Chapter 33
DOMINIK
Straightening my tie, I watch as dozens of cars climb the hill, forming a queue to pass through the gates of our property. Only an hour remains before sundown, when the feast is set to begin.
I’ve been mulling over the move I’m about to make for over a week. Since I asked Vessa a question I had been dreading.
Do you love him?
I wish I could take it back. Because the answer never would have mattered. I would still feel the same as I do now. Thwarted. Envious out of my godsdamned mind.
Need I remind you she failed to give a reply? my wolf gripes. You didn’t even try to channel the heartline.
After tonight, that won’t be an issue anymore, I answer. Because I will no longer have access to hers. The only way of knowing for certain. Besides, I’d rather spare myself the pain.
Not a single part of me wishes to put on a cordial face and mingle with tipsy guests while my brother dances with Vessa, biding time until he whisks her away and fucks her until dawn.
The mere thought has my wolf wanting to tear out his own fur.
My solution? Escaping to the Heartlands, where I’ll be spending the weekend hunting for a new building to launch the next Sonic Jungle establishment. And my next place of residence.
You’ll be exiled. Branded as a rogue.
Exiled is better than executed, I persist.
You’re being rash. Think of how our family will be wounded.
It’s pointless trying to shove the wolf out of my head, but I give it my all as I pass through the grand, wrought-iron doors of my family’s estate.
My heart begins to pound as I reach into my jacket for the box I came to personally deliver.
When my fist connects with the door of my mother’s former dressing room, Nell opens it in a flash, wearing a lavender dress with a sash around her long neck.
“Who is it?” Cora calls out.
Nell’s cheeks flush as she gives me a look over. “What are you doing here?”
“I have something for Vessa. May I come in?”
The woman of the hour freezes behind her. Champagne in hand, Vessa chimes her approval.
Arms crossed, Nell rolls her eyes at my gaping mouth. “Try not to drool on the carpet, Dominik.”
I nearly forget my purpose when she turns from the mirror, taking in the most devastating woman I’ve ever seen.
Coiled ebony hair, painted lips, and silk-gloved hands fold over her lap.
The intricate gown adorning her frame is a masterpiece.
If the color had a name, I could almost guarantee it would be “Axe’s demise. ”
It’s in this moment that I realize that the only person I loathe more than myself is the damned Luna goddess. For granting this woman to someone else. For making my wolf agonize over her just the same.
As I approach, she opens her mouth, but I cut her off, presenting the box. “I brought you something I thought you should have for the occasion. It belonged to the previous Luna.”
Removing the lid, I place it in her hands. Nell gasps from the doorway.
Ignoring the other girls, I carry on. “I also want to apologize for how I acted the other night. It was wrong of me to speak to you that way.”
Vessa peers over her shoulder. “Would you give us a moment alone?”
Nell corrals the medic from the vanity, both giving me a look honed with fury as they disperse. Vessa stands, lightly running her fingers over the gold pendants. Two diamond-studded suns dangle from the ends of a golden cord.
Though it belongs with the rest of the trove, the necklace was lifted off my mother the night she died.
Stolen. My sister hunted and torched the vampire who pocketed it for herself.
But Demi never could bring herself to wear it.
Over a decade it sat locked away in her workbench in the greenhouse, collecting dust. The morning after Vessa’s tour was sabotaged by Shay, I snuck in to retrieve it.
“It’s gorgeous,” Vessa whispers. She takes the necklace from its velvet cushion, admiring the timeless piece in her palm. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all,” I say, taking the reins.
She turns to face the wall, collecting her hair to one side.
Carefully, I wrap the cord around her neck, then loop one end around the other.
Satisfied by how the suns lay, I rest my hands on her shoulders.
The tips of my fingers just barely touch her skin, but it’s enough to make her shiver.
To hear her pulse spike and amplify her intoxicating scent.
My cock is throbbing before I take my next breath.
Do it, the wolf hisses in my mind. Lower your hand. Open the connection. It’s that easy.
Vessa steps out of my grasp and thankfully remains oblivious as she finds my gaze. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to hearing you all trade family stories over dinner tonight.”
“Actually, I wasn’t planning on sticking around.”
“Oh.”
I shuffle my feet. “Nothing personal.”
“Not even at the request of your Luna?”
A drowning sensation takes hold of me when I finally meet those round, disheartened eyes. What I would give to be able to resist them.
Do it, you useless coward! Take off her glove!
As much as I resent my brother, as much as I’d like to believe he hasn’t done shit to deserve this woman, the truth remains that neither have I.
I am not a gentleman. I’m not even a halfway decent lycan.
But what I’ve come to realize is that I don’t just want her.
I want her happiness. And if that is tied directly to Axe, then who am I to stand in the way of it?
It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to walk away from an extraordinary woman, and it may not be the last.
I reach for her dainty hand, slipping off the fabric in one quick tug. “If I were to make an exception for anyone, it would be you. But unfortunately, I must go.”
Holding her eyes, I lower my lips to her knuckles. She swallows deeply at the caress.
“Welcome to the family.”
Axe
By sixteen hundred hours, the sun has set over the mountain. I’ve been so caught up shaking hands and radioing back and forth with the warrior units on standby that after forty-five minutes, I still haven’t managed to stop by the bar for a drink.
And she still isn’t here.
I lean against the counter as the whiskey is poured, twiddling with my cufflinks.
There are too many things that could go wrong.
What if she has a change of heart? I should’ve apologized the other day.
By our law, I was acting within my right.
But I could’ve handled that without her witnessing me lose my temper.
Heads up, my wolf says.
Her scent drifts through the forest. I abandon my glass, striding towards it. A flash of a red garment breaks through the trees and finally, Vessa comes into view. My sight locks in on her and my heart stops thumping. Just like the first time.
The world stills. Bustling noises fade into nonexistence. I force myself to blink. Once. Twice. Oh, fuck. She’s coming closer.
Sparkles along the gown catch the soft light that dangles from the evergreen branches.
Even more reflect off the red-beaded headdress that drapes over her hair, white feathers dangling at the end of each strand—a personal touch the priestess was happy to fulfill for the ceremony.
Her ruby lips curve into a dazzling smile, and I can’t help but check to make sure an arrow isn’t protruding from my chest. Silverfire, she’s perfect.
Vessa sizes me up with equal bemusement, slipping her gloved fingers into my outstretched hand.
I don’t try to hide it when I take a quick peek at her neckline, marking two golden suns that rest between her breasts.
My breathing hitches as I admire how tightly they are constrained, spilling out of the embellished top.
Just enough to give me an idea of how much will fill my cupped hands.
I am so screwed.
Jabir dips his head and steps aside with Nell. “She’s all yours, Commander.”
Dozens of families and warrior cadets nod to us as we pass, making our way to the table of honor. My brother is not yet among them. Vessa brushes her hair over her shoulder. I can’t help but shudder as I inhale the pleasant coalescence of her natural pheromones and floral perfume.
For a second time, my gaze drops to the priceless necklace. “Where did you get that?”
“Dominik gave it to me earlier,” she says, watching Qinnu raise his son to sit atop his shoulders. “He said it was your mother’s.”
That prick. Of course, he found the damned necklace. He always has to find a way to sneak in a subtle jab. I’ve spent the last week searching for it. After Demi came up empty, I was convinced it had been lost.
Clearing my throat, I tear my eyes away, debating when and where I’m going to give him a piece of my mind tonight. “It was.”
Vessa’s smile falters as we near our designated seats. “I suppose I should probably let you know that Dominik isn’t coming.”
Great. I guess I won’t be dealing with him tonight then. Then again, my focus really should be elsewhere. Like how I’m going to survive the next few hours without clawing that unbelievable dress to shreds . . . Gods, why are there so many buttons?
“There you are!” Demi exclaims.
Chris and Demi are already seated with their daughters, Willa and Lex, who Vessa is delighted to meet.
They’re both the spitting image of their mother, with their father’s curious brown eyes.
The eldest, Lex, who inherited my sister’s knack for mischief and prodding asks, “Isn’t she tiny for being lycan? ”
Demi kindly corrects her. “Vessa is a human, baby.”
“Oh,” she says with a blush, tugging on her mother’s pale green dress.
My mate shrugs. “It’s alright. I’m pretty tiny by human standards, too.”
The girls all giggle in unison. “Go on, now. Give your auntie a hug,” Demi insists.
Vessa and I immediately lock eyes. That’s right. Her family has just grown by two.