The car waiting outside the medical center made my breath catch. I’d seen luxury before the Blackvein family collected supercars like other people collected stamps. But this thing was pure predator on wheels, all deek lines and barely contained power
Grimweald money was clearly on another level entirely ||
My stomach churned with sudden panic. What the hell was I doing? I was planning to use this arrangement to break the curse, then disappear before anyone figured out I’d been lying through my teeth. But someone with this kind of resources? If Nikolai Grimweald wanted to destroy me, I’d be dead before I knew what hit me
“Having second thoughts?”
The window slid down, and I forgot how to breathe.]]
The man looking back at me was devastating. Not pretty boy handsome like Soren, but something far more dangerous. Sharp cheekbones, golden tan that spoke of mixed heritage, and dark eyes that seemed to see straight through me. Wire–rimmed glasses softened the predatory intensity just enough to keep him from looking completely lethal
When he smiled, fangs flashed briefly–a reminder of exactly what he was
Half vampire, Half wolf. The kind of abomination that shouldn’t exist but somehow did.]
And he was looking at me like I was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen.]
“Shit,” I whispered, then immediately wanted to crawl into a hole. Real smooth, Kaela.
His laugh was low and rich, with an edge that made every nerve ending come alive. “Language. Luna. We haven’t even exchanged vows yet.”
He got out of the car with fluid grace, moving like violence barely leashed. When he opened my door and offered his hand, I noticed the slight point to his canines, the way his pupils reflected light like a nocturnal predator’s
Everything about him screamed danger. So why did I feel safer than I had in months?
The car’s interior felt enormous until he slid in beside me. Then the space contracted, charged with something electric and terrifying. He didn’t touch me, but I could feel the heat radiating off his skin, could smell the intoxicating mix of cedar and something darker–something that made my wolf want to bare her throat in submission.
“Relax,” he murmured, voice like silk over steel. “I don’t bite on the first date.“[]
The pause before he added, “Unless you ask nicely,” made heat pool low in my belly.
Jesus. Three years of Soren’s cold indifference, and now this stranger was making me feel things I’d forgotten were possible []
The Moon Priestess told you what I am,” he continued, studying my face with nerving intensity. “Hybrid Abomination, Monster. Pick your preferred term” His tone was casual, but I caught the flash of old pain in his eyes. “Most wolves run screaming when they find out. Why didn’t you?”|||
The honest tower would have been that I was too desperate to care. Instead, I found myself telling a different truth ||
“Because you said yes when I needed help.” My voice came at softer than intended. That makes you better than most pure blonds I know Something shifted in lús expression–surprise, maybe even vulnerability. For a moment, the dangerous predator facade slipped, and I glimpsed. something achingly genuine underneath
“Careful, Launa,” he said quietly. “Keep talking like that, and i might start thinking this is more than just a business arrangentent.“]
My heart hammered against my tabs. The smart thing would be to clarify that it was exactly that–a transaction to save my life, nothing mogo ]]
But looking into those dark eyes, seeing the careful huge he was trying to fude, I couldn’t bring myself to say it ||
“We’re here,” le anticed as the car stopped
I’d expected a sample ceremony, maybe a courthouse with a few witnesses. Instead, we were pulling up to the most exclusive venue in the city. Red
carpet, photographers, the works
“Nikolai, this is too much”
uch for my Luna.” His hand covered mine, thumb stroking across my knuckles. “Let them see what they’ve been missing.“[]
“Nothing’s too much for my
The possessive edge in his voice should have terrified me. Instead, it sent a thrill straight through my chest.]]
He helped me out of the car, one hand at the small of my back as we walked through the gauntlet of flashing cameras. Even through the veil, I kept my expression serene, playing the part of the happy Luna–to–he
Inside was even more overwhelming. The entire venue had been transformed into something out of a fantasy–flowers everywhere, soft lighting, and enough powerful wolves to start a war if someone looked at the wrong
“Having regrets?” Nikolai asked as we approached the altar.]
I glanced at him–this beautiful, dangerous man who’d agreed to save a stranger’s life for reasons I still has smile so warm it made my chest ache
“No.” I heard myself say. And for the first time in three years, I meant it.]
dn’t understand. His excitement was genuine
The officiant began the ancient bonding rites, and I found myself actually listening instead of just going through the motions. When Nikolai spoke his vows, his voice carried a sincerity that made my throat tight.
This was supposed to be fake. A performance to break a curse]
So why did it feel like the most real thing that had ever happened to me?
We reached the ring exchange, and I was actually smiling under the veil when the massive doors exploded open.[
The sound of splintering wood echoed through the hall, and my blood turned to ice as a familiar figure stepped through th
the wreckage
Soren stood there wild–eyed and desperate, his usually perfect appearance completely disheveled. Behind him. I could see his heta assistant trying to look invisible
“Stop,” he commanded, voice cracking with desperation. “You can’t do this, Kaela. You belong to me.”
