Chapter 9
No wonder Alpha Darius had seemed so different lately. No wonder I could never explain the disconnect, the way his warmth felt… hollow. I had built my entire love for him around a moment I thought defined everything-and I’d gotten it all wrong.
I had mistaken the wrong wolf for my savior.
Tears burned in my eyes as I looked up at Riven, my mate, the true protector who had once pulled me out of the snow and into life.
“Riven… since it was you who saved me back then,” I whispered, my voice cracking, “why didn’t you say anything?”
His jaw clenched, his golden eyes narrowing with something between frustration and restraint. Then he let out a cold snort, his voice sharp, but not unkind.
“I didn’t expect you to be such an idiot,” he said flatly. “To not even recognize your own fatec protector. And besides-”
He stepped closer. The heat of his body, the hum of his power, the scent of pine and snow clinging to him-all of it crashed into me like a memory I’d always had but never understood.
“I never wanted to use that moment to guilt you into anything. Not then. Not now.”
He paused. His wolf stirred just beneath his skin, brushing against mine like a breeze against
fire.
“Avelyn,” he said quietly, firmly, “I’ve never wanted a half-hearted bond. What I want… is your true love. Do you understand?”
His eyes-so gold they looked like liquid sunlight-shone with sincerity. There was no manipulation. No bitterness. Only the raw, unwavering truth of a wolf who had waited…for her and never wavered.
My tears spilled freely then, running hot down my cheeks.
This man… this wolf… had never left me, even when I’d chosen another.
My body trembled as I rose onto my toes, the ache in my chest spilling over into movement. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing myself on him as my tears soaked into his skin.
“Riven…” I whispered in his ear, “I understand now. From this day forward, I swear, I’ll live a good life with you.
“I mistook the wrong wolf for ten years. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to the right
one.”
And then I kissed him.
His lips met mine with a hunger I hadn’t felt in years-not rough or rushed, but claiming. Possessive. Our wolves howled in sync, deep in our chests. His arms wrapped around me, one hand threading into my hair, the other anchoring at the bottom of my back.
I didn’t realize we’d moved until I felt the cool brush of his silk sheets under my legs. He pulled me with him to bed, his voice low and rough like thunder over a stormy field.
For Our Anniversary I Returned His Mork
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8:57 pm DOGM.
“Then let me have you,” he murmured, lips brushing the corner of my mouth. “Let me show you what it’s like to be loved without condition.”
Once Riven’s passion awakened, there was no stopping him. He was fire and ice, tenderness and dominance-his wolf took its time savoring every inch of my soul as if it had waited a decade for this one night. And perhaps it had.
He didn’t let me go until dawn when my body finally gave out from pleasure and exhaustion. His wolf curled around mine as we fell asleep, our bond humming like moonlit threads stitching twc shattered hearts together.
Lexie’s POV
Meanwhile, at the Moonveil Pack, I nestled comfortably between my parents on the velvet sofa, feeling every bit like the beloved daughter I was always meant to be.
“Mom, Dad, you’re finally back! I missed you both so much while I was in Paris,” I cooed sweetly resting my head on Mother’s shoulder like I hadn’t spent the last three years building a perfect life of my own abroad.
Robert, Alpha of the Moonveil pack chuckled, his hand resting warmly on my shoulder. “It’s good you’re home, sweetheart. Your mom kept talking about you the entire time.”
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gave them both a bashful smile, dimples showing, my eyes sparkling just right. “But you still had my sister here, right? I’m sure she took wonderful care of you while I was away.”
The moment I said her name-Avelyn-Luna Myra, my mom’s face shifted like the sun ducking behind clouds.
“Don’t bring her up,” she snapped, her voice tight and cold. “She’s not one of us, no matter what blood flows through her. Raised by wolves, by servants outside our bloodline-no wonder her heart doesn’t belong here.”
Her tone sharpened with every word, like the tip of a blade dragging across the skin.
“Married for three years and not a single child. She doesn’t even bother to visit. What kind of daughter is that?”
I didn’t need to say anything. I let her anger speak for itself.
“If I had a choice,” she added with a sneer, “I would’ve made you my real daughter from the start.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d said that.
And gods, I knew it wouldn’t be the last.
I felt the warmth bloom in my chest-a quiet satisfaction I didn’t bother to show. Not fully, at least. Instead, I softened my features and offered the sweetest smile I could summon.
“As long as you don’t mind having me,” I said gently, “I’ll always be your precious daughter.”
The three of us were still wrapped in that illusion of a perfect family when the front doors creaked open.
Alpha Darius stepped inside, his suit rumpled, face weary. Even from the other side of the room, caught the scent of travel clinging to him… and something else-frustration, maybe. Loneliness, definitely. But there was no trace of Avelyn. No mate bond humming off his skin. No warmth left in his eyes.
Chapter 9
5:58 pm DGM
I lit up immediately.
“Alpha Darius!” I chirped, hopping up to greet him. “Are you here to visit Mom and Dad?”
His eyes swept the room quickly, and just as I expected, he was looking for her. Always her.
But she wasn’t here.
Disappointment flickered across his face.
“Dad. Mom,” he said stiffly, bowing with forced politeness.
Dad’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Just you? Where’s Avelyn?”
He hesitated, just for a second-and I could see the weight in his silence.
And so I stepped in.
“She wasn’t feeling well a few days ago,” I said smoothly, brushing my hand against his arm like it was natural. Like it meant something. “She had to be hospitalized. She’s probably just resting
at home now.”
He glanced at me, uncertain, then back at Dad. He wasn’t ready to admit the truth yet. Not to them. Not to me. So he simply nodded, going along with my lie.
‘Lexie’s right,” he murmured. “She’s been unwell. She asked me to visit in her place.”
Myra, my mother scoffed, her voice laced with contempt. “Unwell? How convenient. She’s always sick when it’s time to come home.”
She folded her arms, her wolf stirring beneath her skin, pressing her dominance into the room
ike a warning.
‘You’re her husband, Alpha Darius. You can’t let her do whatever she wants. She wasn’t raised by me, so of course she’s still selfish. But she carries your name now. She reflects your image too.”
He didn’t argue. He never did. Just nodded again, that same tight, tired expression on his face.
‘You’re right, Mom, Luna Myra,” he said. “I still have something to attend to at the company. I’l be going.”
He turned to leave, and instinctively, I took a step to follow. But before I could make it past the couch, Dad’s voice snapped like a whip.
‘Lexie. You stay.”
