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Chapter 3: The Wolf in the Bedroom

My hands shook as I folded the last of my meager belongings into a cardboard box. Two gray dresses. A worn-out sweater. A photo of my parents before they looked at me with disappointment.

"You realize this is a death sentence, right?"

I didn't turn around. Seraphina was leaning against the doorframe of my tiny servant’s quarters, her arms crossed.

"He wants to study you, Elara," she spat, the word dripping with venom. "He thinks you're a witch. When he realizes you're just a nothing, he'll toss you out. Or worse—he'll realize you’re his mate, and then I’ll have to kill you."

I taped the box shut. "He’s dying, Seraphina. You see it. Every time you touch him, he withers. I’m just trying to keep him alive."

"I don't care about his life!" she hissed, stepping into the room. "I care about the title. I care about the money. If he dies, I’m still the Alpha Widow. I still keep the house. But if he finds out I tricked him? I lose everything."

She grabbed my wrist, her nails digging into my skin. "Listen to me closely. You go into that room. You let him stare at you. But if he touches you? If you let him take what belongs to me? I will tell the pack you tried to poison him. Who will they believe? The Luna, or the maid?"

She shoved me back and stormed out.

I took a deep breath, picked up my box, and walked toward the Alpha's suite.

The Antechamber was small, but compared to my closet in the basement, it was a palace. It was directly connected to Kaelen’s bedroom by a single, heavy wooden door.

There was no lock on my side.

I had just set my box down when the connecting door swung open.

Kaelen stood there.

He had showered. He was wearing loose gray sweatpants that hung low on his hips, and a tight black t-shirt that strained against his chest. His hair was damp, falling into his eyes. He looked devastating.

And he looked angry.

"You’re late," he grunted.

"I… I had to pack, Alpha."

"Don't call me that," he snapped. He walked into my room, instantly filling the space. The air grew heavy, charged with his scent—rain, ozone, and pure male dominance. "When we are in here, you don't call me Alpha. It reminds me of… duty."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Nothing," he murmured. He began to circle me, like a shark circling prey. "You don't speak unless I tell you to."

He stopped behind me. I could feel his body heat radiating against my back. He was close enough to touch, but he didn't. He just inhaled.

"Turn around," he commanded.

I turned slowly.

He was staring at my neck. Specifically, at the pulse point where my scent gland was.

"The doctor says I’m suffering from sensory hallucinations," Kaelen said, his voice low and clinical, though his eyes were anything but. "He says my brain is creating a phantom bond with you because my own bond is… damaged."

He took a step closer. I backed up until my legs hit the small bed.

"I need to prove him right," Kaelen whispered. "I need to prove that you are nothing. That this pull I feel is just a trick of the mind."

He reached out. His hand hovered over my shoulder. His fingers twitched.

"May I?" he asked. It wasn't a request.

"Yes," I breathed.

He placed his hand on my shoulder.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

The connection was instant. A warm, golden light seemed to flood through my veins. The tension in Kaelen’s jaw instantly relaxed. His pupils dilated.

"See?" he rasped, stepping closer until his thighs brushed mine. "It’s illogical. You are weak. You are plain. You are Seraphina’s shadow. Yet my wolf purrs when you are near."

He moved his hand up my neck, his thumb tracing my jawline. His touch was rough, calloused, and utterly addictive.

"Does it feel like that for you?" he demanded, searching my eyes. "Do you feel the fire, Elara?"

"I…" I couldn't lie. Not with him touching me. "Yes."

"Why?" he growled, frustration leaking into his voice. He grabbed my waist with his other hand, pulling me flush against him. "Did you curse me? Did you put something in my drink?"

"No, Kaelen," I whispered, using his name for the first time.

The sound of his name on my lips seemed to break his last restraint.

He groaned, a low, animalistic sound, and buried his face in my hair. He inhaled deeply, shuddering against me.

"You smell like home," he confessed, his voice muffled against my neck. "God, you smell like home. Seraphina smells like… perfume. Like a store. But you… you smell like the woods after a storm."

He was nuzzling me now. His nose brushed the sensitive skin behind my ear. His lips grazed my neck.

I knew I should push him away. I knew this was adultery. I knew he thought he was cheating on his wife.

But my wolf was howling in joy. Mate. Mate. Mate.

"Kaelen," I gasped as his teeth grazed my collarbone. "You’re married."

He froze.

He pulled back, his eyes dark with conflict.

"I know," he said, his voice hard. "I know I am married. I love my wife."

He said it like he was trying to convince himself.

He pushed me away, putting distance between us. He ran a hand over his face, looking disgusted with his own lack of control.

"This is a test," he said, turning his back on me. "The Moon Goddess is testing my loyalty. And I am failing."

He walked to the door, grabbing the handle.

"You sleep with the door open," he commanded without looking back.

"What?"

"The door stays open," he said, his voice leaving no room for argument. "If the sickness comes back in the night… if I can't breathe… I need to be able to reach you."

"Kaelen, that’s not appropriate—"

"I don't care about appropriate!" he roared, spinning around. His eyes were flashing gold again. "I care about surviving the night! You stay where I can smell you. If you close that door, I will break it down."

He slammed the door shut, leaving me trembling in the silence.

I stared at the wood, my heart racing.

He was fighting it. He was fighting biology, destiny, and the truth.

But he had left the door unlocked.

I changed into my oversized sleep shirt—the only thing I had that was comfortable—and crawled into the small bed. I kept my eyes on the door.

An hour passed. Then two.

The house was silent.

Then, I heard it.

A whimper.

It was faint, coming from the other room.

"No… please… not her…"

Kaelen was having a nightmare.

I sat up. I should ignore it. I should let him suffer.

But another sound followed—the sound of someone choking. Gasping for air.

"Kaelen!"

I jumped out of bed and ran to the connecting door. I pushed it open.

The Alpha’s bedroom was dark, lit only by the moonlight filtering through the balcony doors. Kaelen was thrashing in the massive bed, tangled in the sheets. He was clawing at his own throat, gasping, sweat pouring down his chest.

"I can't… breathe…" he choked out.

I rushed to the side of the bed. "Kaelen! Wake up!"

I grabbed his shoulders. He was burning up again. The sickness was attacking him the moment he fell asleep.

"Elara?" he gasped, his eyes flying open. He looked terrified. A powerful Alpha, reduced to a scared child in the dark.

"I’m here," I whispered, climbing onto the edge of the mattress. "I’m here."

He didn't yell at me this time. He didn't tell me to get out.

He reached out blindly and grabbed my waist. He yanked me down.

"Stay," he begged, his voice broken. "Just… stay."

I lay down beside him, on top of the covers. I was stiff, terrified. But Kaelen curled into me immediately. He wrapped his massive arm around my waist, pulling my back against his chest. He buried his face in my hair, inhaling greedily.

"Don't leave," he mumbled, his breathing instantly evening out. The fever broke against my skin. "Just for tonight… don't leave."

I lay there, staring into the darkness, listening to the steady beat of his heart against my back.

My mate was holding me. He was "cheating" on his wife to survive. And I was letting him.

As sleep finally overtook him, I heard him whisper one last thing. A sentence that made my blood run cold and my heart soar at the same time.

"Why does she… smell like… a lie?"

He was starting to figure it out.