Chapter 259
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Duke’s temple throbbed at the drunken, slurred word.
“Dick.”
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The sound made his wolf bristle. With a growl curling low in his throat, he seized Carmen’s wrist and pinned her to the cold tile wall. His eyes burned gold, the mate-bond thrumming between them like a live wire.
His Adam’s apple shifted twice before he ground out, each word edged in Beta authority.
“Not Dick. Duke.”
Carmen scowled at the sudden confinement, twisting against him. Her movements were fast, sharp-yet the contact between their skin only sent another jolt of that cursed, magnetic pull straight to her core.
“I don’t care if it’s Dick or Duke…” she muttered, yanking her arm free and snatching the bottle from the counter.
Before he could stop her, she tilted her head back and poured a mouthful of liquor down her throat.
It didn’t make it far. Duke’s hands clamped down on her shoulders, his voice dark with command.
“Stop. Spit it out. Now.”
She shook her head, fighting him, the scent of alcohol hot on her breath.
The kitchen was too small for both their tempers. They shoved against each other -two forces neither willing to yield. Then her footing slipped.
In a heartbeat, she crashed against him, sending them both into the counter.
And suddenly-her lips were on his.
The liquor in her mouth spilled into his, the burn chasing down his throat before his mind caught up. Shock widened his eyes, but his wolf surged in savage triumph at the taste of her.
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Heat pooled in his chest. His pulse thundered.
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Duke pushed her back as if distance could smother the fire licking at his restraint. His finger trembled as it pointed at her.
“What… what the hell was that?”
A cough tore from his chest, but her reaction made him falter.
Her wide eyes filled with tears, her voice breaking.
“You hate me. Just like everyone else.”
Her words came in a tumble-Kael Vale’s venomous rumors at Ashmoor Academy, the sneers, the insults; Riley’s silent suffering and stubborn bravery; every betrayal layered on her shoulders until they weighed her down like chains.
“Now even you,” she whispered, “my own mate…”
The last word was a knife to his gut.
The bond between them pulsed hard enough to steal his breath. It clawed at his will, whispering protect her, claim her, never let her go.
He took a step toward her, but she lifted her head, her tear-bright eyes locking with his-wolf to wolf.
“You know… from the first moment I saw you, I liked you-hic-”
The hiccup cut off her words, but Duke’s heart slammed against his ribs. From the first moment?
His chest felt too tight. The air between them grew heavy, scented with her-warm skin, salt tears, sharp liquor.
“I don’t-” he began, but she broke over his voice with a sobbing murmur.
“I’m a woman. Why won’t you?”
His brows pulled together, confusion and heat battling inside him. “What are you talking about?”
He reached out, brushing a hand over her hair in a rare, gentle touch. “Enough. Let
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me get you water.”
She didn’t seem to hear. Her gaze slid down his throat, pupils darkening.
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Before he could react, her hands shot out, gripping his neck with surprising, feral strength. He stumbled back, his spine hitting the counter.
And then-her mouth was on his throat.
Her lips grazed his Adam’s apple, followed by the sharp press of teeth.
A growl ripped from deep in his chest, half warning, half something darker. The mate-bond roared to life, flooding him with heat, strength, want. Every nerve lit up under her touch, every instinct screaming to answer in kind.
His control snapped like dry kindling. With a swift, instinctive motion, he reversed their positions, caging her against the counter, the predator in him demanding dominance.
Her fingers skimmed his neck, dragging fire in their wake.
Duke’s breathing grew ragged, chest rising and falling in hard pulls, his wolf clawing just beneath his skin.
Then-sanity clawed its way back.
He forced himself to straighten, dragging in sharp breaths. If he stayed too close, he’d give in. And she was drunk.
Carmen, flushed and wild-haired against the counter, looked at him with accusation in her eyes.
“Why won’t you… with me?”
The bond snapped taut between them, hungry and impatient. His wolf wanted to answer her with action, but Duke’s jaw clenched.
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