Free Web NovelChapter 2: Chapter 2
The following morning, Odette was stirred awake by a sharp knock at the bedroom door.
Her lashes fluttered open slowly, still heavy with exhaustion, but the moment she tried to move, panic seized her.
A strong arm was wrapped possessively around her waist, locking her tightly against a hard, warm body behind her.
Christian.
Even half asleep, she recognized him instantly. The scent of expensive cologne mixed with smoke and whiskey clung to his skin, familiar enough to make her heart ache despite everything.
Confusion flickered through her haze of sleep.
Why was he holding her like this?
Christian Wayne despised her. He never touched her with tenderness, never sought comfort in her arms. Yet now his muscular body was pressed firmly against hers, as though he couldn’t bear even an inch of distance between them.
Had he been so drunk last night that he forgot how much he hated her?
Carefully, Odette shifted just enough to glance over her shoulder. And for a moment, she forgot how to breathe.
Even after three years of marriage, Christian’s appearance still had the power to stun her senseless. It was unfair, really, that a man capable of such cruelty could look like something sculpted by the gods themselves.
Broad shoulders. Tattooed arms thick with muscle, wrapped around her like a restraining coil. A powerful chest pressed against her back, solid and warm, while the hard ridges of his sculpted abdomen brushed against her skin every time he breathed.
One muscular thigh rested intimately between hers, and the heat of his arousal against her hip made her cheeks burn.
Odette quickly looked away, swallowing hard.
His sleeping face appeared deceptively peaceful in the pale morning light. Without those piercing blue eyes open, he almost looked human instead of dangerous.
Almost.
Those eyes were his most lethal weapon—cold, hypnotic, devastatingly beautiful. But every part of him was striking. The sharp line of his jaw, the aristocratic slope of his nose, the dark lashes resting against high cheekbones, and those naturally crimson lips that somehow always seemed made for sin.
She still remembered the first moment she had seen him on their wedding day.
One glance had been enough.
She had fallen hopelessly in love with him before he’d even spoken a word to her.
Only later did she realize she had handed her heart to a man incapable of cherishing it.
A man whose soul had long ago frozen over.
Odette’s chest tightened painfully.
At eighteen, she had entered this marriage believing love could soften even the coldest heart. She thought patience, loyalty, and devotion would eventually make Christian see her as more than an obligation forced upon him.
But reality had shattered those dreams one cruel day at a time.
Every morning brought new photographs splashed across newspapers and tabloids—Christian with another beautiful woman hanging from his arm, another scandalous headline mocking her existence as his unwanted wife.
Eventually, she understood the truth.
Her marriage was nothing more than a prison built from false hope.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she carefully lifted his arm from her waist. She moved cautiously, knowing how dangerous Christian’s temper could become when disturbed from sleep.
No one knew him better than she did.
After years of enduring him, she had learned to recognize every subtle shift in his moods, every habit, every preference before he even voiced it aloud.
Not because he deserved such devotion. But because she loved him too deeply to stop caring.
Odette slipped out of bed soundlessly and hurried to gather her clothes from the floor. She had barely dressed when the knocking grew louder.
Taking a steadying breath, she crossed the room and slid the door open.
Standing outside was Sylvia Wayne.
The older woman offered Odette a gentle smile tinged with pity.
It wasn’t difficult to understand why.
Everyone in the Wayne household knew exactly how Christian treated his Luna. Over time, Odette had grown accustomed to those sympathetic glances—and the occasional mocking ones from people who delighted in watching the unhappy marriage of the country’s most feared alpha king.
"Is Christian awake?" Sylvia asked softly.
Sylvia was Christian’s stepmother and the Luna Matriarch of the Blood Moon pack, but unlike the rest of the family, she had always shown Odette kindness. At least, that was what Odette believed.
After Christian’s biological mother abandoned the family years ago, Sylvia had stepped into the role of the pack’s Luna, raising both Christian and his younger stepbrother beside Christian’s father.
Christian had only been fourteen when his world collapsed. freёwebnovel.com
His mother had run away with another man.
And Christian’s father—the ruthless alpha of the Blood Moon pack—had hunted them down and murdered them both in front of his son.
That single night had destroyed something inside Christian forever.
From then on, he trusted no woman.
Except Sylvia.
"No," Odette answered quietly. "He’s still sleeping."
Sylvia sighed dramatically. "Oh dear. He’ll be furious if he’s late for the office." Then she gently squeezed Odette’s hand. "Never mind, sweetheart. I’ll wake him. You should go prepare breakfast before his mood turns foul."
Odette nodded immediately. Christian hated delays. Hated disorder. Hated anything not going according to schedule.
Without another word, she hurried downstairs toward the kitchen.
The moment the bedroom door closed behind her, Sylvia’s expression changed completely.
The warmth vanished. In its place appeared something cold and venomous. A calculating smile curved across her lips as she turned toward the sleeping Christian.
She knew exactly how to ruin his morning.
As she approached the bed, something near her foot caught her attention.
Her gaze dropped. A pair of shredded lace panties lay discarded on the floor. Instantly, bitterness twisted across her face.
Sylvia had never wanted Christian to find happiness with his wife. Over the years, she had carefully planted misunderstanding after misunderstanding between them, feeding Christian’s distrust while presenting herself as the only person loyal to him.
And Christian, blinded by years of misplaced trust, believed every word she whispered.
With barely concealed disgust, Sylvia kicked the ruined fabric beneath the bed before smoothing her expression back into sweet concern.
Then she sat beside Christian and gently brushed a hand through his hair.
The reaction was immediate. Christian’s hand shot out instinctively, knocking hers away with enough force to make her gasp.
His eyes snapped open.
Cold blue, alert within seconds.
"I’m sorry, Mother," he muttered after realizing who stood beside him. "I didn’t know it was you."
Even half awake, his voice carried no warmth.
Christian had forgotten how to sound gentle long ago.
Too much hatred lived inside him for that.
"Good morning, Christian," Sylvia said softly, cradling her hand dramatically. "It’s getting late, so I thought I should check on you. You never sleep this long."
"I came home late," he replied flatly as he rose from bed and dragged a black shirt over his head. "And my first meeting isn’t until this afternoon."
"Oh, of course." Sylvia laughed lightly, touching her forehead as though embarrassed. "Silly me."
Then she hesitated deliberately.
"I just thought... perhaps you’d be upset after hearing Odette spent two million yesterday while shopping."
Christian barely reacted.
"Why would I care?" he said indifferently. "She’s my wife. She can spend whatever she wants."
Jealousy flashed through Sylvia’s eyes so quickly it almost went unnoticed.
In reality, it had been Sylvia herself who spent the money using the unlimited black card Christian had given Odette after their marriage. Yet every time, she blamed Odette for being greedy and wasteful.
"You’re too generous," Sylvia murmured sweetly. Then her tone shifted ever so slightly. "I just wish she respected you more."
Christian stilled. A dangerous silence filled the room.
"What do you mean?"
Sylvia immediately lowered her gaze, pretending regret. "I shouldn’t say anything..."
"Mother." His voice sharpened like a blade. "Speak."
Sylvia sighed heavily, feigning reluctance.
"Yesterday at the boutique," she whispered, "Odette became rather friendly with one of the salesmen. Young. Attractive. She was laughing with him... flirting." She paused carefully. "I tried to warn her, but you know how she is. She never listens to me."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly. Christian’s expression darkened with terrifying speed.
Jealousy and fury ignited behind his eyes like wildfire, his wolf growling within his chest.
Without another word, he stormed out of the bedroom. There was only one thing consuming his mind now.
Finding his wife. And reminding her exactly who she belonged to.
