The grand gala had ended hours ago, but the storm inside Su Wan refused to quiet.
She lay in the massive master bedroom of the Lu mansion, silk sheets cool against her heated skin. The room was dark, lit only by the faint glow of the city lights filtering through heavy curtains.
Su Wan stared at the ceiling, replaying every venomous word Lu Chen had thrown at her. The bond still pulsed low in her belly — a constant, aching reminder. Her thighs were sticky from the earlier waves of unwanted arousal, her wolf restless but silent now that the immediate trigger was gone. She closed her eyes, trying to push away the image of Lu Chen's scarred face and glowing alpha eyes.
The bedroom door clicked open.
Lu Kai entered, his tall frame silhouetted against the hallway light. He didn't speak at first. He simply closed the door behind him with deliberate calm and walked to the bed. His eyes raked over her body where she lay in a thin silk nightgown, the fabric clinging to her curves.
"Tonight's little scene was unacceptable," he said, voice low and edged with ice. "You are mine, Su Wan. My wife. The Lu family's reputation cannot be tarnished by my brother's games."
He stopped at the edge of the bed, loosening his tie. His gaze darkened with possessive hunger. "Strip. Come here."
Su Wan's stomach twisted. There was no flutter of excitement, no warmth spreading through her veins. Only duty. Only the heavy weight of obligation that had defined her life for five years. Her wolf remained completely dormant — no howl, no spark, nothing. It had never responded to Lu Kai, not once in their marriage.
She obeyed anyway, sliding the nightgown off her shoulders and letting it pool at her feet. Naked, she moved to him, her body responding on autopilot. Lu Kai was skilled — he always was. He knew exactly how to touch a woman. His hands gripped her hips firmly, pulling her against his hard body. His mouth found her neck, sucking and biting in all the right places. Fingers slid between her thighs, stroking her folds with practiced precision until she grew wet from the physical stimulation alone.
He pushed her onto the bed, spreading her legs and entering her in one smooth thrust. Su Wan gasped at the stretch, her body reacting with slick heat and tightening muscles. Pleasure built — mechanical, physical, undeniable. Lu Kai knew how to angle his hips, how to rub that sensitive spot inside her, how to pinch her nipples just hard enough to make her moan.
But her mind betrayed her completely.
Every thrust, every groan from Lu Kai, every skillful stroke only made her think of him.
Lu Chen.
She imagined rougher hands gripping her, a deeper growl vibrating against her throat, that dangerous alpha scent of dark pine and smoke surrounding her instead of Lu Kai's clean, controlled cologne. She pictured Lu Chen's scarred body moving over hers with raw, possessive fury — not cold duty, but burning need. The bond deep inside her pulsed weakly in response to the fantasy, sending fresh waves of slickness that Lu Kai mistook for her pleasure.
Nothing Kai did was enough.
No matter how deep he drove into her, no matter how expertly he brought her to the edge and pushed her over it, the orgasm felt hollow. Her body clenched and shuddered around him, but her wolf stayed silent. Her heart stayed empty. All she could see behind her closed eyelids was Lu Chen's cruel smile and the way his eyes had burned with hate and something far darker when he called her "sister-in-law."
When Lu Kai finally finished with a low grunt, collapsing beside her, Su Wan lay there staring at the ceiling again. Her body was satisfied on the surface. Her soul felt even more fractured.
Lu Kai kissed her forehead once — a mechanical gesture of ownership — and rolled over. "Sleep. Tomorrow we deal with my brother."
She didn't reply.
The Next Morning – Breakfast Hall
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the Lu family's private dining room. The long mahogany table was set with fine porcelain and silver, elders and a few high-ranking pack members already seated for the morning council meal. Su Wan sat beside Lu Kai, dressed in a modest yet elegant blouse and skirt that hid the faint marks he had left on her neck and thighs.
She felt raw. Used. The lie from last night still tasted bitter on her tongue.
Lu Kai cut into his breakfast with precise movements, his voice calm but laced with warning as he spoke to her. "About last night. If what you said is true — that there was never anything between you and my brother except childish animosity — then I trust you. I have no reason to worry." He took a sip of coffee, eyes flicking to her. "Lu Chen will stay in the mansion temporarily. To reintegrate into the pack. It's best for everyone."
Su Wan's fork paused mid-air. The words echoed her own lie from the corridor. Bitter. Choking.
Before she could respond, the door opened.
Lu Chen strode in, radiating dark alpha energy that made the room temperature drop. He looked devastating in a simple black shirt and trousers, scars visible along his jaw. His eyes swept the table — and landed on her.
Then he inhaled.
His nostrils flared. His jaw tightened. Anger surged across his face, raw and unmistakable. He could smell it — his brother's scent all over her. On her skin, between her thighs, marking her as claimed. He knew exactly what had happened last night.
For one heartbeat, something dangerous flashed in his eyes — pain, fury, possessive rage.
Then it vanished behind a mask of cold indifference.
Lu Chen took the seat directly across from her without a word. He ignored her completely. No glance. No acknowledgment. As if she were invisible. As if the woman he had once claimed under the moonlight meant nothing.
The bond ignited violently inside Su Wan.
Heat flooded her core again, sudden and vicious. Slickness gathered between her thighs, soaking her panties as her wolf howled desperately, urging her to crawl across the table and submit. Her nipples tightened against her blouse. Lu Chen's scent — dark pine and smoke — overwhelmed everything else, making her clench involuntarily. She wanted him. Needed him. The memory of last night with Lu Kai only made the contrast sharper and more painful.
Lu Chen picked up his utensils and began eating, his voice calm and cutting as he addressed the table. "Old habits die hard in this family, don't they? Some things never change… no matter how much time passes isn't that right brother... my apologizes for last night"Then a low smirk graced his lips, hiding the bitter taste his words left on his lips.
The elders shifted uncomfortably. Lu Kai's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
Su Wan's cheeks burned. She kept her expression composed, deflecting with quiet strength.
Inside, she was cracking. His cold aura hurt worse than any public accusation. He was playing the same game she had started with her lie — pretending they were nothing. And he was better at it.
A flash of her past self hit her: the naive, responsible daughter who never stepped out of line, who valued duty above everything. That girl would never have burned like this. That girl would never have sat here, wet and aching for the man across the table while her husband sat beside her.
Lu Chen finally glanced at her — just once. His eyes were ice. No heat. No recognition of the bond screaming between them. Only calculated dismissal.
It stung deeper than she expected.
Lu Kai set his cup down, satisfied with her earlier denial. "Since my wife has cleared the air, she will help you settle in, Chen. Show you around the estate, handle any pack matters that arise. Now I know you both never got along but we can put that aside and embrace Maturity, No need for unnecessary tension."
Su Wan's heart sank. Forced proximity. With the man whose scent alone made her drip with need while he looked at her like she was dirt.
At that exact moment, Lu Kai's phone rang. He answered it curtly, his expression shifting as he listened. "Old war documents? Involving Su Wan's name? Send them over immediately."
The call ended. Lu Kai frowned but said nothing more.
Across the table, Lu Chen's fork paused for the briefest second. His cold mask didn't crack… but the air grew heavier.
Su Wan's wolf howled again, the bond pulsing with fresh, desperate heat.
The game had just begun.
And she was already losing.
______
The afternoon sun filtered through the heavy velvet curtains of the Lu family study, casting long shadows across the massive oak desk piled high with documents. Su Wan stood near the window, arms crossed tightly over her chest, trying to ignore the persistent ache between her thighs that had refused to fade since breakfast.
Lu Kai had given the order , a whisper in her ear with that cold, satisfied smile: "Help my brother settle the pack reintegration papers. One month. That's all the time he needs before returning to his empire. Prove your loyalty, Su Wan."
One month. A temporary stay for "family matters and pack reintegration" — that was the official reason Lu Chen had given for remaining in the mansion despite his own powerful business empire outside. Su Wan knew it was more. Everything with the Lu brothers was calculated.
The heavy wooden door clicked shut behind her as the last servant left, leaving her and Lu Chen alone in the large room. The lock wasn't engaged, but the thick door and constant footsteps in the hallway outside made true privacy impossible. Servants passed by regularly. Lu Kai could check in at any moment. The risk hung in the air like smoke.
Lu Chen sat behind the desk like he owned it, leaning back in the leather chair with dominant ease. His black shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the edge of old scars. He didn't look up immediately. He simply flipped through a stack of papers, his movements controlled and predatory — that sharp, dangerous charisma that reminded her of a vampire who decided exactly when to strike and when to toy with his prey.
He had decided, apparently, to keep playing the game she had started with her lie. If she wanted to pretend they were nothing, he would treat her as exactly that.
The silence stretched, thick and suffocating.
Su Wan's wolf stirred violently. His scent — dark pine and smoke — filled the room, making her core throb with fresh slickness. Her nipples tightened against her blouse, sensitive and aching. The mate bond screamed at her to move closer, to touch, to submit. She hated how wet she already was just from being in the same space as him.
She stepped closer to the desk, picking up a folder with trembling fingers. "These are the alliance records from the last five years. We should start here."
Lu Chen finally lifted his gaze. His dark eyes were cold, dominant, and utterly detached. No warmth. No acknowledgment of the bond that was currently making her panties damp. He looked at her the way one might look at an inconvenient obstacle.
"Comfortable playing the perfect wife, I see," he says, voice smooth and laced with mocking indifference. He didn't rise. Didn't move closer. He simply watched her with that calm, deciding the pace. "Spreading your legs for duty every night must be exhausting work."
The barb landed hard, but Su Wan refused to flinch outwardly. Inside, the bond pulsed hotter. She could smell the faint edge of his own arousal mixed with anger — a dark, masculine scent that made her thighs clench.
They worked in tense silence for several minutes, sorting documents. Their hands brushed accidentally when reaching for the same file. Electricity shot through her arm straight to her core. A soft gasp escaped her lips as fresh wetness flooded between her legs. Lu Chen's fingers lingered for half a second longer than necessary before he pulled away, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly.
The near-touch was torture.
Su Wan's breathing grew uneven. Her wolf howled inside her, urging her to climb over the desk and beg. She fought it, focusing on the papers, but the images from last night with Lu Kai kept flashing, mechanical pleasure that had left her empty while she imagined his hands instead.
The silence became unbearable.
She slammed a folder down harder than intended. "What happened to you?" The words burst out, raw and trembling with five years of buried pain. "Why didn't you come back? I thought you were dead. I mourned you for months. I waited. And now you return and treat me like this?"
Lu Chen slowly set down the document he was holding. He rose from the chair with deliberate, dominant grace, towering over her. That edge surfaced — cold sarcasm wrapped in dangerous charisma. He didn't step closer immediately. He simply looked down at her, eyes piercing, as if deciding whether she deserved even this much attention.
He didn't indulge her. Didn't explain his war captivity or the truth behind his disappearance. He didn't soften or offer comfort.
Instead, a slow, cruel smirk curved his lips. His voice was low, smooth, and cutting. "You thought I was dead? How touching. And yet the moment I was gone, you ran straight into my brother's bed for safety and status. Tell me, Su Wan… did you cry my name while he fucked you last night, or have you already forgotten what it feels like to be properly claimed?"
The words were venomous, delivered with that dominant control — he was toying with her, refusing to give her the confrontation she craved, keeping the power firmly in his hands.
Su Wan's face burned. The bond flared violently, sending another rush of slick heat down her thighs. Her nipples ached. She wanted to slap him. She wanted to drag him down and kiss the cruelty off his mouth. The core struggle tore at her, duty to her pack, to the marriage that had saved her family, versus this overwhelming, fated pull that made her body betray her at every turn.
Before she could snap back, before the tension could explode into something more dangerous, hurried footsteps approached from the hallway.
A maid knocked lightly and pushed the door open without waiting for a full response, carrying a tray. "Young Madam, Second Young Master — tea and refreshments as requested by Master Kai. He said to check if you need anything else."
The maid's eyes flicked curiously between them, sensing the thick tension in the air.
Lu Chen's smirk faded instantly back into cold indifference. He sat down again as if nothing had happened, picking up another document. "That will be all," he said dismissively to the maid, voice perfectly controlled.
The interruption hung between them like a blade.
Su Wan stood there, breathing hard, her body throbbing with unmet need and frustration. The door remained open now, servants moving in the hallway beyond.
Lu Chen didn't look at her again. He simply continued reviewing the papers, acting as though she were invisible once more.
But as Su Wan reached for the next file with shaking hands, her eyes caught on something tucked between the pages — an old, yellowed letter addressed to her, dated from the war period. The handwriting was unmistakably Lu Chen's.
He had tried to contact her.
The realization hit like a punch. The first small crack in her belief that he had simply abandoned her.
Lu Chen's gaze flicked to the letter in her hands. For the briefest moment, suspicion flashed in his cold eyes — suspicion directed at his own family, at Lu Kai, at the hidden interference that had kept them apart.
The maid lingered a second longer, then bowed and left, leaving the door slightly ajar.
The study felt even smaller now.
One month with him, can she handle that?
But the fragile illusion they were both pretending to maintain was already starting to fracture.