LOGINI woke to the warm weight of Klaus’s arm draped across my waist.For one blissful moment, I just lay there, listening to his steady breathing, feeling the rise and fall of his chest against my back. Safe. Protected. Cherished.Then reality crashed down with devastating force.What the fuck was I doing?I squeezed my eyes shut, a string of silent curses running through my mind. Stupid. Reckless. Completely and utterly foolish. This needed to stop. Now. Immediately. Before I lost sight of why I was here in the first place.I was supposed to be focused on my mission—destroying Aldric, avenging my family, dismantling the oppressive system that had taken everything from me. I was supposed to be gathering evidence, building my case, and preparing for the moment when I could finally make him pay.Instead, I was sneaking around with my stepson. Sleeping with the enemy’s heir. Letting my guard down in ways that could get me killed.This had to end.I shifted, trying to slip out from under Klau
The kiss deepened, and suddenly we weren’t just kissing anymore.We were devouring each other.Klaus’s hands tangled in my hair, tugging just hard enough to make me gasp against his mouth. My fingers clawed at his shirt, pulling, tearing, desperate to feel his skin against mine. Buttons scattered across the floor with soft pinging sounds, but neither of us cared.A part of me—the rational, careful part that had kept me alive through five years of planning and preparation—screamed at me to stop. To push him away. To remember all the reasons this was dangerous and foolish and would only complicate everything.But what was the point?The point of resisting when my body sang every time he touched me? The point of denying what we both wanted when we’d already crossed this line more than once? The point of pretending I didn’t crave him with an intensity that terrified me?There was no point. Not anymore.Klaus’s mouth left mine to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses down my neck. His teeth scrap
I practically ran back to my chambers, my heart racing so hard I could hear the blood pounding in my ears. The guards stationed outside my door straightened as I approached, but I barely acknowledged them before slipping inside and closing the door firmly behind me.My back pressed against the solid wood, and I finally allowed myself to breathe.Those people were safe. The Omegas sentenced to death, the man with three daughters—they were alive because someone had saved them.Because Klaus had saved them.Thank the Goddess.I moved to the window, staring out at the darkening palace grounds without really seeing them. My mind was spinning, trying to process everything that had happened in the span of a few hours.Klaus had rescued those people. He’d risked his life, risked his entire rebellion, risked exposure—all to save condemned prisoners he’d probably never met.The man with the family. He was alive right now because of Klaus. His wife still had a husband. His daughters still had a
I stared at Darius in shock, my mind struggling to process his presence. “You’re back? Already?”Klaus had frozen at the door, his eyes darting between us with sharp awareness. But Darius’s trained gaze swept the bathroom and landed on the prince with barely concealed tension.“Your Highness,” Darius said carefully, his hand moving subtly toward his weapon. “Perhaps you should return to your duties.”Klaus’s jaw tightened, but he nodded once and slipped out without another word, leaving me alone with my bodyguard.The moment the door closed, Darius moved closer, keeping his voice low. “The journey wasn’t as long as I expected, Your Majesty. I pushed hard to get back quickly. We didn’t want to leave you here alone any longer than necessary.”“What did Alpha George say?” I asked, wiping the last traces of tears from my face and trying to compose myself. “About Klaus and the rebels?”“He was surprised,” Darius admitted. “Very surprised. He said he’d heard whispers of rebel activity in th
The throne room was suffocating.I sat beside Aldric on a smaller chair later that evening—not quite a throne, but elevated enough to make a statement about my new position. The king’s wife. His queen-to-be. A symbol of his power and reach, extending even into Alpha George’s territory through strategic marriage.I should have been focused on the proceedings before us, on the noblemen presenting their cases and the petitioners seeking the king’s judgment. Should have been observing, learning the dynamics of court, and cataloging who held real power versus who simply postured.Instead, all I could think about was Klaus.His hands on my skin. His mouth against mine. The way he’d looked at me this morning with such tenderness it made my chest ache. The devastating precision with which he’d taken me apart, again and again, until I’d forgotten why I was supposed to hate him.Stupid. Foolish. Weak.The words circled in my mind like vultures. I’d let him back in. After everything—after the be
MargauxI woke slowly, awareness creeping in through layers of exhaustion and lingering pleasure. My body felt heavy, sated in a way it hadn’t been in years—in five years, to be precise. Every muscle ached pleasantly, and the sheets against my bare skin were soft and warm.For a blissful moment, I didn’t remember where I was or what I’d done.Then I felt the weight of someone’s gaze on me, and reality came crashing back with devastating clarity.My eyes flew open to find Klaus propped up on one elbow beside me, watching me with a soft smile that made something twist painfully in my chest. His dark hair was tousled from my fingers running through it, and there were faint scratch marks visible on his shoulders where I’d…Oh gods.What had I done?How could I have been so stupid, so weak, so completely and utterly foolish?I’d slept with him. Again. After swearing it would never happen, after telling him the mate bond meant nothing, after promising myself I’d never let him close enough t







