Stefan’s POV She’s sitting at the table in the dining room, her eyes set towards the entrance, as if waiting for the moment I show up. Andreas is sitting on the other end of the table, checking his phone. Knowing him, he’s probably waiting for an update from Levi and Hanna. She shoots to her feet when she sees me and comes straight to me. “Can we talk?” I nod and turn to Andreas, who has shot to his feet too. “Bring her to the briefing room, I’ll be there in five minutes.” He nods and beckons her to follow. She goes with him, but not before looking back at me twice as if determining whether to trust me or not. I head up the stairs and down the hallway into my room. Peeling my sweaty clothes off, I step into the shower and clean up as fast as possible. I change into another black shirt, matching pants, and a pair of black sandals. Then I open a drawer beside my bed and retrieve a photo I’ve kept with me for thirteen years. I go back downstairs and into the briefing room. The br
Mari’s POV When I come to, the lady from before, the housekeeper, is sitting by the bed. There’s a certain scent in the room, like some sort of herb or something. “Ah, you’re awake! That always works!” She comes to her feet, and that’s when I notice the incense burner on the cabin beside the bed. That’s where the fragrant smell is coming from. “What’s that?” “Nothing harmful,” she assures. “How are you feeling? You went faint earlier.” Earlier… I scramble out of the bed, getting to my feet on the other side from her. “Where are my car keys? I want to get out of here.” “Miss, I know what you saw could be shocking—” “Could be?” I snap. Then I shake my head. Stay calm. Get out of here. “My keys.” “The Alpha said—” “Fuck the Alpha! I want my keys and I want them now. If you people hold me in this house one second longer, I’ll call the police!” She shakes her head. “Please don’t do that.” “Get me my car keys, then.” She wrings her hands together. “Only Alpha Stefan knows where
Mari’s POV I gasp awake, my hands shooting to my throat. It was a dream, just a dream, I chant in my mind as I try to bring my breathing under control. There’s no wolf mauling at my neck. It was a dream. Shifting to a sitting position, I reach towards the bedside cabin and turn on the lamp. What’s the— I gasp and scramble back on my bed at the sight of the two women standing by my bed. “What are you doing here?” I ask, looking from one to the other. I recognise one of them. Naya, from earlier tonight. This time, she’s wearing black leather pants and a matching leather jacket. So is the other one. They look like a pair of assassins… “You have the worst timing, don’t you?” Naya asks, her lips turning up in a small mocking smile. Then, turning to her companion, she says, “Get her!” Before I can move any further from then, the other woman gets onto the bed and grabs my hands. “What do you think you’re doing? Let me go!” “Told you you shouldn’t have snubbed Martha,” Naya says, h
Stefan’s POV I wake up naked, on a cold floor. The smell of blood permeates the air, and I wriggle my nose. What happened? Where am I? I press my hand to the ground to help me sit up, and that’s when I notice the person lying next to me. My blood freezes in my veins as I see Mari, blood matted in her long dark hair, lying a few paces from me. What did I do? I crawl over to her on my knees. I see it instantly. The bite on the juncture of her neck and shoulder. I press my fingers to her throat. She has a pulse, but it’s faint. “Andreas!” I scream, gathering her into my arms. A door bursts open and Andreas appears. Where the fuck are we? “You’re back!” He runs down the stairs. “Is she alright?” “What happened? Who did this to her?” “You. You…” he looks up the stairs. “Let’s get back to the mansion first.” “Where are we? I don’t remember getting here.” “Your mother’s basement. We need to get her to the healer quickly! I’ll explain the rest after we get to the house.” My min
Stefan’s POV “Alpha, your mother is requesting to see you.” I growl and turn around, glaring at the guard who just walked in. “I said I don’t want to hear anything from her! What part of that don’t you understand?” He cowers and bows his head even further, so much he might strain his neck. “She has not eaten for three days, Alpha. She’s threatening to starve herself to death.” “Let her die!” I snap. “It’ll save me the burden of having committed matricide.” He bows again, this time from his waist. “Yes, Alpha!” Then he scurries away. I swear if anyone else comes back here with that woman’s name on their lips, I’ll throw them into the dungeon with her. Fuck. Why did I bother bringing her with me? She never did anything for me. She always said I was a disgrace to her bloodline. She had expected me to beat my half-brother in succeeding our father as Alpha of our pack, but all that went down the drain when I transitioned for the first time and it was discovered that my wolf was bl
Mari’s POV When I wake up, the first thing that registers is the soreness between my legs. Between my legs, in my hips, waist, and just about every other part of my body. The second thing that registers is the naked man lying next to me. Stefan. My heart thrums in my chest as images flash through my mind. Me, Stefan. Having sex. No, scratch that. Having sex is putting it mildly. We fucked, like animals. I press my hand to my mouth as a sick feeling fills my stomach. Why did I… Why would I… All I remember is that I was so incredibly horny, and the moment he showed up, I felt like I would die if he didn’t take me then and there. Heavens, what’s wrong with me? Since when have I been so desperate to be fucked that I fell into bed with the nearest available man? I push the sheets covering my lower half aside and swing my legs from the bed. Before I can stand, a strong arm wraps around my mid-section. Then hot, wet lips press to my shoulder, and a warm torso presses to my back.
Mari’s POV Half an hour later, I’m in Stefan’s office, staring at him like he has lost his mind. Because he better have. That must be the case because none of what he just told me can be true. Me, a werewolf? Hah! I didn’t even know those things existed until four days ago! I didn’t exactly grow up with my nose buried in books about them either, so I could as well know jack shit about them! “You remember it, right? My wolf biting you.” I nod and swallow hard. I remember that alright. “That’s the only way to turn a human into a werewolf. During the three days you were out, you went through the change. And when you woke up…” He pauses, licks his lips. “We mated.” I’ll not even pretend to not know what he’s referring to. I remember that clear as day. Not like my body is about to let me forget, with all the pains scattered all over it. We had sex, alright. A lot of it. I have never been that aroused before. And I cannot even pretend to not have been aware of what went down, becau
Stefan’s POV “The Alphas of Crimson Star pack and Night Hunters pack request an audience with you tomorrow. From what I gather, they intend to surrender,” Max briefs me. We are in my briefing room—me, Levi, Andreas, Hanna, and Max. It’s Wednesday evening, right after I had my conversation with Mari. “Really? Where did their pride go?” Andreas questions, flipping a pocket knife in his hand as he leans back in his chair. He is right. Alphas don’t give in so easily. Most would rather fight a losing battle than willingly give up their sovereignty. But then again, I’m not just some invading Alpha who wants to take over their packs. They can keep them. As long as they realise they now have someone to answer to. “Crimson Star and Night Hunters aren’t exactly the strongest packs around,” Hanna comments. “They are being wise. They know they can’t handle an invasion.” “I’ll see them,” I tell Max. “Look into them. Just because they surrender doesn’t mean I’ll keep them in charge.” Hanna i