Chapter 2

2

I had been so damn proactive, and he still gave me that attitude!

"So what?" he barked.

He lunged forward, his large hand clamping around my throat. His brown eyes were narrowed, boring into mine.

"Let me make this clear. I have zero interest in this marriage crap. If you want to keep breathing, stay out of my way!"

My face turned red as he squeezed.

I knew about his temper. Even the pack's hounds knew he was famous for being a violent psycho.

In the last life, if Sienna hadn't been his legal mate, he probably would have torn her throat out on day one.

I swallowed hard, fear prickling my skin.

But I couldn't give up. I had suffered enough in my previous life.

"Fine... okay... I won't touch you," I gasped out.

He let go and tossed me back onto the floor like a piece of trash.

I coughed violently, dragging air back into my lungs.

I saw him looking annoyed by the noise, so I quickly scrambled into the bathroom to finish coughing.

From my past observations, I knew Mordecai was an extreme alpha male. To him, women were just a burden and a distraction.

Since I had just moved in, I had to avoid triggering him.

In the last life, Sienna had tried to force him into bed. He had beaten her so badly she was black and blue for a month.

He had even kicked her out of the room on their wedding night, making her the laughingstock of the pack.

To avoid that humiliation, I decided to spend the entire night sleeping on the bathroom rug.

The next morning, I was jolted awake by a splash of cold water hitting my face.

"I need the bathroom," Mordecai said, standing at the door like he owned the world.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm getting out of your way," I sputtered.

I didn't even stop to wipe my face before crawling out.

Mordecai got ready and didn't spare me a single glance as he headed for the door.

I reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Mordecai, my mother invited us over for dinner tonight. You have to come with me."

He immediately scowled.

"I'm buried in pack business. Go by yourself."

I reached up and placed my fingers on his forehead, gently smoothing out his brow.

"Don't frown. It ruins your handsome face," I whispered.

It was an instinctive move. I used to do this for Hendrix all the time.

In my mind, a frown was like an invitation for bad luck to settle in.

"I can go alone if I have to," I said, lowering my voice.

"But in my family's circles, if a husband doesn't show up the day after the wedding, people start calling the wife a widow."

"What century is this? Who believes that crap?" Mordecai asked.

He brushed my hand away, but he didn't look as angry as before.

"I know, right? But it's fine. I'll just go and let them gossip. I can handle being a joke."

I pretended to walk toward the door, counting down in my head.

One... two...

"I'll go with you tonight," Mordecai growled.

He grabbed his jacket and stormed out without another word.

I watched him go and smiled. My gamble had paid off.

In my last life, I had read a lot of books on behavioral psychology to survive Hendrix.

For someone as volatile as Mordecai, you couldn't push back. You had to flow with them and use a little moral guilt to guide them.

Sienna had failed because she tried to possess him. She didn't realize that would only make him hate her more.

Everything takes time. You can't rush a wolf like him.

I just wanted to change my fate. I refused to let this life end in tragedy.

That evening, I got dressed up and went to the Blackwood headquarters to find Mordecai.

As I walked through the garden, I ran into Sienna and Hendrix.

They were holding hands, leaning into each other as if they were the most in-love couple on earth.

"Oh, Yara. Going back to the family estate today? Where's Mordecai?"

Sienna's eyes were full of smugness.

"He's at the office. He told me to meet him there so we could drive over together."

When I said that, I saw a flash of pure hatred in Hendrix's eyes.