CHAPTER 91

CHAPTER 91
I feel him harden again. God, it's impossible not to notice when his body is pressed against mine. My breath hitches, and my thighs instinctively press together. His grip tightens for a heartbeat, just enough to make me gasp for air, but a moment later, he lets go.In an instant, his warmth vanishes, and I almost stumble forward from the sudden loss.

“Stop playing with fire, little wolf,” he says over his shoulder, his voice rough and broken.

Then he walks away, leaving me standing against the cold stone wall once again, breathless and flushed from his ravishing kisses. I never imagined I could feel for a man who hates me and desires me in the same breath. Also, he isn’t supposed to be flirting with me right now, considering that Erin is probably still in the greenhouse, crying her heart out. 

Still, I wait for several minutes before finally returning to my room. He never does. I press a hand against my chest, trying to calm the thunder raging inside me. My lips still tingle. My body still hums with the memory of his touch, and every part of me screams at the unfairness of it all. Why the hell does he start something if he isn't man enough to finish it?

I storm back to the servants' wing, not even bothering to hide the sway in my hips. By the time I reach my room, my legs are like jelly. I shut the door softly behind me, as though any sudden noise might shatter whatever hell is still clinging to my skin. Then I lean against it, letting the silence wrap around me.

My fingertips drift over my lips. They are still swollen, still warm from his passionate kisses. I touch them again, replaying every second, every moment when it feels as though I have the Alpha of Crescent Moon at my mercy.

But mercy isn't what I want from him. It's surrender. And next time, I won't let him walk away so easily. 

A bitter laugh escapes me as I slide down to the floor, curling my knees against my chest. My heart still refuses to settle into a normal rhythm, and maybe it never will.

He tells me to stop playing with fire. But what if the fire is already inside me? What if I start this game not just to piss Erin off, but to make him truly want me?

At first, I don't want to admit it, not even to myself, but part of me craves him. I crave the version of him that slams me against the wall and whispers threats that sound more like promises against my throat.

Is it wrong? Yes. Dangerous? Absolutely. But I can't deny it anymore. It must be because of the mate bond.

Just then, a soft knock sounds at my door. I furrow my brows. Is it Alpha Cassian? Or Dara? Perhaps the headservant? Or worse, Erin?

Still, I walk toward the door. The knock is too gentle to be the headservant, too late for Dara, and it is impossible for Cassian to come to my room. Still, my body tenses instinctively. Should I open the door or not?

“Vivienne?”

It's Nico! 

I don't answer right away, but I know I have to eventually. Groaning under my breath, I open the door to find out what he wants. When I open it, I find him leaning casually against the frame. He's wearing nothing more than a plain shirt and a pair of khaki shorts.

“Beta,” I greet him. “Do you need something?”

“I just want to check on you,” he says, his gaze sweeping over me. It isn't lustful, but there's a quiet hunger in his eyes that he doesn't even bother trying to hide.

I swallow. “I'm fine, Nico.”

“You sure?” he asks as he steps inside, as though he owns the very air I breathe. Then he quietly closes the door behind him.

“I said I'm fine,” I repeat, folding my arms across my chest.

“Coffee?” he asks. “There's a fresh pot on the balcony.”

I blink. “You come all the way here just to offer me coffee?”

“I come because I want to make sure you're okay,” he replies. “And because I want to see how you look under the moonlight, Vivienne.”

My heart stutters. Should I tell him to leave? Should I lie and say I'm already sleepy?

“Come on,” he says, offering me his hand. “Just coffee and some muffins.”

I know he is lying.  Even so, I follow him.

The balcony is cool, bathed in moonlight beneath a sky full of stars. A small table is already waiting for us. Two mugs sit beside a steaming coffee pot. Nico pours my cup first, but knowing him, everything he does has a reason.

“You have that look,” I say, blowing gently across the surface of my drink.

“What look?” he asks.

“That look that says you don't bring me here just for coffee.”

Nico leans back in his chair, his eyes fixed on me. His voice is smooth, carrying both warmth and danger. “No,” he says quietly. “I don't.”

“I know it!” 

He just stares at me, sipping his coffee as though he isn't slowly dismantling my ability to think. “Can I ask you something, Vivienne?”

I nod slowly. “Sure, go ahead.” 

“Did you do it with him already?” he asks.

I blink. “What do you mean?”

“I'm referring to Cassian.” He sets his cup down on the table. “Did you already let him fuck you?”

I inhale too sharply and end up coughing once. I quickly set my mug down beside his. “You're imagining things,” I whisper.

“Am I?” he asks, his voice dropping lower as he rises from his chair and walks over to my side. “Because I saw the way you kissed him in the hallway.”

My breath catches. “You saw that?”

“Yeah,” he replies as his hand brushes a loose lock of hair away from my face.  

“Don’t touch me,” I mumur because the moment he steps closer, the heat radiating from his body curls around mine.

He nods and then he reaches behind me to refill his coffee but his hand grazes my waist. 

“Nico…”

“Tell me to stop,” he murmurs, his voice skimming over my skin more intimately than his fingertips.

He gives me every chance to push him away. I don't. Instead, I watch him lean down slowly until his lips barely brush the curve of my shoulder. The touch is so featherlight that, for a heartbeat, I wonder if I imagined it.

I hold my breath. Then his hand settles carefully against my thigh. He isn't grabbing me. He isn't forcing me. He's simply watching for my reaction, studying me with quiet curiosity.

“Don't worry, Vivienne,” he whispers. “I don't mind sharing you with Jaxon... or Cassian.”