Chapter 41 IS THIS LOVE?
Ginnie
The expression on Varkos’s face softened, the fiery intensity in his eyes giving way to something more tender. He leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Ginnie,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion, “All I know is that you belong to me and only me alone. That’s all that matters.”
But his words didn’t answer my question, and the doubt remained, a heavy weight in my chest. “So, is that all I am to you?” I pressed, my voice shaking with the need for reassurance. “Your property?”
Varkos’s expression suddenly grew serious as he dropped me instantly, his eyes locking onto mine. “I never said that,” he said, his voice softer than I have ever heard it before. “You’re not just some property of mine. You’re…you’re way more than that.”
He took a deep breath, his eyes searching mine as if looking for something. “You’re the only one who makes everything worth it in this miserable world of mine,” he continued, his thumb brushing gently against my cheek. “The one who makes me feel like I’m not just going through motions.”
I studied his face, trying to read the truth in his eyes. “What exactly does that mean?” I whispered, needing more than mere words. “If I’m that important to you…why can’t you just admit that you have feelings for me?”
Varkos took a moment before responding, his gaze intense and unwavering. “It means,” he began, his voice dropping to a low whisper, “that I care about you in a way that I’ve never cared for any human in Bleeding Rose. It means that your happiness is my priority. That I want to be the only man you ever feel safe with, who fucks you in the way no other man can, who takes away your pain.”
His thumb continued to trace down my cheeks, sending a shiver down my spine. “Everything I said, Ginnie…means that I need you, that I want you, that I crave you so bad no matter how much I try to control it.”
I stared at him for a moment, my heart racing despite everything that had happened between us six years ago, that night that became a nightmare for me. His words felt genuine, a declaration that resonated deep within me. “But Varkos,” I said softly, “what about Kenna?”
He sighed, his eyes darkening slightly. “Kenna…she’s just there. I don’t think I could ever feel anything for her,” he admitted, his voice filled with a hint of bitterness. “But I need to get married to her. It’s my responsibility as Alpha to do this.”
I nodded, but nothing about me was happy with whatever he’d just said—if only he knew that Kenna didn’t even feel an ounce of care for him not to mention loving him. “Maybe she might not really love you? Have you thought about that?”
I asked, the memory of Kenna’s words to the rogue wolves echoing in my mind. “Don’t you think she’s just marrying you cause you’re the ruler of Bleeding Rose?”
Varkos’s gaze softened, a small smile playing on his lips. “Honestly…I don’t care if she does love me or not,” he said, his voice filled with affection. “But she could never understand this…this connection we have.” He paused, stroking my cheek. “What we do has to remain between us, Ginnie. She can never find out.”
Before I could part my lips to say another word, Varkos wrapped his hand around my shoulders, pulling me onto his side. The warmth of his body was comforting, his touch soothing my deeply troubled nerves.
His eyes searched mine, and for a moment, I really saw the real Varkos beneath the cold-hearted and ruthless exterior—vulnerable, conflicted, and genuinely concerned for me. “You need to get some rest now,” he said, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand. “We’ve both had a long day and your injuries need to heal properly.”
I nodded in return, exhaustion taking over my body like a thick blanket. He leaned closer, his muscular frame dominating the space but offering a surprising comfort. I felt his warm embrace around me, his heart beating a steady rhythm against my side.
He wrapped the towel tighter around me, his hand still entwined with mine. This softness from him was everything that I really needed right now. As my eyes grew heavy, I couldn’t shake the feeling that our conversation was far from over, but the pull of sleep was too strong.
The last thing I heard before the bathroom door shut behind me was Varkos’s gentle whisper as he placed a kiss on my forehead and walked away. “I’m never going to let any harm come to you…or Lily.”
Lily?
If only he really knew that Lily wasn't my “little sister” but his child. Some part of me wanted to call him back and tell him the truth right now, but my mind kept replaying every hardship I’d been through with Lily in the past six years.
No matter how good Varkos has suddenly become overnight…he still didn’t deserve to know the truth about Lily, especially not when he was the most unpredictable man I’d ever known.
The thoughts gnawed at me as I slipped back into my room so as not to wake Lily up, who was already deeply asleep. I began to put on my dress silently until I was covered from head to toe. Without hesitation, I quietly slipped onto the bed, placing a kiss on Lily’s tiny forehead.
“Mama’s never going to let anyone come in between us,” I muttered to myself, saying it as if it were more a vow than a promise. Neither was I going to sit still while that evil bitch Kenna had her way with Varkos and this Villa. And with that, I allowed myself to drift off, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.
The morning light seeped through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. I awoke to the feeling of Lily’s tiny grip around my waist, her breathing steady and calm. For a brief moment, I felt a sense of peace, but as reality set in, my heart began to race.
Shit!
What happened last night? Did I really say those things to Varkos? Did he?
Knock. Knock.
The sound of a knock at the door shattered the quiet, and I bolted upright, my eyes wide with fear.