2
The next morning, Sera was jolted awake by a furious shouting. Peeking through her bedroom door, she saw a tired woman clutching at the man’s collar in the neighboring garden.
“John! I loved you for ten years and bore you three children! You swore you’d love me forever with the name of Moon goddess when we married! And now… you’re keeping a mistress?!”
A crowd was quickly gathering, drawn by the yelling. The man was somebody in their exclusive community and his face contorted with annoyance. He grabbed the woman’s arm and dragged her inside.
“Stop this! I’ve told you a million times, no man is faithful!”
Sera was lost in thought, her wolf instincts rising. Sera could hear her wolf’s crying, for the unfaithful man she mated. A warm hand gently covered her ears.
“Sera, that’s nonsense,” Julian murmured, the King power radiating from him like a shield.
She didn’t turn around.“Do you agree that all men cheat?”
Julian stiffened. He turned her to face him, his eyes affectionate. The bond between them was palpable, their connection strong.“I don’t know about other men, but I won’t. Sera, I only love forever.”
“You only love me? But forever is a long time.”
you,
He pulled her into a hug, his breath warm against her ear. She could feel the wildness in him, his lycan restless just under the surface, always needing to claim, to protect.“Forever’s a long time, but I only want you.”
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.“What if you do betray me?”
“If I betray you, may I be struck by lightning and suffer a terrible fate.”
The words felt like a cruel joke given her recent discovery.
“Julian, that’s a pretty harsh curse. Don’t you think it might actually come true?”
He chuckled in a low voice.“It won’t. No one knows how much I love you more than I do. If you don’t believe me, I’ll rip my heart out for
you.
If that’s not enough, I’ll give you my life.”
His life? Really?
Then why couldn’t he keep his pants zipped? The lingering scent of another woman was still on him, even as he spoke such beautiful lies. Her wolf, still attuned to the bond, could smell it–the lingering trace of Chloe’s scent, mixed with the fresh musk of Julian.
“Sera, Julian, what are you guys doing?”
Chloe’s voice cut through the tense silence.
They both turned. Chloe was leaning against the doorway, clad in a crimson strapless dress.
Sera saw Julian stiffen. He frowned.“It’s not the weekend, Chloe. Where are you going all dressed up?” His tone wasn’t that of a brother to a sister, but rather of a mate questioning his mate,. There was a bit of jealousy in it. But more than that, his alpha presence intensified, his dominance spilling over.
Chloe giggled.“There’s a company mixer tonight, and I’m looking for a boyfriend. I won’t be back tonight.”
Julian’s face darkened. Chloe’s smile widened.“Oh, Sera, what’s your plan for today?”
Julian recovered, taking Sera’s hand.“My mate and I are going to visit my parents.”
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Chloe gave a quick wave, saying, “Say hi to them for me!” Then she left.
Thirty minutes later, Julian and Sera were on their way to the Stone residence.
Julian’s parents didn’t like Sera. They felt she’d turned their son into a lovesick fool, nearly costing him his life. And the fact that they still had no children only made them more upset. Therefore, Julian seldom took Sera to visit them, but word had arrived that his mother
was unwell.
The moment they arrived, the jovial atmosphere evaporated. His parents‘ faces turned icy.
Julian saw the veiled hostility towards Sera and exploded. The alpha energy around him shifted, dark and commanding, his lycan now fully awake, sensing the danger to his mate. “If you keep treating her like this, we are leaving, and we’re not coming back again.”
His father slammed his fist on the table, furious.“What are you saying?! You’re abandoning your parents for a woman?!”
Julian held Sera’s hand tightly, his lycan furiously pacing beneath his skin, refusing to back down. The bond between them thrummed stronger. “I’ve told you, Sera is the love of my life. I wish I could give her all I have. How could you give her that attitude? Are you trying to break my heart? If this happens again, I will act as if I have no family.”
