Chapter 55
Chapter 55:
“I’m thinking about how to survive the night without causing a scene,” I corrected, standing up. My instinct was to retreat, to put distance between us, but the living room suddenly felt like a cage with no corners.
“A scene?” Dallas let out a dark, humorless chuckle. He set the glass down on the marble counter with a sharp clink. “You think going alone will prevent a scene? You are a wolfless girl walking into a den of Alphas who smell fear like blood in the water p>
He began to move toward me — not rushing, but stalking. Every step was deliberate, radiating a power that made the air feel thin.
“I can handle myself,” I said, backing away until my spine met the solid wood of the tall bookshelf.
“Can you?” Dallas stopped inches from me. He was so close I could smell the whiskey on his breath, threaded through his own intoxicating scent — storm rain, cedar, and raw, masculine heat. He planted his hands on the shelf on either side of my head, boxing me in. “Or do you just want to walk in there clean? Unmarked? So Braydon can look at you and think you’re still the same girl he threw away p>
My breath hitched. “That’s not p>
“You want to go to him without a trace of me on you,” he growled, leaning down until his nose brushed the sensitive skin of my neck. I shivered violently. “You want him to think you’re still available p>
“No,” I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. The accusation stung, but his proximity was doing something worse — it was igniting the bond I had tried so hard to suppress. “I’m not going there for him. I’m going for me p>
“Then why are you trembling?” His voice dropped to a dangerous purr.
“Because you’re scaring me, Dallas.” I looked up into his eyes, now almost entirely gold. I raised my hand, hovering it over his chest, trying to reach the man beneath the beast. “I am your Mate. You don’t need to be jealous p>
Q𝘂𝘢𝗹і𝘵𝗒 𝘁𝗋𝘢𝗇s𝗹𝗮𝘵i𝘰ոs 𝘰n
The moment the word Mate left my lips, the air in the room shattered.
I thought it would calm him. I was wrong.
Dallas’s expression twisted, a flash of raw fury and hunger crossing his face. “Mate,” he repeated, the word edged with disdain. “You use that title when it suits you, Adella. When you want to pacify the monster. But you won’t let me claim it. You won’t let me stand beside you p>
Before I could answer, his hand tangled in my hair, pulling my head back. He crashed his lips onto mine, devouring me with a kiss that had nothing to do with affection and everything to do with possession. It was punishing, desperate, and overwhelmingly consuming.
I made a muffled sound of surprise, my hands instinctively pushing against his chest — but my body betrayed me. The spark that had been dormant roared into a flame. My fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer instead of pushing him away.