Chapter 48 Blood in My Mouth
Sable's POV
The moment the elevator doors slid open, I could feel it.
That electric tension that seemed to hum in the air whenever Kier was near.
I’d spent the entire weekend convincing myself I was over it—over him. Over the way his voice could pull something from me I swore I’d buried.
The moment I opened the door, my heart stopped.
I’d steeled myself for this—armored in resolve, breath steady, wolf leashed tight. I’d rehearsed every word, every angle, every mask I would wear when I stood in front of Kier.
None of that prepared me for this.
Wineglasses gleamed on the table. The skyline burned gold through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything was set for something… intimate. And at the center of it
Liora. On her knees. Naked.
Her hands were on Kier like she had a claim. Like she belonged there.
Air ripped out of me in a ragged sound. My wolf lunged, snapping her leash so hard my skin prickled from the inside. Rage. Betrayal. Heartbreak. All of it flooded me at once until the room pulsed red.
I wasn’t in a penthouse anymore—I was back in the pack’s training ring, dust under my boots, a girl circling too close to what was mine. Only this time I didn’t care about rules.
This time I wanted blood.
“Oh,” Liora said, turning with a slow, smug smile that made my palms itch. “Look who's here.”
The snarl tore out of my chest before I could stop it—low, feral, wrong in a human throat. The glass door rattled. My heels cracked against marble as I advanced, every step a promise. I didn’t wait to make sense of my anger; I ran on it.
Kier was already moving when I hit the room. He stepped between us like a wall, broad and solid. His hand reached for me, all professional calm and quick reflex, and he said my name—“Sable, wait”—but it didn’t sound like pleading, not exactly. More like shock trying to dress itself as reason.
“Move,” I told him, and my voice came out edged and sharp as blade.
Liora flinched, then tilted her head like I was a stray dog she meant to shoo. “What’s wrong, Sable? Don’t like the view? Kier stopped waiting for you. He wants someone who is going to stay.”
The words were a match to gasoline. My wolf screamed. I lunged. Kier grabbed me around the waist, hard, and I clawed at his arm. Nails met cloth and skin; the sound of it was a whisper that told the story of everything I’d been holding back.
.
“Don’t,” Kier warned her over his shoulder, voice sharp.
“Don’t what?” Liora’s smile widened, eyes on me. “Tell her the truth?”
I launched before I knew I’d decided. Kier caught me around the waist, dragged me back into him. My nails scraped the muscle of his forearm as I reached for her.
Rip her apart. My wolfed cried.
“Let me go!” I fought like something drowning, the mate bond sparking and burning between us. “I'm going to rip her fucking head of. She doesn’t get to touch you!"
Liora’s face blanched. The smirk stuttered. She grabbed for the trench at her feet, fumbling like her fingers forgot how buttons worked.
“Sable,” Kier said in my ear, urgent, rough. “Look at me—hey—look at me.” His grip held, not hurting, but immovable. “She means nothing.”
My wolf didn’t care. I didn’t care. All I saw was the glitter of triumph in Liora’s eyes and the invitation in the room—wine breathing, plates set, lights low. He’d made space for this. For her.
“Nothing?” I spat, twisting, breath coming hard. “You let me walk in on nothing?”
“I didn’t—” He stopped, jaw working. “This isn’t what you think.”
“It’s exactly what it looks like,” Liora said, clutching the trench to her chest. “He’s done waiting on you.”
“Shut up,” I snarled, the sound rattling my ribs.
Kier’s arms tightened a fraction. “Enough.” He flicked a look at Liora that could’ve stripped paint. “Get out.”
Liora went pale, then red. “Kier—”
“Out,” he repeated, voice gone Alpha-cold.
She hesitated, eyes flicking between us, then huffed a breath and shoved her arms into the trench. “Fine. Let her have her temper tantrum. She’s good at those.” She snapped her bag off the chair and made for the door, chin high, voice syrupy. “You don't deserve him.”
“If you ever come near me again,” I said, every word shaking with control I barely had, “I will tear you apart. Do you understand me?”
For a heartbeat, something vulnerable flickered in her face. Then the mask slammed back down. The door opened. Her heels clattered into the hall. Silence fell so hard it rang.
All that was left was my breathing and Kier’s hands still locked around me.