LOGINAnd yet, beneath the humor, warmth stirred in her chest. It was almost… cute. Endearing, even. The old Carlisle would never have allowed himself to fall so low, not even for her. But here he was, willingly setting aside his pride, letting his dignity crumble, just to coax a smile from her.That realization softened her heart. As she laughed, Carlisle only smiled helplessly back at her, his emerald eyes shimmering with quiet devotion, while his thumb kept gently brushing away her tears."Princess! This is bad!" Lance's urgent voice echoed through the mindlink.Victoria's brows furrowed instantly, a sinking feeling stirring in her chest. Her mood shifted in a heartbeat, and she snapped her gaze toward Carlisle, Maxwell, and Sylas. Whatever warmth lingered between them had to be pushed aside. She shot to her feet.Sensing the sudden change in her aura, the three men rose with her, tense and alert."What's wrong?" Carlisle asked, his voice low and guarded. He saw how Victoria's tear-redde
Carlisle, who had been sitting beside Maxwell, shifted forward and kneeled before Victoria. Resting a gentle hand on her knee, he spoke in a low, earnest voice. "Tori, I know I've done many foolish things in the past… but I finally understand where I went wrong, and I want to make amends. Please, allow me that chance. I'll follow whatever arrangements you decide, and I'll wait, no matter how long it takes, for you to open your heart to me again." "I know I caused you so much pain and left scars with my actions and harsh words, born out of incompetence and misplaced anger when you had done nothing to deserve it." "It's taken me years of reflection to even begin to grasp what you must have felt during those times I treated you with such cold indifference. I know I'm not worthy of you yet… but I beg you to give me the opportunity to prove myself." When his eyes lifted to meet hers, Victoria saw a gaze heavy with sincerity, longing, and heartache, not for himself, but for her. The wei
Hearing Victoria's words, Carlisle finally took a step back, biting his lip. He didn't want to seem selfish or unreasonable in front of her, yet sometimes a werewolf's instincts were stronger than logic."I… I'm sorry for losing my composure," he muttered, his voice low and hoarse.Victoria, who had been ready to slip away, froze at his words. Lately, it felt like all she ever heard from Carlisle was apologies, something she still struggled to reconcile with the arrogant, prideful image of him etched in her memory.But this time was different. This time, he apologized immediately, of his own accord. Could she take this as a sign of his growth?Seeing how things were turning, Maxwell subtly signaled Sylas to follow his lead. He slipped an arm around Victoria's waist and guided her back into her room. Sylas caught the signal right away.He tugged Carlisle along, who was still lowering his head like a pitiful puppy, and ushered him inside. Once they were all in, Sylas quickly shut the do
Maxwell only shrugged when he caught Carlisle's accusing gaze, heavy with killing intent and hostility. He could already feel Carlisle's wolf bristling, fury coiling thick in the air around them.Yet Maxwell remained unfazed. They were both Alphas—possessive, domineering, and fiercely territorial. Sharing a mate went against everything their instincts dictated. Their minds might understand what was important and what they needed to do, but their primal nature would never easily adapt to such an arrangement, one that defied the very beliefs, practices, and instincts of their kind.Even so, Maxwell knew he had done nothing wrong. Being physically intimate with their mate wasn't a betrayal; it was a natural urge, a need, a craving deeply ingrained in every werewolf with a fated mate. That truth applied not only to him, but to Victoria as well.Seeing both Carlisle and Sylas lingering outside Victoria's door could only mean one thing: they, too, were restless, their rut was beginning to s
But at the same time, guilt pulled at the back of his mind; everyone else was already out working in the fields, and here he was, losing himself. Still, he couldn't just walk away like this, not when the fire in his veins refused to die down.The indecision made Carlisle's gut churn, but his body seemed to know its own priority; his hand moved again, stroking his cock. Yet compared to Victoria's pussy, his grip felt a little rough and unsatisfying, and the friction was threatening to leave him raw and blistered.It wasn't enough. His other hand pressed against his forehead as he leaned back onto the bed, chest rising and falling heavily with ragged breaths.Then, through the mindlink, Sylas's voice suddenly broke in—hoarse, strained, and breathless. "Alpha Carlisle… I think I'm in trouble…"Frustrated and already on edge, Carlisle almost snapped back at him, but managed to grind out, "What's wrong?""I think… I might… go into rut soon," Sylas admitted, his voice thick with strain."Wa
"Maxwell, let me bathe on my own. You should take care of yourself more…" Victoria said helplessly."No, baby. Let me take care of you. This is the least I can do…" Maxwell murmured as he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek from behind. For a moment, Victoria almost felt touched—until he added teasingly, "After all, you took care of me earlier…"His innuendo wasn't lost on her, and she couldn't help but playfully roll her eyes. Who would've thought that the man everyone knew as a cold, indifferent iceberg of a man could turn out to be so mischievous and playful at times?Victoria playfully rolled her eyes but let Maxwell have his way. Without realizing it, she was slowly getting used to his closeness. As the saying goes, proximity breeds familiarity, familiarity breeds comfort, and comfort inevitably gives rise to feelings. It almost felt like Maxwell was treating her like a frog in warm water, being boiled little by little, while she—the frog—stayed in the pot without even noticing.A
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 The next day, the sun glaringly pierced through the curtains. I couldn't remember when I had fallen asleep the night before, but as far as I recalled, I dozed off in the woods after crying the entire night. But now... I looked around and saw that I was back in the Alpha suite. I was
Tori’s POV I immersed myself in my work, hoping it would help numb the pain slowly consuming my heart. As night descended, no one reached out to me or even sent a mindlink, leaving me feeling utterly isolated, as if I had been cut off from everyone. But I pushed those thoughts aside and focused o







