The Order

Cade Bowman and Bella Feron sat side by side on a throne that towered above the hall.

Below them, the entire pack bowed in submission.

I sat far away, at the very end of the guest section.

Bella smiled brightly as she walked over and handed me a glass of wine. "Today's my wedding day. Aren't you going to toast me?"

I looked at her, radiant and smug. "Sure. I hope you can hold on to what you stole."

I raised my hand, my fingers just brushing the glass.

Suddenly, Bella flipped her wrist and spilled the wine onto the floor.

The maid beside her immediately caught on.

"The queen's wine must be consumed to the last drop. Otherwise, it's a grave insult to the Wolf King and Queen."

Bella smiled with open mockery. "Go on, Selena."

Clinging to a shred of hope, I looked toward Cade on the throne.

He was deep in conversation with the commander beside him and didn't spare a glance toward the corner of the hall where I sat.

The maid kicked me hard. "Don't be ungrateful! Lick it up."

I lost my balance and fell to my knees. The sharp smell of alcohol rushed up my nose, and I gagged.

Bella glanced at the food on my table.

The heavy meat dishes were untouched. Only a small plate of saltine crackers was almost gone.

Bella covered her mouth and gasped dramatically.

"Selena, you're not pregnant, are you?"

She raised her voice on purpose, successfully drawing Cade's attention. Cade stepped down from the throne and gently took Bella's hand, every bit the loving husband.

"Who's pregnant?"

Bella's maid was an older, experienced werewolf. She wrinkled her nose, sniffed, and reported, "Your Majesty, I smell a pup's scent on Ms. Selena."

Cade instinctively took a breath as well. Unfortunately, his senses hadn't fully recovered, and he smelled nothing.

"You're carrying a child? Whose is it?"

I lifted my chin and calmly met the eyes of the man I once loved.

How was I supposed to tell him…that the child was his?

When I stayed silent, Cade grabbed me by the throat.

"Answer me. Who's the child's father?"

The cruelty in his eyes was nothing like the gentleness he once had.

I curved my lips faintly.

"Either way, it isn't yours."

-

Three years earlier, Cade had been betrayed by his own pack.

He was poisoned, driven out, and eventually ended up fighting underground for cash.

When I found him, he was covered in wounds. He had gauze clenched between his teeth, trying to stop the bleeding himself.

Even in that state, he was still proud and unyielding.

That year, my parents were still alive, and our biomedical company was thriving.

I spent a fortune and brought Cade home.

I fastened a custom collar engraved with my name around his neck.

"From today on, I'm your owner. Do you understand?"

Cade was usually controlled and composed.

But when the poison flared up, he would lose himself and go feral. If it happened to coincide with a full moon, it was even worse.

Our first time happened under those circumstances.

His stamina was overwhelming, and so was his desire. His eyes were bloodshot, driven by pure instinct.

I passed out three times.

Every time I woke up, he was still moving relentlessly inside me.

In the end, he bit down on my shoulder and murmured hoarsely, "You're mine…mine…"

When his fangs pierced my skin and the mark was formed, the pain nearly broke me.

Once he finished, he collapsed into unconsciousness.

To help him cure the poison, I buried myself in old texts and research.

I worked in the lab for half a month straight and finally managed to extract a sample of the Soul Eater Toxin from his body.

The toxin dulled his werewolf senses, crippled his combat ability, and caused him to lose control every full moon.

I brought in my father's research team to develop an antidote just for him.

There was no miracle cure.

He needed to take the medication continuously for over three years to recover.

After that, every time Cade lost control, I risked my life to calm him.

When he fell into a deep sleep, I endured the ache in my body and gently pried his mouth open, patiently feeding him the medicine.