Chapter 1

Serra’s POV

My husband Leon was critically wounded by rogue wolves and has been completely impotent ever since.

I still play the perfect, devoted wife every day. Everyone praises my loyalty. Even the elders privately told me that as long as I’m willing, the pack will always respect my bond with Leon.

But whenever they say that, I can only smile and lower my head. I don’t dare look into their eyes.

Because somewhere along the way, I started uncontrollably craving Leon’s older brother—the current Alpha, Rex.

…

“Serra, listen to me.”

Leon’s voice sounded unusually low in the study.

“After the attack… I can’t get hard. You know that.” He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. “You want a child. The pack needs a stronger bloodline. Rex is Alpha. His kid would be the closest to mine we can get. Strongest, too.”

Behind the oak desk, my fingers tightened.

The man who once could make love for three days and three nights now stood with a trace of weakness in his posture. No desire showed in his eyes, only near-humble pleading.

“Are you serious?” I lifted my head, voice cold. “You’re asking me to sleep with your brother? Leon, I’m your wife. We went through the bonding ceremony.”

“Just once. Just the bloodline.” He stepped half a pace forward, wanting to touch my hand. The contact never landed. I flung it away hard.

“Don’t.”

The chair scraped against the floor as I stood.

“This is insane. I can’t… not right now.”

The air grew heavy without warning. The door pushed open and Rex walked in without knocking.

Six foot four almost filled the entire doorframe. Black training clothes had sleeves rolled to the forearms, veins climbing the muscle lines. Heat from morning training still clung to him. His whole body carried that dense, nearly aggressive pressure.

My breathing shortened.

The edge of the desk bit into my palms. A slow, unwanted warmth spread deep in my gut until the fabric of my underwear felt suddenly too close, too warm.

It should not be like this.

Leon’s wife. That was who I was.

The absurd proposal had just been refused.

Yet the scent of a dominant Alpha slid into my lungs and kept going, settling heavy and insistent. My nipples drew tight against the lace of my bra. A single low pulse started between my thighs and refused to fade.

I clenched my teeth and forced it down.

Rex’s gaze landed first on Leon, then moved slowly to my face. He said nothing. He simply stood there looking with those dark eyes.

Silence filled the study until it felt dangerous. My heartbeat was loud in my ears. Worse, my body had already decided it didn’t care about rational thought. The ache between my thighs sharpened, empty and demanding.

Leon’s voice came from the side, edged with panic. “Rex, why are you here…”

The rest of the words never registered.

Rex stepped forward and the pressure thickened. My knees threatened to give. Somewhere deep in my mind a voice screamed to stop, reminded that a bonded woman had just called Leon crazy. My body ignored it completely.

I bit down on my lower lip until I tasted copper. It did nothing to quiet the throb.

His gaze dropped to the hand still gripping the desk, then lower, as if the fabric itself had turned transparent. The voice that came next was low and carried every ounce of Alpha pressure.

“Go on. I caught a little of that.”

I lifted my eyes and met his.

Reason finally clawed its way back.

I released the desk at once, turned hard, and made the door my only target. My legs still felt unreliable, but the steps refused to stop. The door slammed open and the hallway swallowed the escape without a single look back.

Distance was the only thing that mattered now.