Chapter 267
267
267
+10 Free Coins
Carmen’s amber eyes blazed with defiance, her voice sharp as a fang’s edge.”You’ve got no shame. I still have mine.”
Duke’s low chuckle was a dangerous sound, carrying the weight of a predator who knew exactly where the prey’s escape routes were.”Afraid?” he drawled.
His fingers brushed along her cheek, the warmth of his touch sliding down to the hollow of her collarbone. The contact carried the faint crackle of the bond between them—an electric hum that no amount of denial could sever. It thrummed in her veins, hot and dizzying, as if her wolf was betraying her by leaning into it.
Color flooded her face, spreading down her neck. Her breathing stuttered, much to Duke’s satisfaction.
“Want me?” His smirk was a dark, knowing slash against his face.
She cursed him in her heart. She had thought Duke was the composed, polished Beta who served the Stormridge Pack’s Alpha Prince. But beneath the crisp suit and the refined manners was a wolf who didn’t care for rules-a wolf who would take what he claimed.
Grinding her teeth, she spat, “You need to stop. I’m not even a man-why do you hound me like this?”
That actually made him blink, caught off guard.“You’re not a man, no,” he said slowly, his tone dipping lower. “If you were, I wouldn’t want you.”
Carmen narrowed her eyes, recalling what she’d seen before. “Don’t lie. I saw you with that pretty-boy male wolf from another pack, all cozy. You still want to claim you’re not into men? Or are you both ways? Do you just… eat whatever you can catch?”
Her disgust was sharp enough to cut. “Ancestors, you’re sick.”
Duke actually laughed-rich and dangerous.”We’ve already been together, Carmen. You still can’t tell I’m a straight wolf?”
His smirk turned sharper. “Looks like I wasn’t thorough enough last night. Maybe I should fix that—” His hand slipped boldly under the hem of her skirt.
1/3
267
She gasped, grabbing his wrist. “Stop. Please.”
+10 Free Coins
Before Duke could reply, the pounding of fists against the car window shattered the moment.” Duke! Let her go!” Jace Hale’s voice was raw, desperate. “If you touch her, I swear-”
Duke’s hand stilled, but his attention didn’t shift to Jace. Instead, he leaned closer to Carmen, his voice a low growl meant for her wolf’s ears alone.”You don’t like it here? Then we’ll go home. Finish this properly.”
In one smooth motion, he ripped his silk tie from his collar and bound her wrists. The bond’s pull only intensified with her struggle, the mate-thread tightening like a living thing between them.
“Behave,” he murmured, his breath warm against her ear. “Or I’ll take you right here. And your little knight outside will get a front-row seat.”
Carmen turned her face away, refusing to look at him. The mate bond might have been burning molten through her, but she clung to Riley’s story-how believing in a mate had nearly destroyed her. She would not fall into that trap.
Duke’s hand ruffled her hair in mock affection. “Good girl.”
Then he straightened, pushed open the door, and stepped out.
Jace was there instantly, eyes bloodshot, fists clenched. “What did you do to her?”
Duke’s gaze was cold steel. “She’s my mate. My woman. What I do with her is none of your business.”
The word mate hit Jace like a punch, his wolf snarling in protest. He swung, but Duke’s look froze him mid-step. It was the kind of look that came from a wolf who had fought, killed, and walked away without a scratch.
“Still sore from the beating I gave you earlier?” Duke’s voice was a lethal purr.
Jace didn’t move as Duke slid back into the driver’s seat. The Maybach’s engine growled to life, and moments later the car was nothing but a streak in the night.
Inside, Carmen sat up as best she could, wrists still bound. “Take me back to Ashmoor Academy.”
“Home,” Duke corrected, eyes never leaving the road. “Where we’ll finish what was
2/3
3:21 pm DD
267
started.”
+10 Free Coins
Carmen’s jaw clenched, the mate-bond thrumming between them like a chain she wanted to break, even as her wolf refused to let go.
3/3
8:21 pm