Chapter 127
Tristan’s POV
My head throbbed–punishment for the whiskey I’d downed after the celebration. I sat up slowly, the events of the previous night flooding back in uncomfortable clarity.
The mark I’d left on her neck–visible proof for everyone to see.
My wolf stirred beneath my skin, satisfied yet still hungry. We’d claimed her, marked her as ours despite everything that stood between us.
“Fuck,” I breathed, running a hand through my disheveled hair. I’d acted on pure instinct, without planning, without considering consequences. Not like me at all.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I glanced at the screen, expecting Varian. Instead, Selene’s name flashed insistently. I silenced it, in no mood for her dramatics this early.
As I dressed, my phone buzzed again. And again. And again. Always Selene. By the seventh call, I snatched it up, irritation boiling over.
“What?” I growled.
“Have you seen the news?” Selene’s voice trembled with barely contained fury.
I frowned, moving to my laptop. “What news?”
“They’re saying you and that–that woman are developing a romance!” She practically spat the words. “Alphas are talking about seeing you together.”
I pulled up the news feed, skimming through the headlines. Sure enough, there it was:
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. Perfect. Now everyone would think Lysandra was mine again–which she was,
whether she accepted it or not.
“Tristan!” Selene screeched, pulling me back to our conversation. “Tell me this isn’t true!”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, suddenly exhausted despite having just woken up. “Selene, I can’t do this right now.”
“She called me,” Selene hissed, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper.
That caught my attention. “Who called you?”
“Your precious Lysandra,” she spat. “She told me if she wanted you back, she could take you anytime.”
My wolf perked up at this unexpected information. Lysandra had called Selene? Claimed she could take me bac. she wanted? That didn’t sound like her–or did it?
“When did she call you?” I demanded.
“This morning. She said-” Selene’s voice broke slightly. “She said you weren’t satisfied with me. That’s why you were reaching for her.”
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Chapter 127
A strange tension coiled in my chest–something like hope, quickly crushed by suspicion. This had to be some kind of game. Lysandra hated me. She’d made that abundantly clear.
“She’s lying,‘ I said flatly, though doubt crept in around the edges of my certainty.
“I know what I heard, Tristan.” Selene’s voice hardened. “And now everyone’s talking about your little romance. I look like a fool!”
I ended the call abruptly, tossing my phone onto the bed. My thoughts raced, trying to make sense of Lysandra’s actions. Why would she call Selene? Why pretend she wanted me back?
Unless…
Unless she was trying to cause trouble. Set Selene against me. Distract me with relationship drama while she planned her
next move.
Anger surged through me at the thought of being manipulated. I paced the room, energy crackling beneath my skin.
My phone vibrated again – another video call from Selene. I briefly considered ignoring it, but she’d likely just keep
calling. Better to get it over with.
The moment I answered, Selene’s face appeared on screen, eyes red–rimmed but determined.
“You know what?” Her lips curved into a smile. “It doesn’t matter. She’ll never take you back. But I’m right here, Tristan. I’ve always been right here.”
She reached for the top button of her blouse, slowly undoing it while maintaining eye contact.
I watched, feeling oddly detached as she continued unbuttoning her blouse, revealing the lace beneath. There was a time when this display would have aroused me–Selene was objectively beautiful. But now I felt nothing.
“Selene, stop,” I said quietly.
She ignored me, slipping the blouse off her shoulders. She breathed, one hand sliding up her stomach to cup her breast.
Her other hand moved lower, hiking up her skirt inch by inch. I should have felt something–desire, arousal, anything. Instead, I felt a growing discomfort, like I was watching a performance that wasn’t meant for me.
“This isn’t going to work,” I told her.
She froze, her hands falling still. “What’s happening to us?” she asked, voice small and wounded. “Is it something I did wrong?”
“I’m ending this call, Selene.”
“Tristan, please-
I disconnected before she could finish, tossing my phone onto the bed beside me.
The room felt suddenly too quiet, the silence pressing in from all sides. My body hadn’t responded at all to Selene’s naked body. Was something physically wrong with me?
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1 lay back on the bed, staring at the celling. My mind drifted unwillingly to Lysandra. I closed my eyes, letting the fro take shape.
Her skin under my fingers, soft but resilient. The curve of her waist, the swell of her breasts. The small gasp the’d made when my mouth found her neck.
My hand moved down my chest, past my stomach, fingers tracing the growing hardness beneath my slacks. Just the thought of her was enough to trigger a response my body had denied Selene’s actual flesh.
1 unzipped my pants, wrapping my fingers around myself. Heat surged through me instantly, blood rushing south with an intensity that made me groan.
was so vivid I could almost taste I stroked faster, tightening my grip, imagining it was her hand, her mouth. The fantasy her, feel the silkiness of her hair wrapped around my fist as I tilted her head back to expose her throat.
My breath came in harsh pants, pleasure coiling tight at the base of my spine. I thought of marking her again–not just her neck this time, but everywhere. Claiming every inch of her skin until no one could doubt she was mine.
The tension built rapidly, my hips lifting from the mattress as I chased release. Lysandra’s name escaped my lips–a confession, a prayer, a demand.
When I finally came, it was with an intensity that bordered on pain, my entire body convulsing with the force of it. For a moment, my mind went completely blank, wiped clean of everything but pure physical sensation.
As reality slowly reasserted itself, I lay boneless against the sheets, one arm flung over my eyes. The evidence of my release cooling on my stomach, sticky and undeniable.
I knew then, with absolute certainty, that I was utterly, hopelessly obsessed with her. And I had no idea what to do about
- it.
After cleaning myself up, I found myself too restless to remain indoors. The walls seemed to close in around me, thoughts of Lysandra circling endlessly in my mind. I needed air, space, freedom.
I drove to the edge of the forest and parked, stepping out into the cool evening air. Without conscious decision, I moved into the trees, stripping off my jacket and letting it fall to the ground.
My wolf pushed forward, demanding release. I hadn’t shifted in months–hadn’t felt the need until now. But something called to me from the depths of the forest, pulling me forward with irresistible force.
Then, unexpectedly, a familiar scent caught my attention. Lavender and vanilla, with an undertone of something uniquely her. My head lifted, nostrils flaring as I drank in the scent.
Lysandra.
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