! I’ll go to the Council! I’ll—” Knox hangs up and drops the phone in my lap. His fingers never stop moving inside me. In fact, they speed up, curling harder, hitting that spot over and over while his thumb works my cllt with devastating precision. I’m right on the edge, trembling, trying desperately to stay quiet. The businessman a few rows back has headphones in but the flight attendant definitely knows what’s happening and is pointedly facing away, her face bright red. “Come for me,” Knox murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. “Come on my fingers while you think about how much better this feels than anything your husband ever gave you.” His words push me over the edge. I come hard, biting down on my fist to muffle the sound, my pusy clenching rhythmically around his fingers, my whole body shaking with the intensity of it. Knox works me through every wave, drawing it out until I’m boneless and gasping. Slowly, he withdraws his fingers. I watch in horrified fascination as he brings them to his mouth and licks them clean, his eyes locked on mine the entire time. “Delicious,” he says softly. Then he calmly returns to his seat across the aisle like he didn’t just make me come in the middle of a commercial flight. I sit there trembling, unable to move, unable to think, my mind completely blank except for one repeating thought: What on eаrth just happened? EMBER’S POV This morning I was a married omega trying to save her marriage with expensive lingerie. Now I’m a soon-to-be-divorced omega who fckd the Lycan King in an airplane bathroom and let him finger me to or'gаsm while my husband was on the phone. My life has become a complete disaster. The pilot’s voice crackles over the intercom. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Anchorage. Local time is 7:43 PM and the current temperature is minus twelve degrees.” Anchorage. Home. The seatbelt sign dings off and passengers spring into action. I have no luggage, no coat, no plan. Just the clothes on my back and about two hundred dollars in my bank account. I’ll find a cheap hotel, I decide. One of those budget places near the airport. I’ll figure out my next steps in the morning. Call my parents and try to explain why their daughter’s arranged marriage just imploded on Christmas Eve. Yeah. That’ll be a fun conversation. I stand on shaky legs, my body still feeling the aftermath of everything Knox did to me. His cvm has dried uncomfortably in my skirt and I’m painfully aware that I’m still not wearing underwear because the Lycan King pocketed my torn panties like some kind of perv. I step into the aisle and immediately freeze. Knox is suddenly there, blocking my path, his blue eyes locked onto mine with that same intensity that makes my heart race. “You’re coming with me.” I blink up at him. “I appreciate what happened back there, I do. But you’re still basically a stranger and I barely know you beyond the fact that you’re the Lycan King and you just—” My face heats. “Well. You know.” “fckd you senseless in an airplane bathroom?” His lips curve slightly. “Yes, I’m aware.” “Right. That.” I clear my throat. “Look, it was... good. Really good. But it was just sx. We don’t owe each other anything.” “I disagree.” “You can disagree all you want, but I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” I try to move past him but he doesn’t budge. “Excuse me.” “Where exactly are you planning to go?” “Hotel. There’s a Holiday Inn near the airport.” “With what money?” I lift my chin. “I have enough.” “For how long?” He tilts his head, studying me. “One night? Two? What happens when that runs out?” “I’ll figure it out. People do it all the time.” “And what happens when Gale tracks your credit card and shows up at your door?” My stomach drops. I hadn’t thought of that. Of course he’ll track my card. He has access to all our accounts. Knox sees the realization on my face. “You have two choices, Ember. Walk out of here with me willingly, or I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out. Either way, you’re coming with me.” “You wouldn’t dare.” But even as I say it, I can see in his eyes that he absolutely would. “That’s kidnapping.” “It’s protection.” His voice softens slightly. “I’m not going to hurt you, Ember. But I’m also not going to let you wander around Anchorage alone, broke, with your unhinged husband hunting you down.” The scary part is, I believe him. This man I barely know, this Lycan King who just finger-fckd me while my husband was on the phone, actually seems concerned about my safety. Maybe I’ve completely lost my mind, but I’m considering it. “Why?” I ask quietly. “Why do you care what happens to me?” Something flickers across his face, there and gone too fast for me to read. “Let’s just say I’ve always been intrigued by Gale’s little omega wife. The way you smiled at those boring pack events while he ignored you. The way you’d bring us coffee during meetings and pretend you didn’t notice when he looked right through you.” His hand comes up to cup my jaw, thumb brushing over my bottom lip. “You deserved better than him. And I have a proposition that might interest you. Especially if you’re interested in making Gale Crawford’s life a living hll.” That gets my attention. “You’re bribing me with revenge?” “I’m offering you options.” His lips curve into a smile that’s pure sin. “The question is whether you’re brave enough to take them.” I should walk away. Should tell him to leave me alone and handle my problems myself like an adult. But the truth is, I’m terrified. I have no real plan, barely any resources, and Gale is probably already on his way here. I’m trying to act tough, trying to stand tall, but I’m a house cat trying to roar like a wolf. And the idea of making Gale suffer the way he made me suffer? That sounds really, really good. “If this proposition turns out to be something creepy,” I say, meeting his eyes with more bravery than I feel, “I’m kneeing you in the balls and stealing your car.” His laugh is genuine, surprised. “Fair enough.” He extends his hand. After a long moment’s hesitation, I take it. His fingers close around mine, warm and possessive, and he pulls me into the aisle. My heart is pounding. I’m literally leaving with the Lycan King. The most powerful, most dangerous alpha in North America. What am I doing? We move through the jetway and into the terminal. Knox’s hand settles on the small of my back, and even through my shirt I can feel the heat of his palm burning into my skin. “So where exactly are you taking me?” I ask, trying to sound casual and failing. “Please tell me it’s not some creepy murder cabin in the woods.” “I don’t do cabins. Too rustic.” There’s amusement in his voice. “I’m taking you somewhere you’ll be safe, fed, and properly taken care of.” “Properly taken care of.” I swallow hard. “That’s ominously vague.” Knox glances down at me, and the heat in his eyes makes my stomach flip. “Would you prefer I be specific? I’m taking you somewhere I can strip you out of that cvm-stained skirt, put you in a hot bath, feed you something that isn’t airplane food, and then f'k- you in an actual bed like you deserve.” My face flames. “You really have no filter, do you?” “None whatsoever.” He sounds completely unbothered. “Life’s too short for false modesty.” We round a corner and suddenly chaos erupts ahead of us. Camera flashes everywhere. Shouting. Reporters swarming like vultures sensing blood. And in the middle of baggage claim, looking absolutely unhinged— “EMBER! EMBER, I KNOW YOU’RE HERE!” Gale. He’s actually here. He flew here ahead of me somehow and is now having a complete public meltdown. His suit is wrinkled, his tie gone, his hair sticking up in every direction like he’s been tearing at it. Logan Reeves stands behind him looking deeply uncomfortable while two other pack members try unsuccessfully to calm him down. “We need to talk! Please! I love you! Don’t do this!” Several reporters are filming everything, phones out, clearly sensing a major scandal brewing. Oh my god. This is going to be everywhere by tomorrow morning. Every pack in North America will see this. Knox’s hand tightens protectively on my back. “This way.” He steers me toward a corridor marked “Private Access” and pushes through the door like he owns the place. Maybe he does. The Lycan King probably has access to everything. We emerge into a quiet hallway and I can still hear Gale’s voice echoing behind us, muffled but desperate. “EMBER! Please! I can change! I’ll be better! I’ll go to therapy!” “He sounds stable,” Knox comments dryly. “He’s probably been drinking with Logan.” The words slip out before I can stop them. “They do that when they’re stressed.” Knox’s eyes sharpen with interest but he doesn’t push. “Come on.” We reach another door and he pushes it open, revealing a private parking area. A sleek black BMW M8 is waiting, engine purring, driver standing at attention beside it. “Mr. Volkov.” The driver opens the back door immediately. Knox guides me toward the car but I stop, my feet refusing to move forward. This is it. Once I get in that car, there’s no going back. I’m making a choice to trust a man I barely know, a man whose reputation includes making alphas disappear when they cross him. But what’s my alternative? Go back out there where Gale is having a meltdown? Find a cheap hotel where he’ll track me down within hours? Who knows what he’d do when groveling doesn’t work? “I need to know what this proposition is,” I say, looking up at Knox. “Before I get in that car with you.” Knox turns to face me fully. The parking garage lighting casts shadows across his sharp features, making him look even more dangerous than usual. More devastating too, in a way that makes my breath catch despite everything. His hand comes up again, fingers gentle as they tilt my chin up. “Not here. But I promise you, Ember—what I’m offering will give you everything you need. Safety. Protection. Resources. And the chance to make Gale Crawford wish he’d never been born.” My pulse races. “That’s still vague.” “Get in the car and I’ll explain everything.” His thumb traces my bottom lip. “Trust me.” “I don’t know you well enough to trust you.” “No,” he agrees. “But you know Gale. And you know what’s waiting for you if you walk away from me right now.” His eyes hold mine. “So what’s it going to be, Ember? Take a chance on the devil you don’t know, or go back to on eаrth you’re trying to escape?” I look at the car. At the open door. At the promise of something different, something that might actually give me the power to fight back. Then I look back toward the terminal where my husband is probably still screaming my name for cameras. The choice suddenly seems very simple. I slide into the back seat. Knox follows immediately, the door closing with an expensive thunk, sealing us into leather-scented darkness. The car pulls away smoothly, leaving the airport—and Gale’s public breakdown—behind us. My heart won’t stop racing. I’m in a car with the Lycan King. Alone. After hа'ving sex with him. This is insane. “So,” I say, my voice coming out smaller than I’d like as city lights stream past the windows. “What’s this proposition?” Knox settles back against the seat, looking completely at ease, like he didn’t just orchestrate my escape from a very public scene. In the dim light, his eyes catch the passing streetlamps, turning them almost silver. When he smiles, it’s pure wickedness. “How would you feel about being my fake girlfriend for the next week?” EMBER’S POV My brain stutters. “Fake girlfriend?” I repeat. “As in… pretend we’re dating?” Knox smiles like a wolf who’s just cornered a rabbit. “You catch on fast, Ember.” The car slides through the icy city, neon and halogen smearing the windows. I half expect him to take it back, say it’s a joke, but King Knox is not a man who jokes. I stare at his profile—clean, sharp, intimidating as gosh—and the last few hours tumble through my head like dice in a rigged game. I crossed a line with this man. Lines don’t matter to him. He just redraws them to suit himself. “I don’t get it,” I say, and my voice sounds thin, even to me. “Why me? You could have anyone—” He cuts a look my way, ice-blue and amused. “That’s exactly why it’ll work. No one expects me to pick the omega wife of my own subordinate, especially not after tonight’s little airport meltdown.” He’s right. It’s the kind of power move that’d keep every rumor mill spinning for months. “But you don’t even know me,” I protest. “I know enough.” His eyes rake over me deliberately. “I know you’re smart enough to recognize an opportunity when you see one. Beautiful enough to make every alpha in that room jealous when I walk in with you on my arm.” He leans closer. “And I know I want to f'k- you again. Everything else is just details.” I cross my arms, suddenly aware of how tight my sweater is. My cheeks burn. “It’s only for a week,” Knox says. “One week of holding hands at events and letting everyone believe you’re my latest obsession. In exchange, you get protection, money, and I’ll make sure Gale never bothers you again. If you want the divorce, I’ll sign the paperwork myself. No strings.” A short laugh escapes me. “So your solution to my cheating husband problem is to become a kept woman for a week. That’s genuinely your best idea?” He shrugs, though his gaze stays intense. “The Christmas Summit starts tomorrow. You want to face Gale and his lawyers alone? Or do you want to walk into that resort on my arm and make him shift himself in front of every pack alpha on the continent?” I go silent. The car’s heater is blasting, but my hands are cold. “What’s the catch?” I ask, because there’s always a catch. Knox leans in, voice dropping. “You do what I say. No arguments. That includes in public and in private. If you’re not up for the full girlfriend experience, find another sugar daddy, princess.” His eyes drop to my mouth, linger there a half-second too long. I can’t breathe. He means sx. Of course he does. He wants me as a prop, a property, and a f'k- toy all rolled into one neat little package. The thought should make me sick. Instead, it sends a pulse of heat straight through my body, turning my bones to jelly. Sapphire is purring inside me, little traitor. I open my mouth to argue, but the car is already slowing, pulling up a long drive lined with glittering evergreens. At the end of the lane, a building rises out of the darkness—gargantuan, all glass and intimidating angles, every window ablaze with light. Mystic Fire Winter Resort. A valet sprints to open the car door and the cold night air slaps my face, shocking me into the present. Knox is out first, tossing keys to the valet and dropping a bill that looks suspiciously like a hundred. He circles the car to my side and offers a hand. I ignore it, because if I touch him, I might forget how to walk. He doesn’t seem to mind. His hand settles on the small of my back, pushing me forward. The entryway is a study in opulence—high glass ceilings, enormous stone fireplace, entire trees inside the lobby hung with silver ornaments and glass moons. There’s a hush, the way there always is before a bloodbath. The desk clerk looks up and goes pale, like she’s seeing a ghost. Behind her, two men in tailored suits glance over and immediately drop their voices. I’m not an idiot. Every eye in the place is on Lycan King Knox Volkov. And, by extension, on me. We cross the lobby, past more security than an airport, and into a private elevator. The doors slide shut with a hiss. Knox hits the button for the top floor and lets out a slow exhale. “Relax,” he says, glancing sidelong at me. “I am relaxed,” I lie, voice strangled. His eyes sweep down my body and linger at my legs, and then he leans in, nose almost brushing my ear. “You’re still wet, Ember. You really thought I wouldn’t notice?” My face goes thermonuclear. He chuckles. “We’ll have to do something about that when we get to the suite.” The doors open onto a private corridor carpeted in black. At the end, double doors. Knox pushes them open without ceremony. The penthouse is a cathedral of luxury—windows floor to ceiling, a view of the snow-drowned valley, a modern fireplace already burning, and a bar stocked with more liquor than I could drink in a decade. Every surface gleams, nothing out of place. It’s the kind of setting where a normal person would feel instantly smaller. He motions for me to sit. My knees are shaking, so I do. I don’t belong here. Not just in this room, but in this world. I’m wearing a wrinkled skirt, my thighs still sticky, and I haven’t brushed my hair since the plane. Even my shoes look pathetic on the white marble. Knox fixes two drinks—whiskey, neat, no questions. He hands me a glass and perches on the arm of a leather chair across from me, suit jacket unbuttoned, blue eyes never leaving my face. I’m actually in a hotel room alone with the fkn Lycan King. My mind is still baffled. He waits until I’ve taken two desperate sips before speaking. “Here’s how this works,” he says, voice suddenly businesslike. “We attend every event together for the next seven days. You do as I say in public and in private. You’ll act like my girlfriend—no less, but also no more. When it’s over, you get a check, and if you want a permanent job, you’ll have it. If not, we part ways. I don’t care if you f'k- off to Bali or start a cult0.” I take another gulp of whiskey. It burns, in a good way. “Why?” I say, because none of this adds up. “Why bother?” Knox studies me. “You know who Rayana is?” “Of course.” I remember her from the pack newsletters. Supermodel, business mogul, former girlfriend of the Lycan King. Most gorgeous woman alive, according to Cosmo and every shifter gossip site. “She’s your ex.” “‘Ex’ is a generous term,” Knox says. “She’s an obsession that refuses to die. She’s back in Alaska, claiming she has six months to live and wants ‘one last Christmas together.’ She’s told every elder in the northern territories that we’re reuniting, she’s milked the sob story for all it’s worth, and if I don’t play ball, she’ll make it a public spectacle.” “That sounds… dramatic.” “That sounds like blackmail,” Knox corrects, deadpan. “So, I need a girlfriend. A real one. At least in the eyes of the media and the packs. Someone with just enough public disgrace to be interesting, and just enough dignity to make Rayana look like an idiot.” It takes me a second to realize he’s talking about me. “But you could have any woman you want,” I say, and it comes out so pathetic I want to bite my tongue off. He takes a long swallow of whiskey, then sets the glass down. “That’s the point. I want one no one expects. I want to humiliate Gale, I want to f'k- Rayana off my doorstep, and I want a woman who won’t fall apart if I make her scream in a bathroom.” I stare at him. “Why not just pay a professional escort?” I blurt. Knox grins viciously. “I did, once. She tried to blackmail me for an extra fifty grand. I had her deported.” I believe him. I weigh my options. My alternatives are: (a) go back to a hotel and wait for Gale to ruin my life, or (b) play trophy girlfriend to the Lycan King and get a severance check big enough to make all my problems disappear. “Say I agree,” I hedge, setting my glass down. “What do you get out of this?” Knox leans forward, elbows on knees. “What do you think I get out of this, Ember?” My mouth goes dry. “sx.” He doesn’t deny it. “And you’ll enjoy it.” That cockiness should be a turnoff, but instead it makes me want to see how far he’ll go. I close my eyes, just for a second. Try to imagine the next week. The gossips, the events, the way the other omegas will stare at me with envy or disgust or both. The way Gale will absolutely lose his mind. The way I’ll wake up every morning in the arms of a man who knows how to make me come with a single look. It’s not a fantasy I ever had, but now that I see it, I want it. “Okay,” I say. “But I have conditions.” He raises an eyebrow. “Let’s hear them.” “One: You don’t get to treat me like an idiot. If I have to act like your girlfriend, I get to know what’s going on. No secrets that’ll make me look like a fool.” “Deal.” “Two: If this ends in disaster, and I mean real disaster, you help me disappear. No one should have to go back to Gale or face pack exile because their boss wanted to win a pissing contest with his ex.” Knox’s lips curve. “You’d like Australia. Plenty of wild animals. I’ll have you on a flight in under an hour if it comes to that.” He’s probably not joking. “And three…” My face burns so hot it could melt the whiskey glass. “You have to promise to make me come every time. I need to see stars. No exceptions. Because Gale never did, and I refuse to go back to being a sad, unsatisfied omega.” The silence that follows is so heavy I could drown in it. Then Knox stands, crossing the space in three steps. He’s right in front of me, looming, heat and energy radiating off him like a wildfire. He takes my chin between his fingers, tilts my head back until I’m forced to meet his eyes. “That won’t be a problem, darling,” he murmurs. “In fact, starting from tonight, you’ll be lucky if you ever walk straight again.”