MasukIvonne's POV I froze at his words “What?!” My voice cracked. “Why would he make such a ridiculous vow?” Larry winced, as if saying it again would physically hurt. “Hector at first had vowed that he would never marry and bring a weak woman as his Luna, but since mates, whether fated or chosen could be an unpredictable matter, the court insisted that his heir—the future ruler after him—must be Lycan. Not a weak common werewolf.” I stared at him, stunned. “But that's crazy? How could they force such a rule on him? And Why would he even agree to that?” I was asking because I had seen how tough Hector had been with the court, he wasn't one to be pushed over so easily, which means that he had allowed them to put such a bind on him.But why?Larry sighed and shook his head. “He didn't have much of a choice at that time, I believe he thought it was the only or easiest way To secure his position as Alpha,” Larry answered, his tone gentle but firm. “Ivonne, you don’t understand how mu
IVONNE'S POV I stared at Larry for a long second, still frozen from the warning he had just given me. Make sure you never get pregnant for Hector. Those strange words suddenly began echoing inside my skull like a gong, forcing me to pay attention to the older man in front of Me. I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “Larry… what do you mean by that? I know this arrangement is temporary, but why would you give me such an odd warning out of the blue like that?" I asked feeling perplexed. Larry blinked at me once, then twice before looking genuinely confused, as if he couldn’t understand why I was asking. “What do I mean by what do I mean? Ivonne, Don't you understand the consequences of--- Wait." He paused suddenly. "Ivonne? —you really don’t know?” "Know what?" I frowned. I was really beginning to get annoyed with all these things everyone expected me to know but I somehow didn't Larry's eyes grew round as saucers. "You don't know about the consequences of breaking the vow?"
Ivonne's POV "I vow to protect you. To stand beside you. To treat you as my equal through the entire year we are bound.”His words vibrated through me. “For the one year, Ivonne… I will treat you with the respect you were always meant to have. You will never ever doubt where you stand with me. You will always know your worth."I exhaled shakily. It was embarrassing how much those words affected me. How deeply they sank. How something inside me, something that was tired, bruised, longing—leaned into him despite every warning I’d ever given myself.For a moment, I let myself imagine it wouldn’t end.I let myself imagine this warmth staying forever.This protection staying with me till the end of time.This sense of safety never leaving my side..Goddess, I had forgotten what it was like… forgotten what it meant to have a man you could trust. Someone who wasn’t waiting to betray you. Someone who didn’t make you small or always doubt yourself.Against my will, I began to melt. I let myse
Ivonne's POV I froze. My heart physically stopped. Because in his hand, he held a ring. A ring I recognized instantly. It was his mother’s. Lady Elizabeth. A delicate band of interwoven silver, marked with Lycan runes—an heirloom passed down through generations. I had only seen it once in a portrait. My breath caught in my throat. “Hector…” I whispered, voice trembling. “What—what are you doing?” He lifted his eyes to mine—those intense, beautiful eyes that could shatter or soothe with a single glance. “I know,” he began softly, “that we were brought together by my Uncle Mr. Archibald’s arrangement. I know you never intended to have me in your life and We were basically pushed together by circumstances." My stomach twisted. “But,” he continued, “I want to formally ask you to marry me of your own free will. I don't want you to ever think that I'm just tolerating having you beside me. I don't want you to ever think that I regret having you as a partner." My world tilted an
Ivonne's POVI shoved the embarrassing tears back with the back of my hand so fast it almost startled me. No way—absolutely no way on earth was I letting Hector see me like this.Not when the vision I’d just had wasn’t even real. Not when my emotions were this messy and tangled and humiliating.So I straightened my shoulders, inhaled deeply, forced my voice into something resembling normal, and stepped out of the car.“Hi,” I said, trying to sound casual. “You’re home early.”Hector’s entire posture changed instantly. His shoulders squared, his jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed as he scanned my face like he was reading a danger report.“Ivonne? What’s wrong?” he asked immediately, his voice low, sharp, and too perceptive. "Did something happen?"“Nothing,” I said quickly, waving a hand in front of my face. “Relax. Something just… got in my eye.”He just stared at me.That cold, analyzing stare that told me he didn’t believe a single word.Before I could redirect the conversation,
Ivonne's POVI watched the nurse’s face carefully, trying not to look like a desperate woman begging for scraps of information about her ex-husband’s life. But my heart was already beating too fast, and it only sped up when she opened her mouth to answer.I couldn't even explain why I was reacting like this, but all I knew was that I needed to know. I needed to know if Alison was carrying the child I hadn't been able to have with Lincoln.The nurse looked nervous, actually nervous. Her fingers twitched with the money she held, and I leaned in slightly without meaning to."Tell me." I urged her.“Um… Mrs.—sorry, Ms. Ivonne,” she corrected herself quickly, “But I… I don’t actually know the results of Mrs. Alison’s test.”I blinked. “You don’t?”“No,” she said, shaking her head firmly. “She made sure I didn’t see anything.”A pinch of disappointment tightened my chest. It was unwanted, unwelcome, and stupid. I shouldn’t care. I shouldn’t have even asked. And yet… I had.“Oh,” I said quie







