Chapter 65
Chapter 65:
“No.” His hand moved, fingers gripping my chin and turning my face back to his. The contact sent a jolt of electricity straight down my spine — shocking and undeniable. “Look at me p>
The anger in his eyes shifted, revealing something darker, deeper. Pain.
“I could have given you the world, Adella,” he murmured, the confession slipping out as if he hadn’t meant to say it. “And you almost threw it away for a slice of cake and a boy who doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you p>
My breath hitched. The world?
с𝘩𝗶nе𝘴𝖾 nо𝘃e𝘭𝘀 𝘵𝗋а𝘯𝘴𝗅𝘢𝘁е𝘥 𝘰ո 𝘨а𝗅ոo𝘷е𝘭s.𝖼𝘰𝗺
“I’m fine now,” I stammered, my heart hammering against my ribs. “The doctors p>
“The doctors didn’t save you,” he cut me off, his thumb brushing the sensitive skin of my jaw. “I did. I breathed for you when your lungs failed. I forced your heart to beat when it wanted to stop p>
Beep. Beep. Beep-beep-beep-beep.
The heart monitor betrayed me instantly. The steady rhythm accelerated into a frantic gallop, broadcasting my reaction to the entire room.
Dallas’s gaze flicked to the screen, watching the numbers climb. A corner of his mouth quirked upward, cold and knowing.
“Side effect of the medication?” he asked, echoing the excuse I had used before.
My face burned. I couldn’t speak. My body was screaming a truth my mind refused to accept — my skin craved his touch, and my soul felt a terrifying sense of rightness just being near him.
He leaned down, his lips brushing against my forehead. It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was a brand. A seal.
“Rest, Adella,” he commanded, his voice rough with suppressed emotion. “Because when you leave this bed, nothing will be the same. I am done playing by their rules p>
He pulled back, the loss of his warmth leaving me shivering. As he turned and walked toward the door, the monitor continued its frantic beeping — a digital echo of the chaos he had unleashed in my chest.
Braydon
The heavy oak door of the private staging room slammed shut behind me, muffling the chaotic murmurs of the ballroom — but it couldn’t silence the screaming in my head.
My hands were shaking. Not from sorrow. Not from the image of Adella convulsing on the floor, blue and dying. They were shaking from a terror so primal it made my wolf whimper and curl into the darkest corner of my mind.
Katherine Parrish stood by the vanity mirror, calmly reapplying a coat of blood-red lipstick. She looked pristine, untouched by the catastrophe she had just orchestrated.
“Are you insane?” I choked out, the words tearing from my throat. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done p>
She smacked her lips together, checking her reflection with a critical eye. “I took out the trash, Braydon. You should be thanking me. That wolfless embarrassment was ruining the aesthetic of the evening p>
I crossed the room in two strides, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around. “You didn’t just poison a wolfless girl — you used silver. In front of Dallas Marshall p>