I fell in love with him
(Victoria’s POV)
I remembered the first time I met Zara Jenkins five years ago. She was Sophia Winter’s agent then, sharp–eyed and calculating,
“I’m sorry, Miss Chase, but Sophia won’t be working with your company in Silvercrest,” Zara had said coldly across the conference table.
I’d been confused. Our offer was generous, and Sophia needed the exposure.
“May I ask why?” I’d pressed.
Zara’s expression had hardened. “Sophia’s brother died in Silvercrest. She has… painful associations with this city.”
That’s when she’d leaned forward, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
“But I’ll tell you something interesting about your sister–in–law’s husband,” she’d said, clearly having done her research on the Chase family dynamics.
My interest had been piqued immediately. Anything about Dominic Blackwood was valuable information.
“Sophia and Dominic have a deal,” Zara had continued. “He’s been supporting her career for years. In exchange, she’s agreed to let him mark her as his mate when she turns thirty.”
The revelation had stunned me. Dominic, the cold and untouchable Alpha heir, had a secret arrangement with a model?
“Sophia asked him to mark her,” Zara had emphasized. “She’s been waiting for him.”
I’d seen the opportunity immediately. Zara clearly harbored resentment toward someone in Silvercrest, and I had my own grievances against Amber.
So I’d shared everything. Amber’s engagement to Ethan, Melissa’s interference, the broken promises and betrayals.
Zara had listened with growing interest, filing away every detail.
Now, sitting in this moonlit parking lot with my world crumbling around me, I realized how that conversation had set everything in motion.
“You were so desperate to help Sophia,” I said to the empty air, remembering Zara’s frantic phone calls months later.
She’d needed “someone reliable” to put on a “good show.” I’d been distracted by Henry’s upcoming mating ceremony with Naomi, so I’d agreed without much thought.
What a mistake that had been.
Zara’s reckless approach had led to four hired werewolves facing serious legal consequences from the Werewolf Council. She’d claimed her intention was only to scare Amber, not hurt her.
But I knew about Amber’s past kidnapping. I knew the trauma it had caused.
“The hired werewolves got carried away,” Zara had explained later. “They were drunk, and both Sophia and Amber are so
beautiful…”
Now I had to clean up her mess. I’d reluctantly aligned myself with Zara, and Sophia was still interested in Dominic.
The sound of footsteps made me look up. Amber was walking toward me, her face pale in the moonlight.
She sat down on the bench beside me, maintaining careful distance.
“You must be very angry, right?” I said, breaking the silence. “When I first found out you and Dominic got married, I was also speechless with anger, just like you are now.”
I fell in love with him
+25 BONUS
Amber remained silent, but I could see the tension in her shoulders
“The man in the driver’s seat was also there, right?” I continued, referring to the car accident five years ago at Ravenclaw Bridge.
Amber’s head snapped toward me, her amber eyes wide with shock
“That person was Samuel Winters,” I said, savoring each word. “And that car accident was caused by Dominic’s elder brother.”
I paused, letting the revelation sink in.
“Samuel died because of Dominic.”
Amber’s face went completely white.
“Sophia is Samuel’s younger sister,” I continued relentlessly. “Dominic is the Alpha behind Sophia, the patron who has been supporting her all these years.”
Amber’s phone suddenly rang, the sound sharp in the quiet night. The caller ID displayed “Mate.”
I watched as recognition dawned in her eyes. She was remembering something, connecting pieces I couldn’t see.
Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke.
“Dominic didn’t tell me. No matter the reason, he must have been afraid that I would know.”
She turned to face me fully, her eyes blazing with sudden intensity.
“Tell me, if I tell him now that you told me about this, what will he do?”
I met her gaze steadily, unfazed by her threat.
“He won’t let me go,” I admitted. “But so what? Your brother will protect me, no matter what wrong I do, or who I offend. Your brother will stand up for me.”
I leaned closer, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
“If you want your brother to confront him, if you want to ruin your brother, then go ahead and complain.”
Amber stared at me for a long moment, then asked the question I’d been dreading.
“Why did you kiss Henry tonight? Given your usual temperament, that’s not like you.”
I remained silent, unable to voice the truth that was tearing me apart inside.
The truth was that my impulsive act had been driven by desperate desire to keep Henry. I loved him, though I’d never admitted it, even to myself.
While I’d been jealous of Dominic and Amber’s mate bond intimacy, my reaction to Henry’s potential mating ceremony had been far more intense. It had bordered on madness.
I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him to Naomi Warren.
(Amber’s POV)
After Victoria left without another word, I answered Dominic’s call
“Where are you?” his deep voice came through the phone.
I closed my eyes, reaching out through our mate bond to guide him to me. “Follow the bond. I’m in the parking lot.”
The cool night air made me shiver as I waited. The city bustled below us, lights twinkling like earthbound stars.
When Dominic appeared, his tall figure cutting through the darkness, I immediately went to him. His strong arms wrapped around me, and I felt some of the tension leave my body.
2/3
I fell in love with term
+25 BONUS
“Has the gathering in the private dining room concluded?” I asked against his chest.
“Everyone’s left,” he confirmed, his voice grim. “Henry said some truly bizarre and hurtful things to Naomi Warren.”
I pulled back to look at his face. “What did he say?”
Dominic’s jaw tightened. “He told her he was only mating with her for her family’s territorial advantages. Then he claimed she would die soon from her weak wolf, allowing him to mate with another.”
My stomach dropped. “He said that to her face?”
“Naomi left in tears,” Dominic continued. “Harrison was so furious he threw a crystal wine glass at Henry. Drew blood.”
I could picture the scene all too clearly. “And then?”
“Melanie witnessed everything. In her shock, she inadvertently revealed the truth about Henry and Victoria’s inappropriate relationship.”
Dominic’s arms tightened around me. “Harrison overturned the entire table in rage.”
Despite the chaos, I found myself thinking about the mutual devotion between Henry and Victoria. Their love was twisted and forbidden, but it was real.
“What did you and Victoria talk about?” Dominic asked, his blue eyes searching my face.
flooked up at him, this man who had become everything to me. The moonlight cast shadows across his strong features, making him look both beautiful and dangerous.
Instead of answering his question about Victoria, I reached up and kissed him. My lips pressed against his with desperate intensity.
When we broke apart, I whispered the words that had been building in my chest all night.
“Dominic, I’m in love with you.”
The pain I’d felt when Victoria revealed his connection to Sophia was different from what I’d experienced with Ethan. With Ethan’s betrayal, it had been the desperation of fearing to fall into the abyss again. He’d been my only lifeline in the dark years after my kidnapping.
But with Dominic and Sophia, it was pure jealousy. Raw and consuming.
I was jealous of Sophia, but logic told me that if Dominic truly loved her, he wouldn’t have marked me as his mate.
I resolved to stop impulsively pushing him away, unless he told me he didn’t love me.
Until then, I would fight for what was mine.
