Chapter 133

Chapter 133:

“This time,” he said quietly, “when I say ‘Sleep well,’ I mean it. Not as a dismissal. As a prayer p>

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Then I turned and walked back into the night, back toward the manor, back toward the ghosts waiting for me there.

Dallas

The silence in the office was heavier than the storm raging beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Shards of crystal lay scattered across the carpet like jagged teeth, glistening in the dim blue glow of the monitors.

Adella stood before me, her chest heaving, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and something else — something that smelled like arousal masked by defiance. She turned to leave, reaching for the takeout bag she’d brought, a pathetic shield against my rage.

P𝗼𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢r ѕ𝘵𝘰r𝗂𝖾s о𝘯

“I didn’t say you could leave,” I growled.

Before she could take a step, I moved. My Lycan speed closed the distance in an instant. I slammed my hand against the edge of the mahogany desk, trapping her between the wood and my body.

“Dallas, please,” she whispered, her breath hitching. “I have to go back. Victoria needs p>

“You aren’t going back to Victoria,” I corrected her, my voice a low rumble that vibrated through her chest. I leaned down and buried my face in the crook of her neck. She smelled of moonflowers and rain — a scent that calmed the roaring beast in my head even as it drove my body to the edge of madness. “You are going back to his territory. To the wolf’s den p>

“I can handle Braydon,” she insisted, though her pulse fluttered wildly against my lips.

“You shouldn’t have to,” I snarled. My hands gripped her waist, pulling her flush against me. The contact was electric. Ragnar clawed at my ribs, demanding I mark her, claim her, keep her locked in this tower forever. “Listen to me, Adella. When he looks at you — when he breathes near you — remember who you belong to p>

I grazed my teeth over the sensitive skin below her ear, not enough to break the surface, but enough to make her gasp.

“Mine p>

The word left my throat like a command from the gods.

Then my personal cell phone buzzed violently on the desk, shattering the moment. The screen lit up with a name that commanded instant obedience: Elder Augusta Marshall.

Adella’s eyes darted to the screen. “You should answer that. It’s your aunt p>

I didn’t even glance at the phone. I kept my gaze locked on Adella’s face as I reached out and pressed decline.

“She can wait,” I said coldly. “Everything can wait except this p>

Adella swallowed hard, her resolve wavering. “I really have to go. If I stay any longer, Braydon will suspect something. I promised Victoria.” She tried to pull away, her hand reaching for the door.

Panic — sharp and primal — spiked in my chest. She was walking back into the fire, and I was letting her.

“Wait p>