An Agitated Wolf's Instinct

That dinner had been a disaster from the moment I arrived. The Bennett manor felt like a prison dressed up in luxury, every ornate decoration mocking the corruption within these walls. The moment I'd stepped inside, my wolf had become restless, sensing something was very wrong.

I watched Arthur Bennett's false smile with contempt. His wife Charlotte sat like a porcelain doll beside him, expression perfect but eyes cold. Their daughter Fiona kept brushing against my arm, her perfume so strong it made my nostrils burn.

But Helena Beaumont's presence was what truly set my wolf on edge. The fear in her eyes when she'd looked at me was unmistakable. And beneath her scent was another—fainter but painfully familiar.

Seraphina.

My mate. The woman I'd rejected for power. The woman whose life I'd systematically destroyed.

"More wine, Julian?" Fiona leaned closer, her dress dipping low as she reached for my glass.