Chapter 154

Chapter 154:

The silence of the penthouse was a stark contrast to the suffocating noise of the Sterling Estate, yet it felt heavier — charged with an electricity that raised the fine hairs on my arms. The city lights of the Blackwood territory shimmered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a sprawling sea of gold and obsidian, but I couldn’t focus on the view.

I was fighting a losing battle with my dress.

The sapphire silk, which had felt like armor hours ago, now clung to me like a second skin I was desperate to shed. The zipper was stuck halfway down my spine, just out of reach. My shoulders ached from the strain, and a frustrated sigh escaped my lips.

“Allow me p>

𝗧𝗁е b𝖾ѕ𝘵 𝗋e𝗏𝘪𝖾𝘸𝗌 𝘰n.с𝗼𝗺

The deep, gravelly voice came from the doorway, vibrating through the quiet room. I didn’t need to turn around to know Dallas was there. The air grew thick with the scent of ozone and cedar — the smell of a storm about to break. I lowered my hands, my heart hammering against my ribs.

“It’s stuck p>

“I know p>

He moved closer. I could feel the heat radiating from his frame before he even touched me. When his fingers finally brushed the exposed skin of my back, a jolt of pure static snapped between us — not painful, but addictive. A spark that whispered of belonging.

Dallas didn’t pull away. Instead, his knuckles grazed my spine, tracing the line of my vertebrae with agonizing slowness. I held my breath, my eyes fluttering shut.

“You smell like moonflowers,” he murmured, his voice dropping an octave, rough with something primal. “And rain. It drives my wolf insane, Adella p>

He worked the zipper down in a single fluid motion. Cool air hit my skin, but I was burning. His hands settled on my waist — large, possessive — pulling me back until I was pressed flush against his chest. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply.

“Mine,” he growled, the sound vibrating through my bones. Not a question. A statement of absolute fact.

His lips grazed the sensitive spot below my ear, and my knees went weak. For a moment, I wanted nothing more than to lean into him, to let the fire consume everything else. But the reality of tomorrow — of the unfinished business waiting for me — clawed its way back in.

“Dallas,” I breathed, my voice trembling. “I have to go home p>

The hands on my waist tightened instantly. The movement stopped. The heat behind me turned to ice.

He pulled back and spun me around to face him. His eyes were pitch black, pupils blown wide and swallowing the irises. The beast was close to the surface.

“Which home?” he demanded, his voice cold and sharp as a blade.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “Hyde Manor. I have to go back tonight p>

“No.” The word was a growl. “You are safe here. You stay here p>