Chapter 11: first blood mark

TYLERShe turns off the screen immediately, keeping the phone by her side like she’s hiding something. I only caught a single word—‘Jake’—but it seems like there’s more to that name than she’s letting on.“I like my privacy,” she says smoothly.And I frown.“Who is Jake?”Her eyes widen a bit, but she relaxes in seconds.“A really good friend of mine.”“Then why are you hiding the chat with this ‘good friend’ of yours?”She raises her chin. “Like I said, I love my privacy. Shall we continue shopping?”Kyle stirs in me. He wants answers, and I do too, but I don’t push further. I lead Aurelia onward, urging her to grab as many clothes as she likes because we won’t get to do this every day. Surprisingly, she only picks a few tops—which are mostly dark shades—and some pants.“No gowns at all?”She shrugs. “I’m not a fan.”I just nod and lead her to the shoe section. Her eyes brighten for the first time since we got here, and when I think she’s going to pick those high heels, she goes for

Last Updated : 2026-02-13

Chapter 12: Accepting Rejection

VIPERIt was a close call.My heart is still heaving like I’m almost dying. I type back to Jake, pressing my back against the door. “What deadly mission?”“Something random,” his reply comes in immediately. “Any update about the treaty? Hades is on my neck.”“Nothing yet,” I type back. “Alpha Alaric isn’t signing the treaty because he wants something valuable in return. I think it’s going to take a while.”Jake sends an ‘okay’ sticker.I toss my phone on the bed and start peeling out of Alpha Tyler’s clothes. Heading to the bathroom to wash up, I spend nearly an hour standing there because of the numerous thoughts pushing through my head. I want blood. It’s been a while since I last killed someone.Or watched someone writhe in pain.It’s like a burning hunger deep inside me.‘Let’s teach Alaric a lesson,’ Kiera tells me. ‘He deserves to bleed for what he did earlier.’“No,” I say with a sigh. “He’s part of Hades’ plan. He needs to sign that treaty. If we kill him…”‘I know,’ she says

Last Updated : 2026-02-13

Chapter 13: planning the wedding

TYLERDave and I arrived back at the pack house by nightfall. He gives me a stiff smile. “About the witch—how will you smoke her out?”I smirk. “You’ll see.”As we walk further down the hallway, Dave suddenly halts at the sight of my mate—covered in a little mud and draped in a shawl. I still can’t help running my eyes over her exposed thighs. I clear my throat and meet her gaze. “Aurelia—”“I… I went for a run.”Dave is staring at the floor.Good for him.“It was so sudden, I didn’t prepare any clothes,” she continues, but she looks quite used to being seen this way. “I’ll be on my way then.” She offers a stiff smile and starts to walk away.I don’t know what’s going on in my head, but I grab her wrist, making her halt. “Wait. We need to… uh… discuss the wedding.”Shit.‘The wedding? That’s all you could come up with?!’ Kyle’s irritated voice rings in my head. ‘It’s clear you just want to spend time with her.’Not true.Not true at all.I shut Kyle out because he’s spouting nonsense.

Last Updated : 2026-02-27

Chapter 14: sneaky wedding planner

~VIPER~“I’m back,” the supposed marriage planner, Zara, says as she returns to the guest area, her eyes on me. “Let’s get this wedding planning started!”She seems excited.Isn’t it odd to be more excited than the bride?“What are your favorite colors?” she asks as she comes to sit next to me. “We’re going to be buying flowers, some dresses, and oh… we need to check out the cake shop too and book something.”I rub my forehead, a little dizzy from everything she’s saying. “Are we doing all that today?”She nods, grinning. “And it’s going to be so much fun.”Zara rises to her feet, then pauses to glance at me. “If you need to change into something more presentable, I’ll wai—”“No, I don’t need to change,” I mutter slowly, standing up too.She eyes my joggers and tank top and just shrugs.As we make our way out of the pack house, I ask, “Did Alpha Tyler tell you when the wedding will hold?”“In a few days.”I swallow hard. In a few days, I’ll be married to my mate—this man I’m supposed

Last Updated : 2026-03-13

Chapter 15: A blood that shouldn’t exist

~TYLER~“She’s being too secretive. Who gets pissed while talking about a crush?” Zara whines as she walks behind me. “I was just trying to be friendly, you know?”Ignoring her, I walk into my study and lean against my chair. “Shouldn’t you be planning the wedding with her right now?”“No.” She shakes her head. “I think I’m done for today. I’ll be back tomorrow.”“You don’t expect her to just open up immediately when it looked like you were trying to pry something out of her,” I say with a smile. “I know how protective you can get of me, so I’m sure you know what you did.”She rolls her eyes. “It’s just… this girl appeared from nowhere and is about to be your Luna.”“And she is my mate.”“I still don’t trust her.”“Then give yourself time.” I turn to check some files on recent contracts with other packs. “You have to leave now. I’ve got work to attend to.”She nods and makes her way outside.That sneaky asshole, Alaric, still hasn’t said anything about the treaty. He must think he’s t