Chapter Two

Taylor’s POV

Why me? Why today of all days?

I really should have stayed the whole week in my father's pack. I really did. But after three days, he insisted I go back home to my mate. Leaving him there tired and smaller still made my heart ache.

He insisted he was fine and would recover on his own, especially now that my stepmother had taken over the ruling of the pack. I, on the other hand, had spent every second of the three days missing my mate but unwilling to go back home.

Because I knew someone was coming to visit. The same someone stomping towards me.

With each step he took toward me, he glared at me. Tall, olive-skinned, and muscular, he was every girl's bad-boy teenage fantasy even at forty. His face was unfairly handsome—a sharp jaw dusted with a hint of stubble and a look in his eyes that said he could destroy you and would enjoy it. Dante Valerian was the sexiest man I'd ever laid my eyes on.

He also happened to be the most evil man to walk this earth since Satan.

“Good morning, Alpha Dante,” I greeted, biting my lower lip.

As always, he didn't answer. He grunted and tilted his head in my direction, like I was an irritating fly that he couldn’t be bothered to swat away.

“I don't want your greetings,” he snapped. “What I want is for you to take your unfaithful, stinking self away from my son's life.”

I raised an eyebrow. His voice sliced through me like it always did. What had I done to ever deserve his hatred?

I forced a smile, breathed in deeply, and tried to move away from him. “I have taken every other thing you've said to me, but I won't take this one. Please excuse me.”

“Are you denying it?” he interrupted, pulling me back by my arm and taking a step closer to me. “That you've slept with almost every man in this pack, uncaring whether they have a mate or not?” He spat the words as if they tasted sour, scowling at me with eyes that could cut glass. “Admit what you've done, Taylor.”

“I have nothing to admit,” I scoffed, stepping closer. “I have stayed faithful to Brandon, and you know it. I know you don't like me, but lying about me is where I draw the line, Alpha Dante. You have no right.”

“I have every right to say the truth.”

I. Saw. Red. Choking heat rose in me as I snatched my hand away from his hold.

“The only truth here is that you’re a lying, pathetic sack of dirty tampons, Dante. And I don't blame you, because you're just jealous your son is able to keep a good woman after you failed to keep his mother.”

“What did you just say to me?” He chuckled darkly, taking another step closer. It sent a vibration straight through my chest.

I became acutely aware of how near he was. The air between us charged up with electricity.

I swallowed, keeping my rage intact. “You were a wicked mate and an even more terrible father, if this was how you treated your son’s mate?”

His eyes narrowed. He leaned forward just enough that I could smell the faint sharpness of his cologne, the dangerous warmth radiating off him. His jaw tightened.

The space between us felt charged, thick with something sharp and forbidden. My pulse thudded in my ears, loud enough that I was sure he could hear it.

This was a mistake. I knew it even as my feet stayed rooted to the floor.

For a moment, I thought he would say something else. Instead, his hand flexed at his side, like he was holding himself back.

“Don’t,” I said quietly, though I wasn’t sure what I was warning him against.

His gaze dropped to my mouth.

“I hated you,” he said at last, his voice low, every syllable broken. “I hated you so fckng mu—”

“Oh, pl—”

Before I could finish my retort, he closed the remaining distance between us. His lips were on mine, sudden and fierce. Shock froze me, my hands stiff at my sides. And yet—God help me—I kissed him back. The sharp edge of him, the anger, the danger, the way he claimed me without asking—it was intoxicating.

The electric current running between us was at full power. It put my mind in a haze. He trembled as he devoured me whole. It was soft but enough to send heat surging through my body. God, I needed his lips on my body more than my next breath.

We were both panting when I finally shoved him away. His chest rose and fell against mine. The air crackled. Sparks flew.

What had we done?

He moistened his lips and then parted them to pull in a shaky breath. The need to touch him was overwhelming.

For a moment, I thought he might pull me back. Instead, he cursed under his breath, turned sharply, and walked away without looking back.

My legs finally gave way under me. My heart pounded in my chest.

What had we done?

###############

I got to Brandon's office with my heart still pounding in my chest. The hallway smelled of old wax polish, faint cedar, and the sharp scent of disinfectant.

“Surprise.”

I pushed open the door, forced a smile, and hurried over to kiss him. The look on his face froze me in place.

“Why are you here so early? You’re not supposed to be back until the weekend,” he said, his voice tight, eyes darting to the door and back.

“I… I thought I’d come by,” I said, my heart pounding. “I wanted to check on some things… make sure everything’s in order.” I smiled, hoping it would ease whatever tension I was feeling. “Were you… still mad at me?”

His eyes narrowed, and he ran a hand down his face. “Mad? No… it’s not that. You just… you shouldn’t be here yet. I have a meeting now—there's something I need to handle.”

I stepped closer, shaking my head. “No, really, I understood. You were just trying to help, and I couldn’t blame you. I just… I missed you. I knew it wasn’t easy, and I appreciated everything you were doing.” My voice softened, but I watched him stiffen, his jaw tightening.

He sighed, pacing a short distance away, glancing toward the door like I should have taken the hint. “Look, I really think you should go back to your father's pack. This isn’t the right time for—”

“But I wanted to talk,” I interrupted, stepping around his hand as if he hadn’t even gestured. “I needed to discuss this now. I didn’t want there to be misunderstandings between us.” I tried to keep my tone gentle, but there was a tremor in it, betraying my nerves.

He ran a hand through his hair and gave a short, frustrated laugh. “You really don’t know how to take hints, do you?” He shook his head. “I’m not angry at you—at least, not exactly—but this… this was complicated. Please, just leave.”

I frowned and tilted my head. “You were upset with me, Brandon. I could see it,” I said softly, reaching for his arm. “But I'm really sorry. Can't you forgive me?”

He pulled back gently, his eyes pleading now, almost desperate. “I'm not upset, I promise—but I have an urgent meeting now. Maybe you should go and wait for me in our room.”

I hesitated, torn between his words and my own determination. I could see he was struggling, but I couldn’t make myself leave—not when I needed him to understand that I wasn’t being reckless. “I won’t stay long,” I promised, though I knew I’d already overstayed my welcome.

The door swung open behind us, getting both of our attention. A woman stepped inside without knocking. She was wearing a red lace lingerie set and a matching red robe.

The same red robe I had gotten her for her birthday two months ago.

She paused when she saw me. Her lips pressed together as she glanced at me.

“Oh,” she said, eyes flicking between us. “I didn’t realize you were… busy.”

My heart dropped straight through the floor.

Everything around me quieted immediately. My jaw dropped open at the same time as my body started to shake. A cold chill ran down my spine. My head slowly turned back to my mate, and the guilt in his eyes confirmed it.

I couldn't form words. My brain couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible.

They couldn't.

Brandon couldn't.

She would never.

All those times he told me they were working on something for the pack.

My legs went weak. I pressed my hands to my stomach, trying not to heave as her triumphant smile burned into my eyes.

I looked at her again—really looked. The carefully done hair, the perfume I could smell from across the room, the deliberately chosen clothes. The way her eyes lingered on him just a second too long. She didn’t dress like that for work. She dressed like that for him.

And he knew it.

“Br… Brandon,” I whispered. “Why was my stepmother standing half naked in your office?”