INICIAR SESIÓNEVE I scrambled back against the tall headboard, my hands gripping the silk sheets as Kolton loomed over the edge of the bed. My chest heaved, my breath coming in fast, sharp hitches. "I am going to pay for it?" I spitted out, glaring up at his dark, angry face. "What are you going to do, Alpha Kolton? Send an invoice to the Winter Pack? Or is a broken pot just your excuse to put your hands on me?" Kolton stepped up onto the mattress, his knee pressing into the soft bed between my thighs. "I don't need an excuse to touch my wife." "I am a captive bride in a political trade," I snapped, scooting higher against the wooden frame. "You are in my house, in my room, and you just destroyed an ancestral piece," he said, his voice dropping into a low baritone. "You were told not to handle it." "I was told it was my right!" I yelled back, my teeth clenching. "Sandra told me things were different here. She encouraged me to touch it! She said an Alpha's wife had every right to ha
EVE“The earth really should open up and swallow me.”I slapped the bed furiously, and in a minute, I was on my feet.“He's a dumb arrogant jerk with hardly enough balls to sleep next to me the whole night. He damn well knows I'd kill him.”Maybe I wouldn't kill the Alpha of Hail Pack. Because I didn't want to be hanged or shot to death. But his words were still burning in my ears, making my face flush with embarrassment and anger. ‘Stay in your part of the house.’Really?I felt like a total idiot. Why did I even try that sexually suggestive stunt? I just handed him all the power, and he threw it right back in my face.‘He is just stressed out, Eve,’ Zee whined in my mind. ‘You know he has the whole pack to worry about—’"Shut up, Zee!" I snapped out loud, throwing my hands in the air. "Stop making excuses for him! He treated me like an annoying child and walked out! I am furious at him, and I am furious at you!"‘I'm just saying—’"I don't care what you're saying!" I growled, paci
LEORA Jon was having dinner with my family and this was the perfect time to communicate my grievances after our last fight.The envelope I had received that day still sat hidden under my mattress upstairs, but every word written inside it burned in my mind."Father, I cannot do this anymore," I said, dropping my fork. "Jon does not care about me.”My father frowned. “How did you come by this conclusion?” “Every time we are alone, he talks about Eve."Jon’s fork clattered loudly against his plate. He sat up straight, his face instantly pale. "Leora, what are you talking about?""I am talking about the truth!" I snapped, turning to my father. "Father, he always speaks in defense of Eve. Whenever we talk about the future, he acts like he is disappointed. He seems far more interested in Eve than he is in me. He constantly talks about the life he would have had with her if she were still here.""That is a complete lie!" Jon shouted, standing up from his chair."It is not a lie!" I scr
KOLTON I dragged her up the stairs and down the upper corridor, my hand locked on her wrist while she fought me every step of the way.“Let me go! I can certainly walk on my own!” She gritted out. “You always want a show and I'm always up for it.”“I didn't ask for a show!” She insisted, but I didn't stop. Servants pressed themselves against the walls, dropping their eyes as we passed.I hauled her into her room, shoved the door shut, and threw the heavy latch into place.The second I let go, Eve snatched her wrist back against her ribs. She stood there breathing hard, glaring at me like she wanted to tear my throat out."You are embarrassing yourself and embarrassing me over some foolish sentiments," I said, straightening my sleeves. "Embarrassing you?" she snapped, taking a sharp step toward me. "Did you or did you not say you were going to sleep in this bed with me? Why did you run to the other side of the pack house the second you got out of this room?""Because you are too d
EVEKolton’s eyes narrowed, his broad shoulders locking into place. He did not raise his voice, but his tone dropped into a icy register that made the quiet hall instantly tense."Leave the room, Eve," he commanded coldly.I stood my ground, stepping right past the edge of the long wooden table and crossing my arms tightly over my chest. "No. I am not leaving.""This meeting is none of your business," Kolton said, his dark eyes locked onto mine unyielding. "I'm not going to say this again, but for the last time, You need to learn your place in this pack, or else—""Or else what?" I cut in, glaring straight into his face. "You'll send me back to my father and then go on to burn my pack to the ground?"Kolton let out a quiet, sarcastic breath, shaking his head slightly. "I am a cruel beast, Eve, but I would never do such a thing to your pack. Frankly, they are not worth the trouble."The visiting Alpha cleared his throat loudly, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other as his
EVEKolton did not spend the night in my bed.After our argument over the mark, he walked out of the room and never came back. I stayed awake for hours, staring at the high ceiling and waiting for the heavy wooden doors to swing open, but the room stayed completely empty until morning.By noon, I was walking down the long stone corridors, actively looking for him."My lady," a servant called out, bowing as I brushed past her near the upper stairs. "Can I help you find something?""I don't need your help," I said flatly, keeping my stride long and quick."Is there someone I should call for you?" she pressed, taking a step after me. "The kitchen staff or the guards?""I said I am fine. Leave me alone," I snapped over my shoulder.I refused to tell any of the guards or servants who I was looking for. I just kept moving from one hall to the next, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.'He is a complete coward,' I told Zee in my head as I turned down the east wing. 'Why did he run away







