LOGINRORYThe rest of the day was a grueling exercise in distraction.I buried myself in supply chain logistics and pack finances, refusing to look at the clock.But the sun inevitably dipped below the horizon, casting long, dark shadows across my office floor.Time was up.The ashes of the white dress were likely still smoldering somewhere when I finally decided to get ready.Soon, blood-red silk pooled around my feet.The dress was a weapon. It clung to every curve of my lean frame, the back plunging dangerously low past my waist, leaving the twelve silver-plated suppressive bracelets on my wrists fully exposed against my pale skin.I wore no jewelry other than those heavy metal cuffs.My long raven hair was swept to one side in loose, liquid waves, exposing the sharp, lethal angle of my jaw and the cold glaze of my ice-blue eyes.I wasn't playing the blushing bride for the Council.I was the Widow Queen, and I wanted every wolf in that ballroom to remember it.I swallowed my evening dos
RORYThe physical exhaustion had bought me a temporary peace, but that quiet lasted exactly until I walked into my study on the executive floor.Sitting dead center on my mahogany desk was a massive, pristine white box tied with a silver ribbon.I stared at it like it was a bomb.I walked over, flicking the lid off. Inside lay a breathtaking, heavily beaded white gown.Resting on top of the tulle was a thick card bearing the Council's wax seal.I picked it up and read the elegant script aloud."To the Queen. Tonight's gala is a symbol of our new dawn. We expect you to project purity, unity, and submission to the Crown."A dark, humorless laugh scraped its way out of my throat.I dropped the card back into the box."Zane," I called out, not taking my eyes off the dress."Yeah?" Zane stepped into the doorway, his tall frame blocking the light."Take this down to the incinerator and burn it."Zane's lips twitched into a smirk, his blue eyes glinting with dark amusement. "Consider it done.
Rory woke with a violent, tearing scream.She shot up in bed, clawing at her own chest, expecting to find the needle, expecting to find blood.But there was only her sweat-soaked t-shirt and the frantic, erratic hammering of her own heart.Rory couldn't breathe.The room was spinning.She threw herself out of bed, her legs tangling in the sheets, and crashed to the floor.Panting, Rory scrambled up, practically tearing the bathroom door off its hinges, and threw herself into the shower.She turned the handle all the way to cold, not even bothering to strip off her clothes.The freezing water hit her hard, shocking her system.Rory slid down the tiled wall, pulling her knees to her chest, shaking uncontrollably.She was crying, though she wouldn't admit it. The tears mixed with the freezing water.The nightmare was horrific, yes. But that wasn't what terrified her.What terrified her was the lingering ache between her thighs. The phantom feeling of Evren’s hands on her skin.Rory was s
The drive back from the capital was a blur of highway lights and a tight grip on the leather seat.By the time Rory finally locked the heavy door of her penthouse, exhaustion was pulling at her bones, but her mind was a chaotic, buzzing mess.The suppressant was practically useless to quell the lingering adrenaline of the Council chamber. Worse, it did absolutely nothing to erase the memory of Evren trapping her before that glass wall.Rory stripped off her black silk blouse, tossing it carelessly onto a chair.She stood in the dim light for a moment, her breath hitching as she looked down at her pale, lean frame, bruised ribs, and the faint silver bracelets clinging to her wrists.She could still feel the phantom heat of his chest beneath her palms, the electric shock that had snapped between them when his knuckles brushed her skin.She needed sleep. She needed the heavy, chemical oblivion of her blue pills to wipe the slate clean before she lost her mind entirely.Thus, she swallowe
Rory finally opened her eyes.The wide-eyed terror from a moment ago was gone, replaced by the flat, cold glaze of a woman who weaponized every breath she took.She tilted her head back against the leather seat, casually rolling her wrists until the silver bracelets clicked against each other.Zane gripped the steering wheel like he wanted to snap it in half, while Kira sat rigid, watching her Alpha with a look that hovered somewhere between heartbreak and outright fury.Rory let out a low, breathy laugh so sharp and dry it could split glass."Oh, loosen your sphincters, both of you," she drawled. "You're looking at me like I just slaughtered a basket of puppies in front of an orphanage.""Evren knows, Rory," Zane hissed. “Did you miss that part while you were busy having your little breakdown?"Rory popped her split lip with her tongue, tasting iron, and smiled. It was a nasty, brilliant smile that didn't touch her ice-blue eyes."So the big bad Alpha King dug up my medicine cabinet?
Rory’s cheeks were high with an uncharacteristic, fiery flush.Her tight black blazer was slightly rumpled at the shoulder and her ice-blue eyes were wide, darting instantly to the floor as she nearly stumbled past the threshold.She didn't look back or acknowledge anyone and practically sprinted toward the main elevators.Zane’s internal battle with Tyson vanished in an instant.The shock of Tyson's words was eclipsed by the sheer panic radiating off his Alpha—a look he had never seen on Rory Moonridge's face."Rory?" Zane called out, turning to follow her immediately. "Rory, wait!"Kira was also stunned and ran after them.Behind them, the conference room door remained propped open.Evren Stormvale stepped slowly into the frame, adjusting the platinum cufflink on his left wrist.He was unruffled, immaculate, and utterly composed—except for his eyes, which were fixed on the retreating form of the Widow Queen with a dark, satisfied intensity.Tyson glanced from the flustered female do







