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BRONZEHer lips part, hesitation written all over her face. “But—”“I meant what I said,” I cut in, my voice firmer now. “Mallory is only filling your place… temporarily. You may not believe me right now, but I need you to trust me. I’m doing this for something bigger—something I can’t risk failing.”My gaze hardens as the truth of my resolve burns in my eyes. She sees it.“What is that important thing?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.I hesitate for a moment, then shake my head. “I can’t tell you. Not yet. I don’t want you dragged into this mess. It’s my fight and I will win it.”I gently cup her face again, my thumbs brushing her cheeks. “Once it’s over, I’ll marry you. I’ll make you my Luna, the way it should’ve been from the start. I don’t care what the pack says or what anyone tries to do. I’ll protect you from all of it. Because there’s only one woman I want by my side and it’s you.”Her eyes flicker with emotion, softening with hope. But she swallows it down before
BRONZEI grab Venus by the wrist and drag her to a quiet corner, hidden from everyone’s eyes. Her green eyes widen as I pin her gently, yet firmly, against the wall.She stares up at me, breath catching, and for a second, it’s just the two of us, the world fading around us.I’ve been waiting for a chance to talk to her ever since the day she rejected me. But camp duties had me running nonstop.Venus has been avoiding me like what we had didn’t matter.It fucking hurt.Did she really fall out of love with me that fast?The rejection stung, but what tore me apart was that she didn’t even try to talk first. She just walked away.But Nor knocked some sense into me when he heard my thoughts. “She did us a favor by letting you go. If our mate rejects us, I will lose half of my strength. How will you battle Rowan, the Alpha King, if I’m not strong?” he asked. He was right. “You accepted the rejection so you can’t blame her. It means you wanted to be free of this bond, too. So you should let
VENUS“What?!” Is he joking? I look at his aloof face and find no trace of a lie in it. He is serious. My heart beats rapidly in my chest. How will I fight the Alpha King? Sydney throws a sympathetic look towards me. I’m dead. Rowan and I make our way to the sparring grounds. The moment my feet step inside the chalk circle, my nerves coil like a tightened spring. Rowan stands across from me. “Don’t worry, pup,” he says, his voice relaxed yet firm. “Last five minutes against me. Stay on your feet and I’ll let you stay in the camp.”A flicker of hope sparks in my chest. This is it. My chance to prove him wrong.I nod silently, then begin stretching, loosening my limbs. I may not have a wolf, but I have trained well.I can do this.But then he takes off his shirt, and I immediately regret having eyes.My mouth falls open as sunlight kisses every sculpted inch of his chest and shoulders, and a wave of heat floods my core.No man that old should look that good. It should be illegal.A
VENUSI turn slowly, and my eyes meet his. Deep brown, intense, unreadable. My eyes drop, and I’m taken aback by how striking he looks.He’s tall, intimidatingly so, and his height makes my five-foot-five frame feel smaller than ever. My gaze trails down his arms, his black shirt straining against his biceps and his dark brown hair, swept perfectly back, looks like it belongs in a magazine. A tingling sensation creeps down my spine as his earthy scent hits me. He smells of rich cedarwood. I know who he is. His powerful aura confirms that he’s the Alpha King. Rowan.I shouldn’t be checking him out like that. He’s my father’s age. This is wrong.But all logic flies out of the window the moment he takes a step forward, his broad shoulders shifting beneath that black shirt. I watch the muscles flex and tighten, and something forbidden coils in my stomach.He’s too old to be this attractive. Sinfully attractive. And I hate that I notice.Maybe I’m in a daze, because his closeness doesn’t
VENUSI notice how pale everyone’s faces turn at the news. Alpha King Rowan is going to be our instructor at this camp. The more I dwell on it, the more my body coils with unease.“But why? We have enough instructors here,” one woman in the group asks, a frown etched on her face. “Apparently, that’s the deal our Alpha made with the King. In order to run the camp, the Alpha has to allow him to join the camp as the head instructor. He’d be watching all of us and testing our strength.” Kent mutters, a scowl on his face. I can understand why everyone’s worried. If the Alpha King becomes our trainer, things are going to be harder. From what I heard, he is extremely strong, so matching his expectations will be tough for us. But why does he want to be the trainer? He can simply come here and watch the camp. Why participate in it? The questions swirl in my head, and I feel Sydney’s hand on my shoulder. She gives me a small smile. “Let’s train somewhere else for now. I’ll train with you,”
VENUSFlashback continuesHe chuckles. “Mating is stupid.” When Bronze shifted into his wolf for the first time, I expected him to claim me as his mate. But that did not happen, as I am not his fated mate. I frown. “No, it’s not. Mom and dad are fated mates and they are so happy with each other.” I argue. He smirks. “That’s not true.” I feel offended by his words, but before I can retort, he adds. “They are together because they love and trust each other. Them being mates has nothing to do with it.” My eyes widen as I understand his point. He looks into my eyes as says. “I love you because of you, not because the Goddess says so. That’s why my love is special.” He whispers, and my heart skips a beat. “I can prove it to you if you don’t believe me.”He leans in and sinks his canines into my neck. A sharp gasp escapes me as the pain flashes through my skin. He’s marking me.My heart pounds wildly as the bond begins to form, threading its way through my soul, tethering us together.
VENUSBronze stares at me, frozen in disbelief. But when the weight of my words sinks in, he abruptly rises to his feet, his voice erupting in rage.“What have you done, Venus? How could you do this?” he shouts. The dam inside me finally bursts. Tears stream down my face, as the ache in my chest threatens to crush me. I never wanted this. I wanted to fight for us. I wanted to believe we still had a chance.But deep down, I knew it would never work. Not when he already belonged to someone else.I should’ve never stood between two fated mates.“Take your words back,” his voice breaks as he gets down on his knees and holds my hand. “Please, Venus. Just don’t do this. Don’t lose faith in us.” I shake my head while sobbing. “My decision is final.” I say firmly, even though those words feel like they are ripping my soul out of me. Bronze looks up at me, his eyes red and swollen with tears. He lets go of my hand and gets up. “I won’t accept this. I don’t accept your rejection!” He growls.
VENUSI freeze, my mind going blank as the words echo in my ears. Did I hear that right? Bronze is making Mallory his Luna?“What the actual fuck?” Sydney curses beside me, “I didn’t hear any of this in the meeting.” “Yes, finally! A worthy Luna for our pack!” one man amongst the audience shouts, raising his fist as the crowd erupts in cheers. I stand there, invisible in plain sight, watching the joy on their faces. It’s the kind of celebration I always dreamed of. A bitter sting spreads through my chest. Would they have ever cheered like this for me?My heart sinks as I realize the truth. They won’t. But it doesn’t matter anymore. Bronze has made his decision. “Before you all get too excited,” he says, raising his voice above the murmurs, “let me add one important detail. Mallory is only my temporary Luna. I’ll be rejecting her once the training camp ends.”A hush falls over the crowd. And then, for the first time, his gaze flickers toward me. My breath catches in my throat. I
VENUSThe next morning, I am doing my archery practice on the training grounds when Mallory walks in. I restrain myself from shooting her with my arrow and avoid her. I don’t like her and I don’t need to act nice. “Hey, I see how much you guys love each other. I don’t intend to come in between that. I don’t think I can ever have what you have with him,” she says, and I see the sadness in her eyes. She scoffs. “I didn’t wish for this, but I can’t stay away from him because of my wolf.” I simply nod in understanding. I can’t blame anyone here because it’s fate’s fault for putting us in this situation. —-------------------------Bronze and Mallory leave the pack to head to the Alpha King’s castle. A month passes and I talk to him through the phone, but he has been speaking less to me because of his busy schedule and I don’t bother since I focus on training myself for the camp. Sydney also went with them, and she calls me since we have become good friends. We’d talk about various thi