CHAPTER 15: CHAPTER 15: CONSEQUENCES

For a moment, the world outside disappears. There are no packs, no wars, no haters... just me and Harleigh.

She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen: strong, yet delicate. Her skin is soft beneath my touch, though marked with faint scars from training and battles. Her body curves perfectly against mine, as though we were made to fit this way.

I gently flip our bodies around, laying her on top of me, while I position myself on top of her.

Our lips meet again, and as they passionately dance, my hands move to undress her then myself.

Once we’re completely n.aked, I let my hands wander, exploring the gentle rise of her shoulders, the curve of her waist, and the warmth of her skin.

Every sigh that escapes her lips feels like an urge for me not to stop.

I descend my face between her spread legs, and use my mouth and tongue to amplify her pleasure. She arches her back, her fingers entangled in my hair, all the while moaning my name.

Subsequently,...

Her hands fly to her mouth when her moans grow louder as I insert two fingers inside of her. It takes a moment, and I only stop when she begs me to, allowing her to adjust to the extreme pleasure as her body trembles.

When she finally gives me a signal to continue, I slowly stick my throbbing manhood inside of her, making her tremble and moan again. I thrust my hips steadily at first. Then little by little, my pace becomes fast and fierce.

I slam my lips against Harleigh’s again just to limit the loudness of our moans.

We bounce up and down the creaking bed. And for a moment, I worry that the bed may break against our weights and wild movements.

Time blurs.

Harleigh reaches her climax first, and I follow a few minutes later.

As I spill my seed inside her, my wolf howls in uttermost satisfaction and delight.

I collapse beside her, and wrap my arms around her as she rests her head against my shoulder.

Our jagged breaths echo.

"I love you, Harleigh," I whisper, wiping her happy tears.

"I love you too, Torrin," she whispers back.

We stay like this for a while. And as much as I’d love to remain in her warmth, we have to move and put our clothes back on before someone sees us.

Night falls, and Harleigh stays with me, curled up on the couch, sleeping peacefully. From time to time, she smiles, as if dreaming of something delightful, which I hope is me.

Unfortunately,...

The peace I’m enjoying is disrupted when Uncle Atticus enters the room with a clenched face.

"Are you out of your mind? Why did you have to use your power against the Crimsonbane wolves?" he hisses, careful not to wake Harleigh and accidentally expose my secret to her.

"Don’t worry about it," I reply calmly. "I didn’t take much of their strength or skills nor their memories. They’ll be weaker than they originally were, but not too weak not to function properly. No one will ever suspect what I did."

Uncle Atticus grunts, his glare darkening. "Follow me."

Reluctantly, I rise and follow him into the hallway until we reach Dr. Lei’s office.

Dr. Lei, in a grave expression, hands me a few sheets of paper. "That’s Alpha Cassandra’s medical record I took earlier while she’s being treated here. According to it, she’s infertile. But it appears her infertility was caused by the amount of strength her wolf had lost, not by any previous medical condition."

Guilt twists inside me.

I never meant to go that far. I only wanted to erase her memories of the fight and weaken her a little.

Uncle Atticus’ voice cuts through my thoughts. "I can’t believe you’d do this just to find a plausible excuse not to marry her."

I hadn’t even considered that. Among werewolves, it’s an unwritten rule that a male Alpha can refuse a mate or a betrothed if she cannot give him an heir.

Now that Cassandra is infertile, Alpha Conrad and the rest of the Crimsonbane Pack can’t act against me now. They can’t force me to live my life heirless, which is considered a weakness among packs.

On top of that, without an heir, their alliance with us would collapse the moment Cassandra and I divorce or if she dies.

Suddenly,...

Uncle Atticus grabs my collar.

Dr. Lei gasps in shock, though it isn’t the first time Atticus has acted like he’s the Alpha and I’m beneath him in front of our packmates.

"Not only that you’ve lost a great opportunity, you’ve also put us in danger again and disrespected your late father’s will!"

I keep my composure, but my tone is sharp. "Are those really your concerns, or are you angry because you lost your chance to seize Cassandra’s hand in marriage in exchange for the Crimsonbane Pack’s loyalty?"

He raises his fist to punch me, but he stops when I warn coldly, "Go ahead. Cross the line again, and I won’t hesitate to punish you this time. I’ve been patient with your insults and your schemes, but that patience has a limit."

He lets go of my collar, his lips curling into a menacing smirk. "I don’t need an heir with Cassandra if I’m to marry her, coz I have Damian... whom I’ve already given my blessing to pursue Harleigh."

That’s a direct threat!

If I don’t patch things up with Cassandra, he’ll marry her himself, gain the Crimsonbane Pack’s support, and steal my Alpha title. Once he dies, Damian will inherit the rank... and Harleigh will be his Luna.

Atticus slams the door shut, startling Dr. Lei.

My fists clench tightly at my sides.

My title is mine, and so are my pack’s loyalty and Harleigh’s love! I won’t let him steal what’s rightfully mine!

"Don’t let anyone know about Cassandra’s medical results until I say so," I order Dr. Lei before storming out of his office.

Surprisingly,...

When I return to my room, Damian is kneeling in front of Harleigh. Harleigh looks guilty as she tries to hide her tears from me.

"What’s going on here?" I ask.

Damian lifts his pale, sweaty face, fury blazing in his eyes.

While he struggles to stand, I instinctively step back.

"My wolf wouldn’t feel this broken if you and Harleigh hadn’t overstepped yourselves," he says.

The memory of our lovemaking flashes in my mind instantly.

"Did you two do it?!" Damian demands in an emotion I’ve never seen he’s capable of expressing.

Of course, I can’t openly admit to that, and neither can Harleigh. What happened between us is a sacred and a private matter.

Still, my silence alone is enough for Damian to confirm what he already suspects.

"You’re really selfish, aren’t you? After dragging our entire pack into multiple complicated situations, you still had the nerve to make your move on Harleigh!" he growls.

"She’s obviously drawn to me more than to you," I reply, keeping my composure. "If you truly love her, then you should respect her choice."

Damian lets out a bitter laugh. "She’s leaning more toward you than to me because you took advantage of her bond with you! You’re seducing her, while I’m waiting patiently for her to come to me! Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to kiss her, or to make love to her, but didn’t? That’s how I show my love and respect for her!"

"Our ways of courting her are obviously different. It’s not my fault that I’m better at expressing my feelings than you," I counter.

I’ve already made too many enemies over the past few weeks, and the last thing I want is to lose Damian too. I wanna fix this, but I don’t know where to begin.

The only thing I’m certain of is that I’ll never regret choosing Harleigh above everything else. If there’s an afterlife, I’ll definitely choose her again, even if I have to face more enemies than I am now.

Harleigh steps closer to Damian. She reaches out to touch his face, but he jerks away before her fingers can graze his skin.

"Once you accept his claim over you, and if I survive its effect, I promise I’ll respect your decision and never question it again. But you’d better do the same for me. Respect and don’t question what will be mine," he says through gritted teeth.

He deliberately slams his shoulders into mine as he storms out of the room.

"Damian, please! Let’s talk!" Harleigh begs, moving to follow him.

But I stop her by pulling her back into my arms

Hesitantly I ask, "Do you regret..."

"I don’t," her answer comes through trembling lips. "But the problems keep piling up, and I don’t know how much more I can take. We’re breaking so many hearts, and we’ll break more if we don’t find a common ground soon."

Tears stream down her cheeks as she buries her face in my chest. My arms tighten around her as if I could shield her from everything.

First, the Dunebourne Pack. Soon, maybe the Crimsonbane Pack if I can’t devise a plan in time. And now, Damian.

Harleigh is right: How much more can we endure before everything falls apart?