MarissaI could not get over Justine’s bizarreness. She'd cornered me outside her brother’s office, claiming she felt a bond with me.What fucking bond?I slammed my palm against my desk, but the sound didn’t do a damn thing for the fire chewing through my brain.“Okay, Marissa, think,” I muttered, forcing a breath. “Logic. Facts.”Fact one: I was straight. Straight as a ruler. Straight as a Euclidean line. My godawful history with men was enough to prove that. So Justine, however charming or intense or confusing she was, felt a bond with me? That wasn’t possible. Unless these so-called bonds were just one-sided delusions.I typed into my browser: One-sided mate bond.A slew of forum posts popped up. Mostly teenagers convinced their brooding math teacher or some half-shifted barista was their fated mate. None of it made sense. I felt a bond with my mate—who was currently pretending I was just the girl who fetched his coffee. Meanwhile, his sister, a woman I was definitely not attract
JustinThe intercom on my desk buzzed, and Marissa’s voice, crisp and professional, announced, “The King is calling the board meeting to session. They are waiting for you in the conference room.”Showtime.I crushed the half-smoked cigarette into the crystal ashtray and pushed myself to my feet, straightening the jacket of my suit. From outside the conference room, I could hear the low murmur of voices before a waiting attendant pulled the double doors open for me.The room always felt less like a boardroom and more like a space designed for interrogations. My father, King Alaric, sat at its head, his face a sculpture of stern disapproval. He didn't glance up as I entered, his gaze fixed on some imaginary point beyond the far wall. The council members, a collection of old Lycans clinging to tradition and ambitious younger ones eager to make their mark, flanked the table.And then there was my cousin, Sean. He lounged in his chair looking far too comfortable, a smirk playing on his l
Justin Marissa’s grape-scented cologne still hung in the air, a subtle reminder of how close I had come to making a crazy mistake. Even after I had dragged my crazy twin sister into my office and shut the door, I could still smell it on the air currents. I was deeply relieved that I hadn't slept with Marissa, because that would have complicated things beyond any hope of repair. Now I had to make a conscious effort to stay away from her and keep everything between us strictly professional despite being far too tempting. Getting involved with her, even for one night, would have broken Justine’s heart. And Wendy would find out somehow. She always did. Then she would make Marissa’s life an absolute hell.“What’s this craziness about?” I asked, rubbing my temples. I could already feel a headache forming behind my eyes, because my sister had a way of dragging chaos in behind her wherever she went.She waved off my glare and bounced farther into the room, her eyes lit up as if she were ho
I pressed my body against the cold bathroom tiles, holding my breath so tight my lungs burned. Why did terrible things keep happening to me?My mate was fucking getting married to someone else.“Darling, you simply must decide on the seating for the top table,” I heard Wendy say to him. “And Daddy will be dreadfully upset if you are late for dinner again tonight. He's making such an effort for us, you know.”I heard a low murmur from Justin, his voice too faint for me to make out the words.“Oh, do not be such a bear,” Wendy cooed, her voice dripping with condescension. “You know you need me for all these dreadful political things. Everyone expects to see us together, the perfect power couple.” There was a rustle of fabric, then her voice dropped. “One kiss?”A heavy silence followed. Then I heard a soft, distinct sound of lips meeting, and my stomach twisted into a painful knot.“I will see you tonight, my darling,” Wendy trilled. The sharp click of her heels faded as the office doo
I knocked on the heavy walnut door of Justin's office. When no answer came, I pushed it open and stepped inside. He did not look up from his laptop, and his fingers flew across the keyboard with a focused intensity. The man was completely lost in his work, but the bond between us did not care about his concentration. It sizzled in the air, oozing directly from him. I felt a familiar heat coil low in my stomach and tried to force it down. I would not let this arrogant Lycan see me flustered.“Close the door,” he commanded, his eyes still fixed on the screen.The lock clicked shut behind me. I walked forward, my heels sinking into the thick carpet. I stopped at an unspoken boundary near his desk where the pattern of the rug changed. Only then did he lift his head. His eyes moved over me, staring at my shoes and pausing a little too long on the nylon of my tights before traveling up the length of my body with an insulting slowness. His gaze swept over my chest and lingered on my lips b
After a restless night spent tossing in my sheets, I was up at five in the morning, packing two suitcases with a grim efficiency. I needed to leave, to get to the Lycan territory and find out what the hell Justin was hiding.My brother, Brian, stood in my doorway watching me, his face a mask of shock that I was willing to go to the Lycans of my own free will. Downstairs, I could hear my father’s voice, and his suspicion was a sharp contrast to Brian's concern.“She’s running to the Lycan kingdom because she doesn't want to get married,” he was saying. I came down the stairs just as his wife joined him, and the sight of her sent a jolt of pure acid through my veins. Lilith was the Seer’s niece. She had moved into our home just two weeks after my mother’s funeral, after her “untimely” death. The memory was always there, branded behind my eyes: Lilith pretending to be a devoted follower, cooking and cleaning while my mother grew sicker, right up until the day I found her and my fathe