The cold wind staps against my face as I step out of the house–her house now. The one I built with my own damn hands, hoping… praying… that one day, she’d call it home.
My first mate never even made it past the threshold. Fate took her too soon, before I could show her the life I’d dreamed of. But Kali–stubborn, sharp- tongued Kali—will get the chance.
If this damned plan works.
Gravel crunches beneath my boots as I walk away, my chest tight with the weight of a thousand regrets. But I don’t look back. Not until I’m far enough that I won’t turn around and do something reckless–like storm back in, grab her, throw her over my shoulder, and claim her on the spot.
Kiss her. Mark her. Ruin everything.
Only when I’ve put enough distance between myself and the house, where I can no longer smell her scent clinging to the air like a drug, do I finally stop- and let the mask slip.
A harsh laugh rips from my throat. Loud, breathless, like a man unhinged. My head tips back as the sound bursts out of me, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.
I wipe them away, not sure if it’s from laughter or the sting behind them. “Holy shit… how was that performance?” I ask my wolf, grinning like a lunatic. “Did you see her face? She’s not nearly as cold–hearted as she pretends to be.”
My wolf growls in my head, not amused.
“You went too far. I almost believed you were serious about accepting her rejection the next time.” His voice is hard, edged with disappointment. “That wasn’t the plan. You said you’d scare her a little–use reverse psychology to push her closer to the bond–not crush her heart.”
“I had to sell it,” I mutter, dragging a hand down my face. “She needed to believe it or it wouldn’t work. C’mon, she almost begged me to stay. You saw it.”
“Almost. And what if she doesn’t care? Then what, genius?”
“You know I’d rather die than accept her rejection, even if it means repeating our past mistakes,” I say with a wicked grin. “We’ll stick to your plan. Tie her to the bed, fuck her until she’s too sore to walk, too full of our seed to think straight, too bonded to run from us ever again.”
“Damn right,” my wolf growls proudly as I walk toward the pack building. “She practically gave us permission. You heard her. She wants us. Not just a little–she wants to be wrecked. Fuck, you should’ve taken the chance right then.”
I chuckle, my ego swelling like an untamed beast. “Did you see her face when she admitted her attraction for us? Like she wanted to bite her own tongue off. She’s ours. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
“I felt her wolf whimper,” my wolf adds, satisfaction bleeding through his tone.” Soon, she’ll be putty in our hands–submitting, begging to be marked. She’ll be ours. Completely. Our Luna. The mother of our pups. The one who seals our rule.”
I hum, my fingers flexing with anticipation, but then something darker twists in my gut.
“There’s still the issue of why she keeps passing out when we touch her…” I murmur, slowing down. “You think I’m overthinking it?”
“No,” my wolf says after a beat. “Something’s wrong. Maybe it’s not just her body reacting. Maybe she’s sick. Or cursed.”
“I don’t know. But if it happens again, we’re done guessing. We’re going to a witch.”
Just as the words leave my mouth, I reach the front of the pack house. One of my warriors stumbles out, breathless and pale.
“Alpha!” he gasps, rushing to me. “I–I tried to stop him, but he forced his way in using the royal pass-”
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