Cassandra's POV

The door to Raphael's quarters clicked shut behind us and before I could even take a breath.. his arms were around my waist, pulling me against him.

“Gods, that was incredible,” he murmured against my neck, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. “Did you see her face when the priestess announced it?”

I laughed.

“I thought she'd actually collapse right there on the spot. The way she looked at you like you'd personally torn out her heart.”

“Because I did.” Raphael growled playfully, nipping at my earlobe. “And now I'm going to make it up to you all night.”

His hands found the zipper of my ceremonial dress and I let him turn me around and let him slide the fabric down my shoulders until it pooled at my feet.

I stood before him in my undergarments, watching his amber eyes darken with desire.

“She actually thought,” he said between kisses down my collarbone, “that I would pick her weak ass. Can you believe that? After everything I've built, everything I'm working toward, she thought she was good enough to be my mate.”

“Catherine has always been delusional.”

I reached up and traced my fingers through his thick dark hair, guiding his mouth back to mine.

“But that's what made her so easy to manipulate. She believed in fate. She actually thought some magical bond would save her.”

Raphael chuckled.

“Sweet, stupid girl.”

His hands moved to the clasp of my bra and I let it fall away, exposing myself to his hungry gaze.

He drank me in like a man who'd been wandering in a desert his whole life and I preffered under his attention. This was what I deserved. This was what Catherine could never have.

“Come here,” I whispered, reaching for the hem of his shirt.

He pulled it off in one motion, revealing the hard planes of his chest that I'd traced a hundred times in secret.

Our clothes disappeared in a move of desperate hands and discarded fabric until we stood bare before each other, breathing hard and laughing softly.

“She cried, you know,” I said as he walked me backward toward his bed. “When she ran into the forest. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.”

“Don't.” Raphael pressed me down onto the mattress, his body covering mine perfectly. “Don't waste another thought on her. You're the one who belongs here. You're the strong one.”

His mouth found my breast and I arched into him, my fingers digging into his shoulders.

A moan escaped me...louder than I intended but I didn't care. Let the whole pack hear.. let them know I'd won.

“She kept asking why,” I gasped out as his lips moved lower, tracing fire across my skin. “Why I did it, why you chose me. As if the answer wasn't obvious. As if she couldn't see herself in the mirror.”

Raphael's head was between my thighs now, his breath hot against my sensitive pussy.

The pleasure was building, wave after wave and I was floating on a cloud of victory.

“She was never enough for anyone,” I continued, the words spilling out as his tongue found me. “Do you want to know a secret?”

His response was muffled, his mouth too busy to form words.

“She was never going to be enough,” I hissed through clenched teeth, my hips grinding against his face, “because I made sure of it.”

I felt him stiffen then his head jerked upward slightly. But I was too lost in the sensation to pause.

“Since we were little,” I babbled, the words tumbling out now like water, “I've been practicing rituals.. little spells and little ceremonies. Our grandmother taught me before she died.”

His head shot up completely now and I realized too late what I'd said.

The pleasure fog cleared from my eyes and I saw the question written all over his face.

“What?”

“Nothing.” I grabbed at his head, trying to push him back down to my wet pussy. “Don't stop, please don't stop. Just finish what you started.”

“Cassandra.” He caught my wrists, holding them away from his body.

His warm amber eyes had gone cold and suspicious.

“What do you mean, rituals? What have you been doing?”

“It doesn't matter.” I tried to pull him down and tried to kiss him into silence but he wouldn't budge. “Forget I said anything. Just love me like you promised. Just...”

Raphael was quiet for a long moment. Then slowly, he lowered his head back to my pussy.

“Raph...” I started.

“Be quiet,” he ordered. “Just enjoy this.”

And I did.

I let myself fall apart beneath his talented mouth, let myself scream his name as a wave of orgasm threatened to wash over me.

***

Catherine's POV

The creature standing over me was neither man nor wolf but a twisted fusion of both.

It stood eight feet tall, covered in mangy gray fur that matted and fell away in patches to reveal diseased flesh beneath. Its face was of a wolf but wrong...elongated muzzle, too many teeth, eyes that glowed yellow.

Its body stood upright like a man's with thick arms ending in claws that could rip through steel.

And it was looking right at me.

“Hello, little wolf,” it rasped and the voice was nothing but hunger.

I tried to run.. I tried so hard.. but my legs gave out from under me and I crashed to the ground, tears streaming down my face.

I was so tired.. so broken and so done with fighting a world that had never given me anything but pain.

The creature lunged and I closed my eyes, waiting for the end.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The shots rang out like thunder and the creature above me shrieked in a horrible piercing sound that made my ears bleed.

It convulsed, jerking violently and then it was gone, rolling away from me in a convulsing heap of fur and flesh.

I blinked, dazed and saw them.

A group of people emerged from the tree line...seven of them, men and women both, armed with weapons that smoked in the cool night air.

They moved with the coordination of soldiers, positioning themselves around the fallen creature.

“Silver bullets,” one of the women called to me. “Keeps it down.”

Two of the men approached the creature while it thrashed and one of them produced a gleaming silver knife from his belt.

“Hold it steady,” he said.

The younger man grabbed the creature's mangy head and tilted it back.

The knife flashed in the dim light and then there was a spray of dark blood.

The creature went still.

Silence followed, broken only by my own ragged breathing.

The woman turned to me, her expression shifting from combat readiness to concern.

“Are you hurt?”

I tried to speak.. failed and tried again.

“I... I don't think so.”

“Hannah, check her over,” the older man ordered, tucking away his knife. “Make sure she didn't get scratched or bitten.”

“Not infected,” the woman called Hannah said as she knelt beside me. “She's clean. Just scared and exhausted.”

“Those are silver bullets,” I managed, my voice coming out hoarse and strange. “And a silver knife. You knew what that thing was?”

The scarred man crouched in front of me.

“He was rogue werewolf turned feral from decades of isolation and bitterness. You were lucky we were passing through.”

“Lucky,” I repeated flatly..

The boy who'd held the creature's head laughed.

“Lady, you don't look so lucky. What are you doing out here alone? This deep in the forest? At night?”

“I...” The words caught in my throat.

What was I doing? Running away from everything I'd ever known. Fleeing a pack that never wanted me. Chasing after a future that didn't exist.

“Her clothes,” Hannah murmured. “That's ceremonial silk. She's from one of the local packs.”

“Silvercrest,” I said quietly. “I was from Silvercrest.”

“Was?” The woman exchanged a look with her companions. “That sounds like a story.”

I found myself telling them everything.. the mate ceremony.. Raphael's rejection and Cassandra's cruelty.

By the time I finished, several of them were muttering curses under their breath and the young boy looked ready to commit murder on my behalf.

“Those bastards,” the woman spat. “Publicly rejecting your mate? That's cold. That's seriously cold.”

“Our parents didn't even try to stop it,” I added painfully. “They just... watched. Like they were waiting for it to happen.”

The scarred man shook his head slowly.

“Some people don't deserve the gift of family.”

For a long moment, no one spoke.. then Hannah gently touched my arm.

“We can take you back to Silvercrest if you want,” she offered. “Tell them what happened. Make them see reason. Two wolves versus the whole pack might not win, but...”

“No.” The word came out sharper than I intended. “No, I won't go back there. Not ever.”

“Then where will you go?”

I looked up at the starry sky...my old friend, my only companion through countless lonely nights...and felt something inside me crack and reform.

“Oakhaven,” I said. “Take me to Oakhaven.”

The boy looked surprised.

“The human town? But you're a werewolf. They'll notice eventually and if the wrong people find out...”

“Not if I hide my wolf.” The thought had been forming in my mind since the words left Hannah's mouth. “Not if I just... disappear. Live quiet. Live small. Whatever's left of my wolf, I'll keep it buried.”

“You can do that?” The woman looked skeptical. “Suppress your nature forever? It's not easy.”

“I'm not asking for easy.” I pushed myself to my feet, swaying slightly but standing nonetheless. “I'm asking for escape.”

The scarred man studied me for a long moment and then he nodded slowly.

“There's a path not far from here. Follow it east until you hit the main road. Oakhaven's about a half-day's walk from there.”

“The town isn't exactly welcoming to strangers,” Hannah added, “but there are decent people there. You'll find shelter somewhere. We are headed for Helen Ashmoor's safe haven for outcasts.”

“What about Helen Ashmoor?” I asked suddenly.

“She's gathering werewolves who don't fit the traditional mold,” the woman said carefully. “The ones cast out by their packs for one reason or another. We're on our way to meet her now.”

“Come with us,” the boy urged. “You wouldn't have to hide who you are. You could be surrounded by people who understand.”

Something in me wanted to say yes.. wanted to believe that there was still a place for broken werewolves like me. But I was so tired and the wounds were too fresh.

“Maybe someday,” I said. “But not today. Today, I just want to disappear.”

They showed me the path, pointing me toward the human world.

“Watch yourself,” Hannah said as I turned to go. “And if you ever change your mind, the path to Helen's sanctuary is always open.”

I walked into the darkness and I didn't look back.

***

The sun was rising when I finally stepped out of the forest.

Oakhaven sprawled before me like something from a storybook. Humans.. completely and beautifully oblivious to the supernatural world that had defined and destroyed my entire existence.

My clothes were barely more than rags at this point...torn during my flight through the forest, bloodstained from my collapse in the dirt.

I must have looked like a ghost or a walking corpse because more than one human did a double-take as I stumbled past them.

I didn't care.. I just kept walking, putting one exhausted foot in front of the other, searching for somewhere...anywhere...to rest.

There.. a garden and an old stone wall covered in blooming flowers with a little house beyond it.

I barely made it to the grass before my legs gave out completely.

The smell of roses filled my nostrils...sweet and soft and nothing like the sharp pine of the forest. I was so tired.. maybe just a few minutes of rest...

“Harold! Harold, come quickly!”

An old woman's voice pierced the fog that was swallowing my mind.

“There's a girl out here! She looks half-dead! Harold, get out here NOW...!”

Catherine's POV

The screaming wouldn't stop, piercing through the smoke and fire, tearing through the night like claws raking across flesh.

I stood in the middle of it all... calm, so impossibly calm... watching the massacre unfold before my eyes.

Bodies fell like marionettes with their strings cut and blood pooled beneath my feet, spreading across the cobblestones in dark shimmering ribbons.

“More,” I heard myself say.

Knees hit the ground all around me.

Men, women, children... they begged with trembling lips and tear-streaked faces, their hands raised in surrender but I felt nothing.

I raised my hand slowly, deliberating savoring the fear that radiated from those trembling figures while my masked warriors waited in silent rows behind me.

“Spill them,” I whispered.

The swords came down.. the screaming crescendoed and I simply watched blankly.

My gaze drifted downward, to the puddle of blood accumulating at my feet.

The liquid was red and black and in its surface, I saw my reflection.. but it wasn't me... not the me I knew, not the me I had always been.

She stood tall and proud where I stood broken. Her silver-blue eyes held no warmth and no soul. Her pale face was beautiful and terrible in equal measure.

Long black hair with silver undertones framed her face like a crown of midnight and moonbeams. She was me, yes... but I had become something else entirely.. something powerful but frightening..!

The reflection smiled and I felt the nightmare crack apart like glass...

I bolted upright in bed, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst through my chest.

My nightgown was drenched in sweat, clinging to my skin like a second skin. My hands gripped the sheets so tightly my knuckles ached.

“No, no, no,” I gasped, my breath coming in uneven bursts. “It wasn't real. It wasn't real.”

But it felt real. It always felt real.

It's been several years now and that nightmare had haunted me for years now... ever since I first ran from Silvercrest, ever since I collapsed in Mrs. Hargrove's garden like a wounded animal.

The images never changed.. the blood.. the screaming.. the coldness and that reflection.. that terrifying reflection!

I pressed my trembling hands to my face, trying to ground myself in the present.

I was Catherine Linn. I lived in Oakhaven. I was safe. I was loved. I was human, as far as the Hargroves knew.

A knock at the door made me jump.

“Catherine, dear?” Mrs. Hargrove's voice drifted through the door, worried. “Are you awake? I heard you from down the hall.”

I opened my mouth to reply but my throat constricted, refusing to cooperate.

The nightmare still had its claws in me, pulling me back toward those blood-soaked streets, toward that emotionless reflection.

The door creaked open and Mrs. Hargrove shuffled inside, her gray curls slightly askew from sleep.

She was a small woman, barely five feet tall with kind brown eyes that had seen sixty-three years of life and still sparkled with warmth.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she murmured, taking in my state... my flushed face, my shaking shoulders, the tears I hadn't even realized were streaming down my cheeks.

She crossed the room quickly and settled on the edge of my bed, her thin hands reaching out to cover mine.

“It's alright,” she said softly, her voice carrying the gentle cadence I had come to cherish more than anything in this world. “You're safe. You're here with me and Harold. Nothing can hurt you in this house.”

I finally found my voice, though it came out cracked and small.

“I... I was dreaming again.”

“I know, love. I heard you.” She used her thumb to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

“You were talking in your sleep.. tossing and turning like the devil himself was chasing you. You said some things... things that sounded painful.”

I couldn't remember what I had said. I never could. What words might have slipped past my defenses?

“I'm sorry I woke you,” I whispered.

“Don't be ridiculous.” She patted my hand firmly. “I'd wake up every hour if it meant making sure you're alright. Now tell me. Do you want to talk about it?”

I couldn't.. She was human and the supernatural world I had escaped would only put her and Harold in danger.

“It was just a nightmare,” I lied. “The same one I always have. I'm fine now, really.”

Mrs. Hargrove didn't look convinced but she didn't push. That was one of the things I loved about her... she understood that some wounds needed time to heal and some secrets needed to stay buried.

“You know,” she said, settling back against the headboard and pulling my blankets up around my shoulders, “Harold and I have been thinking.”

My heart stuttered. Had they discovered something? Had I done something to reveal what I was? “Thinking about what?”

“About how you've been taking care of us all these years.” She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Cooking, cleaning, tending the garden, running all the errands. We were supposed to be the ones looking after you when you arrived, sick and exhausted on my garden. But you've ended up looking after us instead.”

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

“I like taking care of you. It makes me feel... useful.”

“You are useful, Catherine. You're more than useful. You're family.”

She said it so naturally as if it were the most obvious truth in the world.

I had never had that... not really. My parents had tolerated my existence. Cassandra had actively hated me.. and Raphael...

No. I wasn't going to think about Raphael.

She rose from the bed with a soft groan, her joints creaking slightly and shuffled toward the door. At the threshold, she paused and looked back at me.

“You know, Catherine, Harold and I never had children and we always wondered what it would be like, having someone to raise and love unconditionally. Then you came along like a gift from above.”

My eyes burned with fresh tears.

“I don't deserve you.”

“That's not for you to decide, dear.” She smiled warmly. “Now get some rest. You had a long day tomorrow.”

After she left, I sat in the darkness of my room listening to her footsteps fade down the hall.

I had been living with the Hargroves for four years pretending to be human, hiding my senses and supernatural instincts beneath careful acting.

Four years of love I had never expected to find, not from anyone and certainly not from a pair of sweet old humans who had no idea what walked among them.

It was the happiest I had ever been. More than that... It was the first time I had ever truly felt content.

I closed my eyes, willing the nightmare's to fade away.

It was just a dream, I told myself. It didn't mean anything.

When sleep finally claimed me again, the nightmare stayed away.

***

The next day I found myself on my way from the market smiling happily as I responded to greetings from neighbors.

I had made a life here with real friends and a real home.

It was everything I had never known I needed.

I turned onto the Hargroves' street, my mood lifting at the sight of their cozy cottage at the end of the block. But as I approached, something felt wrong.

Three unfamiliar cars sat in the driveway. They hadn't been there when I left for the market that morning. In fact, I had never seen them before in this quiet neighborhood.

I paused at the edge of the property, my grocery bag hanging loosely from my fingers and rhe hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

I pushed through the front gate and approached the front door. The curtains in the living room were drawn but I could see silhouettes moving behind them.

I turned the knob slowly letting my instincts guide me.

“... never told us you was coming,” Harold was saying, his voice carrying strain. “We hadn't heard from you in over twenty years.”

“Things change.” The woman's voice was clipped. “Family has a way of reconnecting when it matters most.”

I stepped into the doorway of the living room and stopped dead.

Three men in dark suits stood against the far wall, their hands clasped behind their backs, their sunglasses-covered eyes scanning the room with practiced intensity. Security guards but who were they with?

In the center of the room, standing in front of the fireplace with her arms crossed and her lip curled in disgust was a young woman.

She was tall and elegant with glossy black hair pulled back into a severe ponytail and a designer outfit.

“Catherine..” Mrs Hargrove approached me nervously. “Meet.. Amelia. She's our long lost daughter..”

Catherine’s POV

I stood frozen in the doorway like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

Mrs. Hargrove wrung her hands nervously beside me while Harold looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

the woman standing in the middle of the living room looked nothing like them.

She was tall and beautiful and every strand of her black hair sat perfectly in place. Her heels alone probably cost more than everything inside this house.

And the way she looked at me? Like I was dirt stuck beneath her shoe.

“Daughter?”

Amelia let out a scoff.

“Trust me, I’m just as shocked as you are.”

One of the suited men stepped forward to take her expensive coat but she waved him off impatiently.

“This place still smells,” she muttered. “Unbelievable.”

Harold sighed tiredly.

“Amelia…”

“No, seriously.” She crossed her arms. “You couldn’t renovate? Even a little?”

Mrs. Hargrove’s face fell slightly, but she forced a smile.

“We didn’t know you were coming.”

“Because I wasn’t planning to.”

The room went awkwardly silent and I shifted uncomfortably near the doorway, clutching my grocery bag tighter.

Amelia finally looked at me again.

“And who exactly is she?”

The question came out sharply.

Mrs. Hargrove brightened immediately.

“Oh. Catherine lives with us.”

“Lives with you,” Amelia repeated slowly.

“Yes,” Harold answered carefully. “She’s been with us for years.”

Amelia’s eyes narrowed.

“Cute.”

Something about the way she said it made my stomach tighten.

“She’s practically family,” Mrs. Hargrove added warmly.

Big mistake.

Amelia barked out a humorless laugh.

“Family?” She pointed at herself. “Interesting word choice considering you threw your actual daughter away years ago.”

Mrs. Hargrove flinched like she’d been slapped and guilt instantly crawled up my throat. I suddenly wanted to disappear into the kitchen cabinets.

“Amelia,” Harold said quietly, “that’s not fair.”

“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “You both wrote me off first. Don’t act heartbroken now.”

“You vanished,” Mrs. Hargrove whispered. “For twenty years.”

“Yeah and whose fault was that?”

“That’s enough, honey.” Another voice spoke calmly behind her.

My breath caught instantly as a man stepped into view from the hallway.

He tall with dark hair and in an expensive black suit molded perfectly against broad shoulders.. and his scent hit me immediately.

Werewolf…!

My weak dormant wolf stirred so suddenly inside me that it actually hurt.

His sharp gray eyes landed on me.. and narrowed.

Every werewolf could recognize another one eventually but powerful wolves sensed it almost instantly.

His gaze sharpened slightly and mine widened in panic.

Please don’t say anything.. Please.

Amelia walked over and looped her arm through his casually.

“This is my fiancé, Alex Granger.”

Fiancé??

Of course a man that rich-looking would be engaged to a woman like her.

Alex extended a polite hand toward Harold first.

“Good to meet you, sir.”

Harold shook it awkwardly and then Alex smiled gently at Mrs. Hargrove.

“Ma’am. Thank you for allowing us into your home.”

He spoke with such a calm and controlled. Nothing like the arrogant Alphas back in Silvercrest.

His eyes slid back to me again briefly and a silent conversation passed between us.

Wolf.

Hidden wolf.

Fear.

Recognition.

I quickly looked away before I embarrassed myself but Amelia noticed. Unfortunately.. her eyes narrowed immediately.

“Oh my God,” she said flatly. “Don’t tell me the replacement has a crush on my fiancé already!”

My entire face burned.

“What? No!”

“She doesn’t,” Mrs. Hargrove defended quickly.

“He gets stared at everywhere.” Amelia took a step towards me. “But keep dreaming bitch. She's mine!”

Alex sighed softly. “Amelia.”

“What? I’m being honest.”

I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Instead, I forced a weak smile.

“I’ll just… put the groceries away.”

“Good idea,” Amelia muttered as I hurried into the kitchen so fast I nearly tripped over a chair.

Gods… Rich people were terrifying.. especially rich werewolves.

A few minutes later, I returned quietly with tea for everyone mostly because I needed something to do with my hands before anxiety killed me.

Amelia barely touched hers.

“We’re getting married this weekend,” she announced suddenly. “Here in Oakhaven.”

Mrs. Hargrove blinked.

“So soon?”

Alex nodded politely.

“Business schedules.”

“Translation,” Amelia cut in, “his investors and political connections are ridiculously annoying.”

She reached into her purse and dropped an invitation card onto the table.

“You should come,” she said casually. “Alex insists on meeting family.”

The word family sounded bitter coming from her mouth.

Harold looked emotional already.

“We’d love to.”

“Great.” Amelia stood immediately. “Then that’s settled.”

Mrs. Hargrove looked heartbroken all over again.

“Amelia, can’t you stay longer? We have so much to talk about...”

“No.”

The answer came fast and cold.

Alex glanced at her carefully but she ignored him.

“I came because Alex wanted this awkward little reunion. We did it. Congrats. Everyone survived.”

Mrs. Hargrove’s eyes watered and my chest hurt for her.

Alex gently touched Amelia’s arm.

“Be nice.”

She scoffed.

“You know I don’t do that.” Then she turned to him.

“Come on. Let’s leave this shit hole.”

Harold’s jaw tightened while Mrs. Hargrove looked close to tears. But Alex only sighed tiredly like this happened often. Before leaving, his gaze found mine one last time.. then he walked out after Amelia.

***

The wedding day arrived way too fast and I already regretted coming.

I was nervous.. very nervous. Because ever since meeting Alex Granger, my wolf had been restless and if one powerful werewolf was attending this wedding… others would too. I knew it the second we arrived.

There were dominant wolves everywhere. My skin prickled immediately.

“Oh God,” I muttered under my breath.

Mrs. Hargrove smiled brightly beside me.

“Isn’t this lovely?”

No. It was horrifying.

Every instinct inside me screamed prey animal.

I kept my head down the entire ceremony.

The wedding itself blurred by. Amelia looked stunning and Alex looked calm and unreadable.

But the guests? Terrifying.

By the reception, I was already exhausted.

I stayed mostly near the shadows, pretending to enjoy the music while avoiding eye contact with literally everyone.

I didn’t belong here.. not even a little.

My champagne flute emptied too quickly.

“Okay,” I muttered. “One more drink then I vanish dramatically into the night.”

That sounded like a solid plan.

I wandered toward a nearby serving table and spotted a tray filled with dark red wine in crystal glasses.

I grabbed one carefully and took a sip.

Oh wow.

“That is dangerously good,” I whispered.

“You idiot!”

I nearly choked from the sudden yell behind me as a furious woman stormed toward me in a dark green gown.

Her red hair blazed under the ballroom lights while sharp green eyes burned into me.

“Who told you to touch that?!”

My eyes widened.

“I... I’m sorry?”

“That tray is reserved for VIP guests!”

Oh Gods.. not again. Why did rich people always have special trays? Was oxygen reserved too?

“I didn’t know...”

“Did you drink it already?” she snapped.

Something about her tone scared me instantly and fear curled in my stomach.

“N-no,” I lied quickly.

Her sharp eyes scanned my face and then thankfully she huffed.

“Good.”

Before I could react, she snatched the glass from my hand and dumped the wine into a nearby flower pot.

“You already contaminated this one too.”

Contaminated? What kind of reaction was that?

Another guest approached smiling nervously.

“Lady Helen Ashmoor, the northern delegates are asking for you.”

My eyes widened instantly.

Helen Ashmoor? The Helen Ashmoor?

Hope burst alive inside me before I could stop it.

“You’re Helen Ashmoor?”

She looked annoyed already.

“Yes?”

My smile spread immediately.

“Oh my God. I heard about you years ago. Some outcasts told me about your sanctuary for rejected wolves and outcasts and oppressed werewolves and...”

Helen stared at me blankly and I slowed awkwardly.

“You’re helping people,” I finished weakly.

Her expression didn’t soften at all. In fact, she looked irritated.

“People romanticize everything,” she muttered coldly.

Then she walked away without another word and I stood there stunned.

“…wow.”

That woman was rude as hell. How was she running a safe haven with that attitude?

I turned around awkwardly... and slammed directly into a solid chest.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry...”

The words died instantly and my breath caught.

It was him..!

Every sound around me faded at the sight of his tall and massive form with a dark suit stretching across a heavily muscular body.

He had golden eyes, scars visible near his throat and a terrifying aura.

The Lycan King.. Gerald Draven!

I had heard stories even hiding among humans. Monsters feared him. Alphas bowed to him. Women obsessed over him. And standing this close to him? I suddenly understood why.

“I... I...” I couldn't get the words out.

His deep golden eyes studied me calmly and then surprisingly… he smiled slightly.

“It’s alright.”

His voice slid over my skin and I nearly forgot how breathing worked.

He picked up a glass from the same tray Helen had guarded like treasure and held it toward me.

“Here. You need it.”

My fingers trembled taking it.

“T-thank you.”

His gaze lingered on me for one strange second and then he walked away.. just like that.

I stared after him like an idiot. No wonder women lost their minds around him.

I quickly drank the wine to calm myself.

Bad idea.. because minutes later, warmth spread strangely through my body and my legs suddenly felt weak.

“Oh no.”

The ballroom blurred slightly and sleepiness crashed into me hard.. something else too.. heat.

Deep between my thighs and my breathing hitched.

“What the hell…”

I needed to leave.. now.

Before somebody noticed something was wrong.

I hurried from the ballroom toward the private hotel rooms upstairs. Thankfully, the entire hotel had been booked for wedding guests.

My hands shook unlocking one random room. The second I got inside, I slammed the door shut.

My body burned.

“What is happening to me?”

I kicked off my heels desperately while every breath made the ache between my legs worse.

I stumbled toward the bed, tugging my dress down my shoulders shakily.

“Okay… okay… maybe I’m sick…”

But even I didn’t believe that.

A soft whimper escaped me as I touched my thigh.

Heat shot through me instantly.

“Oh God…”

My breathing turned shaky.

I rubbed myself desperately through my underwear, trying to ease the unbearable ache building inside me.

The feeling only got worse and needier and hotter.

My head tipped back helplessly and then...

The bedroom door clicked open behind me and I froze with a terrified scream left in my throat as I spun around…