Chapter Two
KATHY
His mouth claimed mine, urgent and consuming, his lips teasing mine before catching my lower lip between his teeth. My breath caught. Heat rushed through me when his hands slid over my curves, bold and unyielding, like he already knew every inch of me belonged to him.
A shiver tore down my spine when his lips trailed lower, slow but deliberate, until the world blurred into sensation. My fingers curled into the bed sheets, my body arching to meet his touch. The bond between us pulsed—alive, insistent—every nerve ending burning as though the Moon Goddess herself was branding her mark on us both.
Somewhere between the heat of his skin and the way his scent wrapped around me, the world fell away. There was no sound but his breath, no thought but him. When our bond sealed, it was like lightning exploding in my chest, every part of me consumed in a rush of power and pleasure so sharp it stole the air from my lungs.
We stayed wrapped in each other for what felt like hours, tangled in heat and shadows, until exhaustion claimed him. He drifted into sleep as easily as if our world hadn’t just shifted forever.
I lay awake, staring at the ornate ceiling, my mind a chaotic storm. His touch lingered on my skin like an echo. My heart was still racing. Slowly, reality began to settle in—I was in the Alpha’s bed.
I slipped from under the covers, collecting my scattered dress from the floor, the air cool against my flushed skin. Dressing quickly, I moved toward the door, every step careful. I wanted to leave before the spell of the night broke completely.
My fingers curled around the doorknob—
"Leaving already?" His voice rolled from behind me, deep, edged with something I couldn’t quite name.
I turned, and the sight of him in the soft morning light was… dangerous. The pull between us hadn’t faded. My wolf howled inside me, restless.
"I… I have to go," I managed.
"If you say so." His tone gave nothing away, but I caught the faintest flicker in his eyes—something unreadable, maybe even reluctant.
"I’ll have the guards escort you home," he said, already moving toward his closet.
"I can find my own way," I countered, my hand tightening on the door.
In an instant, he was in front of me, his presence filling the space. "You’ll go with the guards," he said, his voice low but firm, "and you’ll return for the mating ceremony in a few weeks."
His authority was absolute. My wolf stilled, and my body reacted before my mind caught up—I nodded.
Minutes later, the guards led me to the garage. As I climbed into the car, I glanced back. He stood on his balcony, his gaze locked on me, a shadow of worry clouding his features. The sight unsettled me.
And yet… I couldn’t hear his thoughts.
What are you hiding, Young Alpha?
---
Later, I found myself staring into the mirror, my reflection pale and strange.
The veins in my eyes were dark, spidering outward. My chest tightened. This was no ordinary fatigue. Something was wrong—deeply wrong.
I braced my hands against the sink, my head swimming, and then the nausea hit. The scent of the air itself turned sour, and I bent forward, retching until my throat burned.
I gripped the porcelain, trembling. My head throbbed with a relentless, pounding ache. The week I was meant to move into the mansion as Luna, my body was betraying me.
My bags were already packed, waiting. Beads of sweat formed at my hairline as I stepped out onto the balcony, trying to steady my breath.
The sound of car horns broke the quiet. The guards were here.
I rolled my luggage to the waiting vehicle and slid into the seat, the leather cool against my fever-warmed skin. The ride began, the road unfolding into a lonely stretch bordered by skeletal trees and abandoned houses. I wasn’t sure if the route was right—my memories were hazy—but the looming silhouette of the mansion eventually emerged.
Memories surfaced unbidden: the nights I’d run into the woods, my foster father’s shadow chasing me. His cruelty was something I never shared with the pack, though I never wished for his death. Life had taken that choice away.
The car slowed to a stop.
The mansion rose before me, its windows like dark eyes watching my every move.
Well… here goes nothing.