Kill this love

Dante's POV

"Fine." Aveline scowled at me before turning to Alessia. "I won't go far. Mindlink me if he bullies you."

My sister had a knack for getting under my skin, and she knew it.

After Alessia gave her a convincing nod, Aveline stepped away from us. Now the only one left was Dmitri.

I tilted my head toward him and he immediately understood. "I will be with her." He left saying that.

Alessia folded her arms and looked at me with defiance as if she was ready to bolt the moment I turned my back but decided to be patient.

My wolf, Sam, growled in the back of my mind. "She is pissed or maybe a little sad?"

"Well, that's none of my concerns." I thought even though I knew exactly why she was sad. She saw Jade, her childhood sweetheart just moments before. What the hell did she even want with him? And why did I care?

I remained silent for a few moments, my mind a whole mess of questions.

How the fuck should I start?

Finally, I cleared my throat. "There is something I need to tell you." I began, keeping my voice low. "About our…contract."

Alessia arched an eyebrow. "You mean the contract where I am supposed to pop out an heir in less than a year, or you kick me out?"

Ah, so she had no plan to make this easy. Sam had a point. She was definitely sad and now, pissed because she had to confront me.

"Yes, that one." I replied, my jaw tightening. "You can't tell anyone about it. Not any pack member, not Aveline, and definitely not my mother."

She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Don't worry, Alpha. Sharing our lovely terms isn't exactly on my to-do list."

It was infuriating. I was the Alpha who just witnessed his mate chatting with her ex boyfriend, yet here I was feeling like I was the one on trial. If it was anyone else, I would have already…

"She is your wife." Sam reminded me. "The wife you bit without her consent, and ignored like she didn't matter. Why the hell do you think is she mad?" I swear, Sam was getting more annoying day by day.

But her attitude was indeed a bit sharper than the wedding night and I couldn’t ignore the indifference in her eyes. She looked at me like I was a puzzle she had no interest in solving, daring me to explain myself.

Damn it. The bite, it was.

I hesitated, my mouth opening and closing once before I finally gave in and muttered, "About that morning… the bite…" I paused, my voice a bit less steady. "It was… Look, it wasn't because I—"

She folded her arms tighter, looking at me with those big brown, questioning eyes, yeah waiting. Fuck, why was this so difficult?

"I bit you because…" My voice lingered as I rubbed the back of my neck. "It was necessary." lie, obviously. But what else could I say? I wasn’t about to admit that my mother had more control over me than I wanted.

"Necessary?" she blinked, disbelief in her tone. "That's what you are going with?"

"Smartass." I sighed, feeling Sam's amusement in the back of my mind. "Oh, this should be good."

I shot him a mental glare before focusing back on her. "You see, my mother—" I paused, trying to find the right words. "She has got this thing about traditions. Well, it's more like… curses."

She blinked, confused. "Curses?"

I nodded. "Mom believes in all sorts of stuff. Moon rituals, old prophecies, love potions… and, well, she would probably curse me if she found out nothing happened between us on our wedding night."

She waited again.

"So." I hated this, the entire situation. Yet, I continued, "I had to make it look like we… you know, mated. It was either that or dealing with her temper and—trust me—her creative ways of expressing anger. I wasn't really in the mood to hear a lecture about my so-called lack of 'performance' this early in the marriage."

Alessia's lips twitched, like she was fighting a smile, and I felt a strange twist in my chest—was I trying to make her laugh? What the fuck was wrong with me?

"But are you serious?" Alessia's soothing voice cut through my thoughts. "Curse you? What, like turn you into a lizard or something?"

She was messing with me.

I stared into her eyes more intensely. "If she thinks this marriage is not progressing, she will probably toss a charm or something. Maybe poison my coffee or spread rumors like I am a man without that."

Alessia couldn't hold back her laughter now. It burst out of her, bright and warm.

Sam was pleased, musing. "Well, at least she is laughing. That's progress."

I shot back, "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"So—" Alessia pressed her lips together, containing her laughter. "Now the Alpha of Bloodmoon pack needs to prove he has still got it?"

Sam enjoyed this whole thing, "Now wait till she asks for proof."

Alright, since she decided to play games. I would gladly join.

"You need proof?" I asked, meeting her gaze.

The smile fell off from her face. "No." But to my surprise, she didn't look nervous or embarrassed, she looked a little terrified. Was I a monster or what?

“Yes. You are.” Sam responded.

“And Jade is what? An angel? She was blushing in front of him. Again.” I scoffed.

“You have no right to be jealous.” Sam hissed.

I grinded my teeth, deciding. “I am not jealous.”

Clearing my throat, I focused on Alessia again, steering the conversation to the vital point. "By the way, there are some members you should be cautious around."

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh? And who might these mentioned members be?"

I could feel the bitterness creeping in. “Let’s just say there are those who have a knack for making things complicated. You should watch your step.”

Alessia raised an eyebrow, sensing the change in my tone. "Making things complicated? Sounds like someone else I know."

I swear. I want to…

"Nope." Sam's voice invaded my thoughts.

"Consider yourself warned." I said as I struggled to maintain the calm expression.

"No thank you." She replied sweetly. "I don't remember you mentioning the 'I need your permission for it' term."

Realizing she hadn't taken enough time to read the clauses after the first few that night, a fresh idea popped up in my head. A sneer threatened to curve. "That's not in the contract, but something close to it is," I said.

"What?" She narrowed her gaze.

She really didn't read the contract.

"You are not planning what I think you are planning, right?" Sam asked.

Ignoring him, I took a step closer to her, and leaned a bit. "You know, you should read all the terms of a contract carefully before signing it."

"How do you know I didn't?" She stood her ground, not intimidated. "I did. I read them."

I gave her a dry look. "What's in clause 17?"

"Stop being an ass." Sam complained.

"What was it?" She started avoiding my gaze, looking elsewhere—the plants, flowers as if they had answers. "It was about… ah… well, wasn't it about our marriage?"

It didn't even exist. Thank Goddess.

Sam huffed in the back of my mind. "Real smooth."

Ignoring him, I took a step closer. "And starting today, we are going to work on the first clause.”

She stared at me blankly for a while and slowly her brain seemed to process my words. “The first clause.” She paused, finding words. “You mean… We—”

Watching how her bravery was replaced by nervousness, I felt a surge of satisfaction. “Yes, we do it tonight.”

Her cheeks turned rosy. She blinked, opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Good. That was the reaction I was looking for.