Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Valencia’s POV
His eyes were closed, his body cerily still in the shadowed corner of the room. For a moment, I thought he might not have heard me. But then, at the sound of my voice, his eyes snapped open.
I felt a chill run down my spine as they locked es snapped open.
mine, still burning with that unnatural mix of molten gold and scarlet.
I had seen many times in my life how a wolf’s eyes flickered brightly when enraged or consumed with a strong emotion. But his eyes were almost predatory.
My body tensed instinctively, every nerve screaming at me to stay still, to not provoke him. Exactly like prey.
But Dante didn’t need me to speak further. He moved on his own, stepping out of the shadows with languid, deliberate grace. His steps were neither fast nor slow, but each one carried an unrelenting weight, his gaze fixed on me as though I was the only thing in the room.
When he stopped, he was so close that I could feel the heat radiating off his body, an oppressive warmth that made my skin prickle.
“Do you like them?” he asked, his voice low and smooth.
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“Huh?” My voice came out weaker than I’d intended.
“The gift,” Dante clarified, nodding slightly toward my feet. “Do you like them?”
The anklets. My gaze dropped to the delicate chains wrapped around my ankles, the tiny fox charms and turquoise gemstones catching the dim light as they swayed gently.
I felt a whirl
about.
of
pensad emotions collide within me–fear, anger, regret, and… shameful desire. Something I didn’t want to think
“I…” I started, but my throat closed up. I didn’t trust myself to speak, not when his scent was so overpowering, his pheromones weaving through the air and making my head spin
The next moment, his hand shot out, fingers curling under my chin and tilting my head up. His touch was firm but not harsh, forcing me to meet his piercing gaze.
“Words, princess,” he said softly, his tone a mixture of command and mockery.
My breath hitched. The memory of our first night together flashed through my mind–the way he’d asked for my consent in the exact same way. My core pulsed at the memory, and I gulped, heat rushing to my face.
This wasn’t fair.
I wanted to be strong, to fight back, but my body betrayed me..I could only sit there, shuddering under his intense scrutiny. “I like them,” I whispered finally, my voice barely audible.
A slow, gentle smile spread across his face, and for a moment, it looked almost genuine. “Good,” he said. “Don’t take them off, then.”
Something about the way he said it sent a chill down my spine, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. My heart was pounding
Sat, Jan 10
Chapter 83
too loudly in my chest, drowning out all rational thought.
“I… I need to use the bathroom,” I mumbled, standing and taking a hesitant step.
Dante’s eyes followed me as I moved, but he didn’t say anything I quickly slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.
The lock was broken.
My frown deepened as I stared at the door. An unsettling
It’s fine. He saw me go in. He won’t come in.
celing crept into my chest, but I pushed it down.
I repeated the thought like a mantra as I went about my business trying to ignore the faint trembling in my hands. After brushing my teeth, I stepped into the shower, letting the water wash away the sweat and grime of the past twenty–four
hours.
And then it hit me.
Aiden.
My eyes widened as I froze mid–step. How could I have forgotten about him? What the hell was wrong with me?! Dante had ripped his arm straight out Even though a wound like that wasn’t fatal to an Alpha, he still felt pain. I had seen it in his eyes.
Panic surged through me as I quickly wrapped a towel around myself and stepped out of the bathroom.
Dante was sitting on the bed, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp, locked onto me the moment I appeared. It was like he’d been sitting there, waiting, staring at the bathroom door the entire time.
But I didn’t have time to think about how unsettling that was.
“Where’s Aiden?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Dante’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes glinted with something dangerous. A slow, small smile curved his lips. “Dead.”
The word hit me like a punch to the gut.
My breath left me in a rush, my knees threatening to buckle beneath me.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head as the room spun around me. “What the hell do you mean he’s dead? You killed him?” My voice rose, panic and disbelief lacing my words as I took a step closer to him. “Answer me!”
Dante’s gaze darkened, but his smile remained, as though he was amused by my outburst. “Didn’t you hate him before?” he asked, his tone mocking. “Why the sudden worry?”
“Are you crazy? Of course I still hate him!” I shouted, my hands shaking as I grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. “I hate them all! But he helped me. I called him to help me. And you… you…” My voice broke as tears spilled down my cheeks for the hundredth time. “Oh my God, it’s all my fault…”
Dante’s smile twisted into something cruel. “So what if he helped you?” he said softly. “I helped you too. But you-”
“That’s different!” I snapped, cutting him off. “You’re not like them!”
His eyes narrowed, and his smile vanished.
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Chapter 83
“Oh?” he said, his voice dangerously low. Before I could react, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward, spinning us around and pinning me down onto the bed.
I gasped as my back hit the mattress, his weight pressing down on me as his burning gaze bore into mine.
“Pray tell,” he said, his voice dripping with venom. “How am I different? I’m a wolf too. I’m a killer too. I’m someone you don’t trust either. You treat me exactly like them, and then you say I’m different?”
My breath hitched as his eyes flickered, the blue in them surfacing briefly. And then I felt it–his pain, raw and unfiltered, bleeding through the bond.
My chest tightened, guilt twisting in my stomach.
Then, he said the words that sent a shiver down my spine.
“No,” he said quietly, his voice soft but filled with a deadly edge. I didn’t kill your brother. Only because you asked me not
to.”
The weight of his words settled heavily in the room, thickening the air between us.
“I… I’m sorry,” I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper.
Dante shook his head, his lips curling into a bitter smile. “I don’t want your apology.”
Before I could respond, he buried his face in the crook of my neck, his arms wrapping around me in a grip that was both possessive and desperate.
My heart raced as I felt the faint tremor in his shoulders, the crack in his voice when he spoke.
“Just stay with me,” he murmured, his voice breaking. “Don’t run away.”
My eyes widened as I felt something wet against my skin.
Was he… crying?
My throat tightened as I hesitantly wrapped my arms around him, my chest aching with the weight of his vulnerability. “Okay,” I whispered. “Okay, I won’t leave.”
“Promise?” he asked, his voice muffled against my neck.
“Promise,” I said softly.
But then, his hold on me tightened, almost suffocating as he pulled me closer.
“But, Valencia,” he said, his voice laced with bitterness and pain, I don’t believe you anymore.”
