LOGINIvonne’s POVIn the bathroom, theres only blessed Silence, warm steam And my reflection in the mirror, staring back at me with haunted eyes.I glance down at the ring Hector gave me.It gleams softly. Real. Solid. Heavy and oh so very beautiful.This is happening.I’m really going to marry him.It should feel simple. Logical. Expected.So why does my chest hurt? Why do I feel scared? Why do i feel saad and worried for the future?“It’s fine,” I whisper to myself. “It’s a temporary marriage. That was always the plan anyway so there's nothing to worry about. There's notgoing to be a child to worry about."My throat tightens.“Hector’s fate isn’t tied with mine. And mine isn’t tied with his.”I press my fingertips to the cold marble counter.“Fate obviously doesn’t intend for us to stay together forever.”My voice cracks on the last word.I take a shaky breath.“Stop. Stop being stupid, Ivonne. Stop letting yourself fall into fantasies that don’t belong to you.”My reflection blurs with
Ivonne’s POV The world tilts so violently that for a second I’m sure I’m going to faint.Larry grabs my arms immediately. “Ivonne—sit, sit—”“I’m fine,” I whisper, even though my voice sounds like it belongs to a ghost. “I’m just… I’m just shocked that The Lycans would expect Hector to… to kill an innocent child?”Larry winces. “Look, I—I don’t believe Alpha Hector would actually do it. He’s a lot of things, but he isn’t cold-hearted enough to ever hurt his own child.”A memory flashes so vividly I almost choke on it, memories of Hector laughing with the kids in the poor district, tossing them up in the air and catching them, letting them braid his hair, letting them drag him around like some giant jungle gym. He didn’t even flinch when a tiny boy smacked him in the face with a muddy hand.“He… loves children,” I whisper. “He really does.”Larry nods. “That’s one of the reasons why I don’t think he could do something like that.”The thought brings me a tiny sliver of relief… until hi
Ivonne's POV I froze at his words “What?!” My voice cracked. “Why would he make such a ridiculous vow?” Larry winced, as if saying it again would physically hurt. “Hector at first had vowed that he would never marry and bring a weak woman as his Luna, but since mates, whether fated or chosen could be an unpredictable matter, the court insisted that his heir—the future ruler after him—must be Lycan. Not a weak common werewolf.” I stared at him, stunned. “But that's crazy? How could they force such a rule on him? And Why would he even agree to that?” I was asking because I had seen how tough Hector had been with the court, he wasn't one to be pushed over so easily, which means that he had allowed them to put such a bind on him.But why?Larry sighed and shook his head. “He didn't have much of a choice at that time, I believe he thought it was the only or easiest way To secure his position as Alpha,” Larry answered, his tone gentle but firm. “Ivonne, you don’t understand how mu
IVONNE'S POV I stared at Larry for a long second, still frozen from the warning he had just given me. Make sure you never get pregnant for Hector. Those strange words suddenly began echoing inside my skull like a gong, forcing me to pay attention to the older man in front of Me. I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “Larry… what do you mean by that? I know this arrangement is temporary, but why would you give me such an odd warning out of the blue like that?" I asked feeling perplexed. Larry blinked at me once, then twice before looking genuinely confused, as if he couldn’t understand why I was asking. “What do I mean by what do I mean? Ivonne, Don't you understand the consequences of--- Wait." He paused suddenly. "Ivonne? —you really don’t know?” "Know what?" I frowned. I was really beginning to get annoyed with all these things everyone expected me to know but I somehow didn't Larry's eyes grew round as saucers. "You don't know about the consequences of breaking the vow?"
Ivonne's POV "I vow to protect you. To stand beside you. To treat you as my equal through the entire year we are bound.”His words vibrated through me. “For the one year, Ivonne… I will treat you with the respect you were always meant to have. You will never ever doubt where you stand with me. You will always know your worth."I exhaled shakily. It was embarrassing how much those words affected me. How deeply they sank. How something inside me, something that was tired, bruised, longing—leaned into him despite every warning I’d ever given myself.For a moment, I let myself imagine it wouldn’t end.I let myself imagine this warmth staying forever.This protection staying with me till the end of time.This sense of safety never leaving my side..Goddess, I had forgotten what it was like… forgotten what it meant to have a man you could trust. Someone who wasn’t waiting to betray you. Someone who didn’t make you small or always doubt yourself.Against my will, I began to melt. I let myse
Ivonne's POV I froze. My heart physically stopped. Because in his hand, he held a ring. A ring I recognized instantly. It was his mother’s. Lady Elizabeth. A delicate band of interwoven silver, marked with Lycan runes—an heirloom passed down through generations. I had only seen it once in a portrait. My breath caught in my throat. “Hector…” I whispered, voice trembling. “What—what are you doing?” He lifted his eyes to mine—those intense, beautiful eyes that could shatter or soothe with a single glance. “I know,” he began softly, “that we were brought together by my Uncle Mr. Archibald’s arrangement. I know you never intended to have me in your life and We were basically pushed together by circumstances." My stomach twisted. “But,” he continued, “I want to formally ask you to marry me of your own free will. I don't want you to ever think that I'm just tolerating having you beside me. I don't want you to ever think that I regret having you as a partner." My world tilted an







