Chapter 3: The Ruby Bribe

“I hope you do not mind Rose coming with us. I want my sister and mate to become friends,” Erik announced, opening the passenger door for me.

But Rose chimed in before I could step toward it. “I am sorry, but I feel so sick in the back. The motion makes my head spin. Could I please take the passenger seat?”

“Of course, Rose,” Erik replied instantly, ignoring my soured expression. He helped Rose climb in, settling her with a blanket before ushering me into the back seat like an afterthought.

“Are we going to L’Orchidée Blanche?” Rose asked, and Erik nodded.

She beamed with joy. “Do you remember, Erik? We went there for the first time when we were fifteen. You wanted to impress me and ordered the entire menu! Alpha Caleb scolded you so much for spending a fortune.”

Rose giggled, a light, melodic sound that grated on my nerves. “Oh, the wine there is divine. It is so sweet that you overdrank it… and finally made our first kiss happen.”

She gasped, covering her mouth dramatically. In the rear view mirror, her eyes met mine—a tiny, triumphant glint shining through that Erik was too blind to see.

"I am sorry, Leona, I overstepped boundaries. I don't want to ruin your date," she said, though she was already leaning her head onto Erik's shoulder while he drove.

"I remember," Erik said softly, his gaze softening in a way that made my stomach turn.

For the next hour, I became a ghost at what was supposed to be our romantic dinner. Erik ordered for her, filling the table with her favourite delicacies and nothing that I liked.

He filled her plate, served her wine, and cut her steak into tiny pieces. He laughed at inside jokes from a childhood I wasn't part of. Every time I tried to steer the conversation back to our wedding or the pack business, Rose would let out a small, pained cough that brought Erik’s attention snapping back to her.

"You're so lucky, Leona," Rose sighed, reaching across the table to pat my hand. "Erik is such a caring soul. He used to carry me across even the smallest puddle whenever it rained so I wouldn't get my shoes wet. He’s always been my hero."

Erik beamed, his chest swelling with pride. He looked at me, expecting me to join in the praise, completely oblivious to the fact that I felt like an uninvited guest at our date.

By the time we returned to the packhouse, my heart was a lead weight. I was desperate for one moment where I was truly his—no Rose, no past, no sickbeds. I needed to reclaim him to remind his wolf that I was his fated mate.

The moment the door to my room closed, I threw myself into his arms. I kissed him with a frantic, hungry energy, my hands wandering beneath his shirt to feel his rock-hard chest. I wanted to drown out the memory of Rose’s voice with the sound of his groans.

We tumbled onto the bed, a tangle of bodies and desperate heat. Clothes were gone in seconds. Erik’s touch was familiar, but there was a frantic edge to it tonight. He pulled me against him, his lips marking the sensitive column of my throat while his hands traced my curves with hunger and desperation. I arched into him, my skin burning under his touch, my wolf purring as our scents mingled in a heady, intoxicating cloud.

I wanted to lose myself in him, to feel the weight of his body grounding me. I wanted to forget the little damsel in the white dress and remember the man who had promised me forever.

My breath hitched as his hand slid lower, his thumb grazing my hip bone, moving towards my aching heat, sending a jolt of pure electricity through my spine. I straddled him, my fingers digging into his shoulders, ready to claim him.

But as I moved to ride him, he stopped. The heat in his eyes flickered, replaced by a cold, sharp hesitation. He reached for his jacket on the floor, pulling a condom from the pocket.

I froze. “I thought we agreed to start our family right away. We wanted a pup.”

Erik sighed, looking away. “We should use protection... until the ceremony.”

“The ceremony is in two weeks. It doesn't matter.” I snatched the packet and tossed it across the room, my voice trembling with a mix of lust and growing dread. “I want to feel you, Erik. All of you. No barriers.”

Erik swallowed hard, his eyes filled with something that looked like guilt and hesitation. He sat up, pulling the sheets over his lap to create a physical wall between us.

“Baby... we have to postpone the mating ceremony.”

The words hit me harder than any punch in the arena. The wine, the diamonds, and the designer bags—they weren't gifts. They were a bribe. He was softening the blow before he shattered my world.

And I realized then: I wasn't fighting for what was mine. I was fighting for a man who had already left.

But as the silence stretched between us, I made a silent vow. If Erik wanted to postpone our future for a ghost of his past, I would make sure he lived to regret the day he ever let go of my hand.