Chapter 1

The maids screamed and fled the room, but my feet moved toward the doorway of their own accord.

In my past life, I had been drawn to Jace Fenwick by that same instinct. I was somehow just compelled to approach him. I couldn't bear to watch his suffering and offered myself to him, quelling his rut.

But this time, I didn't go in. Instead, I locked the door from the outside, letting Jace continue to smash things in a frenzy inside the room while growling my name, "Riley… Riley Vale!"

However, I felt nothing in my heart. All I could see in my mind was the vicious, hateful look on his face right before I died in my past life.

Without a moment's hesitation, I called my younger sister, Ruby Vale.

Ruby arrived quickly. She asked, looking both worried and delighted, "Did Jace ask for me?"

I nodded, my expression blank.

Hearing his low, ragged gasps from within, Ruby tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a shy smile and stepped into the room.

I retreated to the room next door and slumped onto the floor by the bed.

They went at it all night, and I didn't sleep a wink at all.

I knew this was the best outcome for all three of us. Jace cared for Ruby, and Ruby loved him deeply. Stepping aside was the only way for me to have a chance at a life of my own.

But I didn't know why I couldn't close my eyes, even as the sounds of their intimacy echoed through the walls.

I didn't know how much time had passed when a maid finally knocked on my door.

"Ms. Riley, Alpha Jace is waiting for you downstairs to head to the company."

I responded mechanically and forced myself up from the floor to change into my clothes, but my reflection in the full-length mirror gave me a start.

My eyeliner had run, my mascara was smeared all over my face, and my hair was a tangled, matted mess.

I opened the door just a crack to address the maid, Anna Redwood. "Anna, please tell the Alpha to go ahead without me. I need to take a shower before I head to the office."

I had just finished removing my makeup and filling the bathtub when the bedroom door was flung open once again.

"Riley. Let's go. Don't expect everyone to wait for you."

It was Jace. He stormed into the bathroom and hoisted me up just as I was about to step into the tub. Then, he slung me over his shoulder and tossed me onto the bed, grabbing a garment from the closet and throwing it at me.

"Alpha Jace! What are you doing? Didn't I say I'd go on my own?" I shrieked.

The realization that I was completely naked in front of him in broad daylight left me feeling both furious and mortified.

He didn't even bother looking at me as he said coldly, "Today is Ruby's first day at work. You're her sister. It's your job to show her the ropes. You can't afford to be late."

"Ruby's working at the company?" I echoed. "I thought you said she lacked the aptitude for the company."

As I was still pulling on my trousers, Jace grabbed my hand and yanked me toward the door, his impatience palpable. I was no match for his strength and could only stumble along as he dragged me forward.

The force of his grip and his strained, heavy breathing made it clear just how angry he was. But what could he possibly be angry about? He was finally with his beloved Ruby, wasn't he?

"Let go… Let go of me! You're hurting me!" I cried out.

Jace's grip suddenly slackened, and the momentum sent me tumbling backward onto the floor.

"You dare to defy me now, Riley Vale? Are you pushing your luck, banking on my tolerance for you?"

Jace's voice dropped to a low, guttural growl. He couldn't even suppress the growling in his throat anymore, and the sudden, overwhelming surge of his pheromones left me gasping for air.

"Alpha Jace… Riley… Please, stop fighting…" Ruby's voice drifted from behind him, and the oppressive weight surrounding him vanished in an instant.

I finally managed to catch my breath, my blurred vision sharpening as it settled on Ruby.

She stood there in a dress Jace had spent a fortune to have custom-made for me, her makeup applied with such exquisite care that she looked like a young noblewoman.

But that wasn't what caught my attention. It was the scent radiating from her that belonged only to Jace.

She'd been marked by him.