Chapter 0002

Calithea

I felt an unexpected tightness in my core, as our position made me completely at his mercy, but it was exactly the kind of reality I needed to completely break through the one I wanted to be free from tonight.

“Then please fuck me” I whispered, my voice trembling.

His grip loosened, and in one swoop, he lifted me. I clung to him, my fingers weaving through the hair at his nape.

He placed me on the bed, his gaze focused on me with a strange intensity, as if he were seeing something rare for the first time.

“You play a dangerous game, little ember,” he murmured, in between each kiss on my neck, which felt little fireworks on my skin.

It was the exact spot where Ryden’s mark should have been. For a split second, I imagined this stranger sinking his fangs there, and the thought sent a shiver straight down my spine.

“Are you cold?” he questioned, his eyes locked onto mine. The unexpected warmth in his tone made my heart leap.

I shook my head, unable to speak. There were different sides to this dangerous man that made me desperate to know more, but I knew it was all a fantasy.

He began to peel the clothes off me with precise attention. I tried to calm my racing heart, under his hot gaze.

He leaned in with a gentleness that left me breathless, kissing the curve of my breast. I arched toward him, my hands running blindly over his frame.

I reached for his heavy leather jacket with unsteady hands, needing to feel the heat of the skin beneath it.

He hesitated for a second before easing out of it. I heard something small and metal fall onto the mattress, but I was too enthralled by the sight of him to care.

My hands traced the hard contours of his broad chest, marveling at the strength beneath my palms.

Feeling the hardness of his bulge against my skin, an indication of the effect I had on him. For a moment I felt like a powerful woman, seeing how deeply desired I was.

But as my fingers went higher to his back, I felt a jagged line that ran from his back, to his collarbone. A flicker of moonlight from the open window washed over us, confirming what my touch felt.

He stiffened as I consciously traced the scars.

“Who…who did this?”. My voice quivered.

“Rogues,” he answered shortly, his expression darkening. He caught both of my wrists in a single, firm grip, pinning them above my head and leaving me completely vulnerable to his gaze. “No personal questions.”

I shivered at the raw intensity in his eyes. “You have a lot of rules for a stranger.”

“Rules keep us alive,” he muttered, before leaning down to silence my protest with a searing kiss.

Using a wide handkerchief, he bound my hands together and secured them to the headboard. The heat from his gaze made my pulse race faster than ever. Without the use of my hands, I felt completely exposed, yet entirely receptive to him.

“Perfect,” he muttered, his deep voice vibrating through me. Noting the lack of fear in my eyes, a flash of curiosity crossed his face. “Why do I have a feeling you crave this intensity, little ember?” he muttered, as one of his hands found the heat between my thighs, circling my folds slowly, until I was a moaning mess.

“Why…why did you say that?” I forced out, as the sensations wrack my body.

“It's obvious, little ember,” He breathed, his finger swiping over my slick slit. “You’re so wet for me,”

He was right, yet wrong, because being the pack’s outcast had forced me into a docile role. A role I utterly despised, yet here, that same surrender was the very thing driving me toward a feeling of true liberation.

One finger suddenly slid inside me, and I held my breath, arching my back, at the sensations that seemed to heighten, at the startling intrusion.

He paused, his shocked eyes met mine, unable to hide his confusion as he realized the depth of my inexperience.

“You… don’t tell me…” He trailed off, shaking his head as a mix of intense warmth and sudden possessiveness took over his features. “A woman like you… why has no man ever claimed you or left his mark?”

I forced a crooked smile, “No personal questions, remember?”

His jaw tightened, a flash of anger crossing his face for a second before it vanished.

In one swift motion, he reached up and released my hands, pulling me flush against his hard chest with a sudden, fierce tenderness.

“Why?…” I whispered, confused by the change.

“I can’t do that” he growled softly, “If this is your first time, I am going to make sure you remember every single second of how it feels to be truly wanted.”

He claimed my lips again, before I said another word. But I couldn’t help the warmth that filled my heart with those words.

The kiss felt like he was branding my soul with an untamed hunger, that lured me back into the pleasure he kept filling me with.

His scent overshadowed my senses until it felt like the only oxygen I had left to breathe.

“Lie on your side,” he ordered.

I obeyed meekly, wondering about the sudden change in position. There was a quick scuffle behind me, before I heard the sound of a packet opening.

But, as his arms drew me back against his chest, I felt a sense of protection that overwhelmed my erratic mind.

His teeth grazed the crook of my neck for a second before he filled me, moving slowly. My breath hitched as he stretched me in a way that felt primal, yet incredibly gentle.

I completely lost track of time. My own soft sighs were the only sound in the dim room until I finally let go, anchoring myself to the muscular arm he wrapped tightly around me.

As my breathing steadied, he began to pull away, but the lingering hardness against my back made it clear he hadn't found his own release.

“Are you okay? I mean…” I started, but he cut me off.

“This night is for you. It’s late, just rest,” he said warmly. For a brief moment, his words made it feel like we had many more nights ahead of us, but I knew better.

I listened to the rhythmic, calming beat of his heart. I didn't want to sleep, desperate not to let this night end too soon.

After a while, his breathing slowed into a deep slumber. I carefully turned around to face him, but as I moved, I felt a cold brush against my thigh.

Sliding my hand down, my fingers closed around a metal object. I pulled it into my palm and looked closely in the dim light, it was a silver ring with an odd, intricate carving on top.

I traced the metal lines, deeply curious about who this mysterious man really was while my eyes swept over the heavy scars on his chest.

I clutched the ring tightly in my palm. It would be my secret token, a piece to remind me of tonight. With my heartbeat matching his, I finally surrendered to sleep.

***

I woke to the sound of chirping birds and a cold, empty bed. The stranger was gone.

The gray morning light filtering through the window was enough to make me scramble out of the sheets in panic.

I had to get back to the pack house before anyone noticed I was missing!

Slipping his silver ring safely into the hidden pocket of my dress, I sprinted back toward the pack borders just as the sun began to scatter over the horizon.

The entire pack territory was already a frenzy of activity, as if no one had slept a single wink.

“There you are!” Mira, my only true confidant in this wretched pack, seethed as she materialized out of the crowd. “I heard something insane,” she whispered, grabbing my arm and hauling me into a secluded corner in between rows of stone pillars.

“What is it?” I frowned, my heart hammering against my ribs at how serious she looked.

“I heard the new Alpha is related to your mate,” she muttered, giving me a pointed look. “Why didn't you tell me Ryden has another family member!”

“What do you mean?” I blinked, bewildered.

“Because the new Alpha is Ryden’s younger brother,” she said flatly.

“How is that possible? Ryden would have told me…” I trailed off, the ground suddenly feeling unstable beneath my feet. Zirelle’s cruel words from yesterday flashed through my mind.

‘I hate we are connected by the blood of our mates.’

“Why would Ryden keep something like that from me?” I whispered, dumbfounded that after three years of being with him, I knew absolutely nothing about his past.

“Because Ryden would have been the rightful Alpha if a misfortune didn’t happen,” Mira explained quickly. “He was stripped of his birthright and punished. He hides it out of shame.”

“I don’t-”

“Everyone, gather around the dais immediately!” Evie, the head maid and Zirrelle’s lapdog, commanded from the central courtyard before I could even process the shock.

"Let’s go, I’ll tell you the rest later,” Mira said, dragging me forward. But she suddenly froze, her sharp eyes scanning down my rumpled dress suspiciously. “That reminds me… where exactly were you all night? I went to your house after I heard what happened with Zirelle.”

My face burned with the weight of the sin I had actually committed. “We have to go now!” I said, dragging Mira toward the growing crowd, as I heard Evie’s voice again.

“Our Alpha and future Luna are here to address us. Silence!” Evie commanded as we slipped into the very back row of the gathering.

Around me, the pack girls craned their necks, whispering in excited, breathless tones.

My mind was a chaotic mess. It was sickening to realize I had a brother-in-law I never knew existed, let alone that he was taking over the pack today.

“He is so hot!” one girl gushed. I craned my neck, trying to get a glimpse, but it was hard due to the girls in front.

“Zirelle is incredibly lucky. A perfect match for a ruler,” another girl sighed.

Then, he spoke.

“Icefalls.”

The single word boomed over the courtyard, instantly turning the warm morning atmosphere to absolute ice.

My heart stopped dead in my chest.

That voice. It was the exact same low, rough baritone that had whispered ‘little ember’ against my bare skin just hours ago.

“Alpha Valen!” The pack roared in perfect synchronization, every single wolf bowing their heads low in absolute submission.

Still paralyzed by horror, I remained standing upright while the rest of the pack dropped to their knees.

I forced my wavering gaze up toward the raised dais, praying to the Moon Goddess that my ears were playing a cruel trick on me.

The moment I saw his face, the air left my lungs.

He was draped in heavy, majestic Alpha furs fitting of his supreme position, looking nothing like the stranger that had pinned me to the bed.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“How dare you stare directly at the Alpha?!” a guard thundered from behind me. A heavy hand slammed into my shoulder, violently shoving me down onto the hard stone floor.

“Bring that disobedient wretch forward!” Zirelle’s sharp voice commanded from the stage, seizing the opportunity to humiliate me.

In a state of pure horror and disorientation, the guards grabbed my arms and dragged me through the parting crowd. Every eye in the pack turned towards me filled with the usual spite.

The supreme Alpha, was the very man who had explored every inch of my body, and my supposed husband estranged brother.

He is the very one who I had the crazy guts to demand just hours before to fuck me.