Chapter 20 020
~LYKA~
I winced sharply as a burning sensation spread across my skin. Something warm trickled down my neck, slow and deliberate. My breath hitched as I raised my trembling fingers and touched the spot, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.
Blood.
I trailed my gaze downward and froze.
My neck had been cut....by the very dagger I had been holding.
The man did that.
“What have you done?” I whispered, my voice shaking despite my effort to sound steady. “Why are you trying to....” My words failed me as panic clawed its way up my throat. I pressed my hand against the wound, my fingers coming away stained.
I lifted my eyes to him, only to see something that made my blood boil.
He looked… pleased.
That psychopath.
Was he trying to kill me?
“I think this cut is enough to get the poisonous blood out of your system,” he said calmly, as though he had merely brushed dust off my skin. My eyes widened as realization struck me like a thunderbolt.
Poisonous blood.
I stared at the blood dripping from my neck....and my stomach churned violently when I noticed its color.
Black.
I hissed in disgust, my lips curling as nausea twisted in my gut. “You couldn’t have warned me first?” I snapped. “You just....cut my neck like some deranged executioner!”
He released his hold on me and helped me off him with irritating ease. Turning away, he summoned a maid into the room, ordering her to tend to me while he casually wiped the blood from his clothes as if this were an everyday occurrence.
“I don’t believe that’s what most people think of doing immediately after opening their eyes,” he remarked dryly.
I knew exactly what he was referring to.
“Maybe if I hadn’t woken up on the floor,” I shot back through clenched teeth, “I wouldn’t have had such… thoughts.”
I winced as the maid cleaned the wound, the sting sending another wave of pain through my already weakened body.
Who in their right mind cuts someone’s neck to help them?
“And don’t tell me you’re angry about what happened,” he said, glancing at me as though my reaction puzzled him.
I stared at him, incredulous. Was something wrong with his head?
“So you couldn’t just tell me I needed to get the poisonous blood out of my system?” I yelled. “Why did you act like you were trying to take my head off?”
The maid stiffened slightly but continued her work.
“Alright,” he said casually, shrugging. “How should I have said it? Maybe like this....Oh, please don’t kill me with that dagger, but I need to use it to cut your neck to drain the poison. Is that better?”
I hissed furiously, mortified that he had exposed my earlier intentions in front of the maid.
Yes, I had tried to kill him....but he had also gone straight for my neck without explanation.
“I’m done,” the maid announced, finishing the bandage neatly.
I smiled faintly at her in gratitude as she exited the room. Immediately, I shifted to stand, unwilling to remain in the same space with him for another second.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
The audacity.
“To my room, obviously,” I snapped. “And honestly, I’m still tempted to go for your head.”
He chuckled, low and amused, and I narrowed my eyes, sensing something beneath his reaction.
“Why are you laughing?” I demanded. “Do you think I can’t move?”
“I don’t think you’re capable of leaving at the moment,” he replied calmly, stepping closer. “Because....” He didn’t finish.
I instinctively stepped back, but the bed was right behind me. I stumbled, my back slamming into it painfully.
“Ouch!” I hissed, the impact sending a sharp jolt through my body.
Before I could recover, I realized he was hovering over me.
Too close.
Panic flared. “What are you doing?” I yelled, trying to push him away. “Are you trying to take advantage of me?”
He didn’t budge.
My hands pressed uselessly against his chest as I found myself staring into his eyes....and suddenly, everything else faded.
They were stunning.
Dark, intense, unreadable....yet burning with something I couldn’t name. No matter how hard I tried, he always managed to unravel me with just a look.
He is so handsome, my wolf purred shamelessly.
My heart thundered wildly as his breath fanned my face, warm and steady. My wolf stirred restlessly, craving her mate’s presence, intoxicated by his nearness alone.
“Why are you doing this to me?” I finally asked, my voice barely holding together.
His lips curved into a smirk, one that felt mocking and dangerous all at once.
I sighed internally.
I couldn’t read him.
I never could.
That uncertainty was dangerous. If I couldn’t predict his next move, how was I supposed to trust his actions....or his words?
He was infamous. Feared. Yet the way he teased me, tested me, lingered around me....it made me doubt everything I thought I knew about him.
Maybe he was simply waiting until we were relaxed enough to strike.
“You think too much,” he said, patting my head lightly.
I yanked his hand away, glaring.
He straightened, smirking. “Is that why you’re not tall?”
My eyes flared with fury.
Am I short?!
Flustered and overwhelmed, I bolted for the door, desperate to escape before something worse happened.
“Why aren’t you saying anything about the poison?” he asked sharply, stopping me mid-step. “Don’t tell me you’re planning a killing spree to find the culprit.”
His tone had changed.
I turned slowly to face him, sensing the shift in his aura.
Yes....I had planned to handle it myself.
His ability to read me so easily only confirmed my fears.
He was not a man I could afford to make an enemy.
Maybe Amanda was right.
“Yes,” I said calmly, lifting my chin. “I assumed you’d be biased and unwilling to investigate your precious pack members, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. Impressive, right?”
The smirk on my face was deliberate.
His expression darkened instantly.
“What are you doing?” he demanded. “Do you want to get killed?”
I scoffed. “You’re really keeping tabs on me?”
Was he afraid I’d kill the culprit?
Good.
He should be.
“I don’t want you doing anything,” he said firmly. “Stay put. I’ll find the person responsible.”
Protecting someone.
That thought ignited fresh anger within me.
Who was he shielding? Who mattered more than his mate being poisoned?
“Fine,” I said smoothly, sitting on the bed carefully. “If I do that....what are you going to do for me?”
He studied me closely. “What do you want?”
I chuckled softly, locking my gaze with his.
“Make me your Luna.”
The room fell silent.
And his face darkened.