Chapter 117
Chapter 117:
“A stressful day for a young bond,” Almon rumbled, his voice carrying easily in the cool evening air. “I had Mrs. Higgins prepare a traditional Blackstone herbal supplement. It is meant to soothe a startled wolf and promote harmony between mates. It has already been delivered to your penthouse den p>
I offered a polite, grateful smile. “Thank you, Almon. That’s very kind of you p>
Beside me, however, Kain went completely still. I felt the muscles in his arm turn to granite. A flicker of deep, guarded suspicion crossed his storm-gray eyes as he held his father’s gaze. He knew Almon rarely did anything out of simple kindness.
“We should get home,” Kain said abruptly, his hand pressing firmly against my lower back as he guided me toward the car.
As Kain started the engine and we pulled away down the long, ivy-lined driveway, I glanced in the side mirror. Almon Blackwell was watching our taillights fade into the darkness. He turned to Mrs. Higgins and offered her a slow, sly wink.
Adelina POV
The silence of the penthouse den was a stark contrast to the chaos of the day. I dropped my purse on the sofa, my muscles aching with a bone-deep exhaustion. On the black marble kitchen island sat a heavy glass thermos, accompanied by a note in Mrs. Higgins’ neat handwriting: To soothe the spirit.
Almon’s traditional herbal supplement.
𝘋on’𝘵 𝗆𝘪𝘴ѕ 𝗻𝖾w 𝗋𝖾𝗅е𝗮𝘀es 𝗼ո
I unscrewed the lid. The liquid smelled earthy, laced with a heavy, sweet note of crushed dark berries. Desperate to calm my frayed nerves after the confrontation with Jase, I poured a glass and drank it down. It was warm and surprisingly bitter.
Kain walked into the kitchen, loosening his collar. His storm-gray eyes tracked my movements, a flicker of deep, guarded suspicion still lingering in his gaze.
“You should have some,” I murmured, pouring a second glass and sliding it across the marble. “It actually tastes calming p>
He looked at the dark liquid, then up at me. To appease me, he picked up the glass and took a long swallow.
I turned to put the thermos away, but a sudden, violent wave of heat slammed into my stomach. It wasn’t the gentle warmth of tea — it was liquid fire that instantly flooded my veins, scorching every nerve ending. The smart thermostat on the wall read a cool sixty-eight degrees, but the air in the kitchen had become suffocatingly thick.
I gasped, gripping the edge of the marble island as my knees buckled.
The scent of ancient cedar and rainstorms — Kain’s scent — hit me with the force of a physical blow. It was no longer merely grounding; it was intoxicating, predatory, and overwhelmingly demanding. My dormant wild rose scent flared in response, blooming so aggressively it filled every corner of the room.
I looked up, my vision swimming. Kain had dropped his glass. It shattered against the floor, but he didn’t flinch. His massive body was completely rigid, his knuckles turning stark white against the counter’s edge.
His eyes were no longer their usual storm-gray. They burned with a terrifying, molten gold.
Kain POV
The moment the bitter liquid coated my tongue, the betrayal clicked into place.
Tears of the Goddess.