The Alpha General's Substitute Bride

TEMPEST I’m Alpha Knox Hale’s mistress in the Rosewood Pack. There’s no other way to put it; I owned the title of whore a long time ago, hidden from the other members of the pack. Our relationship wasn’t always like this. There was a time when Knox was that sweet boy who made me fall in love with his words and his promises... empty. I naively believed that if we were mates he would take me as his Luna, and when I turned eighteen, I not only discovered the absence of my she-wolf, but I also acquired a power, or rather, a curse. My blood and other fluids were a kind of antidote, a cure, especially against dangerous poisons, and in a realm infected by darkness, my special power turned out to be something unique and coveted. Knox knew it right away and hid me from everyone, isolating me, twisting the truth. At first he said it was to protect me, for my own good, and that I should help him move the pack forward. Soon I realized he only came to fuck me; it was the most efficient wa

TEMPEST“You’ve been brought to the mansion of the Alpha King’s General, Sir Archer Whitlock”My question was answered by the woman who’d walked into the little servants’ room and thrown the other maids out.It was obvious she was someone people respected... and feared.Her black hair, streaked with gray, was pulled tight straight back into a low bun."The mansion’s warriors saved your life and brought you here unconscious... what’s your name?""My name is Tempest." My voice sounded rusty, like un-oiled hinges. "Why did they bring me... to the capital?"I barely managed to prop myself against the wooden headboard."I’ll cut to the chase. I don’t like circling around," she said, frowning.My whole body went tight, not knowing what to expect. I didn’t believe in selfless compassion."My name is Lydia. I’m the housekeeper." she said."The General’s right hand rescued you from what looked like a barbaric sacrifice." She snorted, angry."He saw the Brood wouldn’t attack you. You survived s

TEMPEST The words came out of me, packed with hate before I could stop them. A second later, I wondered what I looked like in front of this man, but he just kept watching me, eyes steady. Light and shadow moved over both our faces. "I’m not the all-powerful General of the realm anymore," he answered, bitter. "I won’t promise what I can’t deliver. What I can do is find a way to take down, quietly, the person who hurt you." That person. He could avenge me against the one I hated most... but I had a whole damn list. "I accept," I said, eyes on his legs. "I think a month by your side could stabilize you." "Only a month?" His voice went cold and his face hardened. "Why can’t you stay here?" "Because I’m not your prisoner... or am I?" I rose from the bed and dared to face him. Fear clamped my chest and slicked my palms, but I held my ground. Swallowing still hurt. "Besides, my blood isn’t endless, General. Or are you planning to use me until I bleed out?" "I wouldn’t do that," he

TEMPEST “Okay, it’s just bathing a big guy. How bad can it be?” I told myself that while I rolled up my sleeves and clenched my fists like I was marching into a fight. He sat with his eyes shut, head bowed. I’d swear he even sighed when the hot water hit him. My shadow fell over him when I reached the edge of the tub. My eyes kept darting, trying not to peek into the depths. I went for the small stool with the bath supplies and grabbed the sponge. With shaky fingers, I poured the soap and thought… why the hell doesn’t he bathe himself? I mean, his problem is in his legs, not his hands. But I sighed, leaned in, and started scrubbing one shoulder. Slow. “What are you doing?” His rough voice made my nerves jump. Those icy eyes lifted, slid to the sponge, then back to my face. I swallowed hard. “Ba… bathing you?” It even sounded like a question. “And you really plan to run that sponge over my whole body like I’m a giant baby?” I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me or dead serio

TEMPEST“We all thought you might bring a miracle cure, but I think we were just acting out of desperation. How could you get what the realm’s best doctor hasn’t?”Mrs. Lydia was convinced every word out of that woman’s mouth was pure gold.She even felt familiar enough to call General Whitlock by his first name, so Dr. Merritt wasn’t someone you could just brush off.My chest lurched, but I’d come here ready to die from the start, so I hadn’t packed much hope.“I’ll leave right away then…” I murmured, lowering my head.An awkward silence stretched between us. Then she sighed and added, in a kinder tone:“You don’t have to walk out like that. I know you’re not from this pack, and throwing you out would be the same as sending you to die. I’ll hire you for the household staff,” she offered.Something prideful twisted in me.I wanted to tell her I didn’t need scraps, that they’d pulled me from my pack without my consent.But I’d only look ungrateful. And stupid.“I appreciate your kindnes