He wouldn’t let go

VERELLE'S POV

It’s been a week.

Seven full days since Kai rejected our bond and disappeared from the pack, and strangely, life has gone on, not just gone on, but somehow gotten better, because Ric’s been holding everything together—not just the pack, but me too, and I have to admit, he's not only a good Beta, he's an amazing manager, a strong leader, and more importantly, a mate who makes me feel seen.

He treats me like I’m royalty, like I’m not something broken and dirty, but someone worthy of softness and warmth, and he especially loves my white hair and silver eyes that others despise. The very things that made people look twice for the wrong reasons are now the same things he adores every chance he gets, and I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel something deep in my chest that Kai never bothered to reach.

Everyone in the pack knows now that I’m Ric’s mate. They respect me and call me Beta female.

I don't know what made Roderick auction me off, to actually let me go after so many years, but I'd want to be auctioned over and over again, if I'd end up in this pack, in Ric's arms.

Nyzarelle, my wolf, has been my anchor through it all, and together, we’ve worked hard to bury every fragment of what Kai left behind.

Thinking about it now, he was a bastard through and through, blind and judgmental and so damn cruel for rejecting me over something I never chose.

Maybe the reason I expected so much from him was because he was my first mate and he rescued me from Roderick.

I didn’t ask to be taken by Roderick, didn’t choose to become a sex-slave in that house of torment, and if Kai was too proud to see beyond that, then screw him. It was his loss, not mine, and he can rot in whatever corner of hell he vanished to, because I’m happy now, really happy, curled up in Ric’s bed with sunlight filtering in through the curtains and his arm draped lazily around me, fingers tracing soft lines along my waist as we whisper about nothing and everything, both of us smiling and giggling like kids sneaking sweets before dinner.

His lips brush my forehead and I close my eyes, soaking it all in, the feeling of being wanted, of being chosen without question or shame, and for a moment, I forget about everything else, until I feel the words forming on my tongue, and I whisper, “Mark me, Ric… mark me already, please.”

He goes still for a breath, just a beat, then pulls back enough to look me in the eye, and though his expression is gentle, his answer still lands like a stone in my chest, “You know I want to, but the Alpha hasn’t officially rejected you yet… the bond still holds, and I can’t mark you while that tie remains.”

I nod, pretending it doesn’t hurt, pretending I hadn’t expected that same damn answer again, but the truth is, each time he says it, a small crack reopens inside me, one I’ve been trying to seal shut for days now.

Before I can even fake another smile, a loud, guttural roar thunders through the pack and vibrates through the walls, pulling us both from our warmth.

“The Alpha is back…all heads should kowtow!” An announcement followed.

I blink, suddenly remembering what I’d pushed out of my head—Kai’s return was today.

Of course, it had to be today.

“Go,” I murmur to Ric, nudging him slightly, “You should welcome him.”

Ric only groans and pulls me tighter against his chest, “He can wait. I’m kinda busy.”

I raise a brow at him but before I can get another word out, his mouth is on mine. His tongue sweeps past my lips, making my head spin and my limbs melting into the sheets. My fingers grip his hair as all thoughts of Alpha return blanked out.

I melt into him like butter on fire.

Suddenly a rough, sharp grunt from the doorway filled the air. We jerk apart like lightning hit us, and there, standing with that same cold blank face, is Kai.

He utters nothing for some seconds, but the tension in his jaw and the fire flickering behind his eyes say more than his silence ever could.

“Welcome back, Alpha,” Ric mutters dryly and I can feel the resentment laced behind every word.

Kai’s eyes slide right over me like, averting my gaze and landing squarely on Ric. His voice was cold as stone, “Come, fill me in on the pack.”

Then he turns, just like that, and walks out. Ric followed right after, not without planting a kiss on my forehead.

My hands are shaking slightly, and I hate that they are. I hate that my heart is pounding in my chest like I’ve been caught doing something wrong.

‘I’m cheating on no one' I remind myself angrily,

‘Ric is my mate now’

Still… I saw it, that flicker in his eyes, that quick crack in his mask when he saw me and Ric, and I hate how it made something in me twist, how I wanted to run after him and scream, or worse, wrap my arms around him and ask him;

‘Why?’

‘Just Why?’.

And Goddess, why does he look even more infuriatingly beautiful, with that messy dark hair and those blue-green eyes.

“Damn it,” I mutter, standing up and moving to shut the door, needing to block him out, needing to breathe again, but I don’t even get a chance to touch the handle before I’m slammed hard against it.

A gasp escapes me as my back hits the wood, and hands grab mine, pinning them high above my head, forcing me to look straight into the face I’ve tried so hard to forget.

Kai.

His scent filled my senses, spicy and dangerous and so damn soothing. His gaze burned into my skin and the amount of fury in them almost made me shiver.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snap.

He leans in, voice low and venomous. “You like cuddling up in another man’s arms, Virelle?”

“Excuse me?” I hissed. “Ric is my mate. I can do whatever the hell I want.”

His jaw clenches as his nostrils flares. “You think he can please you?”

I glare at him, ignoring the heat pooling low in my belly. “Yes, I do, because he’s my mate and I can do whatever I want, I don’t owe you anything.”

“Bullshit,” he growls and then his lips crash against mine…hard.

His lips are rough and angry, his teeth grazing mine with his tongue forcing its way in, like he’s trying to claim what he threw away.

My mind is screaming at me to shove him off, but my body is traitorous and trembling, and is already responding.

I could feel Nyzarelle howling in delight, as I clutched to him for dear life. I'd never felt like this with Ric

A moan slips from my mouth but is swallowed by his tongue as his hand grips my thigh, trailing up until I feel them on my folds. He massaged my folds roughly, before stuffing his hands into my panties and pooling a finger into me.

My back aches as he finger fucks me angrily, not giving space to catch my breathe.

His mouth trails hot, angry kisses down my jaw. “If you want someone to wreck you properly,” he snarls, “you ask me.”

“Kai…” I gasp, but it comes out breathless as I feel my orgasm build and soon I'm compulsing hard in his grip as I cummed.

He pulls back just enough to look into my eyes which held hate, hurt and hunger.

“You think Ric can mark you? Claim you? You’re still mine, Virelle. You’ll always be mine.”

Then he shoves off me and storms out like a thundercloud in human form.

I slide to the floor, heart thudding so loud I can barely hear myself think.

What the hell just happened?