All Chapters of Alpha’s Forbidden Temptation: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Scarlet’s POVAfter leaving Elizabeth’s clinic, I headed straight to Vespara’s place. It was already late as stars were out, the streets nearly empty, but this was usually the time she was free.I had a bag full of medicines with me, ones Elizabeth had picked out.She had been curious, of course. "Who’s pregnant?" she asked, eyes narrowing as she packed the bottles and tablets.“A friend,” I said quickly.Elizabeth, being Elizabeth, didn’t stop there. She wanted symptoms, names, everything short of a family tree. I gave her signs like nausea, weakness, aversion to smell and all that I noticed whenever I met Vespara. Thankfully, Elizabeth didn’t press further. Still, the weight of the lie sat uncomfortably in my chest. That “friend” was no one but Vespara.When I reached her home, I used the lock code to let myself in. I had access as Vespara gave it to me a few days ago, and said I could come whenever. She trusted me like a sister, and I never took that lightly. I liked having Vespar

Scarlet’s POVOn my way to the door, something slipped from my mouth before I could stop it. “Ves, who is Lana?”She paused in her tracks. “You met her?”“She was at Dante’s house,” I whispered, staring down at my hands.Vespara exhaled. “Look, I don’t know much about them. But… she has been Dante’s long-term partner. Not officially. He has never had a public mate or anything. But Lana, she is his… official unofficial thing. Call it a fuckbuddy, girlfriend, whatever. They are in an open relationship. It means they are free to sleep with other people… but they always return to each other.”“Oh,” I whispered, my chest hollow. I didn’t know what else to say. There was nothing to say.“Want me to drop you home?” she offered.I shook my head, forcing a small smile. “No. I can go.”And I left.It was a good thing Ezra wasn’t with me. I needed the walk to clear my mind.There was finally a way, however faint, that I could find my father. But my status was like that of a rogue, and that mean

Dante’s POV“I know enough,” she said, tilting her head. “I know Scarlet. I know she is a little crazy, stubborn, reckless, yes. But she’s also soft, kind, and loyal to a fault. When she shuts down like this, it’s because someone she trusts disappointed her.”Before I could respond, Rome appeared beside us. His timing was never great.“Alpha,” he said, cutting straight to the point, “what’s this I hear about a marriage proposal? Annette? Is that actually happening?”Vespara’s expression changed instantly. “Wait. Is that true?” Her voice grew sharper. “They can’t force you to take a bride. You’re the Alpha, not some pawn.”Seeing them being so protective of me, I knew that these two would die for me. But I would never want that. The guilt of Killian’s death had not left me yet to take theirs. I sighed, the burden of politics pressing heavily against my spine. “Apparently, I don’t have much room to refuse. The king’s getting impatient. He wants someone loyal to him beside me. Says it’l

Dante's POV“I was skeptical at first,” Elizabeth went on, her voice low. “But then I heard the name—Minister Raventhorn. He and I can be considered cousins. We grew up together, and we’re still close. His daughter, she is not like her father in politics. And definitely not sly like the Werewolf King. If you must marry under pressure, Dante, she is not a bad choice.”I gave a small nod. Not agreement. Just acknowledgment.“I know you are not marrying for love,” she added, even softer now. “But, my son, you are almost thirty-three. How long will you keep waiting?”There was no edge in her tone. Only sorrow. Gentle sorrow that came from watching someone you love live too long in solitude.“You need a companion. Someone who understands you. Maybe even a child. An heir. Someone to carry your name forward. Someone to make your house a home again.”I stared at my hands that were calloused and scarred, reminders of all the battles I had fought, all the lives I had taken. What did I know abo

Scarlet’s POV“Then why did you hurt me?”I looked into his eyes, my voice trembling with the burden of everything I had never dared to say.“Because I wanted to live,” I confessed. “Dante, you didn’t have the power to save me. Not then. But I did. I had to. I did everything I could, everything I had to do, to survive.”My throat tightened, but I forced the words out anyway.“The people I thought were my family… they weren’t. They never were. I used to think they hated me because I was wolfless, but the truth is worse. I was never one of them. I was just a burden. Something to control. Something to break.”I swallowed hard, my chest aching as the memories crashed down on me.“They hurt me. Constantly. In ways that don’t fade. They belittled me, tormented me. I have more scars from them than from anyone else in my life.”I reached for him as I need the grounding presence of his arms as I spoke the most painful truth of all, “I gave my virginity to you, Dante, because I couldn’t bear t