Lahat ng Kabanata ng Love is not for the Wolfless : Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

Roselyn Pete's hands are on me again.We're in the garden behind the pack house, supposedly discussing flower arrangements for the ceremony. But his fingers keep finding excuses to touch, sliding down my arm, tracing patterns on my lower back, pulling me closer under the pretense of showing me something in the distance."What do you think of white roses?" he asks, his breath warm against my neck. "Or would you prefer something more exotic?""White roses are fine," I say, trying to step away. His arm tightens around my waist."You're so tense lately." His lips brush my ear, making my skin crawl despite the mate bond's insistent pull. "The ceremony is only two weeks away. You should be excited."Excited. The word tastes like poison. Two weeks until I'm marked, bound, his forever. Two weeks until there's no escape from this beautiful cage he's building around me."I'm just tired," I lie, the same excuse I've used a dozen times.Pete turns me to face him, hands cupping my face with what

The blood moon hangs heavy in the winter sky as I slip through my window.My heart hammers against my ribs, every shadow making me flinch. If Pete discovers I'm gone, if anyone sees me sneaking toward the forbidden river, everything falls apart. But I can't stop myself. Three days since I sent the message, three days of wondering if Stark received it, if he'll come, if he still cares enough to see me one last time.The forest is silent except for my footsteps crunching through frost. My breath mists in the freezing air as I run, my cloak pulled tight around my shoulders. Eleven days until the marking ceremony. Eleven days until I'm bound to Pete forever.But tonight, I'm still free.The river appears through the trees like a silver ribbon, and my breath catches. He's there. Standing on the opposite bank exactly where we first met, moonlight painting him in shades of shadow and silver. Even from this distance, I feel the pull of him, the magnetic connection that no mate bond with Pete

Roselyn The seamstress circles me like a vulture examining carrion."Arms up, dear," she says, her voice falsely cheerful. I raise my arms mechanically, and she pulls the measuring tape around my waist. "Oh my. You've lost more weight. The gown will need to be taken in again.""Sorry," I mumble, because that's what I'm supposed to say."No apologies necessary." She jots notes on her parchment. "Brides often lose their appetite before the big day. Nerves, you know."It's not nerves. It's the hollow ache where my soul used to be, the one that's been growing since I left Stark sleeping by the river three days ago. But I can't tell her that.The fitting room buzzes with activity. Three servants arrange fabric samples across tables, debating the merits of silk versus satin. Two more polish silver candlesticks until they gleam. Through the window, I see workers constructing wooden arches for the ceremony, hanging garlands of winter roses.Seven days. Seven days until I stand before the pac

Alpha Dante sits in his study when Pete enters at dawn, blood staining his shirt."Well?" Dante looks up from his desk. "Is she still alive?""Very much so. Though three rogues aren't." Pete closes the door. "She killed them. She's a hybrid, father. Half wolf, half vampire. The attack triggered her vampire side."Dante's glass freezes halfway to his lips. "A hybrid? That's impossible.""Her mother used suppression magic. But wolfsbane breaks magical barriers." Pete pours himself whiskey. "The rogues poisoned her wolf, and her vampire nature emerged."Dante sets down his glass carefully. "You knew.""I suspected. Why else choose a wolfless servant?" Pete's smile is cold. "A hybrid with both bloodlines? That's worth investing in.""You manipulative bastard." Dante's voice holds admiration. "The attack wasn't random. You arranged it.""I hired rogues to test a theory. If I was wrong, they'd retreat. If right, wolfsbane would trigger transformation." Pete swirls his drink. "Either way, I'

I'm arranging white roses in the great hall when I hear the whisper."Shame about her parents. Such a convenient accident."I freeze, my hands stilling on the stems. Two servants stand near the kitchen entrance, unaware I'm behind the tall floral arrangement. They're speaking in low tones, but my newly awakened vampire hearing picks up every word."Twenty years ago, wasn't it?" The second servant, older, sighs. "Right after Roselyn's birth. The Alpha said it was rogues, but my mother always wondered.""Wondered what?""If rogues would really attack the Beta and his mate so close to pack lands. If they'd really leave the baby untouched but kill both parents." A pause. "My mother said the bodies looked wrong. Too clean. Like they'd been positioned."My heart hammers against my ribs. The roses blur in my vision."Hush. That's dangerous talk." The first servant's voice drops even lower. "The Alpha doesn't tolerate questions about that night.""I'm just saying it's strange. And now his son