Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Dimitri’s POV
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the dampness despite my office air conditioner running at full blast.
I resisted the urge to slam my fist into my mahogany desk and ruin it, because maybe the only thing that could snap me out of this daze was physical pain.
I’d managed to ignore Isabella for seven years.
But as I had watched her grow from that girl with timid eyes and a small frame into a woman with alluring silver eyes framed by thick, long lashes and straight black hair, I wished I had remained immune.
I wanted to see more: her full breasts, her beautiful curves around her hips, and her gorgeous ass—it became harder and harder to ignore her all the time.
It helped that she’d made herself invisible around the house.
I’d barely seen her over the years. Her room was far up on the third floor.
When she was in school, she’d leave for campus very early in the morning and return in the evenings.
And even when she started working at my office, she’d leave the house before anyone saw her and arrive at the office before all the other employees.
But it wasn’t just her beauty that drew me to her. It was her brain, her mind. Her empathy.
Still, despite knowing my dilemma over having her around, I’d gone ahead and promoted her to work as my executive assistant.
A position that required me to see her every day—to glimpse her beautiful legs in those skirts she wore that always stopped right above her knees and hugged her petite body to perfection. What the hell was I thinking?
I shook my head vehemently, trying to shake off the image of her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed, and her lips parted as she waited for me to kiss her. It was the most beautiful, most ravishing sight I’d ever seen.
I’d wanted to kiss her. So damn badly. I wanted to slam my lips against hers, lift her onto my desk, spread her legs, and let her moan into my mouth while I kissed her and worked my fingers between her thighs. Was it cynical that that very thought had my cock straining against my boxer briefs?
I huffed out a frustrated breath, moving to the mini bar in my office to down an entire glass of rum. But the burn of the alcohol in my lungs did nothing to dull the irritation curling through me now.
She was my stepsister, for fuck’s sake! My father had abandoned me and my mother for her. I shouldn’t be feeling this way for her.
My wolf growled low inside of me, feeling every bit of the frustration I was feeling. Isabella Garrett was in my head, clawing through every corner of my mind, and hell if I knew how to get her out.
“Fuck!”
Around half past ten, I decided to pack up and call it a night. The goal was to head to the shower upon my arrival at home. Hopefully, it would be a relatively innocent shower. Then, I wanted to head straight to bed. Maybe sleep would offer me some respite from this chaos I was feeling.
But when I arrived at the mansion, I found my mother and Edmund waiting for me in the living room.
Edmund was a diligent pack Beta. He’d served my father well and was serving me well.
Over the years, he’d always done what I asked of him without question—ensuring Isabella got into the best schools, that her tuition was covered, that she had access to whatever resources she needed.
When I’d suggested bringing her into the company, he’d arranged it immediately, no questions asked.
When my father left, Edmund had been the one to hold the pack together.
I was thirteen, too young to lead, but old enough to know that childhood was over.
While Edmund managed most of the external affairs, he started bringing me into council meetings, making me sit through endless discussions about territory and trade.
By eighteen, I was settling disputes, negotiating with Alphas twice my age, and learning how to make decisions that didn’t leave room for mistakes.
I never really had time to be a teenager.
Growing up wasn’t a choice; it was an expectation.
And I met it, because there was no one else who could.
They were locked in a deep conversation I’d just walked in on, and from the look on their faces, especially my mother’s—pleasant, and she was so rarely ever pleased—I knew something was up. Because that could only mean one thing.
“Oh, Dimitri. You’re right on time.” She kissed my cheek and motioned for me to join them.
I set my bag and suit jacket on the couch and sat, crossing one leg over the other before leveling Edmund’s neutral expression with a lazy one. “It’s almost ten-thirty, so I presume the reason you’re here is pretty important and can’t wait till tomorrow.”
My mother squealed before Edmund could even react, much less speak. “It’s good news, actually. And we’ve got to act fast on this one before such a great opportunity slips past us.”
“What opportunity?” I asked.
“So, at the wine tasting ceremony earlier today, Edmund and I ran into Kaine Ashworth of Willow Pack,” my mother started.
“He wasn’t alone. His daughter, Selene, was with him.
You've met her a few times. Oh, she has the most beautiful eyes and luscious hair. So very polite and such a lovely young lady. I think she would make a wonderful Luna for Garnia Pack and a good wife for you.”
I narrowed my eyes at my mother. “You think?”
“Well, I don’t just think. Alpha Ashworth offered Selene to us. A political alliance between Willow and Garnia Pack, cemented by marriage. They control several major trade routes along the south Coast, own half the wineries in Virginia, and have strong ties with the Governor’s seat.”
“And more than that,” Edmund spoke, ever the diplomat. “Alpha Ashworth is concerned about the instability in the southern territories. Rogue activity has increased. Several smaller packs have been absorbed by larger ones.”
“I’m aware of the political landscape, Edmund.”
“Then you’re aware that alliances are more crucial now than ever,” my mother said almost immediately, her eyes fixed on me with laser focus.
“It would strengthen both packs considerably, give us access to their southern networks, their resources,” Edmund added.
“You want me to marry for politics?” I asked my mother.
“I want you to do your duty.” Her voice sharpened. “The same duty your father abandoned when he ran off with that woman.”
There it was. Always back to him. Always back to how Asher Ravencrest had betrayed his Mate, his pack, his son, for a woman with no status.
I’d been mad at him. I’d thought, what kind of responsible Alpha would just leave?
If he couldn’t stay for our pack, then he could have at least stayed for my mother, his Fated Mate.
I’d always longed to know what the Fated Mate bond felt like.
I’d heard stories about it—how it tied two souls together, their emotions bleeding into each other, their pain shared, their desire impossible to ignore.
And it never made sense to me how my father could feel all this for my mother and still abandon her. Which is why I had sworn to myself that when I found my Fated Mate, I’d never do to her what my father did. I’d never abandon her, never reject her.
But who was that woman?
The image of Isabella flashed in my thoughts, and instantly, a low growl rumbled deep in my chest, a sound of pure instinct. It pushed against the confines of my control, its focus sharp and singular, zeroing in on the mental picture of her.
No. I gritted my teeth, forcefully shoving the beast back.
Even if she wasn’t actually my step sister by blood, it still felt wrong. That couldn’t be the Mate Bond. I was merely attracted to her, as sick as that was…and the proximity of being around her was escalating matters. That was it. Nothing more.
It couldn’t be more.
Another thought crossed my mind. Could it be Selene Ashworth?
I’d met Selene a couple of times at some joint pack events in Virginia, and although she was beautiful, every wolf shifter’s dream in the state, I’d felt nothing around her. It was just… bland. Boring, even.
I sighed, looking up at my mother, who was scrutinizing me with her eyes. “You’re not still hung up on that belief of meeting your Fated Mate, are you?” The bitterness in her voice was sharp.
“Fated Mates is just a cynical fairy tale they’ve made us believe.
Take a look at your father, for instance—he was my Mate, my Fated Mate.
I believed the Moon Goddess herself had destined us to be together.
And what happened?” Her gaze sharpened. “He rejected me. His true Mate. The woman who bore him a son. All for some nobody. A lowlife and a wretch.”
I’d heard this speech before. Hell, I’d lived it.
“Look, Dimitri.” She moved to sit in the space beside me. “Selene is beautiful, accomplished, from excellent bloodlines. She’d make a fine Luna.”
My mother was right. The reminder of my father’s betrayal settled over me like a familiar weight—cold and suffocating.
A political alliance between the Ashworths and Ravencrests would greatly benefit the pack. I was going to be crowned as the Alpha soon. I should always put the pack first. That was my duty.
“Fine,” I said, my voice cold. “We should make arrangements, then.”
“Oh, Dimitri!” My mother’s smile was triumphant.
“I want this to be grand. So why don’t we make the announcement for the engagement at your Alpha ceremony?
It’s a month’s time, which would give us ample time to prepare for both events simultaneously.
But in the meantime, Selene will move into the mansion so that you two can start getting to know each other. ”
“That’s fine.” I leaned forward and stood, picking up my bag and suit jacket.
As I was about to leave, my mother held me back and smiled. “You’re making the right choice, darling.” She kissed my cheek. “Your father chose wrong, and look where it got him—estranged from his pack, his legacy in ruins. You’re smarter. Stronger. And the pack will see that.”
I forced a smile her way, and with a curt nod at Edmund—my eyes catching his in a tangled glare that mixed defiance with the uneasy certainty he’d already glimpsed the raw ache I felt for Isabella—I left the living room.
Damn my plans to have a shower and head straight to bed. Sleep evaded me. I’d expected to feel differently after saying yes to marrying Selene Ashworth. Dutiful. Like I was finally stepping into the role I was born for.
Instead, I felt like I was drowning.
The thought of marrying her made me want to punch my fist through the wall.
My wolf prowled beneath my skin, agitated, snarling at the cage I’d locked us both in. One month until the engagement. One month until you tie yourself to a woman you don’t want.
At 2 a.m., I was roaming the halls of the mansion, a glass of scotch in one hand, trying to dull the restlessness inside of me. Alcohol wasn’t helping. Sleep had vanished. But burying myself in work was always a welcome distraction.
I went into my study, sank into my chair, and pulled up some files on my laptop.
The file that popped up was Isabella’s presentation—her report on the company’s expansion projections.
Clean layout, concise data, flawless delivery as always.
I stared at the screen longer than necessary, tracing the neat alignment of her notes, and remembering the precision in her words.
And just like that, my thoughts circled back to her.
I recalled the ways she’d looked earlier.
Flustered. The hitch in her breath, the pulse fluttering at her throat. Eyes wide with need. My thoughts wandered to her lips. Her small, lush lips, coated in pink lip gloss that smelled like vanilla.
In that moment, I let my imagination run wild.
I kissed her. Her lips were as soft as I’d imagined, moving slowly, tentatively, against mine while I fought to stay in control—to not lose it completely.
But restraint only lasted so long. I gripped her hips, pulling her flush against me, deepening the kiss until she was gasping for air.
And even then, I couldn’t let her go. Because something in me knew—once I had a taste of Isabella, I’d never be able to let her go.
My hand moved to the shorts I had on, and just as I dipped my hand into my pants to wrap around my cock and torture myself with thoughts of what Isabella tasted like, the door to my study opened.
And without needing to see her face, I knew it was her.
Isabella.