Chapter 3: Your dad’s on my bed

"At the bar. You were downing whiskey like it was water.”

I paused, my eyes filled with shock. “You did?”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah. You know… you looked out of place in that pretty dress of yours, like you were meant to be at the altar instead of a bar.”

His words made my heart race. I suddenly remembered that I had felt a particular gaze on me earlier.

Was he the one?

I mumbled under my breath. “Guess I was too drunk to notice stalkers.”

A smirk curled on his lips. “I’m not a stalker.”

And damn, those lips… they looked tempting. They must feel soft. I wanna take a bite.

I responded after several seconds of silence, “Stalkers wouldn't say they were.”

He chuckled. “I guess I'm guilty then.”

“Huh huh.”

“So you were drunk after having three glasses?” He suddenly mentioned, and my eyes narrowed.

How did he know?

Oh wait… if he was indeed looking at me, he would know.

But I was still a bit surprised.

He didn't look as if he was waiting for a response. For some reason, staring at his broad back made me instinctively open my mouth. "My mate… he rejected me.”

I bit my lips as soon as I said this. I had no idea why I would want to open up to a stranger. Perhaps, it was the way he speak, smooth and warm that made me feel like he would actually listen.

He didn’t interrupt. Instead, he had his gaze on me, as if encouraging me to let it all out.

I swallowed, averting my gaze. “Today. Right in front of a man I’d dissed for being a loser and a cheating bastard while boasting about how loyal he was, right in front of my friend and everyone. He rejected me. After five years of companionship, he chose my stepmom over me, the woman who was the reason my family broke apart in the first place. And now… she’s broken mine.”

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “That’s evil."

“It is,” I whispered, my voice cracking a bit as I thought of Rain. “My wolf… she disappeared. After I accepted the rejection. She screamed and then just vanished. I can’t feel her anymore.”

He walked toward the bed slowly and sat on the edge, keeping some space between us.

“I lost someone too,” he said after a beat. He reached out and gently tucked my hair behind my ear, fingers warm against my skin. My breath caught in my throat. That simple touch sent a tremor through me.

I stared at him. There was something eerily familiar about him. Like I've seen him before. But the memory wouldn’t come.

He continued. “My mate… we were on a vacation together by the sea. She said she was hungry, so I decided to make her favorite dishes myself. She stayed in. But in that fleeting moment, a rogue entered our room… and murdered her.”

His voice grew softer and distant near the end, like he was reliving the memory. His gaze dropped to the floor, and I noticed how his fist clenched on his lap.

“I came back too late. I felt it too late. She was gone. Just like that. Wasn't even there when she breathed her last."

I glanced down, trying to ignore the urge to spread my arms and draw him into my embrace. "I’m so sorry.”

He looked at me and shook his head. “It’s been fifteen years.” He gave a small, light chuckle. “But it felt like yesterday, the regret, the ache. I felt pathetic."

Pathetic.

The word resonated with me.

Yes, I felt pathetic too.

I felt useless, that my man of five years was willing to reject me just after getting involved with my Stepmom.

The realization made me still.

He looked up again, his expression still gentle like he was telling someone's story, but the regret was obvious.

I want it to fade away.

“I didn’t shift for two years after that,” he told me. “Well, I couldn’t. My wolf wouldn’t come out. I think he didn’t want to face the world without her.”

I felt a lump in my throat. We were strangers, and that was probably why we felt safe telling each other things this deep — things we probably wouldn't want others to know. We likely would never meet again after this.

I understood his pain the way he understood mine, that helplessness. Though his came from love, while mine came from disbelief and hatred.

This man… this stranger with a story tougher than mine… made me understand what true loss really is. I should be happy because I dodged a bullet, while he lost his partner to a bullet.

I reached out before I could stop myself. My fingers brushed against his in an attempt to comfort him, and his blue eyes bore into mine.

My lips parted. “You must’ve loved her a lot.”

He turned his hand slowly and wrapped his fingers around mine.

“She was my whole sky,” he murmured.

I stiffened. I couldn’t tell if it was from his words, or the way he was looking at me now, like I was a constellation he hadn’t expected to find again.

And maybe it was the whiskey still in my system that fueled my boldness, or maybe I just wanted this… with this man. I whispered, “Is it possible to fall apart and… still want to be touched?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation.

I bit my lip at his reply and slowly leaned in. Suddenly, my eyes widened, and my heart skipped a beat.

I hadn't noticed earlier, but now that he was closer, I could see it. Beneath his collar and initially hidden by his shirt was a mark. A very familiar one. A silver crescent surrounded by four tiny stars.

My blood froze.

That mark… it was the crest of the Shadow Moon Pack.

My pack.

My gaze flew back to his face, and I finally realized why he seemed familiar.

Cole’s dad.

The secretive said-to-be-hot Alpha of my pack.

Elijah King.

Never in my life did I expect to meet him in a condition like this.

After the shock faded, all that was left was the sweet scent of revenge.

Cole had ruined me. He had broke my heart without a second thought. He made me feel worthless, betrayed my expectations, and wasted my time. I also lost my wolf.

And now, fate had delivered his own blood to my bed.

Hahahaha

How would he feel... when he realized I bedded his father and became his Stepmom? My eyes lit up at the mere thought of it, and imagining him paying respect to me with that whore by his side, addressing me as their Mom, made me almost giggled.

The man blinked at my sudden silence. “Are you—?”

I didn’t let him finish.

Without hesitation, I kissed him hard. My arms wrapped behind his neck, my mouth capturing his, and he gave me permission by wrapping his arms around my waist. I poured my revenge into it, even biting his lips like I was punishing him for his son's sins.

This was my way of reclaiming what I've lost. Power.

Revenge.

You slept with my Stepmom?

Surpriseeee. Your dad’s on my bed.

When I finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard, and my lips were tingling. I met his stunned gaze, and my eyes slowly landed on his lips that were gleaming with my saliva.

How much I love this moment.

“I needed that,” I whispered with a smile.

He didn’t say a word but just stared at me, his gaze burning in a way that made my heart race.

Then he drew me closer, and I quickly pressed my palms against his chest so I wouldn't fall, and before I knew it, he claimed my lips.

He kissed me so gently, so softly, different from my forceful one. Like he thought I’d break if he went too fast. And surprisingly enough, I found myself enjoying it, melting into his arms like they were meant for me.

His tongue intertwined with mine, claiming my mouth, sucking my tongue, and grazing my teeth. I found myself moaning, rubbing against his body as I silently begged for more.