تسجيل الدخولEVEI stood frozen, reeling from his words.He had called me by my full name, telling me strictly that he was not supposed to be a loving husband to me. I did not think it would hurt. Inside my chest, Zee recoiled painfully, retreating into the back of my mind.I turned around and fled the study.Behind me, Sandra’s voice echoed through the doorway. "I'm afraid you've pissed your wife off so badly, Kolton."Footsteps followed me down the stone corridor, but I did not stop. I half ran until I reached the thick part of the garden, where the trees grew dense and blocked out the sun. I held back the tears forming in my throat, breathing fast, until a hand touched my shoulder.I turned around and saw Sandra. I wrapped my arms around her and began to cry."This is why he could never keep a wife!" I said, my voice breaking as I sobbed into her shoulder. "No woman wants to marry a man that cold!"Sandra patted my back gently while I cried. "Be happy that he's even nice to you, Eve," she sai
EVEThe moment I woke up, the side of my neck was throbbing with a low, liquid heat.I sat up in the massive bed, my hand instantly flying to my collarbone. The golden glow had faded, but the sensation beneath my skin felt entirely different now. It was ache that shot straight down to my lower abdomen, making my blood run hot and my core swell with a sudden, frustrating pulse of arousal.I squeezed my eyes shut, letting out a long breath. The awakening of this strange mark was making me insane. It was filling my body with an unbearable hunger that had nothing to do with my mind and everything to do with the male sleeping on the other side of the estate.‘He belongs to us,’ my wolf purred deep inside my chest, stretching her paws with unbearable satisfaction. ‘Find him.’"Shut up," I muttered aloud, kicking off the sheets and forcing myself to get dressed in a simple tunic and trousers.By noon, Sandra met me in the upper corridor. True to her word, she was warm, supportive, and exce
LEORAJon’s face fell, the color draining from his cheeks as his mouth hung open in shock."Leora, that is not what I meant—" Jon started, taking a frantic step toward me, his hands raised in surrender.Before he could finish his sentence, my eyes welled up with big, heavy tears. I let a quiet sob break from my throat, covering my face with my hands as my shoulders trembled."You are comparing me to her!" I cried out, my voice cracking with helpless sorrow. "First my mother, and now you! Both of you are pressuring me, picking at me, making me feel so completely incompetent!""No, baby, no!" Jon panicked, rushing to my side and trying to pull my hands away from my face. "I am not comparing you to anyone! I swear I am not!"I pulled back from his touch, turning my body away from him as tears spilled over my cheeks. "Yes, you are! You just brought her up! You stood there and threw her name in my face because you think she is better than me!""I don't think she is better than you!" Jon pl
LEORA My mother sat at the edge of my silk sofa, her hands clasped together with a triumphant smile that made my stomach turn."Everything is falling into place, Leora," she said, her voice dripping with pure ambition. "Now that troublesome Eve has finally been taken out of the way, you can start practicing to be the next Luna of the Winter Pack. It is your rightful place."I sat at my vanity, lightly dabbing expensive perfume onto my wrists. "It was always my place, Mother. Eve was just taking up space.""Of course, darling. But now you must take it seriously," she insisted, leaning forward and tapping her manicured nails against her knee. "Starting tomorrow, you are sitting in court during your father’s meeting with the pack finance managers. It is crucial for you to be seen understanding the territory's affairs."I tossed my perfume bottle onto the glass table with a sharp, heavy click. "I didn't make it in line to be the next Luna by sitting in court or attending boring meeting
EVEFor the rest of the night and through the next morning, I stayed locked in the master suite. Servants brought up silver trays of steaming food, hot tea, and fresh linen, bowing their heads before scurrying out like terrified mice. I ignored them all, picking at my meals in absolute silence.The faint golden glow on my neck had died down on its own an hour after he walked out. My palm traced the smooth, pale skin over my collarbone, my mind racing. Something strange was happening to my body, and I was going to figure out what it was before that arrogant brute stepped foot in this room again.I found a heavy, leather-bound tablet resting on the mahogany desk near the window. It contained digitized records and high-resolution images of ancient Hail Pack artifacts, runes, and ancestral relics. I sat on the edge of the bed, swiping through the glowing screen, trying to make sense of the intricate carvings and strange history.A polite, double knock echoed at the heavy wooden door.I st
KOLTON I walked down the long, silent corridor of the West Wing. This side of the estate was built for isolation. It housed a secondary royal suite, a place I had moved into every single time one of my former wives decided I was too ruthless, too heavy-handed, or simply too much to bear. Eventually, it became the room I went to whenever I needed to be alone.Tonight was Eve’s very first night in the house, and I was already walking down this hallway.I pushed open the door to the West suite, stepped inside, and poured myself a heavy glass of amber liquor from the crystal decanter on the table. The sharp burn slid down my throat, but it did nothing to settle the strange, restless energy hummed through my veins.My mind flashed back to the golden light that had pulsed beneath the skin of her collarbone. I had felt a sudden, violent jolt inside my chest when I touched her—a sharp, electric tug that had pulled at my soul.“You left her







