After ten years of dedication, Syra is divorced by her Alpha, who goes back to his first love. Feeling betrayed, she enters a love game with her former Mate and fiancé that she abandoned. The game... “Let’s play a game,” I purred. “You’ve got three months. In that time, you can try any type of flirting, seducing, or courting—bad boy style. Pull every trick you’ve got. Make me want you. And if, by any chance, my heart so much as skips a beat when I see that ridiculously handsome face of yours? You win. You mark me, and I’m yours.” “Any kind of flirting?” he asked, amused now. I nodded. “Yeah, bad boy. All of it. Make me want you. But if you fail… then I use you for a year—your name, your power, your resources—and after that, you release me. So… what do you say, Mr. Steinhart? In or out?”
View MoreSYRA
“What is all this?” I whispered, my breath catching as my trembling fingers brushed the edge of the papers Asher had just placed before me. My heart pounded in my ears, louder than his voice.
“Divorce papers, Syra,” he replied coldly, his eyes fixed anywhere but on me—like I was already a distant memory.
“Dah, genius, I can see that,” I choked out with a bitter laugh, frustration bleeding into my voice as I took a shaky step back. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Asher. Are you for real right now?”
He snapped then, his tone curt, like he was scolding a child instead of breaking me. “We’ve already gone over this, Syra. I appreciate your commitment—hell, I respect it—and that’s why I’m offering to split everything fairly.”
“You appreciate me?” I echoed, stunned, my voice barely a whisper now. “Are you insane, Asher? We’ve been married for ten damn years. Ten years! And this is how you end it?”
“Come on, Syra,” he growled, his voice rising as he glanced at the glass walls of the office, noticing the staff outside, ears perked, eyes flicking. “Don’t make a scene.”
I felt something in me shatter. “Huh! Half the employees are wolves, Asher—they can hear us whether I scream or not,” I snapped, throwing the papers down onto the desk like they’d burned me. “You’re really going to toss our marriage away for that bitch?”
He chuckled—he actually chuckled—and it sliced through me like a blade.
“Marriage?” he scoffed. “Syra, be honest with yourself. Our marriage was a contract. You needed me, I needed you. It was business—nothing more. But she…” His voice dropped, almost reverent. “She’s the woman I love. And I’m going to mark her in three month.”
I laughed, hollow and cracked. It felt like the only thing left I could do without collapsing. “Seriously, Asher? Fuck you.”
I turned, storming out of the office, brushing past stunned employees who tried hard not to meet my gaze. My blood boiled, vision blurred, but I didn’t stop until I reached the elevator.
_____________________________________________________________________
“He wants to divorce me,” I cried, voice trembling. “Ten years, Janey. Ten fucking years. I gave him everything. I stood by him when he was nothing, when he couldn’t even pay his debts—when he almost took his own life. I lifted him up. I made him laugh. And now he’s going to mark her?”
Janey held me tighter, her hand gently rubbing my back. “It’s okay, child. It’s okay.”
But it wasn’t.
It wasn’t okay.
“She left him, Janey! She left him and ran off to the UK chasing her stupid dreams. And I—I stayed. I stayed when he was at rock bottom, when he had no one. And now?”
My chest ached, every sob sharp as glass in my throat.
“How can someone change so much?”
But the truth hit me harder than his words. Somewhere deep down, I’d always known. I was the lifeline—never the love of his life. The convenience. The back-up plan. The investor. My father had warned me. He saw the greed in Asher’s eyes even when I was too blinded by heartbeats and stupid dreams. I gave up my place in the Moonclaw pack. I sacrificed everything. And now?
Now I was being tossed aside like expired parchment.
I stumbled into the nearest washroom, gripping the sink, staring at the wreck I’d become in the mirror. My makeup had smudged into thick black streaks beneath my eyes.
Mascara and heartbreak didn’t mix well. I looked like a ghost of the woman I once was.
A soft laugh escaped my lips.
Just a cruel fucking joke.
All those years, all those promised marking ceremonies… always postponed, always “not the right time.” Of course, he never meant to mark me.
I was just a placeholder.
That’s when I stumbled on the kind of information that slaps sobriety into your bones, even if you’re three glasses into a bottle of emotional ruin. My steps faltered outside the washroom as a woman's voice echoed from just around the corner—crisp, amused, and oblivious to the storm she was stirring inside me.
“Yeah, I’m serious. It’s all over the company. In order for Adrian to inherit the empire, he has to get married.”
I froze.
Her voice laced with sarcasm and curiosity continued, unconcerned.
“That’s not all. I heard he might be looking for anyone. Like, no mate bond required—just someone bold—or stupid—enough to say yes.”
A pause. Then a sharp, humorless chuckle.
“Put the money aside, of all Alphas, who the hell has the guts to accept Adrian? I mean, the guy is a walking nightmare. Just imagine being his bride, let alone bearing his mark. Ugh. Gives me chills just thinking about it.”
I didn’t realize my fists had clenched until my nails bit into my palms. My breath caught, lips parted slightly as I stared into the cracked mirror in the hallway, catching sight of the broken woman blinking back tears with mascara-streaked cheeks.
She was me. And she was tired of being pitied.
I sniffed, dragging my trembling fingers down my face as if trying to peel off the pain. The mirror didn’t lie. I looked like hell—hair disheveled, eyes red, lips trembling—but behind the mess was a glint of something fierce. Something dangerous.
Maybe this was the worst idea I’ve ever had.
Or maybe, just maybe, it was time to play the game.
A wicked game.
I squared my shoulders, chin lifting slightly as my reflection hardened. If the world was a battlefield, then I’d stopped being the collateral damage.
______________________________________________________________________
The Next Day….
“Here. I’ve signed the damn papers.”
I hurled the documents right at his face.Asher flinched, stumbling back a step, his lips still glistening with her gloss. He shoved Kate aside like she was a mere inconvenience.
“What the hell, Syra? Ever heard of knocking?”“Tch,” I scoffed, my eyes locking with hers. She looked smug—like she’d just scratched a winning lottery ticket.
“Hi, Syra,” she said, all sugar and venom. “Didn’t know you’d be dropping by.”God, how badly I wanted to rip that fake smile right off her face.
Asher shuffled through the papers, his expression twisting into disbelief.
“What is this?” he asked. “You don’t want anything?”“Yeah, dumbass. I don’t want a cent from a man who tosses loyalty like trash,” I snapped. “You want a divorce? There—you got it.”
I stepped forward, slamming my palms onto the glass table with enough force to rattle his fancy pen set.
“Let's get this straight. This is me cutting you off, Asher. No strings, no shared memories, no apologies. Just like you threw away everything we built, so will I. But don’t you dare come crawling back when regret finally sinks its claws in.”He gave a lazy smirk, dropping the signed papers like they were of no consequence.
“Don’t worry. I won’t.” He extended his hand mockingly. “To new beginnings.”“Fuck you.”
I turned sharply, chest heaving, trying not to scream. I wanted to be composed, to walk out like he didn’t matter. But no one walks away from ten years without bleeding inside.
I stormed out, blinking rapidly to hold back the burning behind my eyes. I jabbed at the elevator button just as a sharp voice followed me.
“Hey, Syra! What the hell are you planning?”
Kate’s heels clacked obnoxiously as she strutted in, the doors sliding shut behind her.
“Drop the act, Kate,” I said coldly. “I already know what you are.”
She scoffed, flipping her ponytail back like she was in some damn commercial.
“Oh, poor Syra,” she purred. “Still pretending you were anything but a placeholder? He always belonged to me. You were just the filler until I came back. Ten years or a hundred—he’d still pick me. I’m the real mate.”That was it.
My vision tunneled. Something inside me snapped as my wolf stirred.
Before I realized what I was doing, my hand was around her throat, lifting her clean off the ground. Her feet kicked as she clawed at my wrist, eyes wide with panic.
I leaned in, voice low and laced with frost.
“Pick up whatever trash I toss out, Kate. It won’t make you shine. I will always be above you—with or without Asher. You want to play Luna? Try surviving the war you just started.”I dropped her like the garbage she was.
She fell to her knees, gasping and wheezing, face pale as I towered over her.
“You started this war?” I smiled, slow and dangerous.
“You want to see a fucking real bad bitch”.
“ Let me show you what one looks like.”
ADRIANHer lips were trembling against mine—soft, like petals brushed by the wind. I cupped her face, thumbs grazing the high curve of her cheeks as our foreheads pressed together. I was losing to this fire, drowning in it. And yet, I didn’t want to come up for air.Her hands curled around the collar of my shirt, pulling me deeper, closer—until every breath I exhaled was hers and every heartbeat I heard wasn’t just mine anymore.I kissed her again, slower this time, our mouths gliding in perfect rhythm. My lower lip captured hers and held it like a promise. The corners of her mouth twitched into a smile, sweet and mischievous. Our lips danced—twirled, tasted, teased—as if they were in a deep conversation only we could understand.She was leaning back, slowly pulling me with her, the back of her knees hitting the edge of the bed.“S-Syra—” I breathed, my voice hoarse with restraint.Her response was a quiet moan, her fingers running through my hair as she pulled me down. Her lips met m
SYRAThe stars looked like someone had spilled glitter across black silk, and I was lying there with Adrian, my fingers laced through his as if they belonged there.“You know,” I murmured, tilting my head toward him, “if you stare too long, you start to think they’re staring back.”Adrian smirked. “If one of them winks, I’m running. You’ll have to explain to your parents why I jumped into the lake.”I snorted, covering my mouth. “That lake has frogs, Adrian.”“Well,” he said, shrugging, “I’ve faced rogue wolves and blood curses. Frogs might be where I draw the line.”I chuckled, turning onto my side to look at him. His features were softer in the moonlight, and his eyes—usually sharp like obsidian—seemed less guarded. His gaze wasn’t on the stars. It was on me.“What?” I asked.He didn’t answer right away. He just tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m just trying to memorize this version of you. Laughing. Light. Safe.”I blinked, the mood shifting for a second. “You make i
SYRA The soft scent of lilac drifted in the air as I leaned into her palm, her thumb gently tracing circles on my cheek like she used to when I’d get nightmares as a child.“Mum,” I whispered again, still unsure if saying it too loudly would break the fragile miracle in front of me.Janet Moonclaw smiled down at me, her silver lashes misted with tears. “My baby. Look at you… so grown, so strong.”Her fingers combed gently through my hair, brushing it behind my ear the same way she used to before bedtime stories. Every stroke was a heartbeat of comfort, a language that only a mother and daughter could speak.Next to me, Adrian’s hand found mine. Warm, steady. I turned and met his eyes. He didn’t speak, but his gaze said it all: You’re safe now.I pressed closer to Mum’s lap, my heart finally able to breathe after days of darkness and confusion. The room was quiet, reverent, the kind of silence that only came after something divine.Father cleared his throat gently from across the room
LUCIANI couldn’t sit still.My legs jittered restlessly against the wooden floor, palms clammy despite the chilled air in the hall. My wolf paced inside me—tugging, restless, eager. But my heart… damn it, my heart felt like it was going to claw out of my chest.“Come down, son.”Father’s voice came softly—too softly for how loud the silence was in this place. He stood against the wall, arms crossed but eyes heavy with worry. Even with all his years, I could tell he was just as shaken.I looked away, unable to follow his order.“So anxious like a little boy,” Aunt Zaniyah whispered from beside the hearth, her voice barely carrying across the room.“Nor has he said much,” added Uncle Roen, sighing deeply. He was seated with his boots halfway off, but he hadn’t moved for hours.Elder Jared was pacing again. The old man had lost none of his stride, even after decades of service. “It’s the after-effect. That kind of curse… lingers on the soul. It’s been part of their blood for generations
ADRIANTwo Days LaterShe was still deep asleep. No change for the past two days.I sat motionless beside her bed, the soft beeping of the monitor the only thing reminding me she was still with me—still breathing.My fingers brushed lightly against hers, cold and limp. The moment stretched, filled with worry that felt heavier than anything I’d ever carried into battle.Then his voice came again—low, ancient, and echoing not in the room, but through the deepest part of my mind.“She will wake up soon.”I exhaled, jaw tight. “You said that that day too. When is this soon? Why hasn’t she woken up?”He chuckled. The sound was warm, knowing, but it crawled under my skin and irritated the hell out of me.“Impatience doesn’t suit you,” he said, and I could hear him clearer now, though I still couldn’t see his face. Only that blazing light, faceless and endless.“I’ve never been patient. Not with people I care about.”There was silence for a moment before he spoke again, voice low and calm.“
Nobody moved.No—scratch that.No one dared to move.The air was too thick. The world too silent. Like even the wind knew it needed to hold its breath.He floated above us like an ancient god reborn.Adrian.But… not the Adrian I knew.Not the cold, quiet boy I used to daydream about. He was my fucking first crush back in college. I fell for his cold absolute fuck off vibe.He was a prince back, tall and ridiculously handsome, and he was totally my type, and I hoped and wished he was my mate, not until I heard he was engaged to some MoonClaw princess who eventually rejects him and goes off with some goofball named Asher.I really did envy Syra, she had everything yet she walked away then she just comes back and fuck, she takes it all. My man, the one I have wanted and waited for, and even the very title I have always craved for. Why fucking her? Why does it always has to be fucking Syra and because of her, my fucking dream of being with Adrian is even more distanceMy knees buckled,
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