Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

SEREN

S hoving another bite of Ella’s famous blueberry Danish into my mouth, I force a smile as I add a few heart emojis to my comment on Jane’s post about her new home. Glancing out the window, I look down at the road, squinting at the harsh afternoon sunlight. The iron gates of the estate remain stubbornly closed, with no sign of Theron’s car. He didn’t come home last night, just like he’d said.

Where has he been? Or rather, who with? A bitter taste coats my mouth. Suddenly I’m not hungry at all. I push the breakfast tray away, grab my bag, and head for the service entrance, determined to find some professional clothes for my upcoming interviews.

As I round the corner, I collide with a solid wall of muscle. The familiar, warm scent of pine seeps into my skin, momentarily easing the knot in my stomach. But then reality sets in—he hasn’t made a single effort to see me on purpose.

I try to slink past him, but he’s faster than me. His arm snakes around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest. His touch sends a shiver down my spine and makes my head feel fuzzy.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this, don’t you think?” His voice is a low rumble as he holds me tightly against him. Despite myself, I giggle as he rubs his thumbs on my bare waist, a spot he knows always tickles.

“Wait. N-not here,” I stammer, my breath hitching under his intense gaze.

He leans in, his lips brushing my ear. “No one’s around,” he teases, sending a delicious heat through my body. Suddenly, something in his expression darkens.

“So,” he asks, his voice clipped, “where are you rushing off to?”

The question catches me off guard. “I was thinking...maybe I should get some new clothes for my job interviews.”

His eyes narrow and I see the muscles in his jaw clench. “Have you already applied somewhere?”

“Yeah,” I whisper, feeling a flicker of defiance. Why does this feel like an interrogation? I haven’t done anything wrong.

“And?”

“I’m hoping to have a job by next week.”

He takes a deep breath, his gaze searing into me. “You’re not working somewhere far from the house. I don’t want that.”

My brows furrow, a mix of surprise and uncertainty swirling in my stomach. “I can’t just sit at home, Ron.”

“Come to Blackwood,” he says, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “I can have a job for you by tonight. What do you think? ”

My heart thumps a frantic rhythm against my ribs. How will everyone else see this? His parents, especially.

“Any objections?” he asks, his eyes holding mine.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I whisper, more to myself than him, hoping a good answer will spring to mind.

He leans in close, his voice a husky murmur. “I need you near me, Seren-hen,” he says before brushing his lips against mine. “There’s no two ways about it.”

A flicker of something dark crosses his eyes, but it’s gone as quickly as it appears.

His kisses me hungrily before I can raise any more objections.

He pushes me back against the window, momentarily blocking the sunlight and keeping me tight in his hold. “You taste like blueberries,” he says between kisses. I love the moan that tears through him. I can feel his excitement through his pants.

Just as he deepens the kiss, his phone vibrates against his thigh. He pulls away from me abruptly, a frown creasing his forehead. Exhaling a deep breath, he grabs the back of my neck and places a string of hurried kisses on my lips and forehead before taking a step back.

“You’re not working anywhere else, alright? Meet me in my office, first thing Monday morning,” he says as he walks away, leaving me breathless and reeling.

I stand there staring at the empty hallway long after he’s gone, until a practical concern drifts across my mind. It’s Friday afternoon, and if I have to start a new job on Monday, I will need clothes, footwear, and a nice bag. God! I need to get moving .

I spend the afternoon going through a blur of overpriced, impractical clothes. I peruse countless boutiques crammed with sequined skirts, low-cut tops, and dresses that cling like a second skin—nothing appropriate for the office, especially at Blackwood. I wish we had a Zara—or at least a Target—in town.

My arms ache from pulling clothes on and off hangers, but I keep at it, remembering how difficult it was to find something to wear last night. The voicemail from one of the local corporates offering me an interview replays over and over in my mind.

In a perfect world, I’d never step through Blackwood’s doors. I want to give back to the family that raised me, not take more from them. But Theron’s insistence is difficult to argue with. Saying yes felt right with his kisses offering silent reassurance.

Three hundred dollars, four outfits, and five tense hours later, I trudge home, more unsure than celebratory about getting my first proper job.

“I think New York has spoiled you.”

Ella launches that statement at me the moment I enter the kitchen and pull a bottle of Blackwood vitamin water from the pantry. I down half the bottle before turning to her.

“Maybe,” I reply with a playful smile as I slump into the chair opposite her, wiping my lips with the back of my hand. “But you still love me.”

She continues writing on her paper calendar, tendrils of hair escaping her messy bun, a smile on her lips. Ella makes daily menus and writes them on the chalkboard for her kitchen team. The rest of the board is covered with lists of how many people will be around for each meal, dietary preferences, allergies, and every other possible detail.

“Yes, which is why I’m concerned that you refuse to eat a proper meal here. You left your breakfast mostly untouched and skipped lunch.” She glances at the shopping bags near the door. “And now I have a feeling you won’t be eating dinner either.”

“I’m so sorry. I meant to text you about lunch, but…” I suck in a breath, steadying myself. “I went out shopping. Theron found out I was looking for a job and he suggested I join Blackwood.”

I look away, worried about what her reaction will be, then cautiously glance back at her. She doesn’t take her eyes off the calendar.

“What kind of job? Is it something you want in the long run?” Her voice is flat, with zero judgment. Her concern is only for me.

“We haven’t discussed specifics. I was thinking I could ask him about it after dinner.”

This catches her attention. She places her pencil down and looks at me earnestly. “No one is here tonight for dinner, sweetheart. The alpha king is hosting a gala at his mansion. Everyone left an hour ago.”

I feel disappointment seep into my bones.

For once, I blurt out the question burning in my mind without stopping to consider what Ella might think. “Did Theron take a date with him?”

“He did, sweetheart. I don’t know if you remember her—Vanessa, the current beta’s daughter. ”

I blink a few times, trying to get the burning in my eyes to fade away. Theron always had girls hanging on his arm, but Vanessa had been a regular fixture. The fact that she was his best friend and Luke’s twin meant she spent more time at the estate than the other girls, both with and without her brother.

A warm hand clasps mine, the thumb rubbing my palm gently, offering comfort against the wave of sadness.

“She never set foot inside the estate. Everyone was running late. I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I believe Alpha Dan asked her to accompany Theron. I heard him mention something about networking and alliances.”

I nod, holding back tears.

Ella reaches into the fridge, pulls out a container of homemade dark chocolate mousse, and sets it gently in front of me. Chocolate, unsurprisingly, doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world right now. I pick up a spoonful and hesitantly bring it to my lips. The sweetness does little to combat the bitterness inside of me, but it’s a start.

“How about a triple cheese melt for a snack?” she asks, suddenly getting up.

“You want to fatten me up, don’t you?” I quip with a smile, already feeling a little better.

“So that’ll be a no? I thought as much,” she says, turning back to her calendar, but I squeal a loud “No!”

Her cheese melts are to die for.

The conversation remains light, mostly focusing on her son Max, until we finish our sandwiches. Then she says, “I’m hoping Max finds a good friend, like how you and Theron found each other. ”

I press my lips together and wipe the crumbs off my face.

“He was a lonely child until you were taken in by the Blackwoods.”

“Yeah, we were friends right from the beginning,” I whisper.

“You were practically inseparable as kids, always running around together.” Her gaze flickers to me for a fleeting moment, searching my eyes. “But did Theron ever give any indication he wanted something more than friendship?”

The memory of my eighteenth birthday flits through my head. The details are as vivid as if it happened yesterday.

“Fuck! I love your skin.”

Theron’s frantic lips trace a heated trail from my cheeks, along my jawline, down to my neck. I lean heavily against the wall behind me, not trusting my legs to support me.

“God! You feel so fucking good.”

His voice is deeper than I’ve ever heard it, almost a growl. I place my palms on either side of his face, noticing the dark intensity in his eyes.

“Titan?”

He moves back to my lips, brushing his against mine. “I love kissing you, my Seren.”

I giggle when his hands reach my waist, his fingers lightly tickling me. Using the distraction, he deftly removes my T-shirt, leaving me in just my bra.

My hands immediately rise to cover my modest breasts, a longstanding insecurity of mine, but Titan gently pushes my hands down.

“No, please, I want to see. I’ve waited so long.”

His voice holds a mix of pain and longing that melts my resistance. I stare into his eyes, seeing raw desire and vulnerability shining in their depths.

With a swift movement, he unhooks my bra and peels it off me. A primal howl erupts from deep in his chest as he grabs my breasts, fondling them.

“Say you’re mine,” he breathes in my ear, as if I have any option or desire to be with anyone else. I’ve always wanted us to be together. It’s been so hard seeing him with other girls. Every night he’s with someone else is like torture for me.

“Say it,” he growls again.

“I’m yours. Always.”

He exhales a deep breath, as if everything is suddenly right in his world, before leaning in and taking one of my breasts into his mouth, rolling his lips around the hardened nipple, sucking, squeezing, biting—driving me crazy.

“Titan,” I moan, and he chuckles, breaking contact.

“It’s Theron, sweetheart.”

The sensations of his mouth send shockwaves of pleasure through me. I arch my back, pressing myself against him, wanting him to take more of me.

I freeze when his roaming hand dips between my legs, tracing patterns on the fabric that separates him from my deepest desires.

I whimper, wanting more, and he pushes the fabric aside, his fingers finally touching me .

“So wet for me,” he whispers.

He comes up again, capturing my mouth in a searing kiss before he murmurs against my lips, “Happy birthday, my Seren-hen.”

“What are you thinking about, sweetheart?”

Ella’s sharp voice jolts me back to the present. I cup my face with both palms, rubbing it, trying to wipe out any traces of the memory racing through my head.

Ella silently stares at me for a while, her gaze sharp enough to dissect me. “Nothing much,” I finally say, but I know she doesn’t believe me.

“Well, I think it might be wise for you to look for alternate job options. Pinning all your hopes on one thing isn’t always the best idea. And who knows what you might find outside Blackwood? You should at least try to get out of your comfort zone.”

I’m not sure if she’s talking about the job or Theron, but her words hit home.