The Alpha’s Unholy Temptation

10:00 P.M.The pack-house was too quiet. The long oak table, set hours ago with roasted meat, baked bread, and the cake Amelia had begged for, lay untouched. Wax from the birthday candles had hardened, curling in strange shapes like frozen tears.Clara Hayes sat rigidly in the dining hall, eyes on the clock mounted above the hearth. Its steady tick-tick-tick pressed against her skull like a hammer. She had waited all evening for her husband to return—for her Alpha, her mate. For Amelia’s father.He had promised. Victor had promised their daughter that he would be home before five. Amelia had clutched the promise in her little hands as if it were sacred, as if her father’s word meant something more than the hollow air it so often turned into.By nine, Clara had tucked her child into bed. Amelia’s wolf had sulked, restless under her skin, and her big brown eyes brimmed with confusion and hurt. Clara had kissed her forehead gently, whispering that her father was delayed. She lied, the wa

“Divorce?”Victor Quinn’s ears rang at the word. His wolf snapped to attention inside him, fur bristling, claws digging into the walls of his chest. His head jerked toward Clara Hayes, searching her face for hesitation. There was none.“Yes,” Clara said, her voice low but sharp, every syllable carrying venom. “Stop playing dumb. I won’t repeat myself again.”Her hands shook slightly, but she masked it with clenched fists. She refused to show weakness before this man—the same man who had betrayed her since she was seven months pregnant, the same Alpha who had sworn to protect her, only to shred her heart one affair at a time.Still, when she shoved the papers at him, her wolf whimpered. The bond between them trembled violently, as though the Goddess herself grieved.Victor blinked, frowning as he skimmed the pages. His stomach dropped. The signatures, the seals—it was real. This wasn’t a bluff. His Luna was prepared to leave him. The idea struck harder than claws to the chest. No. N

Clara Hayes sat in silence, her body heavy against the thin seat of the taxi as it rolled down the dimly lit streets. The city outside blurred into colors she could hardly register the traffic lights. but none of it mattered. Her mind was a storm, every thought circling back to one man and one little girl.Victor.Amelia.Her ex-mate, who had broken her spirit piece by piece, and the daughter she couldn’t afford to lose.Clara’s hands tightened around her handbag as her heart drummed painfully in her chest. She had made her choice. The papers had been signed, the bond had been broken, the suitcases packed. There was no turning back now. Still, she couldn’t stop rehearsing in her head how she would explain everything to Amelia without shattering the child’s heart.Because in every separation, the children were the true victims. Clara knew this better than anyone. Her parents’ divorce when she was fifteen had carved a permanent wound in her. She could still recall the slammed doors,

The moment Victor Quinn made his offer, Clara Hayes gritted her teeth. This man still had the audacity to toy with her, even now, when she had finally summoned the courage to break the bond with him. She knew exactly why she couldn’t return to his house. Not after everything. Victor had a way of using Amelia, their daughter, as a pawn, a reminder of the cage she had been trapped in for years. He would instruct Amelia to prod, question, and tease until Clara’s resolve faltered, and he could regain his control.“You’re so funny, Victor,” Clara said, her tone sharp, dripping with bitter sarcasm. “I thought I’d given you the golden opportunity to indulge in whatever you want with your secretary. Hell, you can sleep with anyone without guilt—not that you’re capable of feeling guilt in the first place.”Victor’s laugh was light, careless. “Hmm? I’ll still indulge with my secretary after this little…‘running away’ episode you pulled. I just don’t want Amelia to feel like she’s lost her mo

Elena Quinn’s words felt like poison in Clara’s ears.She blew cigarette smoke towards Clara. “If you want to live a good life, stick with my son. Kiss his feet if needed, because that’s the place where you can live.”Clara’s jaw tightened. The audacity of Elena Quinn never ceased to amaze her.“… Even if he is a cheating bastard who ignores his family?” Clara asked, her voice trembling with rage. She didn’t think Elena knew about Victor’s years-long adultery; Clara had kept it to herself.Elena paused, taking a slow drag of her cigarette. She looked away, avoiding Clara’s piercing gaze. “A powerful man like Victor needs to unwind sometimes, even from his responsibilities as an Alpha and your mate. One woman—especially an uninteresting one like you—won’t be enough for him. That is life. Men like him can’t be caged by ordinary expectations. You understand?”Clara’s hands clenched into fists. “So, he sees other women, that’s his business? That’s regular behavior for men, especially a