Grayson’s POV—

My foot slammed down on the gas, and I turned on the engine just as Liam settled into the passenger seat. Without a word, I zoomed off once the door shut. The silence stretched between us, and out of sheer boredom, I counted in my head, curious how long Liam could keep quiet. I hit ninety-seven when he finally broke the silence.

“You know, I have no problem with you purposefully provoking her father by setting the wedding on the same day his ultimatum ends,” Liam started, his tone light but knowing. “But maybe you should’ve spoken to the bride in question first before announcing it to the world™.”

I kept my eyes on the road, not bothering to respond right away. The city blurred past us, and as I took a sharp turn, heading toward my company, I finally spoke. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Liam snorted. “Okay, first, you don’t have a problem with me and Elaine, and second, you just used the word ‘fun’ in a sentence. Something’s definitely wrong with the universe.”

I smirked slightly, pulling up to the front of Blackwood. Without a word, I stepped out of the car, ignoring the curious stares of the employees who quickly scrambled to clear the path. Liam followed behind me, still grumbling under his breath.

It took more than people could imagine to hold the kind of power I did. The title of Alpha King had been in my family for generations, but that didn’t mean it was handed to me on a silver platter. I had built Blackwood from the ground up, turning it into a billion-dollar empire that put my foot in both the werewolf and human worlds. That kind of dominance required constant vigilance. People didn’t cross me—unless they had a death wish.

“Going to your office?” Liam asked as we entered the building. I gave him a brief nod and continued walking, the crowd parting like the Red Sea.

When I stepped into the elevator, I could already feel the weight of the day ahead, but I had no patience left for minor annoyances. The doors slid open, and I made my way toward my office.

My PA, a petite, mousy woman, shot up from her desk the moment she saw me approach, her eyes wide with a flicker of fear. She stammered, “Mr. Blackwood, you… you have a guest in your office. I tried to stop her, but she was persistent.”

I raised an eyebrow, my expression cold. “Persistent?” I repeated, my voice dropping to a deadly calm that made her face pale.

“Yes,” she whispered.

I kept my gaze fixed on her. “What happens when I have five walk-ins a day and they are all PERSISTENT?”

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

“You’re fired,” I said coldly. “Clear out your things and disappear.”

She didn’t argue, didn’t even try to defend herself, as if she had been waiting for the inevitable. She simply nodded, tears brimming in her eyes as she hurriedly began packing her belongings. As she scurried off, I added, “Make sure someone clears out the rest of your things. Everything.”

With that, I turned my attention back to my office door, a sharp sense of irritation already gnawing at me. I didn’t have the patience for this nonsense.

The moment I stepped inside, her scent hit me—sweet and overpowering, like a perfume designed to distract. My wolf growled in the back of my mind, an echo of my own irritation.

Chapter 21

“Monica.”

She raised her head, a sultry smile spreading across her lips as she sashayed toward me, swaying her hips in that practiced way she knew once worked on me.

“It’s so nice to see you, Grayson,” she purred. “It’s been far too long.”

I kept my expression bored, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. “What are you doing here?”

Her smile faltered for a split second before she plastered it back on. “Oh, that hurts my feelings. I haven’t seen you in over a year, and this is how you treat the woman you almost married?”

I let out an irritated sigh as my wolf growled again. Monica was stunning; there was no denying that. Tall, lean, with the kind of body that made men stop and stare. Her perfectly sculpted face, framed by long, dark hair, could have been on any magazine cover.

But all that beauty couldn’t mask what lay underneath—a manipulative, conniving woman who used her looks as a weapon. Monica was the type of person who thrived on power and control, using her beauty to hide just how vile she truly was.

She also happened to be Elaine’s best friend. A mistake I had almost made—almost married her. But that was a tale I preferred not to think about, or I might be tempted to remove her limb by limb.

“I’m not in the mood, Monica. Wherever you crawled out from, return there.”

I turned toward the door, already regretting firing my PA. I should’ve had her call security to drag Monica out before firing her.

Monica just smiled, ignoring my words as if they were nothing. “I just heard the announcement,” she said, her voice sweet and laced with poison. “I figured I should congratulate you in person.”

I clenched my jaw. “You’ve given your congratulations. You can leave now.”

She ignored me, stepping closer. “It’s funny, isn’t it? The way things turn out. One minute, you’re planning a wedding, and the next, certain circumstances happen and well…” She trailed off, her eyes glinting with amusement.

I had to give it to her. There were tons of nerves underneath all the vileness. Few women had come and gone, but I never slept with any of them because I didn't prioritize sex, just as had been the case with her. She used her body as a weapon, and still, I didn't get interested, but she was conniving enough to get me to put a ring on her finger. Then she cheated on me—which I was sure had happened more than once—but I only caught her a week before the wedding. She had been the catalyst, the reason I had started looking for answers in the first place, so I started digging, leading me to a witch who informed me about the nonsense of fated mates.

I’d made it clear to her then that she should never show her face near me again. Apparently, that threat had lasted for only a year because here she was, standing in front of me as if nothing had happened.

“I just got back into the country,” she continued, her voice dripping with faux innocence. “I’ve missed Elaine so much. I was thinking I’d pay her a visit soon.”

My patience snapped. “I have zero interest in your reunion plans, Monica.”

She pouted, her lips forming a perfect, practiced frown. “Oh, Grayson, don’t be like that. We had good times, didn’t we? Surely you haven’t forgotten everything.” Her voice dropped, becoming a whisper. “I certainly haven’t, and so much time has passed, surely you’ve forgiven me.”

I stared at her, unamused. “Those ‘good times’ ended when you decided to sleep with someone else the week before our wedding.”

Her smile didn’t falter, though I saw the flicker of irritation in her eyes.

Chapter 21

“Well, we all make mistakes,” Her voice dropped to a low whisper, brushing off my comment like it was nothing. “But I’ve grown since then, Grayson. That’s what I’ve been doing for a year.”

My eyes narrowed. “The only thing I’ve learned is that I was lucky to escape before I made a mistake that could’ve ruined my life.”

Monica’s smile tightened. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” I replied, my voice cold and final.

She took a step closer, her fingers trailing along the edge of my desk. “You know, I was thinking… maybe we could pick up where we left off. You still have a little time before you get married, and it would be nice to know what it feels like to finally be with you. And I’m sure you’ll need some… stress relief.”

I felt my wolf snarl inside me, a dark, dangerous energy rising to the surface. Monica was playing with fire, and she had no idea just how close she was to getting burned.

“I’m not interested,” I said, each word a warning.

She paused, her eyes flicking up to meet mine, trying to gauge how serious I was.

“I’m serious, Monica,” I added, my voice low and dangerous. “Leave.”

For the first time since she walked in, her confidence wavered. I saw it—the brief flicker of doubt in her eyes. But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, replaced by that practiced arrogance. Before I could even react, she closed the distance between us in a flash, smashing her lips against mine.

My body stiffened, cold rage boiling just beneath my skin. At the same time, I heard it—the soft gasp.

I shoved Monica off immediately, her perfume lingering like a bad memory. I turned my head swiftly toward where Ava stood wide-eyed, frozen in place.