Alpha JackI don’t see red.I am red.My grip tightens, fingers digging into his skin until I hear the sickening, satisfying pop-crack of bone shifting. He bares his neck in submission, choking—but it does nothing to calm the wildfire raging inside my chest.He touched her.He held her.She was in his arms.“Jack, let him go! Please!” Kali’s voice breaks through the storm in my head—high-pitched, terrified. I feel her hands pushing against my chest and when I look down, I see her eyes. Those beautiful eyes. Shining. Red-rimmed. Brimming with tears.Tears.For him.A bitter taste rises in my throat. Jealousy—raw, ugly—chokes me.I was looking for her. I’d gone to my private library to surprise her. Thought maybe we could sit together and read. Maybe, in that quiet, romantic atmosphere, she’d finally let her guard down and accept me. Open up to me.I hate reading—but for her? I was willing to turn pages until sunrise if it meant seeing her smile.But she wasn’t there.I waited.Ten minu
I stare at the necklace on the page as if it might leap out and fasten itself back around my neck. The sapphire glows on the paper just as it did against my skin under the moonlight.“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” Jasmine leans in, jabbing a finger at the picture. “It means yours is fake.”I hum low in my throat, not trusting myself to speak. “Hmmmm. You’re probably right,” I say, though everything inside me screams otherwise. I don’t want to argue. I just… keep staring. Jasmine sighs dramatically and folds her arms. “Where did you even get it? Was it a gift? Ugh, I hate when people give fake jewelry as presents—it’s so insulting.”My lips part before I even know what I’m going to say. “But let’s say, for a moment, that it’s not fake. Then what would that mean?”Jasmine pauses, lifting a hand to her chin. Her brows pinch in thought. “If—impossibly—it’s not fake, and it really is the Alpha Queen’s necklace… then maybe it was stolen.”I blink at her. “What do you mean?”“I mean,” sh
A heartbeat of silence.Then another.Suddenly, his hand unclenches, releasing Jasmine’s hair with a vicious shove that sends her stumbling against the wall. She gasps as she collapses to the floor.His bloodshot, furious eyes snap to mine, glowing red with rage.“You fucking bitch,” he snarls. “How did you find this place?”He whips his head toward Jasmine, his jaw clenched as he glares at her like she’s nothing but dirt beneath his boot.“You told her, didn’t you?” he spits. “Think she’s your savior now just because she’s mated to your precious Alpha brother?”His hand lifts again, faster this time, ready to strike.“Touch her again,” I growl, my voice laced with the raw edge of my wolf, “and I swear to the fucking Goddess—I will end you.”He freezes mid-motion, his eyes narrowing.“End me?” he says with a twisted grin. Then he laughs—a cold, ugly sound that poisons the air. “Do you even know who the fuck I am? After Jack, I’m the strongest in this pack. I could snap your neck in ha
We walk back to the house in silence, the cold night air wrapping around us as we move along the moonlit path. I had asked Jack if we could skip the carriage—I needed the fresh air, something to clear the chaos in my head. He didn’t ask questions, just nodded and walked beside me.By the time we reach the house, my limbs are heavy with exhaustion. I don’t wait for him to open the door—I push it open myself, step inside, and head straight to the bedroom.The moment I enter, I begin kicking off my heels. The dress feels suffocating and I reach behind me, fingers fumbling with the zipper as I start to peel it off.But halfway through tugging it down my hips, I feel it—that unmistakable sensation of eyes burning into my back. I pause, frown, and glance over my shoulder, only to blink in disbelief.“What the hell, Jack?” I sputter, yanking the dress back up—even though I know it’s already too late.“What?” he says innocently, eyes twinkling with mischief.“Can’t you see I’m undressing?”He
The pain vanishes from his face almost instantly. He slumps forward, hands braced against the ground, chest heaving. Across from him, Lady Celestia stumbles back like she’s been gutted. Her eyes go wide, one hand clawing at her chest as if she’s trying to hold herself together—or stop something from slipping out.For a second—just a second—she looks… broken. All the arrogance and venom she wore like a crown has been stripped away. She no longer looks like royalty. No longer powerful. No longer the predator she always pretended to be.Just a girl who lost everything.She lost him.The crowd is dead silent, but not for long.Suddenly, the man with the walking stick takes a single step forward, slow and calculating, like a predator that enjoys the chase more than the kill. And for some damn reason, his eyes are still on me—no, not me… my necklace at my throat.“Where are you from?” he asks, his voice low but carrying like thunder. “What pack were you part of before now?”My eyes narrow.
Fury? Fury is Lady Celestia’s mate?Fuck.Suddenly, everything falls into place—No wonder they both acted so strangely around me... stiff, awkward, irritated. The Moon Goddess really has one hell of a sense of humor.Whispers ripple through the pack like wildfire.“They’re mates?”“Lady Celestia... mated to a low-ranked pack warrior?”“No, no. Fury’s not just any warrior—he’s the strongest one in the entire pack.”“Strong or not, he’s still a nobody, not worthy of an Alpha King’s daughter.”“I thought she’d end up with someone like Alpha Jack—not some nobody.”Laughter follows that comment—ugly and loud.I glance at Lady Celestia, just in time to see her face flush a deep, furious red—not from bashfulness, but from pure embarrassment. The smug, proud smirk slips off her face like melting wax. She looks like she wants to disappear… or murder someone. And unfortunately for Fury, all her burning hatred lands squarely on him, like he’s the reason her world just fell apart.But even in the