Chapter 1
Clarisse Vexley was a renowned beauty in high society, charming, seductive, and effortlessly provocative.
Leopold Ashbourne was the most distinguished Alpha heir of the Auremere Pack, strict, reserved, and famously indifferent to women.
No one would have imagined that two people so utterly different would end up tangled in each other’s arms in the backseat of a Maybach late at night, entangled in the restroom of a charity gala, or pressed against the floor–to–ceiling windows of a private vineyard, her legs buckling as he gripped her waist and thrust into her.
After yet another night of passionate intimacy, the sound of running water drifted from the bathroom.
Clarisse leaned against the headboard and dialed her father.
“I’ll bond with that dying Alpha heir from the Noctelle Pack,” she said softly, “but I have one condition…”
Obvious joy practically spilled from the other end of the line. “Just name your terms. As long as you’re willing to marry him, I will agree to whatever you ask for!”
“I’ll explain when I get home,” she replied in a gentle voice, though her eyes were cold and detached.
Clarisse hung up, just about to get out of bed and dress, when she caught sight of Leopold’s laptop left open beside her.
The WhatsApp screen was still lit. The most recent message came from someone saved as “Grace“, an Omega.
The message read, “Leopold, it’s thundering. I’m scared of nights like this. Can you come keep me company?”
Clarisse’s finger trembled slightly.
The bathroom door suddenly opened just then, and Leopold stepped out.
Water dripped down from his collarbone. His shirt hung open at the top, revealing two undone buttons, a picture of restrained desire
mixed with casual nonchalance.
“There’s urgent pack business I need to handle. I’m heading out,” he said, picking up his coat. His voice remained as cool and detached
as ever.
Clarisse’s red lips curved into a faint smile. “Is it really pack business… or are you going to see your first love?”
Leopold didn’t catch it. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said lightly, stepping barefoot onto the soft carpet.
His eyes darkened slightly. He reached out and brushed his thumb against her swollen lips. “Be good. Don’t make trouble.”
The moment the door shut, the smile vanished from Clarisse’s face.
She called a car and followed him.
Half an hour later, his vehicle stopped in front of a hotel. Through the rain–streaked window, she saw Grace in a white dress running
out from the entrance.
Leopold hurried forward, pulled off his suit jacket, and draped it over her shoulders before lifting her into his arms without hesitation.
“It’s cold out. Why’d you come out without a coat, huh?”
His movements were smooth and practiced, like he’d done this a hundred times before.
Clarisse gripped the car door handle so tightly her nails dug into her palm.
She watched as Leopold carefully carried Grace into the hotel. And for some reason, that scene made her remember the very first time
she met him.
Back then, she had been at odds with her father again. After she’d smashed something over his head in a fit of rage, he’d finally lost patience and sent her to the Alpha heir of their partner pack, Auremere Pack, hoping someone could “tame” the spoiled Miss Clarisse.
Chapter 1
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The first time she laid eyes on Leopold, he was seated in the top–floor office of the Auremere Pack’s headquarters, the glint of gold–rimmed glasses shielding a cold gaze.
Naturally, she didn’t want to stay there.
So she did everything she could to stir up trouble.
On her first day, she “accidentally” spilled coffee all over his million–dollar custom–made suit. Leopold merely cast her a glance and said, “This’s a hand–stitched, haute couture. I’ll put the charge on Eboncrest Pack’s account.”
On the second day, she deliberately fed the meeting documents into the shredder. Leopold didn’t flinch. He calmly recited every word from memory, leaving the room full of high–ranking werewolves in stunned silence.
On the third day, she spiked his coffee with a potion that could send any werewolf into an early heat. She even set up a camera, hoping to record his embarrassing reaction and use it to blackmail him.
But instead, it had the opposite effect, it cured him.
What followed was seven days and seven nights of pure torment. By the time she woke up, her entire body ached like it had been torn apart.
Furious, she’d tried to fight him, only for him to pin her against the floor–to–ceiling window and take her all over again.
7
“Clary,” he growled into her ear, voice hoarse and rough, “be good.”
That one word, “Clary“, made her inner wolf curl up tightly, striking straight at the heart she thought was frozen.
No one had called her that since her mother died.
From that moment on, everything between them changed.
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Chapter 1
