Chapter 3

Athena

The door swung open before I could even try to run.

Martha rushed outside into the hallway, her eyes wide as she took in the shattered ceramic and the dark liquid pooling around my feet.

“Athena! Dear Goddess, are you alright?” she exclaimed and reached out to grab my arm, but I flinched as a bitter, suffocating anger clawed its way up my throat.

Behind her, Enzo stepped into the doorway. He didn’t look worried. His eyes narrowed as he took in my trembling hands and the mess on the floor.

“Were you eavesdropping, Athena?” Enzo asked, his voice sharp and accusing.

Eavesdropping. My heart hammered against my ribs. Part of me wanted to hurl the shattered pieces of ceramic straight at his face, to scream at both of them for treating me like an animal to be bred and tossed aside. But I swallowed the rage down and forced my face into calmness.

“I wasn’t,” I lied, keeping my voice as flat as I could manage. “My hand slipped. I… I’m sorry. I didn’t hear anything.”

Enzo’s eyes bored into mine, clearly not believing a word. He opened his mouth to press further, but Martha placed a firm hand on his chest, cutting him off.

“That’s enough, Enzo,” Martha said softly, though her fake, motherly smile didn’t reach her eyes as she turned back to me. “It was an accident. Don’t worry about the tea, dear. You look exhausted. It’s far too late for you to be driving back to the packhouse in your condition. You and Enzo are staying the night here.”

“Mother—” Enzo started, annoyance flashing across his face.

“I insist,” Martha interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Enzo let out a sharp, frustrated breath, but he didn’t fight her. He turned on his heel and jerked his head toward the stairs. “Follow me.”

I quietly stepped around the spilled herbs and walked behind him up the staircase.

Enzo unlocked the guest room door, pushed it open, and stepped inside.

I wiped a stray tear from my cheek before following him in, expecting him to walk right past me and head back downstairs to leave for Bonnie’s. But he didn’t. He closed the door behind us with a quiet click and stayed inside.

My mind instantly flashed back to the night Bonnie left three years ago.

It was right after Martha had forced Enzo to cancel their engagement. Enzo had gotten crazy drunk, stormed into my room, and slammed me against the wall. He shouted at me that I had ruined his life and driven Bonnie away. Then, fueled by liquor and the overwhelming pull of our untamed mate bond, he had dragged me to the bed.

He touched me, took me, and spent the entire night claiming my body… only to whisper Bonnie’s name at the exact moment of our climax.

The next morning, he woke up, looked at me with pure disgust, and coldly dismissed it as a mistake that would never happen again.

Ever since that night, he kept up a polite, sweet act in public. But behind closed doors? He treated me like dirt. We slept in separate rooms at the packhouse, and he strictly forbade me from ever stepping foot inside his bedroom.

So imagine my surprise now all of a sudden, he was standing in the middle of the guest room with me.

I ignored him, walking straight toward the small leather couch in the corner of the room. I had no desire to sleep near him.

But before I could sit down, a hand clamped around my wrist. Enzo yanked me backward, pulling me off balance and throwing me onto the soft mattress of the bed.

A sharp spike of pain shot through my fractured ribs, making me gasp. Before I could push myself up, Enzo hovered over me, pinning my legs down as his hand cupped the back of my neck. His dark eyes burned into mine for a fraction of a second before he leaned down and pressed his lips harshly against mine.

The force of his kiss was desperate, cold, and entirely devoid of affection. The mate bond flared like a fever between us, but all I felt was disgust. Martha’s ruthless words echoed in my head. This was all an act.

The faster he bore an heir with me, the faster he could be with Bonnie again.

“Stop!” I cried out, tearing my face away from his as tears spilled over my eyelids. I slammed my hands against his chest, struggling with everything I had to push him off. “Enzo, stop! Get off me!”

Enzo froze. He pulled back slightly, his chest breathing heavily as he looked down at my tear-stained face. A flicker of hesitation crossed his features, then he let out a stiff breath.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, his voice cold and devoid of any real remorse. “But we’ve been married for three years, Athena. The pack needs an heir.”

A bitter, mocking laugh escaped my lips. “An heir?” I rasped, looking at him with pure disappointment. “Is that what this is? You despise me, Enzo. You can’t even stand to look at me. How can you force yourself to sleep with a woman you don’t even love?”

Enzo’s jaw tightened, his eyes darkening with sudden irritation.

“You don’t get to act like a victim now, Athena,” he said harshly, leaning down closer so his voice was right in my ear. “You were the one who insisted on confessing your feelings at my engagement party with Bonnie. You were the one who let my mother force this marriage on me. You wanted to be my Luna, so fulfill your duty as one.”

Every word was a slap to the face. Before I could scream at him, his phone suddenly rang.

The screen lit up on the nightstand beside the bed, and Bonnie’s name appeared.

Enzo froze. His entire body stiffened as his eyes locked onto the caller ID.

I looked at the screen, then slowly turned my gaze back to him.

“Go ahead, Enzo. Answer it,” I said, my voice laced with bitter mockery. “Don’t keep your precious lover waiting.”