74

74


Vishal

I watched Jane as she sat quietly beside me, her beautiful face lit by the soft evening light coming through our window. She looked peaceful, and my heart swelled with love for this amazing woman who had somehow become mine.

“What are you thinking about, V?” Jane asked softly, turning to look at me with those warm eyes that always made me feel like the luckiest man alive.

All I could see in her gaze was pure love. She really did love me, just as much as I loved her. Sometimes I still couldn’t believe it was real.

“Nothing important, baby,” I said, reaching out to touch her cheek gently. “I was just thinking about how grateful I am that you’re here with me. I know it sounds crazy, but I should probably thank the Alpha King for rejecting you.”

The moment I mentioned him, I saw her whole body tense up. I noticed a flicker of unease in her eyes.

“Really?” she asked.

I immediately regretted bringing him up. I knew talking about her past hurt her, but sometimes I couldn’t help feeling grateful that his cruelty had led her to me.

“Yes, I mean it,” I said firmly, taking her hand in mine. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, Jane. I will love you until the day I die and beyond.”

She squeezed my hand, and some of the tension left her shoulders. “I’m glad he rejected me too,” she whispered. “When it happened, I thought it would kill me. The pain was so terrible, Vi. I felt like I wasn’t good enough, like there was something fundamentally wrong with me.”

My heart ached hearing the pain in her voice. How could anyone make this incredible woman feel worthless?

“But then I met you,” she continued. “You showed me what real love looks like. You showed me what true mates are supposed to be. I love you too, Vi. More than words can say.”

I leaned over and kissed her forehead, breathing in her sweet scent. “I hope that bastard finds a mate who deserves him,” I said. “Someone just as cold and heartless as he is. Maybe then he’ll leave good people like you alone.”

Jane’s face went completely white. “What did you just say?”

“I said I hope the Alpha King finds the mate he deserves,” I repeated, confused by her reaction. “Why do you look so scared? Please don’t tell me you still have feelings for him, Jane.”

“What? No!” she said quickly, almost desperately. “Vi, you are everything I could ever want in a mate. Why would I want someone who treated me like garbage? You’re kind, loving, gentle— everything he wasn’t. I deserve the best, and that’s you.”

Relief flooded through me, but I could tell she wasn’t finished talking. Something was still bothering her.

“I’m just shocked because...” she paused, swallowing hard. “Vi, I thought the King was dead. I was sure I killed him.”

My blood turned to ice. “What did you say?” I asked, barely able to get the words out. “You killed him? How? When did this happen?”

Why would she try to kill the Alpha King? If she had really done it, why hadn’t we heard about his death?

The whole werewolf world would have been in chaos if their king had died. But if he was still alive, and she had tried to kill him...

We were in more danger than I had ever imagined.

“I had to defend myself,” Jane whispered, tears starting to flow down her cheeks. “He tried to... he tried to force himself on me, Vi. He cornered me in his room and said that even though he had rejected me, I still belonged to him. He said he could do whatever he wanted with me.”

Rage exploded in my chest. The thought of anyone hurting Jane, especially in that way, made me want to tear the world apart.

I pulled her into my arms, holding her tight as she sobbed against my chest. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“There was so much blood, Vi. I was sure he was dead.”

“But he’s still alive,” I said grimly. “If the Alpha King had died, it would have been announced to every pack in the kingdom. There would have been a huge funeral, fights over who would take his place. The fact that we haven’t heard anything means he survived.”

Jane pulled back to look at me, terror written all over her face. “How is that possible? I cut his throat so deep I could see bone. How could he survive that?”

“He’s the Alpha King,” I explained. “His healing powers are stronger than any normal werewolf. It would take a lot more than a throat wound to kill him, even a bad one.”

“Oh God,” Jane whispered. “If he’s alive, then he’s probably looking for me. He’ll want revenge for what I did to him.”

“Hey, look at me,” I muttered, taking her face in my hands. “I will not let him hurt you. Do you hear me? I will die before I let anyone hurt you again.”

“Vi, you don’t understand how dangerous he is,” Jane said desperately. “He’s the Alpha King. He has armies of wolves at his command. And now I’ve given him a reason to hunt me down. I don’t want you or your family to get hurt because of me.”

“Don’t you understand? You are my life now. Without you, nothing else matters. My family, my pack - I love them all, but I love you more. If fighting means keeping you safe, then we fight.”

“But—”

“Jane, listen to me carefully,” I declared. “You are my mate. The Moon Goddess chose you for me, and me for you. That means protecting you isn’t just something I want to do—it’s something I was born to do.”