Chapter 136

Evaline:
“River I said in a much softer voice which was less demanding and more pleading. “Please. Let go.”
His eyes locked with mine. They were dark and unfocused, yet still burning with that maddening intensity he always carried. He didn’t move and his weight above me started feeling too real, too solid. His grip on my wrists, though not painful, was firm, grounding me beneath him.
Then, just when I thought he might actually start talking or pass out-
Thump.
“OW!” I gasped as my vision blurred with sudden stars. “What the hell?!”
He had just… headbutted me.
Full-on. No warning. He just lowered his damn forehead and slammed it into mine like he was greeting me the way rogue wolves greet each other in battle, painfully and without common sense.
“River Thorne!” I hissed. My eyes had already started watering. “You. Are. Insane!”
He groaned like he was the one suffering. “That hurt,” he muttered, rolling off me at last and flopping on the mattress like a starfish. “Your head’s hard.”
“My head?! You are the one who decided to slam your forehead into mine!” I rubbed my temple, checking for blood, but thankfully, there wasn’t any, just a red patch that would likely turn into a bump by morning.
He chuckled… actually chuckled.”You were talking too much. I wanted you to shut up.”
My mouth fell open. “You tried to knock me out?!”
He turned his face toward me, his eyes fluttering closed. “I think it didn’t work. I can still hear you.”
I stared at him in disbelief, then grabbed a pillow and smacked him square in the chest. “You-You reckless, irresponsible, ego-inflated idiot!”
“Pretty,” he mumbled as he grabbed the pillow and hugged it to his chest, all the while his eyes remained shut. “Even when angry. Actually… especially angry.”
I stared down at him, panting from fury… or exasperation. Or both.
What was I doing here?
Why was I still here?
I should have left. I should have walked out the second he pulled me down. But now I was dizzy from the damn headbutt, while he – the terrifying, infuriating, powerful Rogue Alpha King – was lying in front of me like a drunk, oversized puppy who had no clue what he had just done.
And somehow, some very messed up part of me was finding all this… ridiculous. Endearing, even.
I groaned again and pressed my hands to my face. “I need help,” I muttered.
But there was no one here to help me handle this drunk Rogue Alpha King.
“Get up,” I said, nudging his arm. “You are a grown man, not a drunk teenager. At least make it under the covers properly if you are planning to pass out.”
“Are you tucking me in, Evaline?” he asked, cracking one eye open.
I deadpanned. “Do I look like your nanny?”
“You could be.” His voice dropped slightly and that teasing glint returned to his tone. “A hot nanny.”
“I swear to the moon, River-”
“Alright, alright,” he slurred, lazily rolling toward the head of the bed and pulling a corner of the blanket over himself. “But if I die from cold exposure, I’m haunting you.”
“You live in a penthouse and wear clothes that cost more than my salary. You’ll survive.”
When he finally stilled, his breathing evening out slightly, I stood up and straightened my dress. My reflection in the tall mirror near the bed was showing a woman with flushed cheeks, a mess of silver hair, and amber eyes filled with irritation and… something softer.
I turned away.
Despite the urge to leave him just like that, I forced myself to stay a little longer to tuck him in properly. I took off his shoes and then his socks. Then I pulled him into a sitting position, which was definitely not easy, I took off his suit and his tie.
“This should be enough for him to sleep peacefully. Right?” I asked to no one in particular.
Out of all people, why it had to be me stuck in such a situation with him?
Letting out a sigh, I took off his watch and placed it safely on the bedside table. I also took out his phone from his coat pocket and placed it next to the watch. Then, I even opened the top two buttons of his shirt to make it more comfortable for him.
Lastly, I tucked him in under the blanket, placed a glass of water on the bedside table with hangover tablets that the driver brought. And switched off the lights, leaving just one bedside table lamp on.
“You know you are impossible, right?” I muttered once I was done making everything as comfortable for him as possible.
“Mhm,” he actually hummed softly in his sleep. “Still better than Kieran.”
That stopped me cold.
I stared at him, clearly startled. “What?”
But his breathing had already deepened, signaling that he was finally asleep this time.
My heart was thundering as I stood by the bed. Did he mean that? Or was it the alcohol talking? ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by (.)net
I shook my head. There was no point in trying to decipher drunk-River. Not now. Not when everything in me was already in disarray.
Carefully, I moved out of the bedroom before stepping out of the penthouse.
Just like the driver promised, he was waiting in the the hallway. He looked up, clearly relieved to see me.
“He’s passed out,” I told him. “And hopefully, he’ll stay that way till morning.”
“Are you alright, Miss Evaline?” he asked, eyeing the faint red mark on my forehead.
I waved him off. “He headbutted me. I’ll survive.”
The man blinked. “Headbutted-?”
“Don’t ask. Just… let’s get out of here.”
He nodded and guided me to the elevator, pressing the button as I leaned back against the polished glass-paneled wall, sighing deeply.
This night had gone from uncomfortable to ridiculous and now bordered on surreal.
And somehow, it still was feeling more real than anything I had experienced in weeks.