Chapter 142
142
Lucien’s POV
My grandma shot me a glare sharp enough to skin flesh from bone.
+8 Pearls
If looks could kill. I’d have dropped right there in front of the entire pack, the proud Alpha Regent of Stormridge felled by a slip of a she–wolf with tearstained eyes and a mouth too honest for her own good.
But I didn’t flinch.
“I’m sentencing you to redo the embroidery,” I said coolly, lifting a brow. “You’re not to leave the estate until the piece is
finished.”
Riley’s eyes shot up to mine, shimmering and damp, like twin moons on the verge of drowning. Something flickered inside me at the sight–something warm and unwelcome, curling under my ribcage and tightening its hold .
Damn it.
I tugged at my collar, the silk of my shirt suddenly too close, too stifling. My tie felt like a leash I didn’t remember fastening. I could feel my pulse in my throat.
She didn’t argue. Didn’t pout. Just gave me the smallest nod, lips parting as she rasped out a soft, “Okay.”
Like I’d offered her freedom instead of a sentence.
The corner of my mouth quirked, unbidden. Not a full smile–gods forbid–but a crack in the armor nonetheless.
She really was easy to fool.
She is still as innocent as when I first saw her in the hospital corridor.
1 narrowed my eyes slightly, letting them roam across her features. Delicate. Pale. A wolf too breakable for this world–but she’d survived hell and somehow walked out looking untouched.
Deceptive, that kind of strength.
The Matriarch was watching me from her seat like a hawk, and I could almost hear her thoughts : That boy is finally catching on. Took him long enough to mark what’s his.
She wasn’t wrong. Though my way of marking wasn’t the usual fang–to– neck display. I preferred mine through inked contracts and locked doors, a quiet kind of claiming
A binding she didn’t even notice until the threads wrapped around her throat.
1
Eventually, I was dragged off by a throng of councilmen in charcoal suits, the kind that reeked of politics and pertune. Numbers Trade deals Pack alliance talks I listened, responded, made the right expressions.
But my mind wasn’t there
It was on her
When I finally turned back toward the banquet hall, something made me pause
There
the second–floor terrace, curled like a lost cub against the iron –railed balcony-
was her
Riley
She was alone. Her body slumped forward, chan resting on folded arms, her hair catching the moonlight like silver thread. She looked small Breakable
My chest tightened again, the same damned tug I’d been feeling since the first time I caught her scent in that corridor
I walked to her in silence, not caring that I’d left my guards and andes confused behind me
142
+8 Pearls
Up close, I could see the red mark on her cheek, left by resting too long against her sleeve . Her breathing was shallow but even. She hadn’t stirred.
I hesitated
Touching her always came with consequences–for both of us.
But then the wind shifted, and I caught that faint , lingering scent of blood and crushed herbs–her scent–and the decision made itself
I took off my coat, wrapped it gently around her shoulders, and bent down.
She, murmured something I couldn’t make out, then leaned instinctively toward me, curling slightly as if seeking warmth.
My arms moved without thought. I lifted her easily, cradling her to my chest, careful not to jostle her sleeping form.
She fit against me perfectly.
Like she belonged there.
Like the gods had carved that spot out just for her.
As I turned to leave the balcony, footsteps approached from the far end of the hall. I didn’t have to look to know who it was.
“Alpha Regent, my assistant–Duke, the nosy bastard–grinned far too widely for his own good. “You’re really taking care of Miss Riley, huh? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were-”
“Careful.” I warned, voice low .
He paused mid–step. “What? I was just going to say you were fond of her.”
I tilted my head, casting him a look that made younger wolves flinch. “ And I was just about to say your bonus this quarter has been revoked.”
His jaw dropped. “Wait, what-
“For speaking without permission . ”
“Alpha Regent,” he groaned. “I just replaced my boots. You know I was counting on-
“Speak again.” I said, arching a brow , “ and I’ll revoke your sock stipend too.”
He shut his mouth instantly, sulking like a pup denied dinner.
I smirked
The memory of Ronan Duskcliff with Duke’s sock shoved in his mouth was still fresh in my mind , and spirits above, it was satisfying. The arrogant mutt had finally gotten a taste of helplessness.
Maybe next time, he’d think twice before trying to ruin what belonged to me.
Because Kiley!
She did
Even if she didn’t realize it yet
1 slutted her gently in my arms, her head resting against my chest now, a soft sigh escaping her lips as it she could sense the heartbeat beneath her ear
Inglatened my hold and kept walking
Let the world stare Let them whisper.
Stormindge i future Laura had been humiliated, exiled, and forgotten.