Chapter 4

VALENTINA 

I stepped back, the air cooling my skin. My eyes never left his as my hands gathered the hem of my short black dress. I raised it slowly, up over my thighs, past my hips, revealing the bare, slick skin beneath. 

His gaze dropped, darkened, and the control in him snapped. In less than a second, his hand was at my throat, not squeezing, but claiming. He pulled me flush against him, the hard planes of his body imprinting on mine. “Very well,” he growled, his breath scorching my lips. 

In one fluid motion, he jacked me up, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carried me across the room. He didn’t walk, he stalked. To the bedpost. He pinned me, the pressure delicious against my spine, and finally, his mouth crashed down on mine.

It was the best kiss. His lips were surprisingly soft, yet the kiss was all hunger and possession. I could taste the drink, the spice, the dark promise of him. My head spun. His hands moved over me, my back, my ass, my ribs, like he was mapping a territory he intended to conquer. 

Then, with a rough tug, he stripped the dress over my head and tossed it. He didn’t pet me. He wasn't even gentle. He pushed me backward onto the bed, following me down, his weight anchoring me. His hand returned to my throat, a firm, dominant pressure that made my core clench in  approval. “Yes.” This was what I needed. Hardcore. No pretense.

With his other hand, he freed himself from his pants. My breath hitched. He was thick, veined, and fully erect, a sight that made my already soaked pussy pulse with anticipation. He was a vision to behold.

He spat, once, on my pussy. The crude gesture sent another shock of wet heat through me. Then, without another second of hesitation, he filled himself in.

“gods”

A full, stretching, perfect invasion. I cried out, a sharp, broken sound. He filled me, the burn of the stretch giving way to a deep, radiating pleasure. He began to move, setting a punishing, relentless rhythm right from the start. Each thrust jolted me up the bed, my moans climbing in volume, raw and unfiltered.

“Mmmmmm…fuck!”

He silenced me with another searing kiss, swallowing my cries as he drove into me harder, deeper. There was no space to beg him to slow down, only to feel. My words broke into a repititive whisper, gasping against his lips. “Please… please… please…”

It was a plea for more, for ruin, for everything.

He fucked me like he was exorcising a demon, his hips pistoning, the slap of skin echoing in the room. The coil inside me tightened, a brilliant, screaming pressure about to—

We both froze.

A shockwave tore through the room. Through us.

His thrust stopped, buried to the hilt inside me. My plea died on my lips. Our eyes locked, wide with a shared, impossible recognition.

From the deepest, most primal part of my soul, a howl erupted. Not a sound, but a feeling, a shift of certainty.

And in the stunned, silence between our ragged breaths, I felt the same howl echo back from him.

“Mate.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The silence that followed was deafening.

Neither of us spoke. We just scrambled for our clothes, the friction of the fabric against my sensitized skin felt like a betrayal. I had to dress in front of him, one of the most ruthless man, knowing he was my fated mate.

And he had almost rejected me before he even knew. The ache in my chest was devastating, we hadn't even finished. No orgasm, just the cold, hard reality of who he was.

"This was a mistake," I snapped, my voice trembling as I yanked my dress down. "I’m going. If I wasn’t being chased by Harold’s spineless friends, I never would have stepped foot in here."

Horace looked up, his eyes sharp and filled with a strange flickering heat. "Why would Harold’s friends be chasing you?" His voice was pure venom when he spoke his cousin's name.

"It’s nothing serious," I lied, looking for my heels. "I just didn’t want anyone, especially Harold to know I was here."

He stepped toward me, his presence looming and predatory. "Oh, Valentina... you didn’t want anyone to know you were with me?" His voice turned sly, a dark purr that made me forget for a split second that he was a monster. My heart throbbed. God, I wanted more of him.

"No, I…I didn't mean it like that. I just..." I paused, my blood running cold. "Wait. How do you know my name?"

He was in my space before I could blink, his hand catching my chin. "Shhh." He pressed a rough finger against my lips to silence me. "I know you’re Harold’s precious little girlfriend. And I’m his cousin."

"I’m aware of who you are, Horace," I bit out, my voice dropping to a low hiss. "You wicked piece of shit."

His brows snapped together. "What was that?"

"Nothing," I muttered, grabbing my shoes and bolting for the door. I didn't get far. His hand clamped around my wrist, pulling me back. I expected him to yell, to shift and growl, but his eyes... they actually looked soft for a heartbeat.

"Wait," he rasped. "I... I just can't have this distraction right now."

I turned, my heart hammering against my ribs. "What distraction?"

"I don't want a girlfriend. I don't want a wife. I never wanted to be mated to anyone."

The rejection stung worse than a physical blow. I folded my arms, hiding the way my hands shook. "Oh, I see. Then reject me right now. Is this what you do? Seduce girls just to throw them away?"

Horace leaned in, his dark scent clouding my judgment. "Valentina, let's not go there. You’re the one who asked me to fuck you so hard you’d forget your own name. And don't act innocent, you knew I was your boyfriend’s cousin the whole time."

"Ex-boyfriend," I corrected sharply.

"Really?" He smirked, looking me up and down. "I’m not sure the pack knows you’ve broken up yet. Isn't that why you came here? Because he cheated on you... with a man?"

My stomach lurched. "Don’t say it like that."

"He cheated, and you want to make him pay, don't you?" Horace’s eyes gleamed with a cruel intelligence. "You want to walk into a room and make every head turn. You want to make him suffer. You want to know who was in his bed."

He stepped even closer, his voice a low vibration. "I hate Harold with everything in me. He fucked your stepmother, Valentina. And he fucked my ex-girlfriend, too. Except... she’s dead now."

Horror washed over me. I began to shake, the legends of Horace’s cruelty flashing through my mind. Did he kill her because she betrayed him? "How... how did she die?"

He saw the fear in my eyes and his expression hardened. "Stop panting. I didn't kill her."

I had to get out. I turned to run, but he blocked the path, his massive body a wall of muscle. "You are my mate, Valentina. As much as I hate to admit it, I can’t reject you. If I do, the bond will break me, and I can't afford to lose my edge right now. So, I’ll do you a favor."

"A favor?" I breathed.

"I hate Harold, too. He’s a puppet to me, a rival I could crush if I felt like wasting the time. I wanted to reject you... but instead, I’m going to help you get your revenge. I won’t hurt him physically. I’ll do something much worse. I'll break his spirit."

He leaned down, his finger back on my lips.

"You’re going to be my girlfriend. We’re going to make him so jealous he can’t function. I’ll win every game, I’ll take everything he loves, and he’ll think I’m doing it because of what he did with my ex. He’ll never know it was actually you pulling the strings."

He tilted his head, a dark, beautiful devil. "So, Valentina? Do we have a deal?"

"No," I whispered, pulling back from his touch. The room felt too small, his presence too heavy. "I don't want any part of this. If I want revenge, I’ll get it myself."

I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me like a physical blow. "Is that so? Do you want to do it alone while he tells the whole pack how miserable you are?"

I froze.

"He’s telling everyone you’re pathetic, Valentina," Horace said, his voice dropping to a low, cruel crawl. 

"He’s laughing about how bad you are in bed. I don’t think a man who actually loves a woman says things like that. For God's sake, the man is literally fucking your stepmother."

The air left my lungs. My vision blurred as the first hot tear escaped, rolling down my cheek. Then another. My nose began to drip, and I couldn't stop the sob that broke from my throat.

"Did he... did he really say all that?" I choked out. I looked at Horace, searching for a lie in his dark eyes. "Is that really what he said about me?"

"Yes," Horace replied. He didn't look away.

He moved into my space again, so close I could feel the heat radiating off his chest. 

"See, Val... the only reason I feel even a shred of sympathy for you is because you’re my mate." He reached out, his large hand cupping my face. His thumb swiped away a tear, but his touch wasn't gentle, it was possessive.

"You are so beautiful. As much as I hate your hair you’re so sexy," he rasped, his eyes darkening as they tracked the path of another tear. "I don't understand how he could choose your mother over you. It’s disgusting. It's not something you should ever forgive."

He leaned down, his lips inches from mine. "I'm giving you a chance. Eventually, I’ll find a way to break this bond and I'll reject you, we both want that. But until then, I want to help you. I’ve watched you push that idiot to the top. You shouldn't have to suffer while he reaps the rewards."

He ran his hand down to my waist, pulling me flush against him so I could feel just how much he still wanted me.

"I’ll give you everything," he promised. "The luxury, the power, the status. I’ll make him so jealous he goes insane. You tell me when you've had enough. You tell me when you're satisfied with his ruin."

He tilted my head back, his gaze locking onto mine like a predator cornering its prey.

"So, Valentina... take my offer and get your revenge, or I reject you right here, right now. Choose."

The devil doesn’t always give freely, “what do you want Horace.”