All Chapters of The Lost Bet of the Vampire’s Human Wife: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Alaric noticed I hadn't touched the wine he had poured for me himself. He gently cupped my cheek, his thumb stroking my skin."My sweet, what is it? Are you not feeling well?"Looking at the deep affection in his eyes, I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my chest.One moment he was trading crass stories with his men about other woman's body, and the next he could so easily slip into the role of a perfect, devoted husband.I wanted to see just how far he would take this charade."It's nothing. I was just curious, what were you all talking about just now?"Alaric casually grazed my jaw with his knuckles, his low chuckle laced with indulgence."We were discussing how to deal with a traitor from a lesser clan. I didn’t want to trouble you with such matters, so we switched to the Old Tongue."He had been a prince for too long, perhaps. Or it had simply been too long since he had given my own abilities any thought. He had forgotten that my family had intermarried with various vampire clans for

I drove, following Alaric's trail all the way to the forbidden forest at the edge of the Kindred's territory.Only high-ranking members of the clan's core were permitted here. Thankfully, the Shadow Guards patrolling the woods recognized my car, bowing their heads and stepping aside from a distance.I parked the car in a secluded shadow and peered forward from the cover of the withered trees.At the edge of my vision, Elise, draped in a tight velvet gown, was wrapped around Alaric."My Prince, I saw the meteor shower too." She nibbled gently on his earlobe. "It made my heart ache with jealousy."Alaric's hand slid down her back, his voice softening."Didn't I spend the entire night of the Blood Moon Festival with you just days ago? Are you so easily swayed by these petty mortal tricks?""I promised you, as long as you're obedient, don't let Seraphina suspect a thing, and bear a pureblood heir for the clan, her title and all its honors will one day be yours."The words struck me like a

I tried to tear that look we shared from my memory, the one that had cut through the rain.But this token, forged by Alaric himself from his own blood, had long since been bound to my bloodline. For five years I had worn it, and I had come to see it as the symbol of our deepest connection.Now, it was a searing brand against my collarbone, echoing with his hoarse, broken pleas to me.I reached up and covered the pendant, the heat scorching my fingertips."Isolde," I said softly.The old witch in the passenger seat turned. A single glance at the blood-amber was all it took for her to understand.She extended a wizened hand, and a wisp of silver-blue mist coalesced in her palm. The mist coiled around the blood-amber, dissolving the blood seal inch by inch.The blood-amber throbbed violently against my collarbone, the pain so intense it brought tears to my eyes."Endure it, child," Isolde murmured. "He never asked if you wanted it when he put it on you."After a moment, with a soft 'snap,

Seeing the taunting message, Alaric instantly understood everything.He realized Seraphina had known the truth all along, and Elise's images had been the final straw.A towering rage, hot as an inferno, erupted from his chest.As for me, on the other side of the mountains, my only regret was not being there to see what happened next.The story I later pieced together was that Alaric, like a maddened beast, had kicked down the door of the hidden villa where Elise was staying.When Elise opened the door and saw him, her face was full of surprise and delight. She naively believed the Prince had finally cast me, a lowly human, aside.She was lost in the delusion that she would be crowned the clan's princess."Your Highness, are you here to bring me to the old castle? I'll pack my things and go with you right away.""I knew it. I knew you could never bear to let me and the pureblood heir remain outcasts."Before the words had even left her mouth, Alaric's hand shot out and clamped around he

The summit chairman seated Alaric at the head table and introduced the newly emerged "business tycoon" to the entire room.Only then did I learn that the vampire prince had forcibly liquidated centuries of his clan's hidden assets to cobble together a massive commercial empire.All for the right to stand at this pinnacle of human commerce, to earn a seat across the table from me.I forced myself to remain composed, my face a mask of calm as I stared at the big screen."Mr. Alaric's conglomerate has brought us the largest cross-border merger in history."The hall erupted in thunderous applause. Every business titan was celebrating this incredible influx of capital."His entry will reshape the future of the global economic landscape.""We hope all our honored guests will grace us with their presence at the private reception tonight."At eight o'clock that evening, as the host, I had no choice but to attend the reception.Alaric stood in the center of the banquet hall, dressed in a custom