MasukThird Person's POVWhen Esmond led Camellia into the living room, Lionel was already there, reclined on the sofa and deep in conversation with the elders.Watching the rare smiles on his grandparents' faces, Esmond's expression clouded.No matter how hard he played the part of the perfect heir, they always treated him with a measured coldness—nothing like the genuine warmth they radiated toward Lionel."Grandfather. Grandmother."Chelsea looked up and gave a small, elegant nod. "Esmond, Camellia. Sit. Miss Romero will be here any minute."Camellia offered a polite greeting and took her spot next to Esmond, though she instinctively shifted outward, leaving a tell-tale gap between them.Chelsea didn't blink at the gesture. Tonight, the two of them were just background noise."Lionel, did you hear a word I said?" Chelsea turned her focus back to her son. "Be a gentleman. Drop that 'stay away or die' look, or I swear, I'll ma
Third Person's POVAs soon as Eugenia's footsteps faded, Esmond's voice dropped, thick with disapproval. "She's always trying to get between us, Camellia. Always clawing at my authority. You need to stop seeing her."Camellia's brow furrowed, her eyes cutting through him like glass. "She's my friend. Whatever she says, a traitor like you doesn't get to judge her. Besides," she added, her voice dropping to a lethal chill, "she's just stating the facts, isn't she?"Esmond felt a surge of irritation.His Alpha instincts demanded a mate who fell in line, yet here was Camellia, clearly trusting an outsider more than him.He felt a warning growl bubbling in his throat, but he choked it back, remembering his own infidelity. He forced his tone to soften.Seeing that Camellia had already turned her back to keep packing—completely icing him out—he hesitated, then stepped up behind her."Camellia, I'm sorry. I snapped. I shouldn't ha
Third Person's POVEsmond didn't hesitate. The second the words left Camellia's lips, he snapped them up.His dark Alpha eyes constricted, a flicker of gold dancing in his pupils—pure, unadulterated hype.To him, nothing mattered more than dragging his stray mate back to his side. The snapped mating bond? The jagged cracks between them? He figured time would stitch all that back together."Camellia, don't worry," Esmond said, stepping closer. He reined in his scent—that heavy pine-needle pressure—until it was almost non-existent, replaced by a desperate, borderline pathetic need to please. "I won't touch you. I won't force anything. I promise."It was a hollow promise. Esmond had recycled that line a dozen times during their years together.Camellia stood there, face like stone. Even her wolf didn't stir.She didn't buy a single word of it.If she was stepping back into that villa—a place that reeked of
Third Person's POVWhen Esmond led Camellia into the living room, Lionel was already there, reclined on the sofa and deep in conversation with the elders.Watching the rare smiles on his grandparents' faces, Esmond's expression clouded.No matter how hard he played the part of the perfect heir, they always treated him with a measured coldness—nothing like the genuine warmth they radiated toward Lionel."Grandfather. Grandmother."Chelsea looked up and gave a small, elegant nod. "Esmond, Camellia. Sit. Miss Romero will be here any minute."Camellia offered a polite greeting and took her spot next to Esmond, though she instinctively shifted outward, leaving a tell-tale gap between them.Chelsea didn't blink at the gesture. Tonight, the two of them were just background noise."Lionel, did you hear a word I said?" Chelsea turned her focus back to her son. "Be a gentleman. Drop that 'stay away or die' look, or I swear, I'll make you regret it."Lionel's gaze flickered toward Camellia, who s
Third Person's POVAs soon as Eugenia's footsteps faded, Esmond's voice dropped, thick with disapproval. "She's always trying to get between us, Camellia. Always clawing at my authority. You need to stop seeing her."Camellia's brow furrowed, her eyes cutting through him like glass. "She's my friend. Whatever she says, a traitor like you doesn't get to judge her. Besides," she added, her voice dropping to a lethal chill, "she's just stating the facts, isn't she?"Esmond felt a surge of irritation.His Alpha instincts demanded a mate who fell in line, yet here was Camellia, clearly trusting an outsider more than him.He felt a warning growl bubbling in his throat, but he choked it back, remembering his own infidelity. He forced his tone to soften.Seeing that Camellia had already turned her back to keep packing—completely icing him out—he hesitated, then stepped up behind her."Camellia, I'm sorry. I snapped. I shouldn't have trashed your friend."The tension in Camellia's shoulders eas
Third Person's POVEsmond didn't hesitate. The second the words left Camellia's lips, he snapped them up.His dark Alpha eyes constricted, a flicker of gold dancing in his pupils—pure, unadulterated hype.To him, nothing mattered more than dragging his stray mate back to his side. The snapped mating bond? The jagged cracks between them? He figured time would stitch all that back together."Camellia, don't worry," Esmond said, stepping closer. He reined in his scent—that heavy pine-needle pressure—until it was almost non-existent, replaced by a desperate, borderline pathetic need to please. "I won't touch you. I won't force anything. I promise."It was a hollow promise. Esmond had recycled that line a dozen times during their years together.Camellia stood there, face like stone. Even her wolf didn't stir.She didn't buy a single word of it.If she was stepping back into that villa—a place that reeked of betrayal—she was doing it with her claws out.If Esmond tried that forced-marking b
Esmond's POVHazel knelt on the moss-green carpet, her rogue scent of rotting grass mixing with the salty tang of tears.I grabbed her, disgusted, and tried to drag her out of my parents' villa.Suddenly, Priscilla swung her cane, striking my back. The moonstone at the tip tore through my shirt, le
Lionel's POVCamellia's hand on the car door tightened unconsciously, her fingertips turning white.She bit her lower lip, then said softly, "Alright, sorry for the trouble."With that, she took a step back, still holding my jacket, and turned to leave.The rotten scent of pine needles and vervain
Camellia's POVA chill swept over me. I couldn't stop trembling.The pine-needle scent, mixed with the overwhelming pressure of an Alpha's dominance, pressed against my skin. The temporary mark on the back of my neck suddenly burned with searing pain.Esmond pinned me against the carved bedpost. Mo
Camellia's POV"Esmond, you don't need to pretend to be a good mate. From the moment you cheated, there was no way we could stay together. Just leave. I don't want to argue with you at the hospital."Esmond knelt in front of me, his expression soft."Cam, I'm not pretending. Whether it's being good







