Chapter 157
Chapter 157:
I jolted awake with a ragged, agonizing gasp.
My body was drenched in cold sweat, my lungs burning as I frantically clawed at the Egyptian cotton sheets, desperate to escape the phantom silver.
“Adelina p>
The pillow wall was instantly shoved aside. Massive, scorching hands gripped my trembling shoulders. Kain hauled me against his broad chest, completely enveloping me in his intoxicating scent of ancient cedar and crackling ozone. The sheer, undeniable power of his Lycan aura acted like a heavy blanket, instantly smothering the lingering terror of the silver vault.
𝖳𝗵𝘦 𝗯𝗲ѕ𝘁 𝗋𝘦𝘷і𝖾𝗐ѕ 𝘰𝘯 𝗴𝘢𝗅ոo𝗏e𝗹𝘀.сo𝗆
“You’re safe,” Kain rumbled, his voice a deep vibration against my cheek. His large hand stroked my tangled hair, his touch agonizingly tender. “You are safe, my little wolf. I’ve got you p>
I clung to his bare shoulders, my breath coming in shallow, desperate hitches. As the panic slowly receded, the atmosphere in the dark room shifted. The comforting embrace morphed into something heavier — a dangerous, magnetic gravity.
I looked up. The moonlight spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows illuminated the sharp angles of his face. His storm-gray eyes were entirely consumed by a molten, burning gold. The raw hunger radiating from him was magnetic, pulling me in. He lowered his head, his gaze dropping to my trembling lips.
I wanted it. Goddess, I wanted to surrender to the illusion that I was his true mate.
But as he leaned in, the silver moonlight caught the dark ink etched directly over his heart.
A.W.
The letters hit me like a bucket of ice water. My mind violently snapped the pieces together. He was in love with his Beta, Fletcher. But this tattoo was permanent — a brand left by a lingering, unforgettable female lover from his past. He didn’t just want me as a breeder to appease his father. He was using my body to pretend I was her.
A double substitute.
A fresh wave of heartbreak, sharper than the silver in my nightmare, pierced my chest. I shoved my hands hard against his solid chest, breaking the electric connection between us.
“I can’t be her substitute, Kain,” I whispered, my voice shaking with unshed tears as I stared at the tattoo. “I won’t p>
Kain froze. The molten gold in his eyes shattered instantly, replaced by a pitch-black, terrifying void. I watched the shock cross his face, followed by a profound hurt, and then the icy wall of his Alpha pride slamming into place. He knew exactly what I was looking at, but he didn’t explain. How could he? Any confession now would only sound like a cruel, manipulative lie to coax a vulnerable Omega into his bed.
His jaw clenched so tight a muscle ticked near his ear. He slowly pulled away, the warmth of his body vanishing entirely.
“Get some sleep, Adelina,” he commanded, his voice a hollow, glacial echo.
He didn’t look at me again. He stood, grabbed a cigar from the nightstand, and walked out onto the balcony, sliding the glass door shut behind him.
The cold war had officially begun.