2

We discovered we were fated mates right after our first shift into wolf form. The entire Northern Territory disapproved of us being together. After all, Marcus was the Alpha of Blackwater Pack and heir to the Alpha King title. He was the most noble wolf in all the Northern lands.

I was just a common-born wolf.

But Marcus still fell in love with me and launched an aggressive pursuit.

Our first meeting wasn't pleasant. I'd just joined the pack's hunting squad as a bottom-tier soldier, assigned the dirtiest job of gathering and cleaning prey. That day, heavy rains caused a mudslide that swept away our hunt. I was ordered to search for the scattered game.

In the mud, I found Marcus unconscious.

I dragged him to a dry crevice in the rocks and applied healing herbs I'd gathered to his wounds.

When Marcus woke up and learned I'd saved him, he stuck to me like glue. He'd wait at my assignment locations, follow me around. Nothing could shake him off.

He gave me exquisite designer gowns. I tore them to shreds with a cold expression and threw them back at him.

He spent two hundred thousand dollars at auction for healing stones, made me expensive lunches with his own hands. I casually gave them all to injured colleagues in the hunting squad.

Later, during a hunting mission, I was attacked by rogue wolves. In that critical moment, he appeared and drove off the pack.

From then on, I tried to accept him.

Eventually, we became mates.

Sometimes I wonder if the tenderness in his eyes when he looked at me was real. After all, everything that happened between us was genuine. I was his mate. Maybe I was different in his heart after all.

He never brought those other women in front of me. Never let his guard slip around our daughter.

I pretended not to know about those women.

They were out there with him, living their glamorous lives.

But Vivian's appearance shattered that delicate balance.

Marcus treated her differently. He'd even brought her in front of Aria. That filled me with a sense of crisis.

After getting Aria to sleep, I returned to the master bedroom.

Marcus stood by the balcony, looking at documents in his hand, smiling faintly.

"Alright, you've worked hard these past few days. Get some rest."

He'd never spoken so gently to any pack member.

The image of that beautiful face from earlier flashed through my mind.

I walked straight past him into the bathroom.

Halfway through my shower, a muscular, burning body pressed against me from behind.

A husky voice came from above my head.

"Did you miss me these past few days?"

I gently pulled away and grabbed a nearby towel to wrap around myself.

"I'm a bit tired today."

As I turned, my wrist was suddenly yanked back by a strong grip.

He raised an eyebrow at me, looking amused.

"You're my mate. You're supposed to bear my children. I'm not satisfied with just one daughter."

He always made these crude jokes in bed.

No matter how I reacted, he seemed certain I'd like it.

When I pushed him away a second time, the amusement in his eyes only deepened.

"Angry?"

"There's nothing between her and me. It's just that she reminds me a bit of you..."

"If you don't like it, I'll be more careful. Be good."

He spoke while kissing my neck.

His lips were burning hot, but I felt bone-deep cold.

"Marcus, I'm not feeling well."

Steam swirled around us. His expression turned dark.

"Serena, while I'm still willing to coax you, don't push your luck."

I stood frozen, my fingertips turning cold.

Seeing I still wouldn't soften and beg him, he simply lifted me up and threw me onto the bed without mercy.

In the darkness, the man spoke carelessly through gritted teeth.

"I'm an Alpha. I can have any woman I want. Don't think that being my mate means you can demand loyalty from me."

My whole body went rigid.

Despite my fierce resistance, he f**ked me all night long, completely ignoring my refusal.