Chapter 1 Reality Versus Fiction

• Strenuous breaths and suffocating kisses echoed through the bare room. She was helpless. Though he had betrayed her, cast her aside out of selfishness, their bond had finally dragged them back together. She had run. When he found her, she fought with everything she had to keep her distance. And yet, here they were: bodies aligned perfectly, her strength rendered powerless by the mate bond, yearning only for his love.
• “You are mine, Rebekah. You will never escape me again!” he growled, his hot breath caressing her face before he devoured her swollen lips with bruising fervour.
• “Roman,” Rebekah moaned as his seductive tongue traced her, pinning her against the wall beneath the weight of his body. He unzipped his jeans and began to pump–
• “Nope. Nuh-uh. I’m done!”
• The slam of a book cracked through the empty library.
• “Ah no, Alinta, please, don’t stop reading. I beg of you!”
• “You and I are done here, Ange,” Alinta said, her cheeks flushing. A frustrated groan reverberated in her head. “I am tired of these stories. They always start off so promising, and then they turn into a sex fest. The heroine becomes a weakling, the undeserving hero wins her heart, and I can already predict he’ll stuff up a few more times before they magically become one and, hopefully, live happily ever after.”
• “I see those red cheeks.” Angela’s ears flattened, her voice as sharp as a hiss.
• “You’re such a naughty wolf!” Alinta retorted.
• “No, my dear person, I simply enjoy reading how humans misrepresent our kind. It’s more entertaining than arousing,” Angela tittered.
• “Finally, something we can agree on!” Alinta laughed, tossing the book onto the small pile beside her.
• “I am truly amazed by how much humans have learned about us,” she added more thoughtfully, “especially with their limited resources.”
• Angela remained silent, contemplating her person’s words.
• “Take destined mates, for example,” Alinta continued. “Yes, they exist, but the bond isn’t the unstoppable force they write about. It simply heightens attraction, the sparks and tingles, but that’s as far as it goes. We love, desire, and feel pleasure just like humans do. The bond only deepens after making love and, eventually, marking each other. It’s such a sacred union…” Her voice trailed off. “And that’s what irks me.”
• Angela finally broke her silence with a playful snicker. “Two things: poetic licence, and sex sells. Besides, not all of them are terrible. We actually finished the previous book, and it was well written.”
• “So you don’t take anything personally?” Alinta asked, raising an eyebrow. “That they paint us as crude beasts ruled entirely by primal urges?”
• Angela laughed, though her tone soon darkened. “Honestly? It’s insulting how often the wolf counterpart is portrayed as nothing more than an animal. I’ve grown with you these past eleven years. I’ve learned your ways. Wolves have evolved far beyond our lycanthrope ancestors.” She snorted sharply. “I mean, we can talk, for Pete’s sake!”
• Alinta giggled as Angela ranted. “I thought you found it funny when they got the facts wrong,” she teased, a smirk curving her lips.
• Angela rolled her eyes, refusing to grant her a victory. Then, in a more serious tone, she added, “Given how much they do get right, I sometimes wonder if the government allowed certain information to leak into these books. A way to desensitise humans to our existence. After all, it’s getting harder to hide things in this digital age.”
• Alinta nodded, appreciating her wolf’s perspective. “If you want a distraction grounded in factual literature, why not visit Aunt Deanna? She has so many incredible stories, and she promised us one we haven’t heard yet.”
• Angela wagged her two tails, excitement brightening her voice.
• Alinta jumped at the gesture. “Yes! That’s a great idea! But first, we need to stop by the café to–”
• She froze at the sudden sound of a voice.
• “Hello? Is there anybody here who can help me?”
• A tall, broad-shouldered man stood nearby, impatiently waving a small stack of books.He wore a grey tailored suit that mirrored the cold sharpness of his hunter eyes. A neatly kept Van Dyke beard framed a square jaw, and slick midnight-black hair was tied back in a low ponytail. He looked no older than his mid-thirties: handsome, commanding, and unmistakably important.
• Alinta swallowed, her heart racing as angst flared within her.
• “Oh, for fuck’s sake… Seriously? Of all the days, this jerk shows up! Who even comes to a library on a Sunday in this day and age? Especially him?!” Angela growled fiercely in her mind.
• When the man’s eyes landed on Alinta, they softened as he approached her. “Hello, my dear Alinta. Forgive me for barging in like this. I hope I didn’t startle you?” he asked smoothly.
• Seizing the moment, Alinta darted to the pile of discarded books before he could close the distance. “No problem, Mr. Crassus. But if you’re looking for Jenny, she isn’t back here,” she replied coolly.
• He watched her with evident contentment as she gracefully picked up the books one by one, returning them to their proper places.
• “I wish you wouldn’t be so formal. Please, call me Bellinor. As for Jenny, I’ve been waiting at the front for fifteen minutes, which is why I came to check back here. Could you assist me with this, please?”
• “After everything he’s pulled recently, he expects you to act oblivious and buddy-buddy?” Angela snapped. “Just tell him you were on your way out!”
• “I really want to,” Alinta replied internally, “but if Jenny gets stuck dealing with him later, it’ll only make things worse. She never leaves her desk unless it’s urgent, and I’m sure Bellinor isn’t aware of that.”
• “Fine,” Angela huffed.
• “Sure,” Alinta said aloud, reluctant. She placed the last book on the shelf and held out her hand.
• Bellinor took it warmly.
• Alinta stiffened and yanked it back. “I was asking for the books you wish to borrow, Mr. Crassus,” she snapped.
• “Oh! I’m terribly sorry, my dear! I misunderstood,” he laughed nervously, adjusting his gloved hands on the books.
• “Misunderstood my arse,” Angela snarled. “And what’s with the gloves?” Her teeth bared, ready to intervene.
• “Agreed. Let’s just get this crap over and done with,” Alinta muttered. “If anything weird happens, you do you.”
• “Yeah, saving our arses as usual,” Angela replied, ready to shift at any moment.
• Alinta snatched the books from Bellinor and made her way to the reception desk. She scanned them quickly under his name but tensed when one of the titles caught her eye.