His words slammed into me like a blow.“I want you, Liora. Marry me.”For a moment, the room went silent. My heart didn’t flutter, it panicked. Alarms went off in my head, every nerve screaming danger.I pushed back, shaking my head so hard my earrings clinked. “Don’t. Don’t say that.”Xavier blinked, startled. “Liora...”“No.” My voice cracked. “For a moment I thought you were different, but no, you’re no different. You’re just like the others, you want to buy me, and own me." I chuckled bitterly. "Marry me? A stripper? an omega? Are you fucking kidding me?"He looked stricken, like I had cut him, but I couldn’t stop. My chest was tight, air burning in my lungs. “You sit here with your soft words and easy smile, but you’re not listening. You’re all the same... you almost got me fooled.”I stood so fast the chair scraped against the floor. His hand twitched like he might reach for me, but he didn’t.“Don’t ever say that to me again or I'll report you to Viktor and you'll never be able
The next few nights at the Den blurred together, but in a different way than before. For once, I didn’t dread being summoned to the private suites. There were no cold eyes waiting to dissect me, no condescending words meant to remind me of my place. Instead, it was Xavier with his mask off and a soft smile. He never asked for more than my company, though I knew he could, he paid enough to demand anything. And yet… he didn’t. “Do you always spend money this carelessly?” I asked one night, curling up on the far end of the velvet couch. A bottle of wine sat open on the table, but his glass remained mostly full. He chuckled, “I don’t call it careless. I call it an investment.” “In me?” I arched a brow, already preparing to scoff. “That’s ridiculous.” “Not ridiculous at all.” His eyes found mine. “I like being here with you. And it isn’t only me gaining something, you smile more when we talk.” He was right, I was enjoying this too, but I wasn't about to admit it, so I tried to
That evening I dragged myself back to the Den, still carrying the weight of the journal and the storm it had stirred inside me. The neon lights and heavy bass felt harsher than usual, it was getting on my nerves. I wanted to disappear, but work didn’t stop just because my heart was in pieces.Viktor intercepted me as soon as I walked in, his grin way too eager. “Good news, little wolf,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “You’ve got two private bookings tonight, big spenders, very big.”My stomach sank. “Two?”He nodded, lowering his voice as if sharing a precious secret. “One of them is your regular, the masked one who keeps asking for you. And the other…” his grin widened, “the new guy who came the night before the bonfire. So who would you like to see first?”I froze, my heart immediately knew who he meant. Elliot. Heat rushed to my face, not from desire but from anger and shame. After what happened between us at the bonfire, how could I even face him? Mate bond or not, I had sw
I went home immediately, I didn't even wait for Sienna. I fet so much shame, and my body still hummed with the memory of Elliot, but instead of warmth, it brought a coldness that settled deep into my bones. Why did I let him touch me? Why did I want him even when I knew better? He had a fiancée, a future already mapped out for him, yet one look at my direction, one kiss, and I fell apart. I sank onto my bed, burying my face in my pillow, I was torn between anger at him and disgust at myself. My heart screamed that it was wrong, but my wolf howled that it was right. That conflict was ripping me apart. I thought of Arianna, beautiful, elegant and perfect with the priestess’s blessing. And me, hidden in the shadows, clinging to scraps of stolen attention. Was that all I was meant to be, someone’s secret, someone’s shame? My chest ached so much I could barely breathe. In my despair, I reached for the only thing that felt like an anchor: my mother’s journal. Maybe she would have an
I got home and went straight to bed. The alcohol messed with my head, and I hadn’t gotten any real sleep.When I woke up late in the afternoon, I fixed some food immediately because I was so hungry. I decided to just stay at home today, thankfully, Viktor had given us the evening off for the Full moon bonfire ritual. I knew I should be there, but the thought of Elliot ruined it. If I went, it would look like I came because he asked... no, ordered me to. I decided I wasn’t going, I also wanted time to finish reading my mother’s journal.Then my phone rang. Sienna, of course. She always loved our nights at the bonfire, what will I tell her?“Hey,” she said, her voice was too cheerful. “How are you feeling?”“Tired. Not really in the mood for the bonfire tonight.”“No Li, You have to come,” she pressed. “It’ll lift your spirit. You know how it is, the hunt, the run, the blessing… it’s the best night of the month."I sighed. She wasn’t wrong, the bonfire was sacred. We turned together, hu
As I got back to work at the Den, sliding onto the pole under the dim, smoky lights, I was not just in the mood. Yes, my body went through the motions, but my head was still stuck in my mother’s journal. Every word I uncovered pulled me deeper into a storm I couldn’t shake. And Elliot, goddess, Elliot. His smug little invite to the bonfire still burned in my mind. Did he really think I would show up just because he said so? He probably wanted to parade his Fiancée Ariana in front of me, to watch him bless his future with her? just to rub it in. He must be out of his damn mind. I wasn’t about to give him that satisfaction.When my shift on stage ended, I headed straight for the bar. I ordered some Tequila; perks of the job, free shots. I downed them one after another until my thoughts blurred just enough. I just needed silence in my head, even for a moment.That’s when Viktor came over.“VIP request,” he said flatly. “Private client’s waiting.”I groaned. I really wasn't in the mood b