Uncanny Valley

My son is gravely ill. His inner wolf is too weak to awaken, and the healer warns that without the Alpha’s blood to strengthen his spirit, he may not last the next full moon. He clutches my hand, his feverish golden eyes dimming. “Mother, can Father take me to the Barnum & Bailey Circus？” But no matter how many times I summon my mate through the pack bond, he does not answer. His presence in the mind-link is an empty void. I can only hold my son as his small body trembles. I whisper stories of wolf warriors and great Alphas, but his breathing grows weaker. When the dawn breaks, his tiny fingers slip from mine. His wolf never wakes. A few days later, the scent of wild roses floods our pack’s sacred grounds. I turn—and there he is. My mate. My Alpha. He strides into the hall with my sister cradled in his arms. Her neck bears his fresh scent mark. His mark. I watch as he presses a lingering kiss to her lips, his hands caressing her like a treasure. Their love is bold, shameless—an unspoken declaration to the entire pack. And only then do I learn the truth. While my son lay fighting for his life, waiting for his father’s touch, longing for his Alpha’s strength… my mate was deep in Rose Valley, tangled in passion with my own blood. I thought my heart had long since gone cold from his neglect, but at that moment, it shatters. I make my decision. I will leave this pack. Yet just as I turn to walk away, the mate who had only ever treated me with indifference suddenly drops to his knees. A broken sob rips from his throat. For the first time, my proud, untouchable Alpha weeps.

He was still looking at me when he swiped his tongue over his lips, licking my juices slowly as if it was the sweetest dessert and it took all my self-restraint not to pull his head back. “Do you make sounds like that for him too?” he asked haughtily, his fingers in me as he played me like a toy while watching me intently, and even though I hated it, I couldn't stop the moans from escaping from my lips. ******* When Alpha Arnold, the most powerful Alpha in the whole of Silvercrest hears of the untamed beauty of a coming-of-age girl in his territory, he's quick to swoop in and claim her as his and take her into Crescent Valley. What he didn't expect was to become blindsided by her beauty and fall for her till he wants her as his Queen and future Luna and so he decides to wait till her 18th birthday which was just a few months away to claim her because he's certain she'd be his mate. Ethan, Arnold’s cousin driven to years of bloodlust and maniac killings who had roamed the past ten years of his life due to a curse that was placed on him returns to Crescent Valley after his ten years exile as the strongest wolf that Silvercrest has ever encountered and when he discovers that his cousin's future Queen is his mate, all hell broke lose, sparking a deeper rivalry between the two rivals because Ethan would be damned to allow Arnold take what belongs to him and that includes Layla and the throne. All these while, none of them knows Layla's identity as a witch that's destined to bring ruins to the kingdom once she's of age, an identity that even she isn't aware of.

I stare at the email on my screen, unable to move my fingers. Tomorrow is our company's crucial product launch, and I just learn that the patent for the algorithm I spent three years developing is now filed under Matthew Ashford's new assistant, Sophie Bennett. I storm into Matthew's office to confront him. Sophie sits on his desk with her legs crossed, looking completely innocent. She claims that she filled out the form by mistake. "It's just a clerical error. The patent still belongs to the company. What's the big deal?" Matthew stands up from his chair, positioning himself in front of Sophie. I can't believe what I am hearing. "Matthew, this is my research!" "Emma, you're thirty-five. Why are you picking a fight with a twenty-three-year-old intern?" He frowns. Then, he turns to Sophie. "Starting tomorrow, you're the new CTO. Emma needs… some time off." I'm utterly stunned. A decade of marriage and five years dedicated to building a company together have been shattered by a few casual words from him. Thirty minutes later, Sophie posts a photo on social media of herself sitting on Matthew's lap. They are both clinking champagne glasses. "So lucky to have the best boss ever. I'll make sure to be his loyal kitten." Below that, Matthew leaves a comment—three red heart emojis. I shut my laptop and pick up my phone. "Hello. Is this Mr. David Langley from Novara Group of Sundale Valley? This is Emma Whitmore. I've changed my mind. I'm ready to join you." I pause. "And by the way, about that unreleased algorithm upgrade, I have the complete technical blueprint. Make me an offer." Later, I fly to Tallisport with an eight-figure check in hand, while Matthew goes frantic trying to find me.