Ch. 1 – A Kiss Mark

Kael’s body tensed intensely for a few moments before finally collapsing onto the woman who had just climaxed with him.

Their ragged breathing echoed off one another as their bodies remained entwined beneath the hotel’s thick blanket, now saturated with the scent of sweat and the juices of pleasure.

Both were still lost in the pleasure that had just swept over their souls.

“You’re truly amazing,” Kael praised, hugging the woman still beneath him.

“Thank you,” the beautiful woman replied, her face flushing with shyness.

“What’s your name?” Kael asked.

“Alice.”

Yes. Kael didn’t know the woman he’d just made love to because they’d met at a bar and ended up at the hotel.

“Damn, you’re only asking who I am after I’ve satisfied you, Mr. Alpha Valerius?” Alice teased with a laugh.

Kael chuckled softly. His fingers gently ran through Alice’s short hair. He knew Alice might actually have known him first. Everyone knows Kael, the man who controlled the nation’s economy and the next generation’s heir to the Valerius Clan.

Quickly, Kael grabbed a towel from the table near the bed to cover part of his body and sat up to enjoy a cigarette.

“So it’s true—you’ve never slept with your wife, Mr. Valerius?” Alice asked cautiously.

Alice shifted, sitting with the blanket wrapped around her, leaning against the headboard.

“No, and I never will,” Kael answered confidently without turning his head even slightly. His gaze remained fixed straight ahead.

Every member of every clan knew that on their mating day, Kael had never spoken the vows of acceptance to Eira as his destined partner. He had openly refused. But when the time comes for the ritual of planting moonflowers with Eira, his actions seemed to contradict his own refusal.

No one understood whether Kael truly loved his wife or if he had only gone through with the marriage because he was obligated to mate with his destined soulmate before being appointed the next Supreme Leader of the Valerius Clan.

“But… don’t you have to have children with your fated mate?”

Hearing that, Kael shot Alice a sharp glance, causing her body to shrink back in fear instantly.

“I can have children with anyone. Including you,” Kael replied casually, making Alice blush instantly.

Kael’s words did sound lighthearted and insincere. But that was enough to make Alice hope a little that she could become the partner of the man who was so perfect before her.

“I have to go, Alice.” Kael tossed the cigarette butt into the trash and grabbed his clothes before heading to the bathroom, then emerged neatly dressed.

Meanwhile, Alice was still in bed playing with her phone.

“Have a nice day.” Kael placed some money on the mattress right next to Alice’s body.

Alice glanced briefly at the money, then sat up. “No, sir. I’m satisfied too. So, you don’t need to pay me,” Alice quickly refused before Kael left.

“I’m not paying you as a prostitute. I’m just thanking you because I’ve never felt this satisfied sleeping with a stranger,” Kael said before simply walking away, leaving Alice behind.

Kael was stating the facts. He always hired women for fun, but he’d never felt such an intense sensation as he had with Alice just now. Kael’s senses were completely overwhelmed by how pleasurable their lovemaking had been.

Regardless of which clan Alice came from, Kael considered his business with her finished after he decided to leave the hotel room. That was just who he was.

He would never sleep with the same woman a second time.

-_oOo_-

Kael dropped his jacket when he found Eira lying on his bed in red lingerie that highlighted her figure, and makeup on her face. On top of that, the pungent scent of musk stung his nose.

“What are you doing here?” Kael asked coldly.

Kael understood. Eira was trying to tease him. Instead of feeling tempted, Kael felt suffocated and angry at the disgusting sight he was faced with after being away for a day and a night.

“I—I just wanted to welcome you home, my husband,” Eira replied, a little nervously.

In truth, Eira was terrified of Kael. An angry Kael could easily hurt her, but she also wanted to be a good wife, so she followed her friend’s advice to try seducing Kael—hoping it might encourage him to come home more often in the future.

Unfortunately, Kael had already experienced the kind of fulfillment he could find outside his home, so he had absolutely no interest in Eira.

“Get out of my room!” Kael’s voice rose an octave.

Eira immediately sat up on the bed. She didn’t dare meet Kael’s dark eyes, which were beginning to glow red with a threatening intensity as his anger flared.

“We’ve been married for four years, Kael...” Eira still tried to explain, despite her unstoppable fear. She was still gathering the last remnants of her courage to at least say a few things to her husband.

“So?” Kael slowly stepped closer.

Eira panicked and was at a loss for how to continue her sentence. She was both ashamed and afraid. Ashamed to say that she wanted to try, at least once, to sleep with her husband, and afraid that it would only make Kael feel annoyed and angry.

“This makeup... I put it on for you,” Eira said honestly, lowering her head deeply.

“Don’t you have any shame?!”

Just as she feared, Kael was furious.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I would never in a million years touch a jinx like you?!”

Instantly, Eira’s throat tightened. She wanted to apologize for something foolish she said and did, but the words got stuck in her throat. Her chest felt as if it were being squeezed by wolf claws that were trying to stop her heartbeat.

Kael moved closer, and his hand immediately grabbed Eira’s neck—choking her tightly, almost out of breath.

“How dare you tease me, you jinxed woman!” he snapped right in front of Eira’s face.

At that moment, Eira’s focus on Kael’s anger vanished. Her head suddenly ached, her chest burned and felt tight, and her throat itched unbearably as the sweet scent of vanilla filled her senses—and Eira realized it was coming from Kael’s body.

Her eyes also caught the mark of a kiss on her husband’s neck!

Everything suddenly collapsed. Instead of being disturbed by Kael’s shout, her ears rang for a long moment before falling silent. She heard nothing around her. It was as if all her nerves had died except for those in her nose and eyes.

Kael roughly pulled Eira up so that she could get out of bed. And that brought Eira back to her senses.

“GET OUT!” Kael snapped.

But Eira’s hand reached out and touched Kael’s neck, right where the red kiss mark was visible.

“You… you’ve been with another woman again, Kael?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Yes,” Kael answered without hesitation while roughly brushing Eira’s hand away.

“Why?! Why are you doing this to me?!” Eira immediately became hysterical.

“Don’t yell at me!” Kael shouted back and roughly grabbed Eira’s neck again. “And if you want to be fucked so badly, just become a prostitute, Eira!”

Those words were like a trigger that struck Eira right at her weakest point.

Suddenly, her chest felt hot and burning, then the sensation spread to her throat with an unbearable itch, as if something were forcing its way out of her body, making her struggle to break free from Kael.

Her eyes widened in shock as the itch in her throat became unbearable. She immediately broke free from Kael and ran out of his room toward her own.

She shut her bedroom door tightly, then began coughing violently inside. Eira used her palm to muffle the sound of her cough.

And when she lifted it, she found her palm covered in blood and several white cherry blossom petals.