Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

THERON

“ A h, fuck!”

I thrust harder, arching my hips so I can go deeper as I slowly pick up the pace, building the friction. I feel sweat lacing my back.

My palm circles tight around the top of the headboard for support, making it pound against the wall with each thrust. Thud. Thud. Thud. Like a heartbeat pounding in my ear.

I keep my eyes closed, loving her little silent screams. The intoxicating scent permeates the room, fueling my relentless pace.

Suddenly my body tenses up. My hips move with a desperate rhythm.

“Fuck!”

I’m close.

I try dirty talk.

“Come on, clench around me. Come with me. Come on my cock. ”

I start going in hard and fast. I need this release.

Just as I’m on the brink, a soft voice rings out in my head.

“Theron, slower, please.”

My stomach tightens and my hips slow down as if on autopilot.

“Seren,” I whisper as my peak swiftly starts slipping away.

The name slips out again—a desperate plea, this time louder. “Seren. Please.”

My entire focus is consumed by the woman I betrayed. My mate. But my pleas in bed, my screams in the forest, the silent prayers in my mind…nothing brings her back.

The imaginary warmth around me chills almost immediately and a strangled sob erupts from within me as I flop down on the bed.

My eyes fly open to an empty room.

“ Fuck !” I pound my fist on the mattress.

The messy sheets beside me mock the absence of the mate I yearn for. It’s my own damn fault for driving her away with my horrible behavior and poor decisions.

I stay there, face down on the sheets, breathing in the rich lilac scent of the perfume I sprayed. While it has hints of what I’m looking for, I know it’s fake. I can smell the chemicals.

I run my palms over the sheets, imagining her here with me, her eyes closed, her body leaning into mine. Sighing. Content. Happy. Titan fighting in my head, wanting to take over.

I’ve lost the two most important beings in my life .

It’s all my fault.

Shoving the sheets away with a grunt, I sit up.

Lost in my thoughts, I barely register the faint sound of footsteps approaching. The sharp voice from outside makes me frown.

“No, I don’t want the new warriors pulled out of their training for this. Get the veterans. Pay them ten or even twenty percent extra to sweeten the deal, but I don’t want my new guys out there, untrained and unprotected. We need to give them time?—”

Before I can even think of covering myself, the door clicks open.

Vanessa’s eyes widen, her lips parting in a moment of surprise before she composes herself, the phone still clutched in her hand. “I’ll call you back,” she whispers before locking the door behind her. I sigh.

“Theron, please, just—let me help you,” she breathes out, her voice trembling. “Just once.”

I glance around for the discarded sheets and find them bunched up in a heap near the bathroom.

It’s not my lucky day.

Vanessa slips her dress off her shoulders, letting it pool by her feet as she climbs into bed in her underwear, getting between my legs.

“Please?” she whispers, and I throw my head back.

The next second, her mouth wraps around my length.

No preamble, no talk, just action.

I shiver at the cold sensation .

My cock immediately softens inside her mouth.

I sigh again and try to move away. Anyone else would take the hint and drop it, but to Vanessa, everything is a challenge. She thinks she can make anyone feel alive.

Her fingers wrap around the base, holding it in place and stroking it, while her mouth works the tip. She starts letting out some fake moans, signaling her supposed interest in sucking my limp cock.

I scowl as I watch her head bob, feeling her saliva coating my entire length. The slick wetness is repulsive.

“Vanessa,” I say, running my fingers through her hair.

More moans.

I gently grab her hair, holding her in place and stopping all movement, before pulling out of her mouth and jumping out of bed.

I hear her frustrated sigh as I head straight to the bathroom. Having learned my lesson the last few times, I lock the door behind me.

The knob clicks behind me a few times before I hear her sigh from outside.

“I understand you’re struggling, but shutting everyone out won’t solve anything.” The pack’s talking, and it’s not just about us. We need to face this together. You need to let me help you, Theron. I’m your luna.”

I tune her voice out and pull the laminated photo from the tight space behind the vanity mirror, kissing the lips behind the plastic before putting it back. I lean in closer to the bunch of lilies in the vase, breathing in their fresh scent.

“I miss you, my Seren-hen,” I whisper, closing my eyes .

“You think you’re the only one stuck in this?” Vanessa hisses from outside, her voice rising. “You’re not the only one without their fated mate. But while I’ve been picking up the pieces, you’re checked out. What about me?”

I want to feel bad for Vanessa, and I do. Most of the time. She was made to bet on a horse that’s broken. I understand how she has also been pushed into this. I even told her to go after her mate when she first told me about him. No one needs to know. The guy is part of the king’s pack, apparently a lower-ranked guy. I suggested we move him to Blackwood. She refused.

Turning on the shower, I let the hot water cleanse my skin.

Giving up on a fated mate is senseless. I guess hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

When I first discovered that Seren, of all people, was my mate, I couldn’t believe it. I immediately attributed all my feelings for her to the bond. I told myself if that wasn’t there, nothing would exist between us. I thought I should explore to see what else I could get.

Now that our bond is gone, I know the truth.

When I step outside in sweatpants, I find Vanessa sitting naked in bed.

Her big, round tits hang like teardrops. Her nipples are already hard. Her legs are slightly parted, giving me a view of her slick slit. I recoil.

There was a time I would’ve jumped in without a thought. Being openly wanted by a woman so bold used to thrill me.

I wasted so much time on women who weren’t Seren.

I grab Vanessa’s dress off the floor, throw it at her feet, and turn around. “Get dressed. ”

I feel her approach before she presses her naked body against my back. Her arms wrap around me as she murmurs, “Just relax and let me take care of you.”

Her fingers trace my chest as she whispers, “Together, with a child...we would be invincible. No one will question our relationship if we have a baby.”

This is all she cares about: keeping her position, staying the luna.

Grabbing her wrist, I push her fingers inside the front of my sweatpants, letting her fingers run over my flaccid length.

“You can’t help me, Vanessa,” I chuckle. “Unless you magically get some frozen semen sample of mine, we can’t have a child.”

She lets out a harsh breath and moves away from me. I hear the rustle of clothes behind me.

“Just show up for the pack meeting at four. I’ll handle the rest,” she says before marching out the door.

As I drive to the packhouse, Vanessa’s words play in my head. I know rumors have been swirling around me like a storm, gathering steam each day.

He keeps his mind-link closed.

He hasn’t trained with us once since he took over.

We haven’t felt the bond between him and his luna.

He doesn’t deserve this position.

I heard he turned impotent.

It’s only a matter of time before someone suspects the real reason for my decline. I’m grateful that no one knows I’ve lost Titan. Well, no one except Luke and Vanessa. Other than the two of them, not even my parents know.

The brother and sister are maintaining the facade for me.

I grip the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles whitening. If the pack knew the truth, my time as alpha would come to a swift end.

The thought of that happening fills me with a desperation I haven’t felt before. I can’t let that happen. Not until I find Seren.

The moment I step out of the car and onto the training grounds, I feel the weight of hundreds of eyes on me. I can sense their silent questions.

We go through our morning meeting like clockwork.

Every household has a steady income, free electricity, free water, and they don’t pay rent on our land.

The pack disperses for training once the meeting concludes, but I notice a group at the back who remain stubbornly in place.

My eyes narrow on a beefy boy at the back. I can sense the challenge. A quick glance around shows me there are still over fifty pack members here, along with all the elders.

This is going to be a direct attack on my position.

I get up and take a few deep breaths. I call for Titan in my mind. I scream at him to take charge, and anger flickers to life in my chest when nothing happens.

But I’m still an alpha, even without Titan.

Maybe I need to show that to others. I can make an example out of one so they never question me again .

The young wolf slowly steps out of the crowd, his eyes bright.

“I don’t accept you as my Alpha.” His voice is steady and sure.

The crowd goes silent, all eyes on us. A few elders look on with a smile, watching how it plays out. Luke flies out of his chair, about to interject, when I say in a loud voice, “I accept.”

Luke turns to me furiously before yelling, “The fight will be in human form, and Elder Marek will declare when the fight ends and who the winner is.”

Murmurs ripple through the crowd. People praise Luke, thinking he has evened the fight for the warrior, since an alpha wolf is twice the size of most others.

As we circle each other, I feel adrenaline coursing through my system. My senses sharpen at the promise of a fight.

Despite my depleted strength, I channel every bit of anger I’ve felt at myself.

The challenger’s face blurs as we attack each other. Every strike, every blow, is a release of the pent-up rage and helplessness that have been eating away at me.

Days, weeks, months lost because of my faults.

Bone cracks beneath my fists, the sound triggering a flood of dopamine.

For the first time in three months, I feel good.

“Please!”

Somewhere past my blinding rage, a trembling voice breaks through the haze.

“Please! Spare him! ”

I stop for a moment and turn to where the voice is coming from. A frail girl looks at me with folded hands, pleading.

I turn to the man in my hold, and notice blood all over him and my hands.

“Damn it!” I curse under my breath, dropping him instantly.

A hush falls over the pack grounds.

Elder Marek walks over to us, staring at everyone watching.

“Our alpha has spared the life of Enforcer Adam, but he and his family are banished from the pack. They have twelve hours to leave the pack premises. Anyone else who wants to join them is free to leave. As for the rest of you—get back to training.”

I know this reprieve is temporary.

As the adrenaline fades, I realize with renewed urgency that I need to find Seren.

Two days later, a breakthrough comes unexpectedly.

A gamma from Alpha Landon’s pack is caught trying to steal contract documents. The packhouse is abuzz with the news, a tangible sense of anticipation hanging in the air.

The man refuses to talk at first, stubborn and defiant. But wolfsbane and some rough questioning eventually loosen his tongue.

I’ve always known what Landon really wants: not my land or my people, just my business. But the gamma’s words hit me unexpectedly.

“Landon knows where Seren is,” he finally admits. His voice is a strained whisper. “He’s covering her tracks to keep you distracted. ”

But why? He doesn’t know what Seren is to me…unless someone told him. I turn to Luke, but he seems unbothered, busy texting on his phone. I push the thought away and look at the captive.

His hands and legs are tied with silver chains. Water laced with wolfsbane has been splashed on his body repeatedly. The silver mingled with the wolfsbane has cut through the skin of his chest.

The man whimpers in pain, but doesn’t give any more information.

Grabbing the hidden knife in my boot, I press it to his throat. “Tell me where she is!”

“I don’t know. I swear on my mate’s life, I don’t. All I heard was she’s in New York now.”