Rejected Mate's Vengeance

Before I could make sense of the situation before me.

A pair of soft, delicate hands had already found their way to my chest.

The warmth of her palms felt all too real.

This wasn’t a dream.

And she wasn’t dead.

"Sean…"

Kinley cooed as she leaned closer.

Her fingers traced lazy, intimate circles on my chest.

The lingering scent of their earlier intimacy clung to her, a mix of rosemary and vanilla that made my stomach churn violently.

I bit down hard on my lower lip, forcing myself not to push her away.

Now wasn’t the time to confront her.

I had to figure out what was going on!

Kinley tilted her face up.

Her eyes brimmed with hope as she gazed at me.

"When can we finally be together openly? I’m so tired of hiding."

I reached out, stroking her hair, doing my best to mimic Sean’s usual tone.

"What’s wrong? Didn’t we already agree on this?"

Kinley pouted, her red lips forming a perfect pout of distress.

"Even though you gave her that wolfsbane tea… the thought of our son having to be registered under her name still makes me sick."

Wolfsbane tea?

The words exploded in my mind.

My vision blurred for a moment.

Three years of marriage to Sean.

And still, no child.

The cold looks from Della, the whispered judgments, the countless bitter remedies I’d forced down my throat…

I’d even knelt before the Moon Goddess for three days and nights.

Begging for a pup to carry on the Herrera bloodline.

But nothing had ever come of it.

Then, the tragedy that befell the Taylor pack.

I didn’t want to hold Sean back any longer.

With tears in my eyes, I’d suggested a rejection to him.

And how had Sean responded?

He’d cupped my face with such tenderness, his eyes filled with sincerity.

"Isabel, you’re all I need. I’ve decided—if we can’t have a pup, we’ll adopt one from the pack."

How utterly ironic!

He’d been slipping me wolfsbane tea all along!

His so-called "adoption"…

Was nothing more than a cover for Kinley’s pup!