JACKSON“What do I do?” I pinched the bridge of my nose, stiffening my legs to stop them from bouncing up and down.“Let me speak to Thelma. She should be able to speak to her mate for you,” my mother said.“There’s no need for that.” It was no secret that Alpha Park cared for nothing and no one, including his mate. It was still a mystery why he took in a second mate and her child when everyone knew he was still hung up on his first mate. “I contacted her already but he refused to listen to her.”It had been a week since Alpha Park pulled all his support for the pack. He didn’t even ease into it. He cut the plug at once and left us drained. No matter how much I tried to negotiate with him, he barely batted a lash. We now had projects hanging and investors unwilling to pitch in because of the sudden and suspicious move from Park. Alpha Park was a weird man but there was no denying his influence in the business world. Things were going south all because of him.“Why won’t he listen to T

“Are you okay?” Dami turned to me with wide eyes while Aysel smacked Thomas. My mate narrowed his gaze and everyone crowded around me as if I was the one who glided into the dining hall.“N – No, I am not – I am not okay.” I wanted to scream but a bit of numbness spread over me, holding my tongue. I touched my tightened throat as a sudden chill hit my core. My breath hitched when Thomas – the floater – came closer to peer at me. I grabbed the first solid thing I could reach and it ended up being my mate’s thigh.“All of you, back off.” I heard Valens’ low growl from a distant part of my mind. It made me flinch and the numbness spreading through me stopped.“I’m not dreaming. I’m not – He really did –“ My fingers dug into Valens’ thigh.“You are not.” A rough hand enveloped mine.“I’m not dreaming. He really did – Oh goddess, he’s a witch!” I screamed, pointing a shaky finger at Thomas.My eyes scanned across the room as my chest tightened. Everyone was avoiding my gaze. My mind raced

*VALENS*‘Don’t start what you have no desire to finish.’I snorted out loud. Rather than having no desire to finish, I had no confidence in stopping myself once I started. Although I wanted to ask why she didn’t understand how hard it was keeping my hands off her, I also realized I was not the most vocal. I’d left her to think as she liked but it still irked me that her thoughts were so different from mine.I couldn’t touch her as I liked because I knew I would not be able to stop myself from marking her and then I would be giving the voices that screamed in my ears during every silent moment a chance to come for her. The curse was broken but my hands were tainted with blood. I felt vile, cursed even, like holding her in my hands would taint her. Still, I was unwilling to let her go. “Chantelle,” I called out to my salvation in the empty office, wondering what she was doing at that moment. Perhaps being entangled with me was a curse to her because I wanted to hide her, hide her in

For over a minute, I watched my father with my heart in my throat as he looked at me with blank eyes. My body trembled when the silence in the room stretched. Like a fish out of water, my mouth flapped open several times to ask a specific question but I could not get myself to ask the question on the tip of my tongue as I feared his response. “Weren’t you banished?” That question, muttered in a dry tone from bruised lips had relief flooding into me. “D – Dad, you recognize me!” I exclaimed, my heart in my throat. His gaze remained blank so I swallowed. “I’m glad you are alive,” I said and I meant it with my entire being. I’d never been happier to see his indifferent gaze than I was then.Those indifferent eyes turned to Valens standing beside me. “I thought you’d kill her once you found her.” I swallowed at how callous he sounded mentioning my death.“He – we are mates,” I mumbled and for the first time in a long time, I saw interest shining in my father’s eyes.“How unfortunate.”

*IRENE* I paced the room with my teeth tearing into my fingers. I’d lost Jackson. It was annoying but I wasn’t too sad since he stopped being a prize the minute I got him. In the first place, he wasn’t my type but my mother had taught me to go for the man with the highest power, a man who could give me the security of a comfortable life no matter what. It was stupid of me to bring Todd to his house but unlike Jackson, Todd was a persistent man and since he found out my secret, he’d used it to blackmail me into having sex whenever and wherever he wanted. I was stupid to have ever loved a man like Todd but now that he’d ruined my plans, I realized I’d never even loved the bastard. Rather, I’d been infatuated with the thought of getting with a man who showed no interest in me, unlike other men. Not to brag, but I was the kind of woman men had no choice but to look twice at. All my life, I had men panting after me so when I met Todd and he was thoroughly unimpressed with me, the desi