Chapter 61

I could’ve sworn the barista’s gaze never left me while he prepared our coffees. There was something unsettling in his movements, a predator's focus as he kept an eye on his prey—me. A chill began to creep up my spine, and I quickly averted my gaze, fearing the rising panic within me might overtake my mind. But as long as I could see Icarus standing just outside, my breathing began to slow, my anxiety subsiding.

“Oh, here comes our coffee!” Mireille chirped, spotting Rafe as he carried our cups.

He placed them on the table, barely acknowledging Mireille, though it seemed like I was the one who held his attention. The way Rafe looked at me was unnerving, his eyes alight with something feral, a spark akin to the one I’d seen in the barista’s golden gaze. I tried to avoid his intense stare, but the mere awareness of his presence made my skin crawl. The worst part, however, was the overpowering scent of his cologne—so thick it stole the air from my lungs as he stood too close. I only began to breathe easier when Rafe finally placed my cup next to me and moved away.

“Taste the coffee,” Mireille urged, pushing my cup closer.

I forced a smile, trying to shake off Rafe’s suffocating scent. Mireille’s gaze was fixed on me now, her eyes shifting between me and the cup as though she wouldn’t let me off the hook until I tasted it. I brought the cup to my lips and took a tiny sip.

“It’s good… Really good,” I murmured, not really tasting it, but feeling the pressure to offer an immediate response.

“It is, right?” She beamed, fanning the coffee’s aroma toward me. “The smell is amazing, isn’t it?”

I smiled stiffly, though deep down I’d have preferred to inhale the scent of the coffee rather than that wretched cologne. I regretted, for a moment, training my senses with Oberon, for now I could differentiate much more than humans and werewolves. Most shifters couldn’t completely rid themselves of their scent when in human form, particularly men, whose musk mingled with the earthy tones of wood and fur. That’s how I’d learned to identify them. But Rafe’s cologne, it seemed, had dulled all my instincts. I probably couldn’t smell a wolf standing right beside me. I took another sip of the coffee, trying to act like I was an expert before my senses could recover.

“Drink more,” Mireille urged, taking a sip of her own.

I joined her, once the lingering fragrance of Rafe had dissipated. I drank a few gulps, but suddenly, I realized she had stopped and was staring at me, a knowing smirk on her face, her eyes wide with a strange intensity.

“You live away from your family, don’t you?” she asked, her voice casual but laced with something probing.

I put my cup down, confused. “W-why do you ask about my family?”

“Just curious,” she shrugged, as if it were a harmless question.

“I don’t have a family,” I replied, my voice stiff as I turned my gaze toward the window, looking for Icarus.

“Oh, really?” Her smirk deepened.

“Yes,” I confirmed, meeting her eyes, trying to steady myself.

Her expression shifted, a darkness creeping into her gaze as her smile turned colder. Her eyes narrowed, becoming intense and unsettling.

“Do I have something on my face?” I laughed nervously.

“You have beautiful eyes, Thalassa,” Mireille said, but her tone was too sharp, her words laced with something mocking.

A soft chuckle sounded from behind me, and I turned to find the barista, Elian, grinning wickedly.

“Elian seems to agree with me,” Mireille chuckled, winking at him.

“What can I say?” He leaned casually against the bar, his eyes locking onto mine. “She’s every wolf’s type.”

I recoiled, standing up in a rush, heading for the door.

“Don’t leave us yet, lovely,” Rafe blocked my path before I could reach the door handle.

“It’s sad to hear that Cassius Marwood’s daughter is so disloyal to her own family,” Mireille sneered.

A growl of frustration escaped me, and I whipped my head toward the window, but to my horror, I could no longer see Icarus. Panic flared again as I reached desperately for the door handle.

“Face it, bitch. You’re not going anywhere!” Mireille spat, grabbing my wrist with a fierce grip.

I glared at her, my voice a hiss. “Let me go!”

She grinned, her claws extending as they dug into my arm. A sharp cry escaped me, and her laughter rang out, cruel and victorious. The scent of lavender and mint grew stronger as her excitement intensified. It only then occurred to me how badly I’d misjudged the situation. Those herbs were used by odorless wolves to mask their true nature from vampires—like Caelum Langridge, Mireille was a spy, and I had fallen right into her trap.

I summoned all my strength, yanking my hand free from her grasp. “Get away from me!”

Rafe and Elian stepped closer, effectively cornering me by the door.

“My bodyguard is waiting right outside!” I called out, hoping that Icarus would sense something was wrong.

“Already taken care of, lovely,” Rafe taunted, his grin cruel.

I swallowed hard. I’d lost sight of him, but still, I clung to the hope that he might come to my rescue.

I glanced out the window again and saw three men walking toward the café. They were laughing, and one of them had blood on his hand—though it didn’t seem like he was the one hurt. My stomach churned with dread. Whether Icarus was dead or had escaped to get help, it didn’t matter; he couldn’t reach me in time.

“No…” I whispered, my voice cracking as I sank into a haze of fear, anger, and despair.

I braced myself for whatever would come next, but they only laughed.

I tried to focus, but suddenly, my head spun and my vision blurred.

“What did you give me?” I gritted my teeth, fighting to stay alert.

“Oh, we know you're a feisty one, Thalassa. That’s why you’ll be sleeping all the way to your new home,” Rafe chuckled, leaning in close.

I leaned against the wall, struggling to keep my balance as my knees weakened.

“I’d rather die than go back to my father…” I whispered, using the fury within me to hold onto consciousness.

“Oh, but you’re not going to Cassius Marwood, hon,” Rafe sneered. “You don’t belong to him anymore. You’re going to Alpha Kenzo, your new master.”

“What?” My voice trembled with fear.

All three of them burst into laughter as the world around me spun faster.

I collapsed to the floor, my vision fading as my body lost the battle to stay conscious. Before my eyes closed, I saw Rafe crouching beside me, his breath close to my ear.

“Don’t fight it, lovely. You’ve already lost,” he murmured, and I recoiled from the stench of his cologne that filled my lungs.

He leaned closer, his lips brushing against my ear. “Nighty-night,” he whispered.

And with that, I blacked out.