Jaxen POV

"I thought you were in love with the other twin."

Raven, my older sister and a permanent pain in my ass, said this as we slipped out of the reception celebrating the union.

She was three years older than me, and despite being a woman in a world that often overlooked them, she was smarter and more dangerous than most men I knew.

Raven had graduated at the top of every training class she had ever taken. Combat. Strategy. Pack law. She had earned the respect of people who had once looked down on her.

By the time she turned twenty, she was already eligible to become Alpha, the first female Alpha in Silver Fang history.

But she gave up the title, claiming she was too free-spirited to be trapped in one place.

According to her, she would rather roam territories and learn from other packs than sit behind a desk making decisions for people who would question every order she gave just because of what was between their legs.

I had always admired that about her.

Even when she was being insufferable.

Like right now.

Most of the guests had already left, so slipping away wasn’t a problem. The musicians were packing up their instruments. Servants moved around clearing tables while the last few stragglers nursed their drinks, their laughter fading into the cold night air.

But Raven hadn’t left.

In fact, it seemed like she had purposely waited for the perfect opportunity to dig her claws into my wounds.

"She betrayed me," I said through gritted teeth.

The words burned through my skull, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get rid of the image of her in bed with another man. The mate bond kept screaming at me to forgive her, but the hurt from her betrayal was louder.

We walked across the dark courtyard, away from the fading music while the moon hung low above us.

"But didn’t the healer say Callista is almost three months pregnant?" Raven asked casually. "Now, I’m not the best at math, but if my calculations are correct... let’s see..." she muttered dramatically, counting on her fingers while tapping her chin.

"Three months ago... that would be..." She paused before turning to me with a smirk. "Ah. Doesn’t that mean you betrayed her first?"

My fist clenched tighter.

I halted in my tracks, then turned to face her. She stood there with her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

"It was a mistake," I said, repeating the same thing I had told everyone. The same thing I had told myself. "I didn’t consciously decide to sleep with her. I was drunk. I was in heat. There had also been a rogue attack that night. Everything was chaotic."

Raven’s smirk didn’t waver.

"But just because I made a mistake doesn’t mean I let Callista take all the blame," I continued. "You know what her father is like. If I hadn’t stepped up, he would have destroyed her. Or worse."

"Destroyed her?" Raven laughed. "Yeah, right."

"You’re only acting this way because you don’t like her," I snapped. "She might act out sometimes, but can you really blame a sheltered girl for that? She’s actually very sweet once you get to know her."

"Pass," Raven replied, stepping closer until her dark eyes locked onto mine. "You claim Lorelei betrayed you, but you betrayed her first. You slept with her sister. You got her sister pregnant. And now you’ve married her sister. You’re a coward, Jaxen."

The word hit me like a slap.

"I’m not—"

"You are." Her voice turned cold. "You always have been. That’s why you have this strange attachment to me. I assumed you would outgrow it..." She tilted her head slightly. "Guess I was wrong."

I opened my mouth to argue, my fist clenching tighter, but forced myself to stop.

"You know what? I’m not going to do this with you."

"What?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Go back and forth with you," I said. "I’ll be Alpha soon. By then, I expect you to give me the respect I deserve."

That made her chuckle.

"Okay, Alpha Jaxen."

I knew she was mocking me. Knew the sarcasm dripping from every word. But I refused to let it get to me.

Arguing with Raven when she was in this kind of mood was like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands. Frustrating, exhausting, and guaranteed to leave you with nothing but burned fingers and a headache.

So I turned and walked away.

Her laughter followed me down the corridor until the stone walls swallowed it completely.

*******

By the time I returned to my chambers, all I wanted was to collapse into bed. I still had a coronation to prepare for in a week, and my head was already pounding.

But the second I stepped through the door, my steps faltered.

Callista was sprawled across my massive bed in black lace that barely covered anything.

My body reacted before my mind could. My cock hardened almost instantly.

I was still a man. A wolf. I couldn’t help it. The sight of any beautiful woman would have gotten a reaction out of me, especially one who looked almost identical to my mate.

"What is this?" I asked, shutting the door behind me as I stepped closer and loosened my collar.

"What do you mean?" Callista asked softly as she slowly sat up.

The lace shifted with her movement, sliding against her skin while her golden hair spilled over her shoulders.

"I thought you were the shy, clueless type," I said, my eyes dragging over her curves despite myself.

Her breasts pressed against the thin fabric, her hardened nipples visible through the lace. The dark material framed her body perfectly, pushing everything together in a way that made my jaw tighten.

I swallowed hard before forcing my gaze back to her face.

"I mean... this is all new to me. The maids practically forced me into this outfit," she said shyly, brushing her hair over one shoulder. "But you’re my husband now. Isn’t it my responsibility to please you? That’s what Mama told me."

At that, her gaze slowly dropped to the bulge in my pants.

She swallowed before reaching out with trembling fingers, brushing her palm lightly over the thick outline through the fabric.

The touch made me suck in a sharp breath, but I quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"I told you already. I’m only marrying you because you’re carrying my child," I said carefully.

Her smile faltered immediately.

"I’m already pregnant," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "I just thought..." She shook her head quickly. "Forget it."

Then, almost immediately, she wiped at her tears and forced herself to straighten up.

Without another word, she walked past me toward the table in the corner of the room where a bottle of wine and two glasses had already been prepared.

"Even my sister, who is just a servant, is getting married soon. I bet her life will end up being much better than mine."

Callista continued pouring wine into the glasses, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke.

But my blood suddenly turned cold.

"What did you just say?" I asked slowly, hoping I had heard her wrong.

With an innocent expression, Callista glanced over her shoulder.

"Oh, you haven’t heard?" she asked before turning fully toward me. "Mama and Papa are planning a wedding for my sister too. Since I got married, they think it’s only fair that she does too. And since she already agreed..." She smiled softly. "They’re trying to make it happen as quickly as possible."

She agreed.

The words echoed through my skull.

Lorelei had agreed to marry someone else.

Was that why she rejected my offer to become my mistress? Because she had already chosen another man?

Then what the hell had all that crying been for?

Had it all just been an act?

My fists clenched at my sides so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, and a bitter laugh almost escaped me.

If that was the case, then why the fuck was I still holding back?

Callista was the real victim here. I had forced myself on her while drunk, yet she was still trying to be considerate. Still willing to stand quietly at my side as my Luna.

Meanwhile, the woman I had actually loved was apparently planning a wedding with someone else.

The anger simmering inside me for weeks finally snapped.

Before I could stop myself, I crossed the room, grabbed Callista from behind, and crashed my lips against hers.