Chapter 2

Aria

"Please, baby. I did it because of you. I wanted to get close to him, to get to know him better and appreciate him as a person because of you then he seduced me and I got lost in the moment because of how much he resembles you"

We both heard gasps from behind him. Roman responded. "He's lying, Aria. We've been screwing each other for years now, his claim of being homophobic was a scheme to erase suspicions. We are more than just fuck buddies."

Roman's words hit home. I clenched my fists, angled my head, and sank my nails into my palms.

"You know what? The two of you should just pretend I was ever here-" I hiccuped and I knew I couldn't deal with this anymore. It was only a matter of time before the tears started falling.

There was barely so much I could keep in. I needed to leave here. I needed to think. To process my next step. I placed my engagement ring on the floor, half a meter away from where I was standing.

"I hope both of you have an explanation ready for our families and the guests. Cause they'll be needing it" I said with a calm indifference before turning on my heels, ignoring Rhett's plea for me to wait and talk it out with him.

I could feel the tears as they slid silently down my face. I had held myself together when I confronted Rhett and Roman but inside, I was a miserable wreck.

The truth stung and realizing it was far more devastating. For four years I believed in a love that was mutual and genuine. Only now did I realize I was a pawn in some sort of game.

It was at the foot of the floor that I remembered my father was waiting for Roman, Rhett, and me. I didn't want to go back and recall the details of Rhett tangled in my brother's body.

I hesitated with tears falling down my face for a while, then rattled off to a nearby restroom. I shut my eyes, taking deep breaths. I took off my clothes, folded it in a satchel and made a run for it in my wolf form.

'Where to,' Ivory , my wolf asked, her voice cutting through the fog in my brain.

Where to? Good question!

Home wasn't even an option. I didn't want to go to my bedroom in the packhouse that was next to Roman's. Aunt Carina was still at the party venue and I didn't want to sit in her room alone, replaying the image of Rhett and Roman. I didn't have the strength to answer her questions when she got back. So I simply answered.

"Anywhere but home" I simply answered, then curled in the dark corners of my consciousness as I let Ivory 's rage fill the dark, quiet night.

I didn't know how long Ivory kept running. One thing I do know is that it has been hours, and we've been swallowed by the night.

'Good heavens' Ivory said as she stopped running. She halted by a riverside, facing the full moon. She howled and howled to the moon as if wanting to challenge the moon's decision. Why did she let our mate betray us like that?

After shifting back to my human wolf, I wandered alone in the night until the next morning. The cast of dawn cleared around me as I walked aimlessly, my mind replaying all that had happened over and over. My phone buzzed with calls, text messages, and emails, but I didn't read or reply to any.

I just walked until my feet started to hurt and transformed into my wolf form before heading back home.

*******

It was late afternoon when I returned to Packhouse. At that time, the news of my failed engagement had bridged across every border in the werewolf territory, and as soon as I stepped into the packhouse, my father summoned me to the throne room, and I obeyed. There were ten pack elders with him and his beta when I entered the throne room, every gaze locked on me.

I stood at the center of the grand arena, still in my wolf form, tall, lean, and mud-smeared. Ivory 's white fur was covered with dirt and wet with water. The silence around me is heavy with judgment. Across the arena, my father's cold commanding black eyes found mine.

I already knew what was lurking behind those fiery eyes of his, but instead of showing my fear, I let the rage from yesterday steel me, so when I fixed my gaze on his, I wouldn't blink, and when I spoke, my voice was calm and controlled.

"Father, about yesterday, you must understand that..."

"Save it." He snapped. His jaw clenched and his expression hardened but there was a flicker in his eyes. Disappointment and Regret.

He tossed a tablet toward me, and when the screen lit up, the headline was the first thing that greeted my eyes.

"A ROYAL HUMILIATION: Nightwind Pack Heiress' sudden disappearance at engagement party with Blackstone Prince led to a scandalous end of a four-year-long marriage arrangement"

I lowered my gaze.

"Do you understand what you have done?" his tone carried a dreadful meekness in it.

"You didn't just embarrass this pack, you've weakened our alliance with the Blackstones. With the recent threats and attacks hovering over our pack, we needed a strong alliance -someone with power, command, and authority to rule alongside you to ensure the safety and longevity of our pack but you threw the one person who could give our pack that away, and because of that, you've been ousted as my heiress"

"Why am I being punished? I didn't end the wedding because I got bored. I ended it because Rhett cheated on me with my brother for years. It wasn't my fault!" my voice rang out, sharp and unwavering.

"Of course it wasn't your fault! It was my fault for trusting that you wouldn't blow this one simple thing up. You couldn't even keep a man, Aria." His eyes bore icy holes down my skin. "How are you supposed to manage the pack as my heiress, let alone my business"

The words punched my guts, forcing a low growl to rumble in my chest, deep and primal.

"And who says whoever can't keep a man can't manage a pack or a business?" I said, voice cracking but loud enough to echo. "I'm not only schooled but trained in years of practice and experience. Having a man isn't a trophy!"

"But it is in our world and that's common knowledge, Aria-one that has guided our kind for generations and hasn't changed. Years of schooling, fighting, training, and experiment mean nothing in a woman without her man."

Around, the pack elders nodded in solemn agreement.

"What was the point of making me your Heiress then?"

"It was never about you, Aria. I made you my heiress because of Rhett. I was hoping you both would get married so I could secure an alliance with his father and have him rule after me but all my plans have turned to dust because of your pride"

His words punched through me. I couldn't believe my father. All this time, I was merely a means to an end for him? Blindly living that reality was one thing, but his admittance was far more heartbreaking.

Anger seized my throat and I spat without thinking.

"Because of my pride? So I should have married someone that's been fucking my brother behind my back because he aligns with your political aspirations?" I spat bitterly. "Since you need him so badly why not go ahead and marry him. After all, he's into men"

A stunned hush filled the throne room and my father's eyes turned cold. Murderous.

I had barely had time to realize my mistake when my father changed into his beast form, charged, and caught my throat with his fangs. He raised me by the neck and my paws dangled in the air.

"How dare you?!" His voice boomed, slamming into me like a tidal wave, radiating dominance and demanding an apology.

Power exploded from him, thick and oppressive like a suffocating fog.

My lungs seized. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. My eyes bulged, blurred by the unshed tears.

"Fa...ther... plea...se" I choked

He released my throat and my back hit the floor with a thud, followed by a frightening crunch of bones. My bones.

He shot me a dirty look then turned to address the cabinet. "I've made my decision. Since Aria's marriage with Rhett had been called off, she ceased to be my heiress from his moment onward. My new heir is Roman!"

My breath caught like a blade in my throat.

Roman?

A ripple of stunned gasps spread through the crowd, but my ears barely registered them. The pain in my back and chest drowned out everything.

"As for you, Aria," he continued, voice cutting through me like steel. "You will start your training at the Wolfspire Academy next Monday. The new semester begins and you've been enlisted. You leave for the North in three days," Father said, and my eyes widened in horror.

"What? No...I can't..." My voice didn't sound like mine. It came from somewhere small and broken. "I didn't even enroll..." my voice flattered as realization dawned on me.

All along, father had kept me because of Rhett, and now that he and I were no longer together, I was of no use to him, so he was discarding me. Not just as an heir. But as a daughter. As a wolf.

He wanted me far away, away from my dreams and aspirations. This was my punishment for humiliating my family and pack name.

The revelation sliced through me like a razor-sharp knife, leaving a trail of anguish and despair in its wake.

Wolfspire Academy was an institution for she-wolves who had come of age but were without a mate. There, they get groomed for one year and then auctioned to alpha males who'd tame, control, domesticate, and condition them to conform to societal norms of a woman, which basically includes cooking, cleaning, pop out pups, be a submissive, compliant wife, rather than a woman worthy of love and respect.

I couldn't go there. I didn't go through years of schooling, thorough and severe combat training to end up as a sex tool. That wasn't the life I'd envisioned for myself.

At once, I changed back to my human wolf and without caring that I was naked in front of at least sixteen pairs of eyes, I went on my knees begging.

"Father, please," I said softly, tears glimmering behind my eyes. "Please don't make me go there. There are many good men out there. I can get a noble wolf from a reputable family to marry. Please don't send me there"

"Give me one last chance to prove myself, Father. Please," I begged on my knees, tears rolling down my cheeks, but Father's face didn't grow softer. Like it didn't matter. My tears have never mattered to him in a fatherly way. If anything, it made me appear weak in his eyes.

"You should have granted the same one last chance privilege to Rhett when he asked, and even if you do get someone else to marry you, he wouldn't be as noble or reputable as Rhett Blackstone." He looked away for the briefest second, then snapped his gaze back to mine.

"But since you asked so humbly, I'd grant you one last chance but it would come with a price"

My neck perked up.

"Tell me and I'll pay whatever price"

"Forge an alliance with the Blackstone pack Alpha King himself..."

CHAPTER 3

ARIA

"You have one week," he said, sounding more like a challenge than anything. He shot me one last look as if to say, 'Don't bother wasting your time,' then stalked out, the crowd dispersing after him.

I collapsed fully on the ground, tears threatening to spill from my eyes, but I controlled them. My nails bit my flesh as my heart bled. Cajoling the Blackstone alpha into forging an alliance was almost an impossible task.

Alphas of noble packs had tried but failed. My only shot was with Rhett because he was the future Alpha, and his father, the king, was unapproachable.

I've heard stories about him. Rhett talked about him the way you'd talk about a rogue wolf who didn't make the loudest noise or make an appearance but knows everything happening around him. Wild. Unpredictable. Unhinged.

Everyone feared him. A glimpse of his face set scoundrels petrified, running away to hide.

Blackstone Alpha, Zane Blackwood, held a powerful clout over the Alpha Council, and everyone wanted to tap into that resource.

I'd met him once when I visited Rhett's packhouse. But he has stared at me the whole time like I was an insignificant trifle. He hadn't attended my failed engagement party with Rhett, which summed up his kind of person. I had no intention of meeting him again, but desperate situations called for desperate measures.

He probably wouldn't spare me a second glance. And truth be told, I didn't want to serve as a pawn to forge another alliance, but I didn't want to seem like a coward...like a failure to my father. I wanted to prove that I was more than the limits he caged me in. That I wasn't like my Mom.

After a long time of deep thoughts and debating, I sighed, coming to a decision.

I would go to the Blackstone pack to strike a deal with Rhett's father, Alpha King Zane. If it works out well, fine. If it doesn't, it wouldn't be the end of my world.

Hopefully.

I pulled myself up, went into my room, grabbed my car keys, and drove out from our pack borders, towards the entrance of the Blackstone pack, which was too far from our pack for me to walk.

Under normal circumstances, cars were useless to werewolves who could run nearly as fast as a car, especially if that werewolf was on a mission like mine.

After hours of driving, I finally arrived at the biggest pack in the kingdom. Compared to my father's pack, the Blackstone pack was ten times bigger. The pack was surrounded by an iron dome that protected them from attack. They were the pack with the best warriors-massive, fearless, and emotionless, just like the man who ruled them, Rhett's father.

After getting out of my car, I met the Pack butler who immediately brought me to Alpha Zane's office.

The atmosphere had Mint. Sex, smoke, and leather smell with a blend of eucalyptus and cedar.

It stirred something primal within me, making my wolf purr. She had been quiet the whole evening while she licked the wounds of her broken bond with Rhett, but right now, it was as if there was something in the air that made her feel alive again.

I felt him first-eyes, completely focused on me. I turned to the right, and there he was

Zane Blackstone sat like the fucking king he was. His posture was commanding yet observant, like a fox.

A girl knelt between his legs, her head bobbing up and down as she gave him a blow job, while his hands fisted in her hair, guiding her down his length.

Not only that, around him, two frilly blondes ran their hands through his body while another two red-haired women held a bucket of ice and a bottle of whiskey in their hands respectively.

All the ladies were naked, but his eyes weren't on any of them. His eyes were on me.

I looked away quickly, my gaze darting everywhere but his face, even as my skin crawled at the scene before me.

Feeling like I'd walked into something I shouldn't have, I turned to leave, but he spoke, his voice smooth and deep like he was bored.

"Wait," he said, and I turned.

Without a word, he nudged his head towards the exit, and the girls rose to their feet, brushing past me as they scuttled toward the exit.

An awkward yet intense silence descended on us as he tucked himself back into his pants. I didn't see his junk because my eyes were glued to the ground, but I could tell he was massive because of how long it took him to pack it back in.

I dismissed the thought, my gaze moving to his face as he rose. Under the dim light, I couldn't see his face, but I could tell his shirt was unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up to his elbow.

Seconds later, he stepped out of the shadows to a brighter side, and immediately, the air thickened with something foreign yet primal. At the first sight of him, my heart raced and my mind went blank in shock because of how good he looked.

His looks were sinful.

It didn't matter how many times I had seen him; I could never be prepared for how beautiful he looked in his ripe age.

He had an entire body carved by the heavens and an imposing aura that commanded a silent power, making everything seem small, dimmer, and insignificant. His eyes were as green as emeralds yet deep as the depth of the ocean, and they seemed to be piercing into my soul, entrapping me, and drawing me in.

With eyes like that, I couldn't blame the girls from earlier. Even I would go on my knees in front of him if...

'Goodness, Aria,' I hissed, dismissing the thought from my head. That's not why I am here.

"Aria," he called. His voice was so low and silky, so dangerously alluring that it seemed to seep into my bones, and I swallowed hard.

My nerves frayed as I gazed up at him, but the longer I stared at him, the quicker my skin grew cold. My idle hands smoothed the bodice of my dress as I tried to calm my erratic breathing.

"Alpha Zane," I replied, bowing hastily.

"Sit," he said, inclining his head towards the chair across his imposing.

"Thank you," I murmured, not meeting his eyes. Yet I could feel his scalding gaze like a force of nature, sharp and penetrating with an intensity that made me want to shrink back. Yet there was something else, too, something that made my heart stutter in my chest.

"I assume you're here because of the situation between Rhett, you, and your brother, am I correct?" He asked. I nodded.

"So what do you want me to do for you?" he asked again. His voice exuded power, not just the masculinity of an Alpha male that made my cheeks grow a shade darker.

He hadn't looked away. Not once.

His viridian green eyes were quizzical, almost like he saw every piece of me, the desperation, determination, and the vulnerability I try so hard to keep buried inside me.

"I do not enjoy repeating myself, Aria," he said, leaning at the edge of his table, swirling his whiskey while fixing his gaze on me.

The intensity of his eyes made me want to shrink back. I could barely breathe under its weight; still, I forced the word out of my throat.

"Alpha King Zane, I'm in dire need of your help."

He sipped his whiskey while keeping his eyes fixed on me. "I'm listening"

"You must have heard that I am no longer engaged to your son, Rhett," I breathed. "His actions have not only left me heartbroken but helpless. My father had ousted me as his heir and declared Roman as his new heir. Not only that, he'd declared that I would resume Wolfspire. The only way to get back my birthright and not go back to Wolfspire depends on whether or not I get to forge an alliance with you..."

One of his eyebrows lifted slightly, nudging me to go on. I took a deep breath.

"I need you to help me form an alliance with you."

Alpha Zane didn't look away or say a word. He didn't waver. He was calm, unshaken, and far too composed for a man who had my future in his hands.

The way his green eyes pierced me was unsettling, as if he were weighing my very soul. I honestly couldn't tell if he was intrigued or disgusted by my request.

I tilted my eyes to meet his and noticed he was still watching me with the same unreadable expression, his gaze steady. Then after what seemed like an eternity, he leaned forward, whispering.

"Do you have any idea what you're asking, little wolf?" He asked, amused, shoving his hands into his pockets and rocking his feet.

My throat was dry, so I nodded.

"You are ambitious." His words were cold and clinical. "Ambition is admirable, but it's dangerous. It drives greatness but also involves risk. Are you ready to take risks, Little Wolf?"

One of his eyebrows lifted slightly, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Yes," I said, suddenly regaining my confidence in front of the man who made me feel naked under his gaze.

He smiled, then cocked his head to the side. " Then, I have no option other than to help you," he said, pushing from the table and walking to me.

His scent of cedar washed over me like a heady perfume, and an undeniable shift prickled at the edge of my senses. It wasn't an attraction; it was something deeper, something that gnawed at me, screaming at me to run.

"But it will come at a price. You will have to give me something in return." His deep, dark, and low voice sent chills up my spine.

"I thought of that prior and came up with a proposal..." he raised two fingers, silencing me.

His expression was unreadable, cold and calculating as if he was deciding my fate right there and then.

"If I helped you, the price would be on my terms." He raised an eyebrow, and I swallowed.

"Name it. I'd do anything," he looked up, smirking, opened a folder, scanned it, then looked back at me.

"You want an alliance with me."

"Yes"

"And you'll do anything?" His voice was silk and smooth, like a warning.

I hesitated. "I'll do whatever it takes."

He scanned the folder again. "Then marry me."

For a moment, I couldn't process what he was saying. The words hung in the air, almost surreal.

I blinked. "What?"

"Be my wife and Luna for one year," he repeated again, almost leisurely. " In exchange, I'll forge an eternal alliance with Nightwind pack, in your name, make Rhett and Roman grovel before your feet, but you have to put whatever happened between you and Rhett aside and sign a contract to be my Luna for a year."

"I am sorry, Alpha Zane, but I don't go around jumping in beds to gain favours...especially not with a man who almost became my father-in-law," I said through gritted teeth.

"Rhett and I are two separate legal entities. Your relationship with him shouldn't affect your relationship with mine. As a business major, you should understand that concept." His lips curled up.

"You're joking."

"I don't joke."

I shook my head. "Why would you even want to marry me? What are you looking for? A wife to decorate your title? A political pet? Someone to parade around and pump babies into? From what I've seen, you have many of those lined up, so why me?"

Zane raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker behind his eyes, something awfully similar to amusement. Perhaps interest.

"The women you saw with me has nothing to offer except sex or momentarily pleasure."

My ears perked. 

"Are you saying none of that is expected of me if I get married to you?"

 "All I want from this marriage is an heir so sex is inevitable."

The words rang out like a death sentence.

"That's not a reason to get married."

"It is for me," His lush lips suddenly spread into a smile–even if it was more like an evil grin–and he turned to look at me.

"The wedding date will remain the same. Unchanged," he continued. "I'm not a very patient man, Aria Nightwind. I will have my answer before you leave my pack. If you wish not to marry me, then speak now. I do not have the time to make you feel like I want you for your virtues or looks. Truth be told, you aren't my type. I'm compelled to do this as much a you are "

He said it like he was offering a business deal-no emotion, no warmth, just cold facts, portraying every bit the man people whispered him to be-cold, rich, arrogant.

His words weren't kind or loving, and I felt that I was nothing more than a pawn in the whole arrangement. Yet the more I processed his request, the more I realized this was my only way out. What other way was there to secure an alliance with the Alpha King himself than marrying him?

I thought about the perks of marrying him, and the offer began to make sense. Not only would I get even with Rhett, I'd be devouring Roman in his own games, beating my father's expectation and securing my position as the Nightwind Heiress.

But what would people say?

To hell with whatever people say. I didn't care anymore.

I killed the questions immediately, as they started to take root in my head.

There might be no dignity in marrying my ex-mate's father, but there was also no dignity in my ex-mate cheating on me with my brother.

Without Zane, my life would be a losing battle, and I might as well kiss everything goodbye. His offer is the only thing that secures my future, and all I needed to do was sign some papers and bear a child.

"Do you accept, Aria, yes or no?" He asked once more, and I nibbled my lips and took a deep breath.

"Yes," I said. "I will be your wife for a year, and I will give you one child, Your Majesty. But after that, I must be allowed to leave your palace and return here, to my home, where I would take my father's place beside him as crown princess."

Zane Blackstone nodded in silence.

"We have a deal, Aria Nightwind. The wedding will happen tomorrow and you don't have to worry about anything. Just show up. I'll handle the rest," He said, and my shoulders relaxed immediately, a sigh slipping past my lips.

If Zane said he would handle the rest- my pack, his pack, my father, the media, and the elder council, then he would.

One year.

What was the worst that could happen?

CHAPTER FOUR

ZANE

When I stepped into the glass-walled citadel, it was already full. My footsteps resonated in the thick silence. I went past the tables of high-ranking wolves, past the other Alphas. I didn't look at any of them. I didn't need to. I could feel their eyes and the heat from their quiet rebellion, not just because my spy from amongst them had previously briefed me on what evil they were plotting, but because the air was thick with betrayal. I could smell it.

Rhett was at the center of the citadel, guilt on his features. I wanted to shred it with my claw because I knew what it was even from the entrance. A facade.

High Elder Dario stood up to address the council when I sat. Dario was the highest in the elder ranking.

"King Zane, I believe you know why we are here," he started, his voice sharp and conniving.

I folded my arms and smiled. "Just go straight to the point," I snapped, my jaw clenching. "I have other places to be."

"We all do," Dario began, cracking his knuckles. But that doesn't mean we should skip necessary protocols. If you want me to go straight to the point, I'll do that," he concluded, his voice deceptively even.

I knew he was intentionally trying to get under my skin, but instead of letting him succeed, I turned my head toward the window, looking at the sky in an attempt to contain my brewing rage before fixing the man with a stare.

"Then speak. Don't keep the King waiting," Kieran, my beta, said, his voice tight. Dario smiled- slow and poisonous, and I knew that whatever he had to say next wouldn't be good.

"By the binding of the Alpha Code, Rhett has been ousted as your heir since he can not have a Luna in the future, and the council will never accept a bastard child from a surrogate or lover. If you don't provide a legitimate heir of your own blood, you risk dethronement, and if you try to fight the binding of the Alpha Code, then you risk civil war." Dario said in one breath, and my ears perked and my lips twitched at his words; however, Rhett's voice cut in before I could speak.

"No, that can't happen. I can't be ousted as Blackwood heir. I'm my father's only son" Rhett queried, his once guilt-ridden face now awash with panic.

"You are your father's only son, but every Alpha requires a Luna. Since your sexuality prevents you from having one, the council has no choice but to dethrone you as your father's heir," Dario explained, and Rhett's expression soured as if this was someone else's fault.

All this shit wouldn't be happening if he hadn't cheated on his mate with a man in the first place. I had no problem with the fact that he was into men. My problem was that he kept quiet about it for far too long.

Dario turned to me, expecting to refute or flare out in anger, but I remained cool. After a moment of tense silence, Dario finally broke it.

"Alpha King, you need a new heir; to get one, you must take a wife." He paused, as if giving me a moment to let his words sink in. "For this reason, the Alpha Council has decided you must marry, and we will pick your Bride," Dario said, and I immediately uncurled from my position.

Pick my Bride? The question had barely resonated in my head when he continued.

"A decision has been passed. You will marry Eileen, my daughter. Effective immediately."

Dark, joyless laughter shook my chest. I could see what game they were playing. "You want me to mate your daughter?" I asked, my tone laced with amusement.

"Yes"

"I'd rather fucking mate a deer than anyone from your bloodline," I tipped my head in the direction of the rest of the elders and Alphas. "If this is your idea of a rebellion, you're a few centuries out of practice."

"This is not a rebellion," another elder said coldly. "It's a mandate..." I hissed, shutting him up.

"I will not take a wife; even if I do, it will be someone I choose."

Dario snarled, "You'll be stripped of your title! If you decline this mandate, you and your entire bloodline will be wiped out. You do not wish for that to happen, Zane."

I inched forward one step at a time. "You're threatening the Alpha King."

"We're doing what should be done," he snapped.

I felt my wolf prowling under my skin, growling. The air burned in my lungs. This wasn't politics-it was rebellion.

"You have no right to dictate what should be done for me! I make the decisions; you have no choice but to follow." I banged my hand on the table, and everyone around me flinched.

"I will not marry Eileen," I repeated, more loudly this time, a tremor of rage in my voice, yet somehow, low and leisurely cruel, keeping in mind what was at stake.

I moved forward, watching my Elders now. "If I'm required to produce an heir with someone I'm legally married to, expect one in nine months. As for my bride, expect my wedding tomorrow, but get one thing straight, I won't be getting married to Eileen."

The silence that followed wasn't simply stunned; it was scorched. Dario stiffened, jaw locked tight.

I stood up, and Kieran, my beta, and Nacho, my bodyguard, slowly followed suit, assuming their places behind me. The meeting with the Alpha Council had been unpleasant enough, but it was getting decidedly too long. I locked eyes with the Alphas and Elders gathered in the room and headed to the door, knowing none of them could stop me, and headed to my office.

The second I stepped into my office, the proverbial scale fell off my eyes. An heir in the next nine months and a wife by tomorrow? What the hell was I thinking?

I groaned and punched my fist at the wall. I clutched my hair tightly in anguish. I was having a breakdown.

I took my jacket off and undid another button on my black shirt. My entire body was breaking out with sweat even though the room was blasting with the coolness of the conditioned air.

Ryder, my wolf, was so angry; it was his pup's fault. If only Rhett hadn't dishonored us like that, those motherfucking elders wouldn't have placed me in such a tight corner.

My wolf growled, begging me to release his pent up anger and frustration. As if on cue, my cock stirred in my pants. I sighed, grabbing it through the fabric and squeezing hard.

But even after jerking off a few times, Ryder was still unsatisfied. He was still angry. He required a she-wolf to cool him off, so I sent for my beta.

"Bring me someone for my pleasure. The usual" I instructed Kieran and in less than a minute, five women, all-smiles, adorned in flimsy lingerie were walking my way in sky-high heels.

Fuck, I swore silently, my wolf purring at their physiques. Amongst them was my favorite woman to fuck-Adaline.

Adaline and I have been secretly screwing each other for years. We have an unspoken agreement to keep our relationship a secret because she was my late wife's younger sister.

No, I didn't cheat on my wife with her. Our relationship started after my wife's passing. My wife had passed immediately after birthing Rhett, and Adaline was the one who took care of him until he came of age. She is practically Rhett's Mom, and I guess that drew her to me- her striking resemblance to my late wife and her role in my son's upbringing.

Touching Adaline almost felt like touching my late wife, and each time I touched her, I envisioned my wife's face since they have the same blood flowing in their veins. Once, I proposed we make our relationship official and get married, but Adaline declined, saying she only wanted to be with me secretly, so I agreed.

Adaline approached me, her scent was intoxicating as always. A mix of sex and power. She gave the other ladies some instructions before placing herself between my legs. She swallowed hard, her enormous eyes fastened on my face, waiting for my command.

"Kneel," I growled. She did as she was ordered without hesitation. I purred, praising her submissiveness, and trailed a thumb along her lips. They parted obediently, her tongue tracing a line over her lower lip.

Naughty girl.

I unzipped my pants and my cock sprang from my brief, rock-hard and painfully stiff, then I pushed her head against it so my cock was resting against her mouth, lightly brushing over her lips.

"Open," I said, and she obediently opened her mouth. Wide, and I pushed my prick all the way into the back of her throat while holding her head so she couldn't move. I felt her choking on my hard flesh, and I thrust even deeper until her eyes bulged, then I slowed and uttered the word

"Suck"

At once, she clasped her lips around my cock, then she began sucking, twirling her tongue around my cap and length. I fisted her hair into a tight ponytail in my right hand, then threw my left hand at the back of my head and relaxed on the sofa, taking in all the pleasure from her blowjob.

At that moment, my declaration at the Alpha Council flashed in my mind, and driven by desperation, I thoughtlessly spoke.

"Marry me," I said, but she didn't reply.

I knew it was weird and foolish to ask at that moment but Adaline and I had never done things the normal way. Plus I thought it was only right that I asked her. I mean, we both had chemistry, and we'd been fucking for years, so I asked again. "Marry me, Adaline."

Again, no reply.

Angered, I gripped her harder until I could feel her fighting for a breath against my cock. I withdrew a fraction to allow her to breathe and spoke

"I asked you to marry me, Adaline," I growled, pulling her hair again.

"I can't marry you, Zane. I won't. I do not love you as a person. I only love fucking you." She replied, then continued with the blowjob.

"Fair enough," I replied. The truth was, I didn't love her. I hadn't loved anyone since my wife died. However, we both had chemistry and understanding.

Considering our history together, I thought she'd be willing to marry me, which was why I dared to make that declaration in the Alpha Council. Despite her refusal, I knew I couldn't force her.

I wouldn't.

I needed to devise a plan to buy me more time with the council because marrying Eileen, Dario's daughter, wasn't an option.

'I'd probably go to an audition and buy myself a wife.' Just as the thought came to mind, I felt a strange presence in my office.

Curious, I turned, and then I saw her.

I saw her tiny legs first. Yet the owner stood with such confidence. My eyes roamed her legs, then her body, and lastly, her face.

It was Aria Nightwind, my son's ex-mate.

Her scent saturated my office, but it wasn't just her scent-it was a warmth–a foreign heat that forced a ripple in the air, crashing against my world built on stone and slipping into my senses like an unspoken promise, igniting a pull I had never felt before.

My wolf reacted to her, stirring in a way it shouldn't for my almost daughter-in-law. I tried to school my thoughts, but I couldn't ignore how my wolf reacted to her presence. I couldn't ignore how her presence clawed at the recesses of my being-at all that I was.

I told myself it was nothing, but deep inside, I knew this moment meant something... something primal, something rooted to the core of who I am; in that instance, I knew fate had brought her back to Blackstone... to me.

The question was why?

I didn't know, but I would find out one way or another.