Ryan stared at Hazel with a serious expression.
“And you don’t want to tell your father?”
Just hearing the word father made Hazel’s bones ache.
Her father was the Great Alpha, and also one of the strongest werewolves…
He was strong, respected and feared.
But that wasn’t why Hazel feared him.
They simply weren’t close.
There were no soft father-daughter conversations between them.
He gave orders.
She obeyed.
That was their whole relationship.
“Okay,” Hazel said.
She suddenly stood up and walked in front of Ryan.
He immediately knew what she was about to do.
He pressed his lips together, trying very hard not to laugh.
Hazel placed both hands on her chest and cleared her throat.
“Good morning, Father.”
Ryan’s shoulders started shaking.
“Ever since I turned eighteen, instead of seeing my wolf or finding my mate, I was blessed with a bloody nightmare about a man I’ve never seen before!”
She suddenly grabbed her own neck and widened her eyes dramatically.
Then she deepened her voice.”Are you out of your mind?
What nonsense are you saying?”
She released her neck and stepped backwards, pretending to be terrified.
“Ahhh! Forgive me, Father! I… I… I don’t know either! I…”
She suddenly turned toward an imaginary guard.
“GUARD!”
Ryan was already holding his stomach.
“TAKE HER TO HER ROOM AND FEED HER SHARK BONES FOR A WEEK!”
“You’re crazy, Hazel!” Ryan laughed so hard that he pulled her down onto his legs.
Hazel tried to look angry, but she couldn’t hold it for long.
“You know it’s not possible,” she said, still half laughing.
She gently pushed a strand of his dark hair behind his ear.
Her fingers stayed there for a second longer than they needed to.
Then her smile faded.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his.
“Do you think I’m cursed?” she whispered.
Ryan’s black eyes grew sharper.
His brows pulled together, and one of his large hands settled on her waist, holding her steady.
“Why would you think that?” he asked quietly.
Hazel tried to stand, but he pulled her right back down.
His arm stayed firm around her.
“I know I’m not lazy,” she said.
The words came out harder than she meant.
“I’m not. But I’m still wolfless and mateless. That’s worse than any curse.”
Ryan cleared his throat in that special way he always did whenever he hated what she said.
Hazel knew why.
He hated the word mateless more than anything.
Ryan was twenty-two.
He was the pride of Ichor Academy, the special school for special werewolves.
Even after he graduated, they couldn’t do the end of graduation without his presence.
He was the most powerful werewolf and Beta son.
He has won several battles with alpha sons and other beta sons.
This made him also the pride of the Blackwood pack.
He wasn’t a late bloomer.
He had even found his mate last year.
But he never got the chance to know her.
She had been killed before they could properly meet.
Her pack was attacked by enemies.
Witches!
The entire werewolf race hated witches.
They weren’t allowed inside any werewolf territory, and most packs treated them as dangerous enemies.
But somehow, Ryan still managed to smile whenever he was around Hazel.
He always told her that having her was enough.
Hazel wasn’t sure if he truly meant it.
But she wanted to believe him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his forehead.
“There… Mateless problem solved.”
Ryan’s eyes darkened in a way that made Hazel’s stomach flip.”Lady Hazel?!”
Hazel rolled her eyes.
That voice belonged to Akeelah, her personal maid and the person who always managed to appear at exactly the wrong moment.
“Coming!” Hazel called back.
But she didn’t move yet.
She placed both hands on Ryan’s strong shoulders and sighed.
“I have to go,” she whispered.
Ryan didn’t let her leave.
His hand around her waist tightened.
His face was serious again.
“What?” Hazel asked, still smiling.
“It’s high time you stopped kissing me on the forehead,” he said in a low voice that sounded almost dangerous.
Hazel’s cheeks burned.
“Why?”
His eyes dropped to her lips.
“I’m marking you tonight, remember?”
Her heart jumped so hard that she felt it in her throat.
She clenched her fists against his shoulders and let out a nervous giggle.
He really meant it.
Tonight was the night he promised her!
She quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching.
Then she leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth.
She blushed harder!….
That’s her first real kiss.
Her heart raced like it wanted to escape her chest.
She pulled back, jumped off his lap, and hurried toward the pack house before she could change her mind.
“See you tonight!” she called over her shoulder.
Ryan remained frozen on the bench, staring after her like he couldn’t believe what had just happened.
“Don’t forget the place I prepared for us!” he shouted.
” I will text you!”
“Okie!” She yelled back, already halfway across the garden.
Not knowing a figure was standing behind the largest flower tree.
A woman in a dark cloak held a black crystal in her hand.
The crystal glowed with a faint, sick light.
She watched her run toward the palace with a small, cold smile.
Then she turned and disappeared between the trees, the crystal still shining in her fist.