Chapter one: Forbidden Desires

Sandra's Pov

I never used to have sexual fantasies.

From the moment I was a wild fifteen-year-old having sex for the first time, to becoming a total addict who couldn't go without it, relationship or not my desires were always straightforward.

Practical. Real. Right up until now, at twenty-five.

But lately, whenever I look at my boss, my mind spirals into dangerous territory.

If his gaze lingers on me for even a second too long, I start imagining a thousand things I want to do to him.

I find myself tracing the calluses on his fingers as he flips through paperwork. I watch the way his long lashes cast shadows when his brows furrow over my reports.

When his sleeves are rolled up, I secretly count the veins mapped across his forearms. What would happen if I pinned him against the office wall? If I tied those large, capable hands with one of his expensive silk ties, crawled between his knees, and just...

He slammed the report down on the desk, a low, low growl vibrating from his chest. It was the perfect, irritating reminder of exactly why I hated him the moment he opened his mouth.

"Sandra, do you have a problem with me every Monday morning? Why is this report still..." He cut himself off, his beautiful, long fingers pressing tightly against his forehead to stem his rising temper.

He was incredibly lucky that his face made it impossible for me to stay mad at him. I desperately wanted to see his body stripped out of those heavy Italian suits and tailored Japanese shirts.

If he ever caught me staring at his vulnerabilities, he’d probably lecture me on my lack of manners.

"Go and rewrite this," he commanded, his voice tight. "Do you have to make me do this every single time?"

"You could just correct it yourself, like you always do," I shot back.

But I quickly lowered my head, breaking eye contact. I couldn't risk him assessing me with those deep, piercing human eyes.

It always felt like he could look right through me and see the filthy memories I conjured up every time he was near.

It was a pity he was married to my elder sister.

My name is Sandra... and I'm a mixed breed.

My mother is a wolf, a dominant Omega, and she was married to a powerful vampire with actual fire in his eyes, my father, Cassian Vance.

But when I was just ten years old, right before I could receive the pack and coven privileges my elder sister had already secured, my father vanished like dust.

Literally.

That's how vampires die. Left with nothing but his ashes, my mother stepped up as the matriarch, and from that day on, I had to survive her and her endless, suffocating rules.

Not like I actually cared about rules. I’ve always lived my life exactly the way I wanted.

And it wasn't like my mother truly cared what I did either. But then, Elias Hart walked into our lives. A ripped, imposing man who appeared out of nowhere, determined to marry my sister.

Well, technically, he became her fifth husband. My sister, Cynthia, has been married four times in a row.

Her first was a Lycan Prince from one of the most luxurious bloodlines in Santos, but that disaster fell apart fast because of her personality.

Cynthia is fifteen years older than me and has always possessed a wretched, toxic attitude. She bullied me relentlessly throughout my childhood until we finally learned to just purely hate each other.

My mother claims Cynthia's behavior is because of her feral blood.

See, Cynthia is a mixed breed too, but she's a recessive Omega.

I guess we share a similar genetic fate, but with one massive difference: I am a dominant omega mixed breed. My blood has run scalding hot throughout my entire youth, making me completely unyielding.

But my lineage isn't the main point right now. The main point is that my sister loves to collect powerful men like trophies she's won from a hunt.

And Elias Hart, my boss? He’s just the latest trophy sitting on her shelf.

Sometimes, when the office gets quiet and he’s staring at me with those intense eyes, I can't help but wonder... what kind of sex do they have? What kind of depraved positions do they explore together?

What are his kinks? Does he like BDSM? How much does he know about Omega heat cycles?

Of course, he must know all about Omegas since we always act out of control during our cycles. But dominant omegas are a little different than the breeds of his precious wife.

But I'm just more than different because I also X-cycle moments, those dark, chaotic times when my vampire genes flare up, driving me wild, forcing me to hunt for a chosen partner just to unburden my hot fluids.

"Sandra."

His sharp voice snapped me back to reality. I swallowed hard, my gaze reluctantly meeting his again.

"Don't tell me your head wasn't even in this room the entire time?"

I lowered my head, refusing to answer. He let out a long, heavy sigh.

He always sighed so loudly, and that sound alone was enough to make my adrenaline run completely wild. He should be sighing because of something and not a report...maybe with a wet lips he do be licking...he would...

"Take the report and just leave," he said, waving a hand in dismissal interrupting my thoughts.

I reached out and grabbed the papers. The normal me, the stubborn, unyielding Alpha mixed breed would have given him a thousand reasons why he should stop acting so annoying.

I would have outright refused to deal with these reports at all.

But doing that meant he would report me to my sister or my mother, and then I’d be stuck on a miserable roll call, having to deal with the wrath of either one of them.

As I neared the door, I suddenly heard, "Sandra."

I paused as the sound of my name reverberated through me, sending a sharp, unexpected jolt straight down my spine. I turned back around slowly, forcing my expression to remain perfectly neutral.

"Yes, sir...?"

"Should we meet up after work?"

Meet up after work?

The words hung in the air, thick and heavy. A strange, disorienting sensation washed over me.

In the three long years I had known this man, three years of being his subordinate, his sister-in-law, and the quiet observer of his every move Elias had never, ever said anything like that to me.

Our interactions were strictly bound by corporate red tape and icy professionalism. And now this?

"Would you be able to?" he pressed, his deep voice dropping a fraction of an octave, those piercing Alpha eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made the air in the room feel suffocatingly thin.

Who could possibly say no to him? With that face, that body, and that sheer, commanding presence? Definitely not me.

My inner wolf practically purred at the invitation, while my vampire blood flared with a dangerous, sudden heat.

"I will," I managed to say, keeping my voice steady despite the adrenaline screaming through my veins.

My head sang all day. His words replayed in my mind over and over again, an intoxicating loop that kept my blood humming.

He wanted us to meet after work. Who knew why?

And honestly, should I even care about the reason? I couldn't stop grinning as I stood in front of the mirror, dolling myself up just for him, applying a fresh layer of lip gloss and making sure my clothes clung to my curves perfectly.

"Out to where?"

I felt the cool, smooth touch of Persie, my vampire girlfriend, before I heard her voice. She leaned in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against my shoulder.

"A date?"

"Well, you can put it that way," I said, smiling at her reflection.

But my high didn't last long.

The heavy bedroom door suddenly swung open without a knock, and my mother’s right-hand man walked straight in, casually adjusting the rim of his glasses.

"Young mistress," Gregory called out, his tone entirely devoid of emotion. "Your presence is needed in your mother's room immediately."

"My presence? At this time?" My smile vanished. Why now? How could it be now, of all times, when Elias was waiting for me?

"I'm busy right now, Gregory," I snapped, turning around to glare at him.

"Tell mother I will attend to her later."

Behind me, Persie let out a soft sigh, already knowing what would happen next. She always predicted exactly how these things went.

Gregory didn't even budge an inch. He just stood there like a stone wall, silently making it clear that an invitation from the matriarch was never optional.

Annoyed, my inner Alpha snarling at the interruption, I pushed past him and walked out of the room, heading down the grand hallway toward my mother's quarters.

I pushed the double doors open. "Mother, you sent for me..."

The words caught in my throat as my eyes scanned the room, instantly picking up on the suffocating, toxic tension vibrating through the air.

My older sister was there, too.

"You didn't actually have to send for her," Cynthia hissed, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, you left me no choice, Cynthia!" my mother barked back, her dominant Omega aura flaring with irritation.

What the hell was going on? I didn't even get the chance to ask before my sister’s burning, hateful eyes locked onto me.

She gave me one last vicious glare, turned on her designer heels, and bounced right out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

I looked back at the matriarch. "Mother..."

"Your sister wants to get married again!" my mother groaned, rubbing her temples.

I blinked, completely thrown off.

"Married again?"

"Yes, your sister wants to marry again! What is wrong with her? And now, of all times, when the family is facing a crisis and she is thinking about having another wedding. Sleeping around with dozens of different men wasn't enough for her now she wants a sixth husband."

My mind raced, trying to connect the dots between the man who had just asked me to meet him after work and the chaotic circus currently happening in this room.

"Is she going to divorce Elias?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, though my inner Alpha was practically clawing at my throat for answers.