LOGINRonan's Pov"Ronan," she gasped when I kissed down her sternum. "We can't, someone might hear.""Then you'll have to be quiet," I said, and I could hear the roughness in my own voice, my wolf pushing at me to claim her properly, to mark her, to make it impossible for anyone else to ever touch her.My hands found the zipper at the back of her dress and pulled it down slowly, and the green silk pooled around her waist, and she was perfect, absolutely perfect, her skin flushed and her eyes dark with need and her scent filling my lungs.I kissed her again, deep and possessive, one hand tangling in her hair and the other sliding down her body, and when I touched her through the thin lace of her underwear she made a sound that nearly undid me, her hips lifting toward my hand."Please," she whimpered, and hearing her beg, hearing the need in her voice, made something primal take over.I pushed the fabric aside and touched her properly, finding her wet and ready, and she gasped and grabbed on
Ronan's Pov I could see the exact moment her resolve started to crack, could see it in the way her green eyes went wide and desperate when I cornered her against the wall of her office, could hear it in the way her breath hitched when I leaned in close enough that our bodies were almost touching, and my wolf was growling in satisfaction because she was ours, she had always been ours, and no political marriage was going to change that."Get away from me," she said, but her voice came out shaky and weak, not convincing at all, and when she tried to push past me I caught her wrist and pulled her back."No," I said. "I'm not leaving until you listen to me.""There's nothing to say," she snapped, trying to yank her arm free. "You made your choice, Ronan. You stood at that altar and married her and now you need to live with it and let me go."She was crying again, tears streaming down her face and making her eyes look even greener, and seeing her hurt like this because of something I had d
Kaireen's Pov"She said she's leaving," Ronan continued, and he was standing now, his hands braced on the table, his eyes fully gold. "So let her leave. Anyone who tries to stop her answers to me."The silence that fell was absolute, everyone staring at the drama unfolding in front of them, and I could feel my face burning with humiliation and anger and hurt as I walked through the crowd toward the exit, my green silk dress swishing around my ankles, my heels clicking against the marble floor.Nobody tried to stop me.I made it out of the hall and into the corridor, then through the main entrance and out into the gardens where the cool evening air hit my face and I could finally breathe, and I kept walking, kept putting distance between myself and that disaster of a reception until I reached the path that led to the medical building.The clinic was quiet and empty when I pushed through the doors, most of the staff having been given the day off to attend the wedding, and I made my way
Kaireen's PovMy heart was slamming against my ribcage so hard I thought everyone in the hall could hear it, the sound of Ronan's voice echoing through the decorated space as he stood there at the altar in his black suit with the silver tie and told everyone, told the hundreds of witnesses and allied alphas and pack members, that he had a mate.The words hung in the air like a bomb waiting to explode and I could feel my wolf howling in my chest, torn between joy that he had admitted he had a mate and terror at what this was going to cost us, what kind of political disaster he was creating just because he could not contain his ego and play the part he was supposed to play.“What the hell do you think you're doing?” I threw the words at him through the mindlink, my mental voice sharp and panicked. “Ronan, stop it. You're going to ruin everything.”He did not respond, did not even glance in my direction, just kept staring at Selene's father and Evander with that cold arrogant expression
Kaireen's PovThe wedding celebration was supposed to be perfect, all white silk and crystal chandeliers and hundreds of guests dressed in their finest clothes celebrating the union between Alpha Ronan Thornwell and Selene, but instead the tension in the main hall was so thick I could barely breathe through it.The Ironwood Pack mansion had been transformed into something out of a dream, massive floral arrangements of white roses and lilies positioned at every corner, and a string quartet playing soft music in the corner that nobody was really listening to because everyone was too busy whispering about what had just happened at the altar.I stood near one of the tall windows wearing a dress I had thrown on this morning, deep emerald green silk that fell to my ankles with a slit up one thigh and thin straps across my shoulders, my hair pulled back in a simple twist, and I was trying very hard not to look at the chaos unfolding in the center of the room.Because Ronan had refused to mar
Kaireen's PovEvander's face twisted into something ugly and arrogant, his pale blue eyes narrowing as he looked at Kade standing there with his fists clenched and his jaw tight, and when he spoke his voice dripped with condescension and royal superiority that made my skin crawl."I wasn't talking to you," he said, his tone sharp and cutting. "I don't even think you have any right to look at me and say those words, given that you're just a mere patient here. This is a private conversation between me and my future Luna, and it has nothing to do with you."The words hung in the air for a second, heavy and insulting, and I felt my wolf snarl in my chest because how dare he, how dare this entitled Lycan prince walk into my clinic and dismiss Kade like he was nothing, like he did not matter, like he was just some random stranger instead of my brother's oldest friend and the brother of the woman I had just saved.I turned to face Evander fully and took a step toward him, my hands clenched a







