Chapter 298
Chapter 298:
“My father is thorough,” Kain said, his voice a low, dangerous drawl as he closed the distance between us with predatory grace. “He will monitor this den. If he sees us sleeping in separate rooms, he will deem this environment unstable and bring the Elder back to the city p>
I backed up until my spine hit the cold wall. “You’re lying. You just want to control me p>
Kain reached out, his knuckles brushing the side of my cheek. I flinched violently, turning my head away.
“See? Unacceptable,” he whispered, his tone turning to ice. “Your fear taints the air. My father will smell your resistance through the monitors. We are initiating a Bond Simulation Protocol p>
“A what? No p>
Before I could protest, Kain’s arm snaked around my waist, yanking me flush against his solid frame. His other hand engulfed mine, forcing our fingers to interlock. He didn’t ask for permission. He simply stepped forward, dragging me into a slow, silent waltz across the marble floor.
I stumbled, my heart hammering against my ribs as I tried to pull away, but his grip was absolute. I was locked in his rhythm, forced to move with him, suffocating in his ancient cedar scent as we danced in the dead quiet of the penthouse.
Adelina POV
I used a sudden influx of work emails as my excuse to break away from that suffocating waltz. Fleeing to the master bedroom, I sought refuge in the massive king-sized bed. But lying there now, in the dim golden glow of the single bedside lamp, I felt like a castaway stranded on a hostile island.
I clung to the absolute, freezing edge of the mattress, my spine rigid beneath my silk pajamas. If I moved an inch to the left, I would fall onto the floor. If I moved to the right, I would enter his territory.
𝗨𝗉d𝖺𝗍𝗲ѕ e𝘃e𝗿y we𝗲k 𝘰𝗻
Beside me, Kain was propped against the pillows. His dress shirt was half-unbuttoned, exposing his collarbone and the dark, intricate edges of his Lycan tattoos. He was reading through a stack of documents, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
He didn’t look up, but the rustle of paper stopped. His dark eyes shifted, catching my precarious position.
“Move to the middle, Adelina,” he ordered.
He didn’t raise his voice, but the low, guttural rumble carried the absolute, crushing weight of an Alpha’s Command. My wolfless body betrayed my mind’s desperate resistance. Trembling, I forced myself to slide an inch backward, closer to the scorching heat radiating from his massive frame.
Before the suffocating tension could swallow me whole, the screen of my phone lit up on the white marble nightstand. An unknown number.
Desperate for any distraction, I snatched it up and answered.
“Adelina p>
My blood ran cold. It was Jase. His voice was broken, thick with a pathetic, agonizing remorse.
“Don’t hang up, please,” he begged, his breath hitching over the line. “I spoke to Martha Hayes. She told me everything. The silver-lined vault — Kira — Goddess, Adelina, I didn’t know. I was so blind. I’m so sorry p>
His words were a rusty blade twisting into scars that had barely healed. But sitting beside a force like Kain made Jase’s betrayal feel like a distant, pathetic echo.