EVERY SECOND

ERYX

The drive home feels like something I did on autopilot. I barely remember the roads I took or the turns I made. My mind is too busy replaying the same images: Velora’s flushed skin under my hands, the way her body leaned into mine when the heat was strongest, the soft sound she made when I held her.

Magnus had been seconds from taking control. I felt his hunger like a second pulse under my skin. Claiming her would have been easy. Necessary, even. But the look in her eyes when she finally recognized me — shock mixed with something close to fear — stopped me cold. She isn’t ready. And forcing the bond while she’s still reeling from her first heat would only make her run.

I pull up outside the gate and kill the engine, but the tightness in my chest doesn't ease.

“I messed up tonight,” I mutter.

*Yeah. Big time, dude.* Magnus’s voice comes immediately, flat and unimpressed.

*We had her tonight. And you still walked away.*

I release a sharp breath and unfasten my seat belt with a fast motion. “Things don't work that way and she’s barely even awakened. What did you want me to do? Pin her down and mark her while she could barely stay conscious?” I step out of the car. “She would have hated me for it.”

Unlike me, Magnus attacks every challenge head-on without thinking about the consequences. And tonight, I almost let him. She probably already thinks I'm a freak. The last thing I need is to give her another reason to fear me.

I sigh, dragging a hand through my hair as I head toward the house.

*The bond would have handled the rest, Erxy. And you've got the looks. What more?*

“I said enough.”

*Coward.*

I ignore the low growl that follows me toward the house. Magnus doesn’t understand restraint. He only understands possession. But Velora is already surrounded by people who treat her like a problem to be managed. The last thing she needs is another man deciding her fate without asking. Those thoughts follow me inside.

Those thoughts follow me inside. Lisa is the first person I see. The moment she spots me, she rises. My father’s new Luna. The woman who once called my mother her closest friend.

At least, that's what she used to be. Now she's my mother's replacement. The same woman who stood at her bedside while she was dying… and somehow ended up in her place less than a year later.

“You're back.” She smiles and starts toward me.

I don't answer. My eyes move past her to the dining room, where my father is eating. Before she can reach me, I walk straight past Lisa without slowing, eyes still fixed on my target.

“Good evening, Father.”

Theron looks up calmly. “Good evening, son.” His voice is cold, measured.

I take the seat opposite him. Lisa settles beside me a moment later, still wearing that careful smile.

“Your father said you probably wouldn't sleep at the mansion tonight,” she says, still maintaining a smile. “I'm glad you decided to come home. We're complete now…” She pauses. “…as a family.”

A humorless curve touches my mouth. “Is that why you accepted the offer to marry your friend’s husband so quickly?”

Her smile falters. I turn my head just enough to look at her. “Because you wanted what she had?”

Her eyes widen. My father’s expression hardens at once.

“What is that supposed to mean?” His voice drops. “Did you come into my house to insult my wife?”

I lean back slowly, unhurried. “Your wife.” I pick up the napkin beside my plate and wipe my hands with deliberate calm, refusing to let his anger affect me. “How easily that word sits on your tongue now.” I look at my father. “It hasn’t even been a year.”

I glance between them now. “Someone might think the two of you were simply waiting for the previous arrangement to end.”

His palm hits the table hard enough to rattle the dishes, the sound echoing through the dining hall.

“Have you lost your mind?” He stands to his feet. “First, you disrespect me in front of my friend, and now you come into my house and do the same. What gives you that right?”

I rise to meet him without raising my voice. “Lower your tone, Father.” I hold his gaze. “You don’t want me to start saying the things I’m actually thinking.”

The room falls silent. Lisa looks between us. Then she stands, her voice cutting through the tension.

“Both of you. Sit down. Now.”

I turn toward her. For the first time, I notice the expression beneath the composure. It isn’t anger. It isn’t offense.

It’s fear — sharp, controlled, and carefully hidden. The kind of fear that makes me wonder what exactly she's afraid I'll say. I study her for a second longer than necessary. Interesting.

I wait for Father to sit before taking my own seat. His glare stays fixed on me. I meet it without interest, then look away.

Lisa quietly begins serving the food as if the earlier confrontation never happened. She places a plate of chicken in front of me and fills my glass with water, her movements careful and practiced.

I pick up the glass and empty it in one go. Then I fill it again.

“I heard from your father that you and Aveline are getting engaged this weekend.” 

I don't answer.

“She’s smart and beautiful,” Lisa continues, her voice carefully pleasant. “You two would make a lovely couple.”

I say nothing. I keep my eyes on the glass. The words slide past me without landing. Obviously, Aveline is only a convenient arrangement to father, nothing more. However, the real one, the only one that matters, is still back in that house with her heat scent clinging to the air and my mark still unclaimed.

Father clears his throat. “Have you two decided on a date for the wedding? I want it done before we close the deal.”

I reach for the glass and finish the second fill before finally meeting his gaze. My expression stays flat.

“There's no need to rush, Father.” I set the glass down with deliberate calm. “I'll be announcing my mate during the mating ceremony.”

He nods, a satisfied smile slowly spreading across his face.

“Good. You finally came to your senses.”

I almost laugh. “Of course.” I lean back in my chair, my voice even. “I can't wait to announce to the world how lucky I am to have finally found her.”

Velora. The name settles low and certain in my chest. Soon they will all see exactly who I belong to. The soft, overlooked girl they treated like a problem they must hide. The one whose scent still lives under my skin.

“That’s what I've been talking about, son.” Father nods, clearly pleased. “I knew I raised you better.”

I keep my face neutral, hiding the faint curve that threatens my mouth.

“I want you to invite Aveline to the gala tomorrow,” he continues. “We need to give the media something to gossip about before the engagement. What do you think?”

 Slowly, a small, dry smile touches my lips. “We'll see about that.” I keep my voice calm. 

The words are polite. The meaning underneath is not. Father smiles again, satisfied. Good.

Let him believe the matter is settled. Let him sit there arranging a future that will never happen. I can already picture the moment the truth lands — the silence, the shock, the sudden understanding I was never under his control.

I will enjoy every second of it.