ulian kept staring at . His eyes didn’t blink, like he was weighing every breath I took. Then he closed them, just for a second. When he opened them again, the tension around him shifted. The heat drained away, leaving sothing colder. Controlled.
"It’s because Lewis took my position," he said calmly. "I couldn’t accept it. That’s why I lost control."
Jeffrey’s face hardened, disappointnt clear in his eyes.
"Julian," he said, "your health is still unstable. Lewis stepped in because the pack needed stability. He’s handled things well. Once you recover, you’ll still have a place."
His words were firm, but not cruel. He still cared. Julian had always been the one chosen, trained, prepared. The heir everyone expected to lead.
"This was my fault," he said suddenly, turning to Jeffrey and Jas. "I drank too much at the Morrigans’. I lost control. Riley only reacted on instinct. Don’t bla her."
I stiffened.
Drank too much? At that dinner?
I didn’t believe it. Not for a second. Sothing had been wrong with him that night. But what shocked wasn’t the excuse.
It was him protecting .
After everything between us... why?
Jas still looked displeased, but he said nothing.
Jeffrey rubbed his temples, exhaustion written deep into his face. "The new year is coming. I want peace in this family. No more chaos."
Everyone murmured their agreent.
"Enough," he said. "Get so rest."
As people began to leave, Julian stayed behind. I felt his gaze before I saw him.
"Riley," he said quietly, "are you okay?"
I turned, incredulous. After all that, he was asking that?
"I’m fine," I said flatly. "I’m not the one walking around with a bandage."
He laughed softly, like he’d missed that tone. "I’m fine too. So don’t worry."
"Who said I was worried?" I shot back. "I’m just warning you. If you ever try to hurt Lewis again, I won’t hold back."
Sothing flickered across his face when I said Lewis’s na.
"You’ve known him for what?" he asked. "Two weeks? And you’re already this attached?"
Bitterness seeped into his voice.
"Have you really forgotten that fast?"
I looked at him calmly. Coldly.
"Forgotten what?" I asked.
He hesitated. Like there was sothing clawing at his chest, desperate to get out.
I didn’t give him the chance.
"What," I said, tilting my head slightly, "you an your ex?"
Yenik’s face flashed through my mind smug, fake, and spineless. I rolled my eyes and shrugged.
"Cheaters are just cheaters," I said flatly. "Even animals know better than to ss up their own den. Why should I waste brain space on soone like that?"
The mont the words left my mouth, I realized they hit Julian too.
His face darkened instantly.
I sighed, already annoyed. "Don’t look at like that. I’m not talking about just you. I’m saying people like you and Yenik are the sa kind of trash."
For a second, his gaze softened. His voice shook when he spoke.
"Do you really hate that much, Riley?"
I laughed, short and empty. "You expected to like you after everything you did? Don’t flatter yourself. And don’t play the victim. That trick doesn’t work on ."
Lewis, who had stayed quiet, finally spoke. His tone was calm but final.
"It’s late. Let’s go back to our room."
"Yeah," I said, turning toward him.
But before I could push the chair, Julian stepped forward and grabbed the handles.
"You can’t go with him!"
The air snapped tight.
His eyes were red. His grip was too hard. I could feel his emotions spilling out, sharp and ssy, like he’d lost control of himself.
I raised a brow. "Why not? Lewis is my mate. Who else would I go with? You?" I scoffed. "Move."
Anger burned through . Not long ago, he’d crossed a line in that car. And now this?
I slapped his hand away and pushed Lewis forward.
Lewis looked at him coldly. "You’re out of line. If anyone saw this, they’d think you’ve forgotten every rule you were raised with."
The elevator doors slid shut.
Through the narrowing gap, I caught one last look at Julian. His eyes were glossy, wild, like sothing inside him was breaking. A chill crawled up my spine.
Back in our room, my worry surfaced.
"He still has the notebook."
Julian was unstable. Keeping sothing that important in his hands felt dangerous.
Lewis reached out and patted my head gently. "Don’t stress. I’ll handle it. You’ve had a long day. Go take a bath. Relax."
"...Okay."
The warm water helped. It loosened the tension in my body, softened the sharp edges in my mind. Afterward, Lewis helped again, careful around the bruises.
It was strange. I’d only been here a short ti, but my body was already used to him. His touch no longer startled . At first, every movent hurt. Now, the heat of his hands felt grounding. Safe.
The next few days passed quietly. Training. Recovery. Rest.
I barely saw Julian, and honestly, I didn’t miss him.
Then one evening, I stepped outside to catch so air and froze.
He was standing there.
"What do you want?" I asked, not bothering to hide my irritation.
He held out a towel. "You just finished training, right? You must be tired." He hesitated, then added, "I made chicken and mushroom broth. It’s still warm. Good for your strength."
I stared at him. "Did you take the wrong ds today?"
He smiled faintly, unfazed. "No. I just think... since you moved into the Hale house, things between us have been tense. I want to clear the air."
Before Julian could speak, Lewis’s calm voice reached from behind.
"Sweetheart, I had the kitchen make so chicken broth for you. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard you need to take care of yourself."
Sweetheart?
I glanced back at him, montarily caught off guard, then decided to go along. "Alright, I’m coming."
He added softly, a small smile tugging at his lips, "Let’s head back to the room. I’ll give you a massage later."
"Okay," I said, walking toward him.
As I passed Julian, he suddenly grabbed my wrist. His voice was low, sharp.
"You let him massage your legs?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Not just my legs. My whole body’s sore, and he’s been helping a lot. He massages everything."
Julian’s expression darkened, anger flickering like wildfire behind his eyes, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t his mate anymore. He had no say in my life.
Back in our room, I showered quickly, then without much thought dropped my robe and lay stomach-down on the bed. It had beco a small habit Lewis’s massages eased the tension after long days of training.
Closing my eyes, I let him work. His fingers pressed into every knot in my muscles, patient and precise.
"Riley," he murmured, low and careful, "does that feel good?"
"Mhm," I sighed, letting the warmth of his hands seep into . "Feels amazing."
"Want it to feel even better?"
"Yeah," I murmured, still with eyes closed, not thinking.
Then it happened.
A soft brush of lips. My eyes flew open.
Lewis leaned forward, cupping the back of my head as he kissed , gentle at first, then deeper. His lips traced from my mouth to my neck, leaving heat in their wake before settling and pressing harder against a single spot.
"Lewis!" I gasped, shocked and frozen.
He pulled back imdiately, eyes dark and apologetic, but there was sothing else there, sothing raw and personal that I couldn’t na.
"I’m sorry, Riley," he whispered. "I couldn’t help myself."
I flushed, caught between embarrassnt and understanding. He’d lived alone most of his life intimacy like this was probably new.
I wrapped my bathrobe tightly around myself. "Let’s call it a night."
He nodded, still looking at like he wanted to say more but couldn’t.
Later, as I stared in the bathroom mirror, I noticed the massive red mark blooming across my neck. A hickey. Fantastic. Not even a thick scarf would hide this one.
Then again... I reminded myself I was married. This wasn’t a cri. Right?
The next morning, I went downstairs to find Sera in the living room.
"Good morning, Sera," I said, keeping my voice polite. "You’re here early."
She nodded calmly. "I ca to check on Julian."
Julian sat nearby, his usual icy expression masking everything. But the second his eyes landed on my neck, sothing snapped inside him.
His gaze locked on the red mark. The cup in his hand slipped, shattering on the floor. A servant scrambled to clean it, but Julian didn’t even notice. His shock was sharp, dangerous, like a pack mber suddenly realizing a challenge had been made.
I ignored him, turning to Sera instead. "How’s Camilla doing?"
Sera sipped her coffee slowly, posture flawless as always. "Oh, right. I almost forgot. There’s so news from the Hudson pack."
"News?" I asked casually.
She smiled faintly. "Camilla is pregnant... with Yenik’s pup."
I had just sipped my lemon water. The words hit like a strike. I coughed violently, choking, the water spraying across the table.
"What? Camilla is pregnant.... with Yenik’s pup?!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)