Chapter 76
Chapter 76:
“Efficient?” I choked out a laugh that bordered on hysterical. “You’ve trapped me. Do you have any idea how fast gossip travels in Pack circles? By morning, everyone will know. They’ll expect a Luna. They’ll expect someone with a wolf.” My voice broke on the last word. That was the crux of it — I wasn’t just afraid of the lie. I was afraid of the inevitable humiliation when the world discovered that the Lycan King had saddled himself with a wolfless defect.
“Let them talk,” Dallas said, his voice dropping to a low rumble. “A defeated Alpha doesn’t boast about how he lost his female to a Lycan King, Adella. He crawls into a hole and licks his wounds. Braydon won’t say a word. The shame will silence him p>
“You don’t get to decide that for me!” I threw the covers off and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I needed to stand. I needed to be on my feet, to prove I wasn’t just a pawn on his chessboard.
“Adella, don’t,” he warned.
I ignored him. I planted my feet on the cold tile and pushed up.
Immediate regret washed over me. The room spun violently. My knees, turned to water by the lingering silver in my blood, buckled instantly.
I didn’t hit the floor.
Strong, hot arms wrapped around my waist and shoulders, hauling me up against a wall of hard muscle. The impact knocked the breath out of me. I was engulfed in him — the scent of rain and cedar filling my lungs, drowning out the sterile hospital smell.
“Stubborn,” he murmured, his chest vibrating against mine.
No𝘃𝗲𝗅𝘀 𝗂n 𝗍𝗿𝗲𝘯𝗱 oո
“I can walk,” I protested weakly, though my hands were clutching his biceps just to stay upright.
“You can barely stand,” he corrected. Without waiting for permission, he swept me up into his arms and carried me effortlessly toward the en-suite bathroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up. We’re leaving p>
He kicked the bathroom door shut behind us and locked it. The click of the latch echoed in the small, marble-tiled space, making the air feel suddenly thin.
He set me down on the vanity counter, trapping me between his body and the cold mirror. The space was too small. He was too large. His presence seemed to consume every trace of oxygen in the room.
Dallas reached for my hand — the one with the IV line still taped to it. His touch was surprisingly gentle, a stark contrast to the violence he had threatened Braydon with moments ago.
“When you called me your husband,” Dallas began, his eyes fixed on the tape he was carefully peeling back, “did it feel like a lie p>
My breath hitched. I looked at him — at the sharp line of his jaw, the dark stubble, the golden eyes that seemed to see straight down to my wolfless soul. I looked at his ruined suit, his exhausted posture. He had literally fought death to pull me off that floor. He wasn’t playing a role.
“Dallas, we have a contract p>
“Forget the contract,” he growled softly.
He pulled the needle free in one smooth motion. A tiny bead of blood welled up on my skin. Before I could react, Dallas lowered his head and pressed his lips to the small wound.
A jolt of electricity shot up my arm and straight to my heart. It wasn’t pain — it was pure, liquid fire. My gasp rang loud in the quiet room.