Chapter 119 The New Kira
Adrian’s POV
The back seat of the SUV swallowed us whole. Black leather, tinted windows, the low hum of the engine cutting through the night like a blade.
Kira’s wolf was curled on my lap, about eighty pounds of warm white fur, her head resting heavy against my chest. She looked relaxed…ears loose, breathing slow…but she was too quiet. No happy little huffs, no tail thumps against my thigh. Just… still. Like she was waiting for the next bad thing to jump out of the dark.
I stroked her back in long, slow passes, fingers sinking into that impossibly soft fur.
“Hey, princess,” I murmured, voice low so only she could hear. “It’s okay. I know you want to transform back to your human form. Are you struggling? Don't worry, I'm here. Just breathe. Picture your hands…your real hands, the ones that fit perfectly in mine. Feel your legs, long and sexy. Your body, warm and soft and all mine. Let it happen. You’ve got this.”
Her golden eyes squinted shut, brows (well, the wolf version) pulling together like she was concentrating so hard it hurt.
I watched her, heart doing stupid flips in my chest. But nothing happened. No ripple under her skin, no crack of bone. Just her staying exactly like this…like some trying so hard to poo.
I smiled anyway, gentle as I could. “That’s alright, baby. First time’s never easy. Try again when you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere. I'll carry you like this for as long as you want.”
Inside my head my wolf paced impatiently.
‘Use the royal voice to make her transform. Command her. Make it fast. What if we delay and she runs off again in her wolf form?’
I shut that suggestion down quickly. No. Never. I wasn’t ever raising my voice at her, wasn’t forcing anything.
Not after everything she’d already been through because of me. I’d wait forever if I had to. I won't let her run off. I'll carry her for the rest of my life if I have to.
Just then, I felt it.
A tiny shiver rolled through her body. Bones started snapping…soft at first, then louder, wet pops that made my stomach twist because I knew it hurt.
She whimpered, a high, broken sound that tore right through me. Groans followed, human-sounding now, raw and exhausted. Fur melted away like snow in sunlight. One second I had a wolf in my arms, the next—
Kira. Human. Naked. Warm skin pressed against my bare chest, her legs draped over mine, ass right there on my lap like the universe was testing every ounce of my control.
“Stop the car,” she gasped, voice hoarse. “I want to get out. Right now.”
I couldn’t help it…I chuckled, deep and rough. “You’re my woman, princess. No way in hell I’m letting you run around naked in the middle of this human town with tons of these deceitful males around.”
She looked down and her eyes went huge immediately.
A full-on scream ripped out of her throat as she scrambled, arms flying across her chest and between her legs like that would hide anything.
“Oh my God…Adrian! Clothes! I need…stop staring you psycho!”
And with that, my queen is back!
I laughed again, softer this time, and reached behind the seat. One of my guys had grabbed a simple white sundress from the hotel gift shop the second we called ahead. I’d told them to. Figured this exact moment was coming. “I got you,” I said, still chuckling as I shook it out.
I kept her right where she was…on my lap…and helped her into it slowly. My fingers brushed the curve of her hip, the soft skin under her ribs, the line of her collarbone and a deep groan escaped my lips.
Every touch sent electricity crackling up my arm. The fresh mark on my neck pulsed hot, alive, like a permanent reminder that I've been taken. This one wasn’t fading. Ever. Finally, I was fully, completely hers. No take-backs. No other woman on this planet could touch me now.
When the dress was settled, she tried to slide off my lap. I caught her hips, held her right there. Leaned in until my lips brushed her ear.
“You’re still naked under that thin little thing,” I whispered, voice low and dark. “And the more you wiggle like that? The harder it is for me not to fuck you right here in this moving car.”
She hiccuped and slapped a hand over her mouth in pure mortified shock. Her cheeks went nuclear red, eyes wide like a deer in headlights.
Goddess, she’s cute when she’s flustered.
Since she got her wolf, since she marked me… maybe she’d finally let me in. Maybe she’d forgive the old me. The bully. The idiot who thought distance would be best for everyone. I wanted her forgiveness more than air.
And I would earn it.
My nose twitched just then. Earlier, in the woods, I’d caught the sharp copper of her blood under all the chaos. I pulled back just enough to look her over, hands gentle but thorough, sliding down her arms, checking every inch of skin the dress didn’t cover.
“You hurt anywhere, princess?” I asked, voice tight. “I smelled blood on you back there.”
She tensed as my fingers found it…a faint pink line on her forearm, already healing fast. I touched it with two fingers, soft as I could, like she might break.
She cleared her throat. “Tree branch. While I was running. It’s nothing serious."
I nodded, leaned down, and pressed my lips right there on the mark. Soft. Slow. “I still hate that you got hurt at all.”
Her cheeks went redder. She shook her head quickly, like she was mad at herself for blushing at me. “What… What really happened to those men from earlier?”
“Don’t worry about them,” I said simply. “I took care of it.”
She blinked. “So you… possessed me? Or something?”
I frowned, confused. “Possessed you? I’m confused, Princess.”
“How else would you have killed those kidnappers in such a horrific way without even being there?” Her voice wobbled a little.
I smiled, slow and honest. “I wish there was some cool possession trick. I’d have loved to be the one ripping them apart myself. There wouldn’t even be bodies left to clean up.”
Her face went through about five emotions in two seconds…confusion, then something clicking into place like a lock turning. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“I’m… a monster? How could I kill them…in such a manner!”
My heart squeezed so hard it actually hurt. I cupped her cheek, thumb brushing her bottom lip. “Why would you ever think that? Even if it was your first shift, you’re not new to this world. You grew up surrounded by warriors who tore rogues apart like freshly baked bread. I know your father’s kingdom dealt with rogue attacks pretty well. You’ve seen blood before. You’re not—”
She cut me off fast, clearing her throat like she’d almost said too much. “Yeah… you’re right. I’m just tired. Really tired.”
I let it go. For now. But something about the way she brushed me off didn’t sit well.
“Rest on my shoulder, princess. Use my body however you want. It’s yours.”
She hesitated, biting her lip, then slowly leaned in. Her head settled against my chest, right over my heart. Light. Shy. Like she was still deciding if she was allowed.
I wrapped my arms around her, breathing her in, and stared out the window.
Something wasn’t right.
She felt… off. Not like the Arabella I used to know. The one who always hid whenever she senses me from miles away. The one who was so timid that she would rather sleep hungry for days than ever complain.
This Kira carried secrets in her eyes that didn’t match the girl from my memories. And I was going to find out every single one.