Delilah POV
The rain lashed against the tinted windows of the SUV as we crunched up the gravel driveway of the Mcclain Ancestral Estate. The house wasn't a home; it was a fortress of gray stone perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the churning Atlantic. It looked like it was built to withstand a siege, or perhaps to keep prisoners from escaping.
Jaden's leg bounced nervously beside me. The closer we got, the more the air inside the car soured with his scent—acrid anxiety and damp fear.
Remember what I said, Jaden snapped as the car rolled to a halt. He grabbed my forearm, his fingers digging into the tender flesh hard enough to bruise. "Smile. Nod. Do not speak unless spoken to. Carter isn't just my brother; he is the King. If you embarrass me, Delilah, you will wish you were back in the cellar."
I know, I whispered, pulling my arm away. I rubbed the spot where his nails had bitten in. "I won't say a word."
He glared at me, adjusting his tie with trembling hands. It was pathetic. The man who made my life a living hell was reduced to a shivering child at the mere prospect of seeing his older brother.
We stepped out into the biting wind and were ushered into the Great Hall. It was a cavernous space, the walls lined with the mounted heads of stags and bears, their glass eyes watching us. The room was packed with high-ranking wolves—Betas, Gammas, and visiting dignitaries—but the moment the heavy oak doors at the top of the grand staircase opened, the chatter died instantly.
Silence fell like a guillotine.
A man stepped onto the landing.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and radiated a power so dense it felt like gravity had shifted. He wore a charcoal suit that strained against thick muscles, but it was his face that stopped my heart.
Sharp jawline. heavy brow. Storm-gray eyes that swept over the room with the indifference of a predator surveying a herd of sheep.
My breath hitched, lodging painfully in my throat.
It's him.
The realization hit me with the force of a physical blow. The scent washed over me instantly—sandalwood, ozone, and the dark, electric charge of a gathering storm. It was the same scent that had clung to my skin for days. The same scent I had tried to scrub away in the shower.
My wolf woke from her slumber, pacing frantically in my mind. Mate, she purred, a low, vibrating hum that rattled my bones. Mine.
I had slept with the Alpha King. I had slept with my husband's brother.
Panic, cold and absolute, flooded my veins. I wanted to run, to vomit, to hide, but my feet were rooted to the Persian rug.
Carter descended the stairs, his movements fluid and predatory. The crowd parted for him like the Red Sea. He stopped in front of us, towering over Jaden.
Brother, Jaden squeaked, his voice cracking. He bowed his head, exposing his neck in submission. "Welcome back. The West Coast expansion is—"
The West Coast expansion is a disaster, Carter interrupted. His voice was a deep baritone that vibrated through the floorboards. He didn't even look at Jaden; his eyes were locked on me. "You handled the negotiations like a pup begging for scraps. I'll be cleaning up your mess for months."
Jaden flushed a deep, ugly crimson. "I... the territory was contested, Carter. I did my best."
Your best is mediocre, Jaden. It always has been.
Carter's gaze finally shifted fully to me. Up close, he was terrifying. The memory of his hands on my body, his lips on my neck, flashed through my mind, making my knees weak. But his eyes held no warmth now. They were cold, calculating shards of ice.
And this, Jaden said hurriedly, desperate to shift the attention. He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, displaying me like a prize poodle. "This is Delilah. My wife."
I forced my trembling hand to extend toward the most powerful wolf on the continent. "It is an honor, Alpha Mcclain."
Carter looked at my hand. He didn't take it.
He let the silence stretch, thick and agonizing, until people nearby started to shift uncomfortably. His lip curled slightly, a microscopic expression of disgust.
I don't touch unclean things, he said smoothly.
The insult was a slap in the face. Gasps rippled through the onlookers. I snatched my hand back as if burned, my face burning with humiliation.
He... he has sensory overload, Jaden stammered, laughing nervously to cover the slight. "The bloodline power... it makes touch difficult for him. Isn't that right, Carter?"
Carter ignored him. He took a step closer to me, invading my personal space. The heat radiating from his body was intoxicating, warring with the terror freezing my blood. He was so close I could see the flecks of silver in his irises.
He leaned down, his mouth brushing the shell of my ear. To the room, it looked like a polite greeting.
Then, his hand came up. His rough thumb grazed my left earlobe—the naked one. The one missing the diamond stud.
A jolt of electricity shot down my spine at the contact, making me gasp softly.
You owe me three hundred dollars, little wolf, he whispered, his voice a low growl that only I could hear.
He pulled back, a dark, cruel smirk playing on his lips. He winked—a gesture that was not playful, but predatory—and turned his back on us, walking away into the crowd.
I stood frozen, the ghost of his touch burning on my ear, realizing with dawning horror that the monster I had married was nothing compared to the beast I had just unleashed.
