Victoria blinked her eyes and shook her head. “No one. Why? What is the marking?” I stared at her, trying to see if she was lying. Yet she stared back at me without blinking. “Are you sure no one told you about the marking?” I reached to my neck. When I touched the spot where she bit and sucked it before, a jolt of electricity hit me. Then I stared at her neck and saw the mark too. I let out a long sigh. In the middle of lust and ecstasy, I marked Victoria too. What a mess! A mistress should not be marked! “What is the marking?” She repeated her question. “When you bit my neck and sucked it, that was the marking.” “So what is the special thing about the marking?” Victoria asked again. “You did it too.” “Yes. In the werewolf world, marking is a sign of claiming the other is our mate.” Victoria’s eyes immediately sparkled. “So it means we are officially a couple. Is that it?” I took a deep breath. “Yes, Victoria. We are.” Victoria hugged my neck and kissed my chest. “Oh, I’m s
~ Ethan ~ I finally reached the Peak Mountain. The fog was thick, and it was hard to walk farther. I needed to rest for a while before continuing my journey. So, I sat on a rock, drank the water I had brought, and ate bread. Strange, I didn’t think of Cathy anymore, but Helena. Maybe the hunger and guilt finally hit me hard, so I recalled the past repeatedly. Perhaps because I had spent intimate time with Helena or knew where I should go now, I hoped I could meet Ruby soon. Ruby Miranda, I sighed. I wondered what she would do when I met her. She might curse me more instead of revoking the curse if she still hated me. I couldn’t blame her. Cathy was her sister. No matter what, I should try to see her. I would beg if I had to be. Now, it was not only for me but also for Helena and my pack. I needed to have a pup to be my heir too. Otherwise, the pack’s stability was at stake. Who would have thought that my past could badly affect me, my mate, and others? Regret always comes later
I immediately went to Freya’s house. When I rang the bell, a woman opened the door. “Ethan! You’re back!” Then she threw herself at me. “Helena?” I didn’t recognize her at first. “Yes!” She giggled. “Didn’t recognize me? It’s me, Helena.” I blinked. Helena’s hair was straight now though it had some layers of different lengths. She looked more tempting than before. “Wow!” “Just wow?” She grinned, pulling my hand, so I followed her to the living room. “Do you like my new appearance?” I nodded. “Absolutely, yes, my darling.” I pulled her hand now, and she fell into my lap. “Is Freya at home?” Helena shook her head. “Why?” “I want to say hi, but also this.” I landed a soft kiss on Helena’s lips. “I miss you so much.” Helena smiled. Her eyes were shining. “I miss you too. I keep thinking of you.” I kissed her lips again. “So do I, darling. So do I.” “What do you think if we go to your villa instead?” “Oh? Do you miss Ernie or the cook’s meals?” Helena giggled. “Well, I miss E
~ Helena ~ To think I couldn’t give birth to my babies hurt me so much. I loved babies and was expecting to know what it felt like to experience being pregnant, enjoying watching their growth in my womb, and giving birth to them. Giving up the idea of having my children was devastating. However, I loved Ethan. If I stayed with him, I wouldn’t experience made love fully. I would wonder for the rest of my life about it. What did it feel like other women said and giggled about the fantastic feelings when their spouses made love to them? But then, I couldn’t lose Ethan. Yes, we had already done the outercourse, but not the intercourse (the mating/the having sex itself). Love was not only about having sex. It was not only about having children. My tears were down to my cheeks, and Ethan wiped them with his handkerchief. Despite my tears, I gave him a weak smile. “I have decided not to leave you.” I took a deep breath before continuing, “I can accept we won’t be mating for the rest of ou
Since Ethan had something to do in his community, he left first. He promised he would return after he had handled everything there. I called Ernie. “Luna, do you need me?” “Yes, Ernie.” I patted the seat next to me. “Please sit here.” After Ernie sat, I asked, “Is Red here?” Ernie nodded. “Do you want to meet him? I can call him for you.” “Later. Ernie, do you know any young and powerful witches?” Ernie wrinkled her forehead. “Witch? No. Why, Luna?” I bit my lower lip. “I wonder if it’s the best for me to leave your Alpha.” “What?!” Ernie suddenly grabbed my hand and held it. “Luna, please don’t do it! Is there something wrong with my service, so you call me? I can improve, Luna. I promise! Even if you are dissatisfied with my service, you can fire me and choose someone else as your maid, but please, don’t leave our Alpha.” I hugged Ernie. “You love Ethan as your Alpha so much, don’t you?” “Yes, Luna. My sister and I are orphans. We had nowhere to go, but Alpha Ethan took us
“Are you sure?” Red asked me. I nodded. “Yes. Please, don’t tell Ethan anything. Now, can you help me?” “Anything, Luna.” Red bent his head. “Please take me home and help make Ethan hate me.” Red let out a sigh. “What will you do?” “Maybe I will date Constantine a few times. Please let Ethan know when I go with him.” “Luna, don’t do it!” “I must!” I sniffed. “Otherwise, Ethan won’t believe I want to leave him. If we separate peacefully, we may find it harder to let go. If he hates me, he will forget me faster.” “I doubt it, Luna.” Red looked elsewhere. “Besides, both of you have marked each other. It creates a powerful bond. Our Alpha is not a fool. He may realize it sooner than you think.” “No, if I have Constantine by myself. He treated me sweetly. So I think Ethan will believe it in the end.” I stared at Red. “Help me, please. It’s my last request.” Red knelt, then kissed my feet. “I have never guessed we would be in this situation. It is 180 degrees from the last time. I
~ Helena ~ I was at home when Constantine called me. I didn’t know if it was a coincidence, but I wanted to finish it quickly. So I picked up the call. “Stan?” “Helena, are you free tonight?” “Hmm, yes. Why?” “I want to ask you to go out again. What do you think?” “Where are we going?” I asked. “It’s a secret, but I want you to wear a formal dress.” “Okay.” “So you will go?” he asked me again. I nodded. “Yes, Stan. I will go with you.” “Splendid! I will pick you up at 6 p.m. Dress well, my dear.” Then he hung up. I didn’t know where we would go, but I texted Red immediately. ‘Red, I’ll go with Constantine tonight around 6 p.m. I don’t know where he will take me. Please let Ethan know by nine. Thanks, Red. I owe you. Helena.’ Red replied quickly with only a word. ‘Okay.’ I took a nap afterward since I was emotionally tired. However, I woke up an hour later, still as exhausted as before I had slept. Emotional exhaustion was hard to get rid of, unlike physical fatigue. When
“I cannot say I am sorry.” Constantine stroked my hair and touched my lips. “You are too tempting.” “I-I can’t. I’m sorry.” I tried to calm my breath. Of course, it was unfair to Constantine since I just used him. But then, it was the fastest way to make Ethan hate me. “No, it is alright. I shouldn’t move too fast.” He smiled and kissed my forehead, then lifted my body and returned me to my seat. We didn’t talk anymore until we arrived at a five-star hotel. I blinked. What would we do here? “Relax. We will enjoy great meals and music tonight. The hotel has a prestigious chef of the 5-culinary star. Tonight, they also have a live orchestra.” I gaped. Only for dinner, we went to a luxurious hotel. It should cost a fortune to eat here. I bit my lower lip, feeling guilty of involving Constantine in my situation with Ethan. “What are you thinking? You bit your lower lip again.” “Nothing.” I shook my head. “It must cost you a lot for us to have dinner here.” “Why not? High quality