Together they walked into the mansion, heading straight upstairs toward the main dining area. By the time they arrived, Jared wasn’t the least surprised to see two of the three council members already waiting inside.
They dropped to one knee the moment he entered. Jared gave them a curt nod as he strode to sit at the head of the long, dark table, while Clara settled gracefully into the seat beside him.
Her fingers and dark hair shimmered with silver jewelry that caught the soft glow of the chandeliers, matching the glint in her brown eyes. She looked breathtaking—elegant, regal—but Jared gave her only a passing glance before focusing on the steaming plates in front of him.
With a flick of his hand, he gestured at the servers for the wine that, to his annoyance, had been placed slightly out of reach.
As tradition dictated, he began eating first, slicing through the meat on his plate. He had barely taken a bite of the rich, seasoned mutton when the silence was broken.
"You asked us to deliver any reports on the Red Kingdom," began Kannedy, the older councilman seated closest to him. His voice was steady but cautious, as if testing the temperature of the room.
"There’s been a change since I left, Kannedy?" Jared asked, raising a brow.
Kannedy nodded. "Our spies report the vampire king has taken in a new pet."
Jared’s jaw clenched. He set his fork down slowly, the scrape of metal against porcelain slicing through the quiet.
"She’ll be dead by week’s end," he muttered, his tone flat and dismissive. "I hope that’s not the only reason you dragged this into my dinner."
"There’s more," Kannedy pressed. "This one... she seems to harbor an intense hatred for him. It could be—"
Jared slammed his hand onto the table with such force the goblets rattled and the room fell deadly still.
"She’s human, Kannedy! What could she possibly do to him?" he growled, his voice low and venomous. "Zyren could crush her skull with a flick of his wrist!"
His voice rose sharply, echoing across the vast dining hall. "I ask for a plan to eliminate the vampire king, and this—this is what I get?" His fury hung in the air, crackling like a storm.
No one moved. Even the servants froze, as if afraid to breathe.
Jared could feel his appetite waning and even as he glared at Kannedy, Brilla and Falson who were meant to be the voice of the people but were slowly becoming thorns in his flesh.
His appetite gone, Jared rose abruptly, grabbing a bottle of wine from the table. His glare raked across the council members.
"Get your spies in order, Kannedy. Bring me something useful—or don’t return at all."
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out.
The vampire realm lay beyond the Dark Forest, and while their lands bordered opposite ends, the monsters that dwelled within preferred his side. The attacks were worsening. Hoards were growing. If he could eliminate both the forest beasts and Zyren in one fell stroke...nothing could be better.
He climbed the stairs two at a time, his fury propelling him forward. Reaching his chambers, he threw open the heavy doors—and nearly slammed them shut again when Clara slipped inside behind him.
She wore a soft smile—too soft. Jared recognized it instantly for what it was and something he wasn’t ready to deal with. Her presence alone meant trouble.
"Not tonight," he said coldly, voice firm as steel.
She closed the door behind her without a word, her steps light but deliberate as she moved closer to him.
"Not tonight!" He repeated, gritting his teeth forcefully to get his message across only to watch her drop the cloak she wore on her body revealing nothing underneath to his surprise.
"Not tonight?" she echoed, her voice as soft as cotton as her eyes burned intensely with something akin to passion. "It wasn’t last night either. Or the one before that."
"I’m tired," he muttered, turning his back to her as he headed for the bed.
"I don’t care if you have to do it in your sleep," she hissed, her tone now cutting through the air like a blade. "You will fuck me tonight."
"Spare me the theatrics, Clara!" Jared snapped, his fury reigniting as he spun to face her. "Is that all you think about? Making love?"
She laughed then—a short, bitter sound. "Making love?"
"That’s rich, coming from the man who spent the night in a brothel three days ago."
"It was a tavern. A tavern, Clara!" he growled.
"I don’t care!" she screamed, throwing her hands in the air. "I have done everything right in this marriage! do you think you’re the only one with duties?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper, deadly soft. "We’ve been married too long not to have a child. You will put me on that bed, and you will take me."
Jared stared at her, his face unreadable except for the flicker of rage in his eyes.
"Not tonight," he repeated, his voice now cold enough to freeze blood. There was no room for argument, no opening for compromise.
But Clara wasn’t finished.
"I stand here naked before you!" she cried, her voice trembling now with desperation. "Are my breasts not enough? Are my —"
"Clara!" he roared, his voice echoing like thunder. He took a step forward, and suddenly the air around him thickened with power.
"I am Alpha! Your Alpha—and you will obey me!"
Dark aura flared from his body, black tendrils of raw dominance swirling like smoke. Clara stumbled back a step, her body trembling, her eyes wide.
Tears welled—but didn’t fall. Not yet.
With slow, shaking hands, she picked up her cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. She turned without a word and walked to the door, her spine straight, her jaw clenched.
She didn’t look back.
Only when the door slammed shut behind her did a single tear escape, sliding down her cheek.