Roman wasn't concerned about my feelings and tore off my pajamas. When his calloused hand touched my lower back, I screamed in fear. “Roman!” The deafening scream stopped Roman’s wandering hand. But he only paused for a moment before pulling at my clothes again. I could sense that his wolf was taking over, and if that happened even more, I wouldn’t be able to get through to him. I’d experienced it when Griffon’s wolf took over, and no words could get through to the animal. Likewise, I regretted not bringing a baseball bat to the door to beat him to death.“Roman, if you dare to rape me tonight, I promise you’ll see me back in court tomorrow!” Roman’s hand paused again, but then he sneered, as if he had heard a great joke. “You think I’d be afraid of seeing you in court? A Beta against a Little girl with no wolf?” he scoffed.
I clenched my fists. “I know your pack is powerful, but I swear I’ll make your scandal public!!” “Sure, go ahead. It’s been awhile since I made headlines anyway.” Roman raised an eyebrow and smirked. He was clearly not threatened at all. I suddenly felt a strong sense of powerlessness. This bastard wasn’t just some random pest, but a rich and powerful wolf shifter. He could easily change the narratives in the news. If I fought with him head-on, he would bury me. I couldn’t match his strength, nor did I have his strength. Background and power. To save myself, I would have to use my brain. I softened my voice. “Beta Stare, I didn’t mean to threaten you with anything. It’s just that I don’t feel comfortable sleeping with someone I don’t love.” Roman raised both eyebrows this time. “Oh yeah? But I can’t wait to fuck you.” He dropped a peck on my collarbone.
Disgust coursed through me, yet I had no choice but to endure it at the moment. “How about giving me some time? So I can get used to it. When I fall in love with you, things will get easier. If you force me now, it won’t be as pleasant for me.” Roman wasn’t convinced; he wasn’t a man who cared about how pleasant the experience was for the women he fucked. “It doesn’t matter. As long as I enjoy it.” I resisted the urge to slap Roman as I continued to persuade him. “But sex with feelings is definitely better. Don’t you want to try it?” Roman wasn’t a fool. He knew I was only talking to him like that because I wanted to get away from him. He tilted his head and stared at me for a while, as if pondering whether to let me have time or not. “Whatever. Sex is sex, it won’t feel too different.” “Believe me, it’s entirely different. Only when two people truly love each other can they have sex that is passionate and pleasurable.” He leaned closer. “Have you had a taste of that?” I stilled.
The memory of Griffon holding me in his arms flashed through my mind, and my heart suddenly ached. If Griffon knew about this… If he knew a Pere rt was trying to force himself on me, what would he do? Would he be angry? Jealous? Or… I tried to imagine how he’d feel. But a voice told me that he Would not feel any of these things. Roman sneered at my silence. “You want me to wait until you fall in love with me? That’s cute.” He hunted for prey to satisfy his desire. He had no time to develop feelings and all that c rap for those women! Ridiculous, and too much trouble. I felt a bit defeated, but seeing that the desire in Roman’s eyes wasn’t as strong as before, I tried to persuade him more. “Beta Starke… Roman… How about three months? When I fall in love with you, I will be happy to sleep with you, okay?” “No.” Roman refused, growling. “I can’t wait for that long. My wolf wants you NOW.” But I sensed that there was still room for negotiation. “Two months, then?” Roman grabbed my chin and pinched, the tips of his claws coming out. Three days.” Shit. I had offered three months because I would no longer be in this world by then. And if Roman still wanted me…well, he could go and sleep with my ashes. But three days? That was difficult to accept. As I was about to reply, Roman let go of me. I swallowed the words back. In any case, I could at least get away tonight. “Alright, babe.” Roman bent down and kissed my cheek. “I’ll leave you alone tonight, then. See you in three days.” I touched my check, resisting the urge to wipe it off, feeling disgusted. I struggled to keep an obedient face as I nodded. Roman seemed content and finally walked toward the door. “By the way…” He stopped half-way and turned to give me a meaningful, pointed look. “
Harper is your friend, right?” My mask of obedience cracked for a moment. “What about her?” Nothing. Stay home and wait for me, okay? Don’t go anywhere. Roman chuckled. He didn’t say anything threatening, but I knew exactly what he meant. If I dared to run away, he would go after Harper. Powerlessness once again crept up my spine, making me let go. Of all my clenched fists. “Leave her out of this. I will stay here for you.” Roman blew a kiss. “That’s my good girl!” Disgust in g! I slammed the door shut and locked it, then ran into the bathroom. Getting in the bathtub, I picked up the loofah and scrubbed hard at the places Roman had kissed and touched. Even when my skin turned red and bruised, it still felt like it wasn’t enough. I washed and washed, until I was too tired to continue, and I finally started to calm down. If I didn’t do what he wanted, Harper would be in danger. I had to find a way to handle this situation, or the goddess only knew what he would do to her. I quickly wrapped myself in a bath towel and returned to the bedroom. I picked up my phone, wanting to call the regional police. But as I thought of Roman’s power and influence…I gritted my teeth and thought better of it. My life didn’t matter that much. I am going to die soon. anyway. But Harper still had a future in front of her. She was about to get married. She was going to have a mate and would have pups… The life I’d always wanted. I couldn’t get Harper into trouble.
I stood in the same place, completely still, and thought for a long time. Finally, I went to the contacts on my phone, and my finger lingered on the number I’d blacklisted. That familiar name had my heart beating hard and fast. He was the only one who would stand a chance against Roman. But he didn’t want to see me anymore. If I called him…would he answer? After a long hesitation, I still didn’t dare to make that call. I knew Griffon very well. When he gets tired of something, he Never gave it a second glance. He might think I was trying to pester him if I called to ask for his help. I had chosen to walk away, with dignity… It’d be better not to bother him. I went to get a spare key and picked up some meds.
The doctor said I should be hospitalized and wait for a suitable heart donor, but I refused. My heart issue was congenital, and for a while, my condition improved after artificial bypass surgery. But since the two hard kicks at my heart five years ago, I’d started to have relapses of heart failure. Treatments and therapies didn’t seem to help much. Of all the times I had longed to find my wolf… Wolf shifters my age didn’t have problems like this. A few months ago, I started having edema and difficulty breathing-which were late-stage heart failure symptoms. I knew the end was near. I no longer expected to find a suitable heart donor. I no longer expected that I would ever be blessed with a wolf. The goddess had forsaken me, and I was doomed to remain human for the rest of my short, pathetic short life. The meds I took were mainly painkillers and for controlling the edema. One of the few things I’d ever had going for me were my looks, and I’d be dampened if I died ugly. I grabbed a handful of pills and took them with a gulp. Then, I put pepper spray and a laser into my bag. I couldn’t think of anything better, so I would have to fight Roman head-on. One life for one life? Sweet deal! I had nothing more to lose anyway.
Just as I was done with my preparations, Roman sent his assistant, Mason, to pick me up. Sitting in that Maybach, I thought Mason would drive me to Roman’s place, but I was taken to a mall. Stylists and makeup artists surrounded me, curling up my waist-length hair and applying exquisite makeup to my face. I was dressed in an expensive evening gown, tailored to fit me perfectly. A diamond necklace that was worth millions was placed on my neck. I looked at myself in the mirror. Noble, elegant, and refined. But I didn’t feel like myself. I looked more like Tara.If Griffon had seen me like this, he might have thought I was trying to mimic her. I smiled bitterly. Finally, I was all dressed up, and Mason took me to Nightshade. It was the largest nightclub in Arcadia. The people who came Here, they were either rich or powerful, both human and shifters alike. Species didn’t matter…only money and power. The place could guarantee these people their privacy. There were virtually no security cam
It seemed that Griffon was not interested in Roman's comparisons. Roman said nothing more and led me to sit opposite him. As soon as we sat down, a man in an expensive suit opened a bottle of wine and handed it to me “Taya Palmer, right? Can you drink? I didn’t know who this man was, and the suddenness of his offer made me feel uneasy. I hesitated, unsure of what to do. I wasn’t sure if he was a wolf or not, so I didn’t know if he was offering me regular wine, or wine laced with wolfsbane. Wolfsbane would kill me. Seeing me hesitate, the man suddenly smiled. “Don’t worry. There isn’t any wolfsbane in this.” The man’s gentle demeanor put me at ease. I accepted the wine and took a small sip, but I still felt unsure about drinking it.The woman sitting next to the man noticed my hesitation and began to sneer. “Beta Starke, the girlfriend you found is awful. Preston kindly poured her a drink, but she was too scared to drink it. How rude.” Preston… This must be Griffon’s cousin, Preston Kn
Let’s draw lots now. Each pair that draws the same number has. To switch seals. And no sitting next to each other! Khloe put the paper balls on the table and paired up those who drew the same number automatically. There were four players in the first round, and the others would line up. Those who got the numbers 1 or 2 played first. Unfortunately, I got number 2. I raised my eyes to look at the other side. It turned out that Griffon had gotten the number 1, which meant we were in a hostile situation. Khloe, who had also gotten the number 1, raised her eyebrows at me as if to say, “Wait and see.” “What about the other 2? Who got it? After hesitating momentarily, Preston opened the paper ball in his hand. He smiled at me and said, “I’m not good at playing cards.I have to count on you.” I responded with a smile that was uglier than crying. I was a well-behaved girl who always listened to the orphanage director when I was young, listened to my teachers in school, listened to my boss, and
Roman took the opportunity to hand over a bottle of wine. “Alpha Knight, why don’t you let Taya pour a glass of wine for you?” Roman had wanted to see me undress in front of everyone, but he quickly realized that I was his date and that he had publicly referred to me as his girlfriend. He would look like a fool if I took my clothes off in front of everyone-especially an Alpha. And that was the only thing that saved me. Preston reacted quickly and agreed with Roman. “Let her buy a glass of wine as punishment. Pour After that, he signaled me to pour wine for Griffon. How…how was pouring him wine a punishment? I looked up at Griffon.His face was blank, and I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking…if he was thinking anything at all. He’d been holding a glass of wine all evening, but I’d yet to see him take a sip of it. I didn’t know what kind of wine was in his glass, if it was laced with wolves bane or not. I mustered the courage to pick up the expensive red wine on the table, walked
As I kneeled, Khloe laughed with delight, while Preston frowned and the others looked on as if they were watching a show. Roman showed no emotion, only ambivalence. Only Griffon, leaning back against the sofa with one arm stretched across it and his legs spread wide, looked down at me with a smug look across his face. There was no mistaking who the Alpha in the room was, and Griffon clearly knew it. I couldn’t help but think of the hundreds of days and nights we had spent together, but suddenly, it all felt like it wasn’t worth it. I’d thought I could leave with dignity, to escape this place and these people, but I should have known better. This was the cruel reality of our different social statuses. I had slept with him for five years, destined to be trampled under his feet. Stomped down by his status as an Alpha, wolf, and billionaire. However, I had only a few months left to endure. With this thought, I found a sense of calm. I kneeled, poured the wine, and handed the glass to Grif
Taya My whole body stiffened. I didn’t dare to move, afraid of getting Roman even more aroused. I fought to suppress my disgust and keep calm. “Bela Starke, when I fall in love with you one day, I’ll be bold enough for you, too.” Roman pulled me against him, my dress still soaked in red wine, pressed against his chest. He lowered his head to kiss my neck. “I can’t wait that long.” After saying that, he lifted my dress until it was bunched around my waist and started to unzip his pants. All the color drained from my face, and I struggled with all my might.But all that did was turn Roman on even more. He held me even more tightly in his arms and clamped his teeth down on my neck harder. “Beta Starke!” Trapped, I could do nothing but hopelessly try to press my hands against his chest. I frantically looked around for my bag. Sh it. It was on the opposite sofa, too far unreachable. My palms were covered in a cold sweat, anxiety spreading through my body, but I had to force myself to calm
The scent of Griffon’s cologne mingled with the scent of the sweet wine soaked into my dress and made me a bit dizzy. As he approached me, I felt a bit at a loss and tried to move away from him, my hand flailing a bit for the door handle. But the car was too narrow, and I could only move a little before my back was pressed against the door, my hand unable to find the latch in my haze. Griffon shifted his body so that he boxed me against the door, one hand pressed against the car window, the other hold me tightly around the upper arm. His cold eyes glanced briefly over my body, landing on the diamond necklace around my neck. After what felt like an eternity, he let out a contemptuous laugh. “It seems that your new sugar daddy treats you well.” Griffon let a rare smile cross his lips.However, his smile was even more terrifying than his typically Stoic expression. I wanted to explain, but the word “new sugar daddy” rendered me silent. From the moment Roman introduced me as his woman, th
The Alpha stiffened, his eyes flashing with anger and malice. After staring at me, wordless, Griffon quickly pulled out some wet wipes and wiped his fingers. Seeing his actions, I couldn’t help sneering. “Beta Starke told you that he had slept with me. Why bother checking, Alpha?” I kept my face schooled, without a trace of annoyance or embarrassment reaching it, but rather with a hint of worldly charm. My indifferent attitude and repeated provocations made the usually composed Griffon lose his temper. It’d been a while since I’d seen this side of him.He threw away the wet tissue and pinched my chin. Hard. I was going to bruise. My human flesh, the lack of a wolf to help me heal… My body was no match for any wolf’s strength, let alone an Alpha as powerful as him. There was no way he didn’t see that I was in pain, especially since I was wincing, but Griffon ignored it and lowered his head until his nose was almost touching mine. “Haven’t I told you that no one is allowed to touch anyt