The transition into deeper domestic danger felt seamless yet terrifying.A few days had passed since the intense breeding session that had temporarily quelled Marcus’s jealousy. The hickeys on Elena’s skin had faded to faint yellow-green shadows, easily hidden but never forgotten.

Evening had settled over the mansion. Victoria was upstairs in her home office, the faint clack of her keyboard and occasional phone call drifting down the grand staircase. The living room was dimly lit by the fireplace and the stormy twilight filtering through the tall windows. Elena lounged on the oversized leather couch under a throw blanket, pretending to read a book while her mind replayed the feel of...