Chapter 109
Chapter 109:
I needed to thank him. But I also needed to protect my own fragile heart from the intoxicating, terrifying gravity of his presence — to remind us both of the boundaries of our contract.
I pulled out my phone and searched for a high-end boutique on Madison Avenue. I was going to buy him a gift: a deep purple silk tie, exactly the kind of flamboyant, theatrical color Fletcher Banks favored. It would be my silent, polite way of telling my Lycan King that I understood his secret life — and that his heart was safe to belong elsewhere.
Adelina POV
The heavy matte-black box from the Madison Avenue boutique sat on the marble island of the penthouse den. I stared at it, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. The $950.00 deep purple silk tie inside was more than just a thank-you gift for the fifty-million-dollar contract that had saved my Pack today. It was a boundary — a polite, silent declaration that I understood his secret life with Fletcher Banks, and that my foolish heart would remain safely behind the walls of our Mating Contract.
The private elevator chimed.
The atmospheric pressure in the room instantly plummeted. A thick, intoxicating wave of ancient cedar and raw, crackling power swept through the den. Kain stepped out, loosening his dark tie, looking every bit the exhausted but lethal Lycan King.
“You’re still awake,” he rumbled, his storm-gray eyes locking onto me.
I forced my spine to remain rigid and pushed the black box across the marble counter. “I wanted to thank you for today. Liam and the contract — you gave me the exact weapon I needed to crush Vincent p>
Kain approached, his massive frame dwarfing the kitchen island. He looked down at the box, then back up at me, a flicker of genuine surprise softening his sharp features. He reached out and lifted the lid.
The moment his eyes registered the flamboyant deep purple silk, his entire body went completely rigid. For a fraction of a second, a flash of unadulterated revulsion twisted his handsome face. His Inner Wolf let out a low, vibrating hum of pure displeasure that I could feel through the floorboards.
“It’s purple,” Kain stated, his voice dangerously flat.
𝖳𝘩𝗲 𝗯𝖾ѕ𝗍 𝗿еa𝘥𝗂𝗇𝗴 еxре𝘳𝗂𝗲𝗇c𝖾 𝗼𝗻 𝗴а𝗹ո𝘰ve𝗹𝗌.с𝘰𝗺
“It reminded me of Fletcher,” I said quickly, desperate to establish the safe distance I craved. “I know he favors those theatrical colors. I just — I want you to know that I support your arrangement, Kain. I understand the boundaries of our contract p>
Kain’s jaw clenched so hard I thought his teeth might shatter. The murderous tension in his broad shoulders was terrifying. Then, all at once, his glacial mask slammed flawlessly into place, and the dark, swirling storm in his eyes became entirely unreadable.
“Thank you, Adelina,” he said, his tone smooth and meticulously controlled. He closed the box. “I will wear it tomorrow p>
I let out a quiet breath of relief. He had accepted the boundary. I was safe.
But Kain didn’t step back. Instead, he rounded the marble island, closing the distance between us with that terrifying, silent grace.