9-HER SWEET SMILE AND HIS POOR HEART

BLAISE

I lay in bed, gazing at the ceiling throughout the night. The entire pack was quiet and dark. The absence of the moon denied our pack members the usual lunar transformation and basking under the moonlight. Yet, it wasn't the moonless night that kept me awake; it was the woman residing in one of the rooms in my mansion. She had found a way to infiltrate my thoughts, stubbornly clinging like a parasite, living rent-free within my mind and depriving me of sleep.

I attempted to push her thoughts to the back of my mind, but somehow, she remained the sole occupant of my thoughts. She ignited a dangerous emotion within me that I did not like, yet I couldn't end it. I wanted to kill her as badly as I wanted to own her. I was faced with the arduous task of eliminating my mate, yet I couldn't muster the will to harm her. With a sigh, I shifted to lie on my side, reaching out to the empty space beside me where Aurora used to grace. I wanted to dwell on memories of Aurora, but Lila's th