Fated To Not Just One, But Three

Chapter 429: Poisoned Blood

Selene’s POV

I stepped closer to his desk, placing the steaming cup in front of him. "I thought..." I paused, forcing my voice out. "I thought maybe you could use this. You’ve been under a lot of stress."

His eyes narrowed sharply, flicking from the cup to me. A frown pulled at his mouth. "What is wrong with you?" he demanded. "One moment you push me away, swear you don’t want me, and the next you’re offering me coffee like some doting lover. Which is it, Selene?"

My throat tightened. I looked away, biting back the storm of words clawing at me. "Nothing," I whispered finally, my hands curling against my sides.

He studied me for another long moment, suspicion etched across his face. Then, with a sharp inhale, he lifted the cup and took a slow sip.

"That boy," Frederick said suddenly, setting the cup down. His voice had lost its sharpness, replaced by something heavier. "He is my son."

My eyes widened, though I stayed silent.

"His human mother died while giving birth to him," he continued, his gaze fixed on the dark liquid in the cup. "He’s more vampire than hybrid, which makes him... dangerous. Unstable. I keep him hidden because he doesn’t know how to control his thirst."

I swallowed, my heart thudding as I nodded slowly and pulled the nearest chair. I sank into it, studying him, trying to read the unreadable.

For a while, neither of us spoke. The silence between us was not like before—it was thick, full of unsaid things, the mate bond thrumming in the air.

Finally, I rose. The pull inside me dragged me closer until I stood behind him. My eyes traced the tense lines of his shoulders, the way the weight of the world seemed to press on him even when he sat still.

"You look stressed," I murmured softly, surprising even myself.

could change my mind, I placed my hands gently on his shoulders. His muscles were stone beneath my palms,

His head tilted forward slightly, his

hadn’t expected—the low, rough moan that slipped

his voice low and rough. "It’s

tone made my chest clench. I knew he was telling the truth. His body leaned into my hands like he hadn’t been touched in

mate bond pulling strings, tightening the knot between us.

he rasped, his voice trembling in a way I had never heard before. "What are

what it was. The bond. The curse of it. But he

up, catching mine. In one swift motion, he dragged me forward, pulling me into his lap. My breath

His

my skin. My wolf whimpered softly

almost teasing, but rough with desire. "Tell me... are you sore? From

hot to my face. I couldn’t answer. My lips parted, but no

tugged at his mouth. "There’s only

at the hem of my skirt, sliding it upward inch by inch. My heart raced, my breath caught.

stabbing through haze—the memory hit

My mother.

Her death.

My revenge.

veins turned sharp. My chest burned with

hand brushed dangerously close to my thigh, I let my wolf rise. My blood shifted, dark

breath was heavy, hot against my