LOGINSeeing the worry on her face, Lance’s heart softened. Without thinking, his hand reached out to gently pat her head, just like he used to. Surprisingly, Victoria didn’t flinch or pull away. The familiar gesture seemed to comfort her, and that simple acceptance filled Lance with quiet joy."No," he said, his voice gentler now. "Nothing like that. I was called to discuss the logistics of the wheat and grain harvest from the South. We’re coordinating the transport of crops and livestock to minimize the damage from the locust swarm. Your father just wanted to go over the final plans.""Wait, isn’t the harvest season still a bit far off?" Victoria asked, brows slightly furrowed."The Alpha King suggested an early harvest," Lance explained with a shrug. "It might affect the quality, sure, but it’s better than letting everything go to waste, don’t you think?"His voice softened as he looked at her, his gaze gentle."That makes sense..." Victoria murmured. "Actually, I’m also being summoned b
And more than that... Victoria couldn’t, for a second, believe that nothing happened between Carlisle and Raquel. Weren’t they already entangled while she was still there?That’s what made it so hard to let herself draw closer to him again, let alone let her children know the man who helped create them.Because just imagining someone else exploring Carlisle’s body, touching him where only she once did... it felt like a storm tearing through her chest, like crashing waves churning violently in her stomach.In short, she hated it.She hated that while she was breaking apart, struggling, suffering, doing everything in her power to be both mother and father to their twins, her ex-mate, now, her fated mate, had been out there screwing someone else.And what made it worse... were his words. Words that never stopped echoing in her mind, poisoning her every memory of him:"I’ll let you live a life of loneliness. I’ll make sure you’re tormented, feel the pain of having a mate who’s disgusted b
Something inside Carlisle snapped. He was being pulled toward her helplessly, instinctively. His body reacted instantly, shamefully honest in its need. He’d been hard all day, cock like steel, the pressure in his lower abdomen nearly unbearable. No amount of restraint or shifting could dull it.And now, with her in his arms, within reach...All those careful words dissolved into nothing.Victoria wrapped her legs around his waist, her body slowly, dangerously, responding to him, just like those nights. That one unforgettable night, they first mated. ’Fuck.’ The memory alone nearly shattered his control.Carlisle felt Roque surge beneath the surface, his wolf roaring, demanding to mark her, to claim her all over again. Right here. Right now.It took everything, everything, he had not to give in.Carlisle broke the kiss, and both he and Victoria were breathless as they tried to steady themselves. He leaned into her, pressing her back against the door while his hands firmly cradled her h
Even the Alpha King kept his expression neutral, pretending he had not noticed the silent exchange between Victoria and Maxwell. Once they settled on a possible solution for the South, the discussion moved on to the Western territories and then the North.Much of the meeting, however, was still based on theories and possible solutions. Nothing could be confirmed until the ideas were actually put into practice, especially when it came to the South. They would need time to see whether the wells and irrigation systems could provide enough water before deciding if the plan was truly effective.The situation in the West was just as difficult. The locust infestation had grown so severe that entire swarms were eating almost every plant they could find. Two major solutions were suggested. The first was to set large parts of the affected region on fire, while the second involved using a biochemical agent to wipe out the insects.Neither option was without serious consequences. A wildfire might
She nearly choked on her words when Maxwell’s foot slid higher along her leg. By then, his entire body had turned slightly toward her, his left leg resting over his right as he slowly brushed his foot up and down her leg. To anyone watching, he looked completely focused on her explanation. In reality, he was taking advantage of the moment to get closer, and every touch made it harder for Victoria to keep herself composed.“We… we should also build an irrigation system,” she continued, her voice slightly breathless as she forced herself to concentrate. “Even during a drought, there should still be underground water that we can reach. If we find a way to bring that water to the surface, it could help keep the crops alive until the dry season ends. Once we stabilize things, we can also focus on reforestation. I read that humans have a profession called Plant Ecologist. They study how plants, especially trees, affect the environment.”“According to their research, tree roots can reach dee
What caught Victoria even more off guard was seeing Maxwell seated directly beside her. It suddenly made sense why he was attending the meeting. He was representing the Northern Pack. That meant he was Alpha Damon’s son and had been acting as the pack’s proxy Alpha for the past three years while his father fought the vampires on the frontlines alongside Carlisle.Victoria remembered that the Northern Pack had faced one problem after another during those years. The dark energy coming from the Demon Realm’s gate had begun spreading through the surrounding lands, while the growing number of corrupted monsters had caused constant trouble for the people living there. Yet despite everything happening, almost nothing had been heard about Alpha Damon’s son. No one seemed to know where he was, what he was doing, or even what he looked like.Finding out that Maxwell was that mysterious heir came as a surprise.For one thing, Maxwell and Damon didn’t even share the same surname. More importantly
Tori’s POV It was as though they were making no effort to hide their actions, openly flaunting their connection in front of everyone, intentionally deepening my hurt. The mockery in their voices was unmistakable, and it stung sharply in the silence that followed. Carlisle's subordinates seemed
Tori’s POV Hearing it straight from his mouth, I felt my world crash down, but I couldn't even let out a whimper as pain consumed my body. After being away from each other for a long time, our mate bond was weaker, but even then, I could still feel the pain in my heart as a lone tear fell from my
Tori’s POV "Luna! Luna Victoria! We've just received a report from the frontlines. The war is over!!!" Gamma Sylas's heavy footsteps rang through the hallway as he hurried toward my office, where I was buried in the grain production report from our farm. His excited voice echoed from down the hal
Victoria's POV Raquel didn't need to complete her statement. The unspoken words hung in the air, allowing everyone to fill in the blanks with their own assumptions. Speculation spread like wildfire through the hall. What Raquel truly wanted was for everyone to believe that, as Carlisle’s curren







