CHAPTER : STOP MESSING WITH ME

As Austin and Rosemary kissed each other desperately, wrapped in the wild rush of heat and longing, something shifted. The full moon that had bathed the room in silver light slipped behind the clouds. Slowly, the fire that had been raging inside Austin began to fade.

The mating heat... it vanished.

Suddenly, his mind cleared. His grip loosened. His lips stopped moving against hers. Austin pulled back, staring at Rosemary, chest rising and falling like he’d just escaped drowning.

Shit… he thought. It must’ve been the mating heat…

Rosemary opened her eyes, confusion and hurt swimming in them. When she saw his expression, her face twisted.

“Are you messing with me right now?” she asked, her voice low and shaky.

Austin hesitated. “No, I—”

“You’re disgusting,” she snapped, stepping back before he could finish.

Just then, the door creaked open. One of the maids stood nervously, holding out a bundle of soft fabric. “Alpha Austin,” she said, not meeting their eyes, “here’s the dress you requested for your wife.”

Rosemary let out a dry, mocking laugh. “How thoughtful,” she said bitterly, snatching the dress from the maid’s hands. She turned back to Austin, her glare cold enough to cut. “Don’t worry. I’ll return your precious dress as soon as I take it off.”

Before Austin could speak, she pushed past him and walked out of the room, her footsteps echoing down the hall.

He stood frozen, breathing hard, still feeling the burn of her lips on his. The door clicked shut behind her.

Why am I so attracted to her? he asked himself. Why does it feel like... something more?

I should only feel this way about my mate...

His wolf stirred inside him, restless and tense.

Could she be...?

“No,” Austin growled to himself, shaking his head.

No. Stop it.

“She’s not our mate,” he said aloud. “No matter how special she is…”

“Ariana is our mate.”

Ariana stormed into her home, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the windows. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor as she tossed her purse onto the couch, breathing heavily. Her eyes burned with rage, lips trembling with unshed emotions.

“I am his mate!” she screamed, grabbing the glass cup from the side table and hurling it against the wall. It shattered into pieces, just like the control she had so tightly held on to.

Blood dripped from her palm, but she didn’t care. The sting was nothing compared to the pain in her chest.

“He’s mine!” she spat. “But he looks at her like… like she’s his everything.”

She turned to her mother, eyes wild. “Did you see the way he carried that bitch? The way he defended her? She was flirting with him, right in front of me!”

Her mother walked calmly to her, ignoring the broken glass and blood.

“Don’t worry, darling,” she said in a chillingly calm tone, holding Ariana’s trembling hands. “I know some folks who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. We just need to dig up a few old contacts…”

Ariana’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. “The rogues.”

The two women exchanged a look.

Then they both laughed.

Dark. Cold. Ruthless.

Back at the Vinci mansion, peace hung in the air like a fragile thread. Rosemary sat on a cozy velvet chair in the living room, sipping tea with Maya, Austin’s younger sister. The soft scent of rose oil lingered, and a fire crackled gently in the hearth.

“I’ve talked to all my friends,” Maya said confidently. “They’ll keep an eye out for us. Don’t worry, Rosemary. We’ll find your parents.”

Rosemary’s lips curved in a soft smile. “Thank you, Maya. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Maya grinned. “It’s not a big deal. You know, werewolves have more ways to track people than humans do—sight, sound, scent, vision. We’ll find them. It’s just a matter of time.”

She leaned forward, curiosity flashing in her eyes. “So… you and Austin, huh? How’s it going? Is he being nice to you?”

Rosemary blinked, caught off guard. Her mind drifted back to the kiss in his room, the way he had touched her, the way his body trembled under the full moon...

“Um…” she started, then cleared her throat. “Just… normal.”

Maya narrowed her eyes playfully. “Normal? No way! Werewolves go all out when they mate. Especially an Alpha.” She leaned in closer, teasing, “You’re human… are you sure you can handle that? Come on, tell me!”

Rosemary flushed. “Maya!”

But before she could answer, a maid appeared at the door.

“Excuse me, Miss Rosemary. Alpha Austin wants to see you in the garden. He said it’s important.”

Maya raised an eyebrow. “Wow.”

She chuckled. “You two can’t stay away from each other for more than a minute, huh?”

Rosemary offered a small smile but kept her thoughts to herself.

What is he up to now? she wondered as she stood up, heart racing.

Didn’t he mess with me enough last time?

Is this another one of his games…?

The garden was quiet. Too quiet.

Moonlight painted silver patterns on the stone path as Rosemary walked slowly toward the center. The breeze was cool, brushing lightly against her bare arms. She rubbed them and glanced around, heart pounding faster with each step.

"Alpha Austin?" she called softly, her voice unsure.

No answer.

She stopped walking and looked again.

That was when she saw them.

A man and a woman—both tall, both dressed in black—stepping out from behind the tall hedges. Their eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight. There was no kindness in their faces. Just something dark. Dangerous.

Her instincts screamed at her to run.

But her feet were frozen.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice shaking.

They kept coming closer.

"What do you want?"

The woman smiled coldly. "We're just here to teach you a little lesson, sweetheart."

Before Rosemary could scream, the man lunged forward and grabbed her by the neck, slamming her against the tree trunk.

“You should’ve known better than to mess with someone way out of your league,” he hissed.

Rosemary gasped for air, struggling against his grip. Panic filled her lungs.

The woman stepped closer, raising a sharp blade. As she brought it toward Rosemary’s arm, Rosemary turned her head and bit down hard on the woman’s wrist.

“Aahhh!” the woman screamed, yanking her hand back. In a rage, she shoved Rosemary, who fell hard to the ground, her back scraping against the rough stone path.

“You’re gonna regret that, bitch,” the woman growled, eyes glowing with hatred.

The man grabbed one of Rosemary’s wrists as she lay on the ground, pinning her arm out painfully.

The woman crouched beside her, brushing Rosemary’s hair from her face almost mockingly.

“Now tell me…” she said with a smirk. “Which arm do you use to flirt with men?”

“No—please!” Rosemary cried, her voice breaking.

“We’re gonna make sure you never use it again.”

The woman raised the blade high.

Rosemary screamed as the sharp edge sliced into her skin.

Blood splattered across the grass.

Miles away in the mansion, Austin sat in his office, reading through a report.

Then it hit him.

A burning pain tore through his right arm like fire. He gasped and clutched it, his breath catching in his throat. He looked at the arm, but there was nothing there.

Still… the pain was real.

And then he felt something else.

Terror.

Fear that wasn't his own.

He stood up so fast his chair fell backward. “what is wrong…?”

He growled low, his wolf rising inside him.