(Elena's POV)
Moonlight spilled through the heavy curtains of the Stone Pack's heir bedroom. I sat rigidly on the edge of the massive bed, my wedding dress still crackling with its stiff embroidery. Beside me lay my new husband – Damien Stone, the cursed heir, Leo's older brother.
My hands trembled as I studied his face. The moonlight carved his features into sharp relief – the strong jaw, aristocratic nose, and thick dark lashes that any she-wolf would envy. He looked eerily like Leo, yet somehow more... refined. More powerful. Even in his supposed coma, an aura of strength radiated from him. His broad shoulders and muscled form spoke of the warrior he'd been before the curse. Looking at him, I could understand why the Stone Pack still held out hope for his recovery, why they'd wait three years for an heir who might never wake.
Gina stirred restlessly within me. He smells different, she whispered. Not like illness. Not like curse.
I pushed her observation aside. I couldn't afford distractions, not tonight. Grandmother Alani's words from this morning echoed in my head:
"I know this isn't fair to you, dear." She'd held out the precious Moon's Tears herb, its crystalline leaves catching the light. Her weathered face had been creased with guilt. "But the pack needs an heir. Give us that, and this is yours. Your grandmother will live."
Simple transaction. My body for a healing herb.
My fingers moved to the buttons of my dress, each one feeling heavier than the last. Just get through this night. Just—
"Are you really going to do it with him, Little Wolf?"
The familiar voice froze me in place. Leo emerged from the shadows like a nightmare, his figure dark against the moonlight. My heart hammered against my ribs.
"What are you doing here?" I hissed, instinctively pulling my dress closer. "You're insane! Get out!"
He stalked toward the bed, and I caught the scent of whiskey on his breath. His eyes glittered dangerously as he leaned down, so close I could feel his warmth. "What are you afraid of? He's practically dead. Just an empty shell." His gaze raked over me possessively. "Is this really how you want to spend your life? Warming a corpse's bed?"
I jerked back, disgust rolling through me. "Better than being your whore while you play happy mates with Seraphina."
"About that..." His hand shot out, catching my waist. I stiffened as he pulled me closer, his touch making my skin crawl where once it had brought comfort. "Why waste yourself on him? Want a baby? I'll give you one." His eyes dropped to my chest, lingering.
The sound of my palm connecting with his face cracked through the room like lightning. Leo staggered back, more shocked than hurt. For two years, I'd been his gentle Little Wolf, too in love to see his manipulation. Too desperate for acceptance to recognize his cruelty.
"You hit me," he said slowly, touching his reddening cheek. Then he laughed, the sound ugly and bitter. "How long are you going to play the victim? I know you're upset about Seraphina, but let's be realistic. You really think marrying my vegetable brother for a herb is a better option?"
He moved closer again, and this time I could see the calculation behind his charm. "Think about it – once I inherit the Stone Pack, I can make you Luna. The real Luna, not just some cursed heir's caretaker. All you have to do is be patient. Be mine."
" You disgust me." My voice shook with rage. "Get out before I scream and tell everyone how the great Leo Stone snuck into his comatose brother's bedroom on his wedding night."
Leo's charming mask slipped, revealing something dark and ugly beneath. "Don't be foolish, Little Wolf. If I leave now, how do you think you'll manage tonight? You need an heir to get Moon's Tears. Or did you forget that tiny detail?"
His mocking tone made my blood boil. "That's none of your concern. Guards!" I raised my voice, though not quite shouting yet. "GUARDS!"
Leo's eyes narrowed dangerously. With one last glowering look, he backed toward the door.
"You'll regret this," he hissed. "When you fail to get what you need, remember – I offered you a solution."
The door clicked shut behind him, and my legs finally gave out. I sank to the bed, wrapping my arms around myself as Gina howled in anguish inside me. Two years of love, of trust, of believing in mate bonds – all destroyed by betrayal. Even though our bond had shattered when he rejected me for Seraphina, the pain still felt fresh, like a wound that wouldn't heal.
Focus, I told myself harshly. Grandmother needs you.
With trembling hands, I reached into the hidden pocket of my wedding dress, pulling out the rare herb in a small pouch.
I lit the herb with shaking fingers, watching as fragrant smoke began to curl through the room. The scent was subtle – sweetly floral with an underlying musk that made my head spin slightly.
Minutes ticked by. I watched Damien's still form on the bed, noting the changes. His breathing deepened. A flush crept across his skin. His body temperature rose noticeably.
It's working, I thought with equal parts relief and trepidation when I noticed his monster erection under his pants. The size made me tremble. Could I really do it? It was my first time...
For Grandmother, I reminded myself. With more courage than I felt, I moved to straddle him, reaching for the buttons of his shirt with trembling fingers.
The moment my palm made contact with his chest, something felt... wrong.
Years of healing training under Noah surfaced in my mind. As an experienced healer, I'd learned to read the subtle signs of illness through touch. But Damien's condition didn't match any of the usual patterns.
His skin was too warm, his muscle tone too perfect for someone who'd been bedridden for three years. And beneath that...
I frowned, pressing my palm more firmly against his chest, extending my healer's senses. There was something else, a kind of darkness running through his blood. Not a curse as everyone claimed, but...
Poison?
The realization hit me like a physical blow. The symptoms matched what Noah had taught me about long-term toxins - the kind that weakened without killing, that could mimic illness or curse. But who would...?
Lost in my healer's assessment, I unconsciously unbuttoned more of his shirt, placing both palms flat against his chest to better sense the poison's flow. If I could just understand the type, maybe I could—
That's when his eyes snapped open.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed. A crushing force of Alpha power flooded the chamber like a tidal wave, so intense it made the air itself feel heavy. My wolf Gina whimpered and cowered inside me, every instinct screaming to submit. The pressure was unlike anything I'd ever felt before.
I froze, my heart stopping in my chest. Those weren't the eyes of a man in a coma, or someone barely conscious from an aphrodisiac. They were sharp, alert, and filled with an icy rage that made my blood run cold.
Damien's POV
The moment she entered the room, my wolf Zoe nearly shattered my carefully maintained control.
MATE! OURS! he roared inside my mind, clawing to break free. Her scent hit me like a physical force – sweet summer grass after rain, mixed with something uniquely powerful. Something that called to both man and wolf.
I forced my breathing to remain even, my body still. Three years of pretending to be comatose had made me an expert at controlling every muscle, every reaction. But never had it been this difficult.
Through barely-slitted eyes, I watched her perch nervously on the edge of our marriage bed. Elena – my unexpected bride. Even in the dim light, I could see why Zoe was going crazy. She was beautiful, yes, but it was more than that. There was a quiet strength in how she held herself, despite the fear I could smell rolling off her in waves.
Focus, I commanded myself. Three years of planning, of carefully orchestrating my revenge, couldn't be undone by mate attraction, no matter how powerful.
The memory of discovering my father's betrayal still burned like acid in my veins. I was eight when my wolf first awakened – unusually early, showing the strength of my Alpha bloodline. But with that power came episodes of violence I couldn't control.
Back then, I'd blamed my youth, my untamed wolf.
But three years ago, I finally discovered the truth. It wasn't weakness or curse that caused my violent episodes – it was poison. Carefully administered by my own father since childhood, designed to keep me unstable, dangerous. Robert Stone, Alpha of the mighty Stone Pack, had been slowly killing his own son to clear the path for his favorite, Leo.
My hands clenched beneath the sheets, remembering the day I found his secret records. Notes about the poison's dosage, correspondence with dark practitioners who supplied it. And something else – hints about my mother Bella's death. The official story was that she'd died from a rogue wolf attack, but those documents suggested something far more sinister.
That day, I made my choice. I let the poison take its apparent toll. Fell into a "coma" that gave me the perfect cover to slip away at night, building my Shadow Pack piece by piece. And now the Shadow pack is the most powerful pack in the east and has become the biggest competitor of Stone pack.
I'd planned to maintain this deception longer, gathering more evidence about my mother's death. Then my grandmother had to complicate things by arranging this marriage.
A familiar scent suddenly cut through my thoughts. Leo. What was he doing in my bedroom on my wedding night?
The conversation that followed made my blood boil. My new bride wasn't just any she-wolf – she was Leo's former mate, betrayed and discarded for political gain. My wolf raged at the pain in her voice, at Leo's arrogant assumption that she was still his to claim.
KILL HIM! Zoe demanded. He hurt our mate!
The effort of remaining still while Leo threatened and propositioned my mate nearly broke my control. But Elena's response surprised me. Instead of cowering, she stood her ground. Threatened him. Even slapped him – the sound of palm meeting flesh was deeply satisfying.
Relief flooded through me when she drove him out. But that relief turned quickly to something else as a new scent filled the room – sweet, musky, dangerous.
Aphrodisiac herbs, I realized with growing anger. My new mate was trying to drug me into compliance.
Her small hands on my chest sent electricity through my body, making control even harder. The herb's effects were powerful, and her intimate position wasn't helping.
I couldn't maintain the charade any longer.
Twin fires of rage and desire warred in my chest, each fighting for dominance. How dare this little she-wolf try to manipulate me like this! Did she think I was some helpless invalid to be used for her purposes? A convenient tool for getting what she wanted?
I let my eyes snap open, deliberately allowing the violent madness everyone expected from me to fill my gaze.
The smart move would be to eliminate her now. Only dead wolves tell no secrets, and I'd cultivated a reputation for violent, uncontrolled outbursts.
One more victim of the "cursed" heir's madness...