18

ALEXANDER

I hadn’t gone far when the sound of leaves rustling reached my ears again, closer this time, clumsy and panicked, like someone retreating in a hurry.

Not a chance.

I paused, eyes scanning the trees, listening closely. Once I pinned down the direction, I moved silently toward it, careful with every step. And then I saw him. The scrawny wolf who had the audacity to trespass. A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. Just what I needed, a little carnage to drown out the mess of emotions that girl stirred in me.

The wolf finally froze, sensing he wasn’t alone. His fear hit my nose like a wave, irritating the monster inside me. But it also excited him. It made him want to play.

I didn’t rush. He was close enough to understand there was no escape. He could either accept his fate and die quickly, or make things worse for himself. I’d be more than happy to show him what pain truly felt like.

“I don’t want any trouble,” he said, turning with trembling hands raised in surrender.

He looked barely twenty one. Too young, too naïve. His eyes were wide, his mouth drawn tight in fear, but his stupidity stood out most. He had climbed the walls of my territory. Did he think he’d be welcomed with open arms?

“You’re already neck-deep in it,” I replied, folding my arms across my chest.

His eyes darted to my arm, then over my shoulder. I didn’t bother turning to see what he was looking for. It didn’t matter.

“I—I got lost,” he stammered.

That pathetic lie made my blood boil. I didn’t even register my growl as I launched myself at him. The last thing he saw was the fury in my eyes before I ripped his heart clean from his chest and flung it to the ground.

A sharp gasp sliced through the clearing.

I turned sharply to find Alina standing there, frozen. Her mouth hung open, her eyes stretched wide in horror. Another growl tore from my throat, and she recoiled instantly, backing up with trembling steps. Her hands flew to her mouth, muffling the soft whimpers spilling from her lips.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay put?” My voice thundered with rage.

Her shoulders shook, and tears started to spill down her cheeks.

Unbelievable.

I had no idea what to do with a crying woman. Normally, I didn’t let them live long enough to fall apart like this.

But I wouldn’t hurt her. I couldn’t. She meant something to me, to my pack. She would carry my bloodline.

I walked up to her, grabbed her arm with my bloodstained hand. She flinched the moment our skin touched, recoiling from the sticky warmth, but I didn’t give a damn. I was too angry, too tired to offer comfort. I dragged her back toward the house in silence, my mood sinking lower than the grave where my mother lay buried. Or at least, most of my father lay there. His heart stayed with me. A souvenir for the pain he caused her.

I led Alina to her room and slammed the door shut behind her, locking it.

She needed to harden up. Sooner or later, she’d have to learn that this life didn’t leave room for softness. If she was going to stay, she had to adjust. I didn’t need her for much more than carrying my heir, but I’d be damned if my child inherited a weak spirit.

Downstairs, I was met with Claude’s smirking face, lounging like he’d been waiting for me all along.

“You don’t seem thrilled for someone who just found his soulmate,” he said, his tone lazy and laced with mockery.

I glared at him. Of course, he didn’t give a shit. He never did. And he knew I couldn’t touch him or do any real damage because of what we were to each other.

“Keep talking and I’ll make you regret it,” I snapped.

He tilted his head, unconcerned. “You’ve got blood on your hands.”

Like I didn’t already know that.

“There’s more blood on me than you can see,” I muttered.

Claude just chuckled and started walking off, tossing a final comment over his shoulder. The kind that always stuck with me longer than it should.

“Some flowers are fragile. They don’t bloom through rough hands. They die from them.”

I left the house, grabbing my keys without thinking. I needed air. I needed silence. I needed anything other than the war inside my head.

Driving came without intention. Before I knew it, I was pulling up in front of a familiar townhouse. I hadn’t been here in a while, but tonight, I needed the distraction.

Even before I could knock, the door swung open and Keisha stood there, a knowing smile pulling at her lips. Her eyes were still red from earlier, but I didn’t care.

“I knew you’d come around,” she said, stepping aside for me to enter.

The door shut behind me. She was wearing nothing but a robe, and it slipped off her shoulders the moment she turned around. Her bronzed skin caught the hallway light.

She dropped to her knees and undid my zipper. My body didn’t react as strongly as it should have. Even when her fingers wrapped around me, stroking slowly, there was no rush of lust. Just a hazy image. Doe eyes and flushed cheeks.

Alina.

I let my head fall back, let the illusion take over. Her hands became Alina’s in my mind. Every movement, every tug, I pretended it was her. She moaned, warm breath ghosting over me, and I could almost hear Alina’s soft gasp instead. My spine arched as a low growl escaped my lips. My release came fast, my breath shallow, heart racing.

Then my eyes opened.

The fantasy shattered.

Keisha’s hazel gaze met mine, full of raw lust, all I could feel was disgust. My stomach churned, and bile stung the back of my throat.