LOGINChapter 40KIERAN"And what would you know about it?" I demanded, my control finally snapping. "You married Marcus Sullivan. You spent five years in his bed, building a life with him. Did you love him? Or was he just your way of escaping from me?""He was my mistake," she admitted, and a tear finally escaped, tracking down her cheek. "He was my attempt to prove I could choose my own path, make my own decisions. And I was wrong. So wrong. But at least I can admit that now. Can you? Can you admit that you're making the same kind of mistake with Miranda?""It's not the same," I insisted, but even I could hear how weak the argument sounded."Isn't it?" Vincent asked. "You're marrying someone you don't love because you think it's the right thing to do, because it makes political sense, because you're too proud or too hurt to admit that your heart still belongs to someone else. That sounds exactly like what my daughter did with Marcus Sullivan."The comparison made me want to throw somethin
Chapter 39KIERANOn the Blackwood side, Vincent stood near the head of the table, his sharp blue eyes assessing me the moment I entered. Isabella Blackwood smiled warmly, though I could see the calculation behind her pleasant expression. Lucas was conspicuously absent, which didn't surprise me—he was probably still furious about how I'd dismissed his call about Seraphina waking up."Kieran!" My mother came forward immediately, kissing my cheek and steering me into the room. "I'm so glad you could make it. Doesn't Seraphina look lovely?"*She's not even being subtle,* my wolf observed. *This is going to be a long evening.*"She looks very nice," I said diplomatically, catching Seraphina's eye and seeing the same understanding there—we were both pawns in whatever game our mothers were playing tonight."Come, sit," Isabella said, gesturing to a seat that was, of course, directly across from where Seraphina would be sitting. "Vincent has opened some excellent wine, and we have so much to
Chapter 38KIERANShe looked up from her computer, surprise flickering across her face."Sunflowers, Your Majesty. She mentioned it once during the engagement photo shoot."Sunflowers. Bright, cheerful, unpretentious. The complete opposite of Seraphina's preferred roses—those carefully cultivated, perfectly formed symbols of romance and passion."Get me sunflowers," I said, making the decision impulsively. "A large arrangement."*What are you doing?* my wolf asked suspiciously."Bringing flowers to dinner, like my mother insisted," I replied.*You're bringing Miranda's favorite flowers to Seraphina's house. That's either incredibly stupid or incredibly deliberate.*It was deliberate. It was my small rebellion, my way of reminding everyone—including myself—that I was committed to Miranda. That Seraphina was the past, and Miranda was the future. Even if Miranda was currently refusing to speak to me.I also had my assistant arrange for a bottle of expensive wine to be delivered to the Bl
Chapter 37KIERANI was reviewing territorial reports in my office when my phone rang, displaying the one name that could make me simultaneously smile and groan: Mom.Eleanor Nightshade didn't call unless it was important, and given the events of the past week, I had a sinking suspicion I knew exactly what this call was about."Mother," I answered, trying to keep my voice neutral and professional."Kieran," she said warmly, and I could already hear the determination underlying her pleasant tone. "I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time.""Just finishing up some work," I said, shuffling papers on my desk as if she could see me through the phone. "What can I do for you?""You can come to dinner tomorrow night," she said, and it wasn't a request despite being phrased as one. "The Blackwoods have invited us for a family dinner, and it would be terribly rude for you not to attend."My hand stilled on the papers, every muscle in my body tensing at her words."Mother, I don't think that's
Chapter 36MIRANDABut I couldn't be that person. I'd been raised in a family that punished emotional displays, that valued calculation over passion, that taught me from childhood that love was a weakness to be exploited rather than a strength to be celebrated. My mother had spent my entire life drilling into me that the only value I had was in the strategic alliances I could create, the connections I could forge, the benefits I could bring to the family.Love had never been part of that equation.So I'd approached my engagement to Kieran the same way I approached everything else—as a project to be managed, a goal to be achieved, a business deal to be negotiated. I'd focused on being the perfect Luna-in-training, on learning everything I could about pack politics and territorial management, on presenting the image of a capable, sophisticated partner.What I hadn't focused on was actually connecting with him. Actually trying to build something real beneath all the political convenience
Chapter 35MIRANDAThe leather seats of my private car felt like a sanctuary as I slid inside, the door closing behind me with that satisfying thunk that meant I was finally, blissfully alone. Well, alone except for Mike, but he didn't count. Mike had been my personal driver for three years now, and he understood the most important rule of working for me: discretion above all else."Miss Ashworth," he greeted warmly, his kind eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. "Where to?"I pulled out my tablet from my bag—not the one I used for family business or social media, but the second one, the secret one that nobody in my life here knew existed. The one that contained all my UK contacts, my real business ventures, the life I was building far away from my family's suffocating expectations and Kieran's painful indifference."Just drive for now," I said, powering on the tablet and watching it come to life. "I need a moment to think."Mike nodded and pulled away from the building smoothly,







