"Last full moon?" Lynsandra whispered, her voice carried by the steam rising from the tub she was submerged in. She narrowed her eyes, Minnie’s words replaying in the back of her mind.

"Was I wrong, Enlly?" She tilted her head slightly. "That’s weird."

But even with her confusion, Enlly remained silent. As usual. What else did Lynsandra expect from her menopausal wolf other than to keep her mouth shut when she needed her voice the most?

Her arms rested on the rim of the tub, her temple propped against her thumb. She closed her eyes and whispered,

"Victor?" She snorted softly. "No way it was him."

No way Lynsandra was wrong.

She had been with Victor for three years, and never once had she felt anything remotely like that with him. What they had was choice, not fate. No matter how intimate they had been in the past, there was never anything like that.

Slowly, she clenched her hands into tight fists as an unpleasant taste resurfaced at the back of her tongue. She had moved on from Victor. It was just that... he had hurt her in a way no one else ever had, and no one ever would again. In one way or another, she would never forget him.

The man, after all, still had his use—as a bad example.

"Still..." she murmured. "He might confirm my suspicion."

She exhaled slowly. "I kissed August and Elias, and both of them..."

...made her feel something, for sure.

August’s kiss had been reserved, but it left behind a strange, ticklish sensation in her chest. She wouldn’t say it made her heart flutter, but it was something. And she didn’t dislike it.

As for Elias, his kiss had been possessive, dominant, and hungry. It wasn’t like August’s, which gave her room to meet him as an equal. Elias had forced her toward submission.

She hated that.

No, not the kiss itself. Elias was a good kisser. What she hated was the urge it stirred in her—the pull to surrender, even for a moment.

Lynsandra bit her lip as she thought about it, fingers brushing her nape as her curse mark pulsed faintly. Her cheeks warmed as she breathed out slowly.

"He definitely elicited a reaction from me," she whispered, tilting her head back with her eyes closed. "My head’s throbbing, and..."

Her eyes fluttered open as her hand slid from her nape to her neck, then lower, disappearing beneath the water’s surface.

A gasp slipped from her lips. Her brows knit as her other hand clamped over her breast, squeezing tightly.

God... I need to be careful.

*****

Meanwhile, in the Crown’s Residence—one of the most exclusive condominiums in the city—

Katarina entered their home quietly. Almost immediately, her gaze landed on Victor’s shoes.

Her face didn’t light up the way it once had.

Instead, resentment flickered in her eyes as the anger she’d been suppressing threatened to boil over.

"Tch," she hissed. "After not coming home all night and no word the whole day..."

Her fingers tightened around her handbag. She didn’t even change into slippers as she stormed deeper into the luxurious apartment. Katarina knew exactly where Victor would be.

She headed straight for his bedroom, and she didn’t knock.

"Vic—"

She stopped short when the room was empty. Then, the sound of running water reached her ears.

Katarina glared toward the bathroom and scoffed. She didn’t feel the need to confront him while he was showering. So, she wanted to wait... until she heard something else.

"Lizzie..."

Her blood ran cold.

Katarina froze, eyes widening as she stared at the bathroom door. She held her breath as Victor’s low grunts echoed, a woman’s name slipping from his lips again and again.

"Did she...?"

She swallowed hard, her body trembling as violently as her thoughts. Slowly, she approached the bathroom door. Her heart pounded, her mind blank except for one horrifying assumption:

Lynsandra had seduced her husband, and he had dared to bring her home.

Biting her lip, Katarina twisted the knob and pushed the door open, unsure of what she would do once she saw the truth.

But the moment the bathroom came into view, there weren’t two people inside.

There was only one.

Through the fogged glass, she could see Victor’s silhouette. His hand moving as he jerked himself off, murmuring his ex-girlfriend’s name.

Her heart sank that instant as her shoulders slumped.

What?

That was the only thought in her mind.

Katarina stood there, staring at his blurred figure through the steam, unmoving. She didn’t know how long she remained frozen in place. Even when Victor finished and turned off the water, she was still there.

When he stepped out of the shower, he jolted in surprise.

"Shit—" He clutched his chest instinctively, then relaxed when he realized it was her. His expression darkened. "Katarina. Please. Not tonight."

He tightened the towel around his waist and dragged his feet toward the sink.

"I’m tired," he added. "If you want to talk, do it tomorrow. It was a long day, and—"

"What the fuck?" Katarina finally snapped.

Victor glanced at her, then looked away again. "What the fuck, what?"

"You wouldn’t even touch me," she continued, her voice shaking. "You’ve been locking yourself in this room... for this? To jerk off to your ex-girlfriend?"

Victor blinked, studying the disbelief on her face. "Why are you so shocked?"

"Huh?"

"Katarina, if I want you, I’ll go to your room." He jerked his chin in her direction. "If this bothers you so much, maybe don’t come into my room without knocking."

Indifferent, Victor faced the mirror and picked up his toothbrush. Just before brushing his teeth, he paused and glanced at her through the reflection.

"Oh, and if you’re leaving," he added casually, "lock the door behind you." He shrugged slightly. "I don’t feel comfortable having someone walk in on me like that. It’s... weird."

Hearing that, it felt as if something snapped inside Katarina’s head. Before she realized it, she lunged at him.

"You—"

But before she could reach him, Victor forcefully grabbed her arm, stopping her short. Her breath hitched, shoulders tensing as she caught the fury flickering in his eyes.

"Me, what?" he hissed, resentment filling his gaze. "Katarina, I asked you earlier—why are you so shocked?"

He tilted his head slightly, not a trace of remorse on his face. "You ruined my life. You made me miserable. So I promised myself..." His grip tightened. "I’d make yours ten times more miserable."

"You want to get fucked so badly?" he sneered. "Fine. Maybe that’ll probably shut you up."

Without another word, he dragged her by the arm, tossed her onto the bed, and forced himself on her exactly as she had once wished.