Chapter 2

Violet

“Another, please.”

I slid the empty glass forward, waiting for the bartender to refill it and sighed. I didn’t want to look at it, but my eyes kept drifting to the mark burning on my wrist. Unwanted. I was the Darkmoon heir, and not even my fated mate wanted me. My eyes pricked. Was I really that defective? Maybe Father had a reason not to want me to lead the pack. Perhaps he'd seen something I hadn't.

This is not the time for a pity party.

I scoffed, dragging the refilled glass back toward me. I drank it. Maybe I was defective in that I couldn't even make my fated mate love me, but my father didn't have the foresight to figure out what kind of person Lucas was before happily blessing the union.

He could have spared us both all of this trouble if he'd been focused on anything but his misogyny.

Lucas was a spendthrift, arrogant at the best of times, and childish. I had loved him, but I kept a close eye on everything because I knew he'd ruin my pack if I didn't. He might still if he managed to out me from it.

I pushed a hand through my hair, glaring at the ring on my hand. My own personal feelings aside, there was the pack to think about. The quietest way to do all of this would be let Lucas have Nora as his mistress and stay on as luna despite the betrayal. The social and political issues around splitting us up would be a headache, but I didn't want to still be tied to him.

I didn't want him tied to Darkmoon and benefitting from me just so I could be comfortable. He was probably banking on it.

I needed to kick him, his first love, and his small pack out of Darkmoon as soon as possible. The how of it was still too fuzzy for me to feel confident that it would happen. The only good thing about all of this was that we didn't have children. A custody battle would only complicate things further.

A warm body drifted behind me. A spicy, musky scent and something sharp like ozone reached my nose.

Then, he spoke. "A beautiful alpha like yourself shouldn't be nursing a cut with a bar towel."

I looked up, but before I could say anything, a large warm hand had taken mine. The man lifted my hand, unwrapping the towel. He tutted and pulled out a small vial, dropping a few drops into my hand. The wound started to close as he massaged the liquid into my palm, but I was distracted.

He was taller than me with eyes like the sun, a strong jaw, and the presence of the kind of alpha Lucas wished he could be. Broad- shouldered, heavily muscled, and dangerous-looking in his suit: he reminded me a bit of my father when he went to Gatherings.

It made me smile, a bittersweet and vicious thing. My father had never been so large, and Lucas had tried to put on muscle for years and failed no matter how much he trained with me. He'd always be pissed off that he couldn't keep up, rejected my advice and just generally made it clear that he didn't value my opinion.

I hated that I had been too blind, too complacent, to see the signs for what they were. He may have played a good husband, but it had been a shallow act relying on my willingness not to see to carry on. Stupid, Violet, I thought. I turned, prepared to ignore the man, then, I remembered the other amenities Midnight Park offered. They had sex workers on staff for the bar and club attached to the hotel. The place was more of a one-stop resort of revelry than a hotel. For that reason, the alpha king liked to host gatherings here.

"Better?"

I blinked down at my hand. "Yes… Thank you…"

"Call me Theo'." He licked his lips. "I had hoped you smelled as good as you looked before I came over here. It's better than I imagined." My face heated. "Uhm… well… I didn't think men really cared about perfume."

"You're not wearing any." I blinked. He smiled and winked. "Unless you're counting blood."

That much was true, but most people assumed I was… Most people also didn't know that my mother was a breeder, and that's why I smelled the way I did.

I cleared my throat. "How much for a night of your time?"

He smirked. "A beautiful woman never has to pay for sex, let alone with me."

He cocked an eyebrow and looked down at my hand. "How's your husband feel about it?"

I looked down at the ring, but my eyes were drawn to the mark on my wrist. I could hear him panting her name, and I yanked the ring off. His hand fell on mine.

"Leave it," he said, his eyes twinkling as he leaned closer. "Consider it a prop."

"A prop?"

"Jilted wife picks up a cock for hire to give her everything she's wanted." My heart sped up, and my body heated as he leaned closer, whispering in my ear. "And a lot more she didn't know she wanted." He placed his hand over mine. "The way his tongue feels on her skin, the hard thrust of his cock making her forget whatever her husband's done."

I looked up at him. "You think you can make me forget?"

"I think you already have."

I bit my lip. Embarrassed that he was talking to me like that, raking his eyes over me, hot and hungry. It was nothing like the way Lucas would look at me.

He gestured to the bartender and offered his hand. "Shall we?"

I bit my lip, considering it. In place of the pain, there was a throbbing, pleasurable ache pooling between my legs. I felt better than I had imagined, and I took his hand.

"Lead the way."

We got into the elevator, and the first thing he did was pull the pins out of my hair. My hair tumbled down over my shoulders. He gathered it into his hands and pushed me back against the wall with a low groan.

"By the moon," his voice strained.

I let out a startled squeak when he hauled me up. My feet left the floor. He pressed his hips against mine, pinning me to the wall, and rolled his hips suggestively, dragging the hard length of his cock against me and sending shocks of pleasure through me.

The pain melted and gave way. I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing him into a kiss. He let out a low groan, licking into my mouth and thrusting harder against me like a promise. The kiss turned hot and devouring. It was nothing like the way Lucas kissed me.

He dropped his mouth to my bare shoulder, nipping, sucking, and dragging his calloused hands up my legs until he could get a firm hold of my ass. He pulled back just enough to fit a hand between us, his fingers fluttering and stroking me. I moaned as he added more pressure, teasing me through the thing scrap of lace between us.

"You're already so wet," he groaned, pushing her panties aside and making teasing little circles with his fingers. "I bet you taste…"

My stomach jolted. He pulled his hand away and set me down. My eyes widened as I realized his plan.

I couldn't even reply before he was on his knees, my knee on his shoulder, and his face between my legs. He thrust his tongue into me so fast, so deeply, I saw stars. I gripped his hair, and he groaned, thrusting his tongue deeper. I tried to push him away, but my knees were weak. My hips jerked forward on their own, grinding against his face and chasing the feeling of his tongue inside me.

Lucas had never done anything like this to me, and between the pain and pleasure, the embarrassment and desire, I didn't have the strength to fight it.

I didn’t want to.

"Theo, you--"

He reached up, groping my breasts, devouring me–ravaging me. He thrust his tongue in harder, pinning me against the wall, legs open and helpless to do anything but take it. The feeling of being utterly helpless only made it more exciting. My heart was pounding in my ears. I pulled at his hair.

“Theo---“

He grunted. It sounded encouraging. He picked up the speed.

The elevator dinged and came to a stop. The doors trembled, and Theo’s tongue sped up. I was frozen, fearful of who would be on the other side, but unable to stop the jolt of pleasure and unyielding pull of my orgasm growing closer.

"Theo, Theo, wait--"

He pulled back, his face shiny and wet.

"Imagine your husband standing on the other side of the door."