Chapter 11
No matter how hard he tried to resist my touch, my seduction, I knew he would give in. After all Alpha Darius was still a man.
And even a powerful Alpha could be swayed by temptation.
I saw it in his eyes-how his instinct to respond to my touch, to need, flared briefly when I leanec into him. I knew how to read his body, how to curl my fingers into the sensitive hollow of his collarbone and whisper in just the right tone. It used to be enough to drive him wild.
Tonight, it still worked-for a second.
He swept me up in his arms without a word, his grip strong, and firm, a show of dominance I used to crave. He carried me upstairs like I weighed nothing like his wolf was dragging me away to claim what was his.
The door to the bedroom creaked open behind us. Moonlight filtered in, casting sharp lines across the white walls as he laid me down on the mattress. The air grew thick-heated, intimate. His scent-everwood and musk-wrapped around me, heady and familiar.
But just when his body hovered over mine, just when his lips grazed my collarbone and I started to feel that dangerous ache returned, he froze.
His weight lifted. His warmth pulled away like the tide.
I sat up. “Darius?”
He stepped back from the bed. His voice was flat, distracted. “Lexie… I’m not feeling well tonight. Let’s leave it for another time.”
I blinked. What?
This wasn’t like him.
Before I could say anything else, he turned away and started dressing. The sharp, methodical clinks of his belt buckle felt louder than they should have. I tried to reach for him, to reclaim the moment-but he gently pushed my hand away.
‘I just remembered something urgent at the office,” he muttered, avoiding my gaze. “You shoulc rest. Don’t wait for me.”
Then he was gone, just like that.
Gone-physically, emotionally, spiritually gone.
I sat in stunned silence, the heat from the moment now nothing but a cold echo on my skin.
And I knew.
Even if he hadn’t said her name, I knew who filled his thoughts.
Avelyn.
He used to say she was too quiet, too reserved. Not like me. I was fire-unpredictable, exciting, wild. But now, he was craving her softness. Her sincerity. Her unspoken loyalty.
I felt the growl rising in my throat, but I swallowed it down.
For now…
For Our Anniversary. I Returned His Mark
1/3 19.5%
9:01 pm D Avelyn’s POV
The morning sun barely crested over the horizon when I climbed out of bed, stretching the stiffness from my limbs. The sheets were still warm beside me-Riven had left early, probably tc speak with his warriors or oversee patrols.
He always made sure his people came first… and yet he always came back to me.
Just as I padded barefoot toward the window, my phone buzzed. A message from him.
My father, Robert, Alpha of the Moonveil Pack.
The moment I saw his name, my stomach twisted. My wolf stirred uncomfortably beneath my skin, already bristling.
I hadn’t spoken to my father in months. Not since the mating ceremony. Not since I dared to claim a life that wasn’t chosen for me.
“What’s wrong?”
Riven’s voice curled around me like smoke-low, smooth, protective. He stepped behind me, his presence so familiar now I leaned into him without thinking. His arms circled my waist, his chin resting lightly atop my head.
“It’s my father,” I whispered, my eyes still on the message. “He wants me to come home.” Riven didn’t say anything at first. But I felt the rumble of his growl low in his chest.
“You don’t owe them anything,” he said at last. “But if you want to go, I’m coming with you. They’ll think twice about raising their voices with an Alpha wolf beside you.”
Emotions hit me fast and unexpectedly. I turned and buried my face into the crook of his neck. His scent-pine, smoke, warmth-soothed every part of me.
“Riven… thank you.”
He chuckled. “If all I get is a thank-you, that feels pretty insincere.”
He leaned down to nip teasingly at my ear. “Tonight, I’ll be expecting a proper reward.”
My cheeks heated. I slapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t you dare…”
But he only grinned wider behind my palm.
“I haven’t been back in so long,” I murmured. “We should bring something. Gifts, maybe. That’s how they work. Appearances over everything.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll have my Beta take care of it. You go get dressed-we’ll leave when you’re ready.”
When I came down the stairs, dressed in a simple apricot dress, I nearly tripped at the sight of the black SUV being loaded to the brim.
Crates of wine. Luxurious gift boxes. Rare wolf-hair cloaks. Imported tea leaves. Even spell-woven silks from the Northern High Clans.
I gaped. “Riven… this is way too much. Anyone who sees this will think you’re bribing my parents to marry me.”
He raised a brow, amused. “We’re about to register our bond officially. I’m not just bringing gifts. I’m bringing status.”
He stepped close, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
Chapter 11
9:01 pm D DGM.
“They won’t dare look down on my mate again.”
I should’ve felt awkward about it-but I didn’t. Not with him. He didn’t do anything halfway Especially not when it came to protecting what was his.
Just as we were about to get in the car, Riven’s phone buzzed. He frowned as he read the message. “There’s a situation at the Northern border. I need to check it personally.”
I nodded, already expecting it. “Go. You’ve left enough guards with me. I’ll be fine.”
He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “Wait for me before you leave your parents’ territory.”
“I will.”
And with that, he was gone.
Two hours later, our convoy pulled up in front of the Moonvel’s estate.
Chad, the driver, glanced at me through the mirror. “Ma’am, should we bring the gifts in?”
“Yes,” I replied.
The guards moved like clockwork, unloading box after box. But as I stepped through the front gates, ready to pretend I hadn’t been forgotten and cast aside for years-
A crash echoed through the marble entryway.
A teacup shattered at my feet.
I froze.
“So,” came the familiar voice of Luna Myra, sharp and venom-laced, “you do remember where home is.”
She stood at the top of the stairs, arms folded, her wolf aura pulsing subtly with hostility. “I thought you had erased us from your heart. Guess not.”
I stood tall, letting my own aura slowly rise-not to challenge her… but to remind her.
I may have been raised outside this house.
But I was not the same girl who left it.
Not anymore.
