Chapter 67
Chapter 67:
He stepped behind me to measure my bust, his solid, radiating chest pressing flush against my back. I could feel the heavy, rhythmic thud of his heart — right beneath the jagged A.W. tattoo hidden under his shirt.
“Breathe,” Kain whispered huskily, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.
I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately trying to rationalize the suffocating intimacy. It’s just a performance, I told myself. He’s just playing the obsessed Mate for Jerry. But as Kain pulled away, I caught the slight tremor in his massive hands.
He cleared his throat, his voice noticeably rougher as he read the numbers to Jerry, then immediately walked over to the water dispenser, keeping his back to me as he downed a plastic cup of cold water. He was just as affected as I was.
“Perfect,” Jerry clapped his hands, breaking the heavy tension. He spread a beautiful watercolor sketch across the table. “A classic, sweeping silhouette. And as requested, the primary silk will be lavender p>
I frowned, studying the gorgeous purple hues on the paper. “Lavender? Why lavender p>
Jerry smiled, organizing his fabric swatches. “The Alpha King insisted. He said it represents royalty, and that it was tied to a specific memory p>
My blood turned to absolute ice. The air vanished from my lungs.
A memory.
𝘙е𝗮𝗱 f𝘳e𝖾 n𝗼𝘃е𝗅s 𝗈𝘯
When I was twelve years old, shortly after my father died, I had hidden in the overgrown gardens of Wolfe Manor. Sobbing into the dirt, I had prayed to the Moon Goddess. I had whispered a secret, desperate dream into the night sky — that one day, my true Mate would find me, dress me in a beautiful lavender gown, and Mark me in a field of blooming flowers.
I had never spoken those words aloud to another living soul. It was a secret buried in the deepest, most guarded corner of my heart.
I slowly turned to look at Kain. He was still standing by the water dispenser, his broad shoulders tense.
“Why lavender, Kain?” I asked, my voice trembling with a sudden, profound terror.
He didn’t turn around. His grip tightened on the crushed plastic cup. “It’s just a color, Adelina,” he said, his tone clipped and evasive. “It suits your skin tone p>
It was a lie. A blatant, poorly constructed lie from a man who never stumbled over his words.
A cold shiver raced down my spine. He wasn’t just a powerful Lycan who had bought my contract. He knew things about me that were impossible to know.
“We’re done here,” Kain announced abruptly, tossing the cup into the trash. He finally turned, his eyes carefully blank, completely shutting me out. “The car is waiting p>
He walked out of the fitting room without looking back. I grabbed my purse, my hands shaking. As I followed him out of the townhouse and toward the waiting Rolls Royce Phantom, a heavy, terrifying realization settled over me. I was bound to a predator who had somehow been inside my head long before I ever signed his contract.