Chapter 316
Chapter 316:
I scrambled backward against the pillows, my chest heaving. Kain stood at the edge of the bed, his eyes dark and feral as he roughly tore off his silk tie and threw it to the floor. The sheer, suffocating dominance radiating from him finally broke me. A hot tear slipped down my cheek—a silent admission that my safe, predictable world was gone.
Seeing my tears, Kain froze. The wildness in his posture softened just a fraction. He braced his hands on either side of my hips, looming over me.
“Since we’ve cleared up that misconception,” he said, his voice dropping to a husky, demanding whisper, “I believe it’s time we renegotiate the platonic clause of our Mating Contract p>
I looked up into his eyes, my mind racing. I wanted to fight him, to push him away and hide behind the paperwork. But then I remembered the dark wine cellar where he had saved me. I remembered the wedding where he had burned down my enemies without hesitation. He had shielded my grandmother. He had torn down empires just to keep me safe.
He wasn’t just a contract husband. He was my Fated Mate.
Tears blurring my vision, I gave a slow, trembling nod.
Pure, predatory triumph flared in his expression. The golden light of his Inner Wolf flashed brilliantly in his irises. He came down on me, capturing my lips again. This time, I didn’t freeze. I reached up, tangling my fingers in his dark hair, and kissed him back with a desperate, aching hunger—letting the fire consume the last of our lies.
Adelina POV
I woke up trapped beneath the heavy, muscular weight of Kain’s arm. The intoxicating, suffocating scent of his ancient cedar was everywhere, seeping into my pores and tangling with the black silk sheets.
S𝘩𝖺𝘳e 𝘺𝗈𝗎r 𝗳𝖺𝗏о𝗿𝘪tеѕ 𝘧r𝗈𝗺
The memories of last night’s fire—the desperate kiss, the shattering of his carefully constructed lie—crashed over me. Panic instantly clawed at my throat. He wasn’t just a contract husband; he was a Lycan King who had deceived me for months. The sheer, undeniable dominance radiating from his sleeping form terrified me. I was a wolfless woman, and I had just handed him the keys to my only defenses.
I shoved hard against his solid chest, scrambling backward until my back hit the headboard.
“Adelina?” His voice was thick with sleep, the golden light of his Inner Wolf flashing in his irises as he reached for me.
“Don’t touch me,” I gasped, clutching the sheet to my chest. “You’re a liar. You manipulated me into thinking I was safe.” I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, my bare feet hitting the cold floor. “I have an emergency at The Wolfe Hotel. I’m not playing the docile Luna today p>
A flicker of genuine hurt crossed his features, dimming the gold in his eyes. But he didn’t force me to stay. He let his arm drop, his jaw clenching as he watched me flee to the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, I walked into the minimalist kitchen of the penthouse. The cold Carrara marble island matched the sudden chill in my veins. Kain was already there, fully dressed in a crisp black suit, sliding a steaming mug of black coffee across the counter.
“I owe you an apology,” he said, his voice a low, serious rumble.