Daisy's hand gripped Ethan's shoulder harder, her nails digging through his shirt. "You need to stop pretending you are exhausted. We have duties as mates, and producing an heir is one of them."
Ethan kept his back turned to her in their bed, his mind elsewhere. Three times he had gone to the healing ward, and three times the royal guards refused him entry. The future Alpha King's personal guards surrounded that private room like Aurora was some kind of prisoner instead of a patient.
"I want to sleep," Ethan said flatly. "Leave me alone."
"You cannot keep avoiding this." Daisy's voice rose with frustration. "Get up and mate with me. The pack healer said this is my peak fertility time. We need to try."
"Is it the healer's orders or are you just in heat?" Ethan asked, knowing his mate too well to fall for that excuse anymore.
"Both," Daisy admitted. "You have not touched me in three days. My wolf is restless. Today is the perfect time, and we need to try as many times as possible before dawn."
Ethan turned to face her, his expression cold. "Spare me that nonsense. I am sick of hearing about your fertility cycles. It has been more than four years, Daisy. Four years of the same story."
"Ethan, that is not fair."
"Fair?" He sat up, his eyes flashing amber. "We went through fertility treatments with the pack healers. We tried moonlight rituals. Nothing worked. We consulted witch healers from the eastern territories twice. Still nothing."
"We need to keep trying until the Moon Goddess blesses us."
"Every month I exhaust myself," Ethan continued. "Mating with you over and over until I can barely stand. Pouring everything into that barren body of yours for nothing. Now you want me to do it again because your wolf is howling for attention?"
"How dare you speak to me like this?" Daisy's voice cracked. "This is not my fault. The healers said we both need to participate willingly for it to work."
"Yes, you love mating," Ethan said bitterly. "That drew me to you initially. You used to say your wolf recognized mine. You said I left Aurora because our connection was stronger."
"That is true," Daisy insisted. "You said my body drove you wild."
"I was young and stupid," Ethan replied, pulling away. "Right now, I am tired of it. Close your legs and let me sleep."
Daisy's eyes narrowed. "Are you seeing someone else? Why would you reject your own mate? Your wolf should crave mine."
"I need to mate with you tonight," Daisy declared, yanking at his sleep pants. "Three days is too long. My wolf needs this."
"Are you planning to force me?" Ethan grabbed her wrist, glaring at her. "Is that what you have become?"
"Yes," Daisy breathed, her pupils dilating. "If I have to take what I need, I will do it."
"Look at me," Ethan growled. "I am not aroused. My wolf has no interest in this."
"Please," Daisy begged, her voice desperate. "I need you. Just let your wolf surface. The bond will take over. I will use my mouth, you can touch me, anything to help you want this."
In the royal quarters, Alpha King Adrian woke with a violent start. His heart hammered against his ribs as he turned on the lamp beside his bed. The clock read one fifteen in the morning.
Sweat coated his temples. He looked to his left and saw his Luna, Jane, sleeping peacefully beside him. His hands trembled as he processed what he had seen.
Twenty years. It had been over twenty years since he last saw her face.
Why had Susan appeared in his dreams tonight? She had been trying to tell him something, her lips moving urgently, but no sound reached his ears. She looked exactly as she had in their youth, beautiful and unchanged, while he and Jane had aged with time. Did spirits remain frozen at the moment of death?
Adrian climbed out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake Jane. He walked to the balcony and lit a cigarette, something he only did when deeply troubled.
After he had taken Susan to his bed that one time, guilt consumed him. He had betrayed Jane, his true mate, with her closest friend.
It happened only once, and he forbade Susan from coming to the royal residence again. She tried reaching him repeatedly, but he refused. Eventually, they became strangers. Years later, he learned of her death.
She had been gone for many years now. This was only the second time she visited his dreams. He could never give her what she wanted. His heart belonged to Jane from the moment he met her, and his wolf had chosen her as his one true mate.
But Susan loved him desperately. She claimed Jane had stolen the only man she would ever want. She had feelings for him since they were young, but his soul was already bound to another.
They had come together when Jane was away visiting her family. Richard, their son, was only two years old then. Adrian had given in to temptation for one night and immediately regretted it.
Susan told him she cherished that night because she gave her virginity to the man she loved. Nothing else mattered to her. She loved him, and she treasured the memory of their bodies joining, even knowing he would never love her back.
He told her to stay away from him and Jane. Their friendship was over. He confessed everything to Jane, who cried and accused him of not truly loving her. If he did, he would never have descended so low as to bed her best friend.
To prove his devotion to Jane and honor his mate bond, he cut Susan from their lives completely. He did not even attend her funeral when she passed.
It hurt him deeply, but he loved Jane more. His wolf recognized only one Luna. They lost all contact with Susan, and to this day, no one knew what happened to her family after her death.
Adrian returned to the bedroom and found Jane sitting up, clearly waiting for him. Her eyes were worried.
"Why are you awake so late, Adrian?" Jane asked, studying his troubled expression.
"I saw Susan," Adrian said quietly. "She came to me in a dream tonight."
Jane's face paled in the lamplight, her hands gripping the silk sheets. The name hung between them like a ghost, stirring memories they had buried for decades.
"What did she want?" Jane whispered.
Adrian shook his head slowly. "I do not know. She was trying to tell me something, but I could not hear her words."