All Chapters of Moon Reaper’s Substitute Bride: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

~CASSIAN~I slammed the bathroom door behind me, the lock clicking into place. My chest heaved as I braced my hands on the marble counter, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were wild. The taste of her, sweet, intoxicating, like berries, still coated my tongue. Her taste lingered and I had no intention of trying to get it out my system. Aurora. Her scent, her skin, the way she'd trembled under my touch earlier. It was burned into me. Her cries. The way she didn't even know what was happening to her beautiful body. My cock throbbed painfully. I'd already stripped down, fisting myself roughly under the cold spray of the shower. Stroke after stroke, squeezing until my knuckles whitened. Still, the release wouldn't come. My balls ached, but my body rebelled, like it wouldn't listen to me. It wanted her. Refused to listen to any of my commands. Her soft gasps, the way she gripped my hair, I couldn't get it out of my head. "Fuck," I growled.I pumped harder, faster,

~AURORA~I sat by the window, unable to get what the maids said out of my mind. A loud knock on the door made my heart jump, forcing me out of my thoughts.Before I could steady myself, the door swung open and Cassian stepped inside, filling the room with his overwhelming presence. I swallowed the gasp at the sight of him. His damp hair and masculine scent clinging to him triggered an unwanted need within me."There's something I wish to ask you, Aurora," he said, his voice low and direct as he closed the door behind him.My breath caught. There was something wrong. This wasn't the tone he usually used while speaking to me. I rose slowly. "What could that be?" I asked, trying to sound calm even as my mind raced with possibilities, had he come for the lessons he promised? It couldn't be. This was something else. He wanted information from me. He crossed his arms, flexing his muscles, and fixing those intense eyes on me. "I've never seen you shift into your wolf. Not once since you

~CASSIAN~My wife. Broken by the very blood that should have protected her. I still could not wrap my head around it. She looked so scared when I asked her to tell me the truth, like her life would be ruined if she told me what I wanted to know. She'd confirmed it herself. It was true. They'd mistreated her. Her own family? Fuck.How? Why? I did not understand any of it. I didn’t want to understand. They had to pay. All of them. I would make sure of it. No one hurt Aurora and got away with it. Power sparked under my skin, begging for release. I wanted to kill them all. I wanted to tear through the palace, find every Varkas abuser still breathing, and paint the walls with their blood. Whatever it takes to get revenge on the woman who made me feel something again. How dare they? How fucking dare they lay a hand on what was mine? It didn't matter that they did it when Aurora wasn't my wife. All that mattered to me was that they’d suffered for their cruel actions. I thought the Va

~CASSIAN~"I want protection." He repeats. Protection? The bastard thought he could bargain while my wife's suffering festered in the dark corners of her past. The last thing I wanted to do was to protect him. They all knew what she went through and not a single person stood up for her. Cowards. All of them. My power tightened around his neck once more. "Speak," I growled. "Or I'll carve the truth from your spine. I promise you that you have never experienced a pain such as this one. My power was created to kill your kind. It’s the worst kind of death a werewolf can ever experience.” He gasped, chains rattling as he sagged. Blood dripped steadily from the cuts on his arms. "She. . .she isn't truly Varkas by blood," he wheezed. “Please stop it. Stop the pain. I would tell you everything. JUST STOP IT!”The world stopped for a second. Complete and total shock slammed into me. Not a Varkas?Was this another lie? It had to be. Aurora was the Varkas Princess. Was she not?Zerath stepp

~CASSIAN~I'd made it to the council. I noted with grim satisfaction that the more powerful ones were present today—Lord Thor and Harris; and several others whose support I needed. Good.I took my seat at the head of the table. They had tried to play me for a fool. It was my turn to get them back. As far as I knew, the council were not aware of the dirty tricks the Varkas court had played on us behind our backs. I could not wait to see their reactions. They thought they were so smart. Creating this fucking treaty that was supposed to bring everyone closer together. Forcing this marriage onto me. Now look at the situation they left us in. “Council lords," I began. "I need to discuss something of the utmost importance. I have indisputable information that the Varkas family has betrayed us all. They have lied, committed fraud against this alliance, and insulted the very foundation of our treaty. This information was given to me by one of their very own. I have proof that it is the trut