Chapter 3

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

My breath hitched. “You… did?”

He nodded slowly. “You looked out of place in that pretty dress. And you had this look on your face…”

I gave a bitter laugh, rubbing my temple. “Guess I was too drunk to notice stalkers.”

He licked his lips.

My gaze deepened. They looked tempting, must feel soft. I wanna take a bite.

"I’m not a stalker. You just stood out."

That silenced me, and the overthinker in me started analysing the several meanings behind that four last words.

He found me attractive? I mean, you can only notice attractive people.

Wait, you can actually notice ugly people too.

Or did he mean that I was like a sore thumb, sticking out? Where everyone was wearing pretty little dresses, I looked like someone who was supposed to be at a ball and not in a bar?

The more I thought about it, the messier it would get, so I simply stopped thinking.

Let nature take its course.

Looking at his huge figure, all of a sudden, I felt myself saying. “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, or maybe it was the fact that he was one that actually pushed me to talk. And I felt like he would listen.

He didn’t interrupt. Just listening, looking at me with that gaze 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 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 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 distant near the end, like he was reliving the memory with every word. 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. And she was gone. Just like that. Couldn't even be there during her last moment."

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

He looked at me and shook his head. “It’s been fifteen years.” He gave a small, hollow 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 stilled.

Only the soft hum of the air conditioner and my racing heartbeat filled the room.

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

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.”

My throat closed up. We were strangers. We shouldn’t be telling each other things this deep. But 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 reached out before I could stop myself. Just a small gesture, my fingers brushed against his, and his gaze bore into mine.

I parted my lips. “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.

My breath caught. 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, 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, but all of a sudden, my eyes widened, my heart skipping a beat.

I hadn't noticed earlier, but now that he was closer, I could see it. Just beneath his collar, partially hidden by his open 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.

I never expected to be here with him on the bed.

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

Cole had ruined me. He'd broke my heart, 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.

Not gently. There was a purpose behind it now. My arms wrapped behind his neck, my mouth capturing his, and he gave me the permission, wrapping his arms around my waist. I poured my revenge into it, even bite his lips.

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

Revenge.

You slept with my Stepmom?

Supriseeee. Your dad is on my bed.

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

I love this.

“I needed that,” I whispered.

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

Then he draw 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 sweeping my mouth. I found myself moaning into his mouth, rubbing against his body as I silently begged for more.