Mira sat in the passenger seat of the King’s car, her heartbeat loud in the suffocating silence.
Her skin still pulsed with adrenaline, the danger of her near fall lingering in the tremor of her hands and the tight ache in her chest.
Someone had pushed her.
She was certain of it.
She could almost feel the imprint of the hand, still pressed against her lower back.
The danger was clear.
Yet, all she could think about was the strong, masculine scent of the king—musk and amber—wrapping around her.
The heat radiating off him, the way her wolf stirred, drawn to his dominance.
She opened her mouth to speak, to thank him for the other day but the King beat her to it.
“I gave you a month to finalize your divorce,” he said evenly.
“Yet you seem determined to die before it concludes.”
Mira blinked, stunned.
Of all the things she expected—anger, reprimand, even silence—she hadn’t expected concern.
“Concern?
From you?” She lifted a brow.
His gaze slid to her—slow, assessing—as if searching for something.
“Don’t mistake strategy for concern.” He warned.
She stiffened.
“Right,” Mira muttered.
“Because dragging me to your car, offering me your blood, dragging me into a hotel and vanishing by morning was strategic too?”
He clenched his jaw, clearly irritated.
“You were unstable.”
“You left.” She countered.
The car became silent.
Not the comfortable kind, the kind that screamed tension.
Then, the king leaned in slightly, locking eyes with her.
Mira’s heart beat erratically.
“I left because if I hadn’t,” he whispered lowly, “I would have taken more than blood.”
Mira swallowed, a chill crawling up her spine.
She felt a shift in the air as the King’s burning gaze pierced through her, making every nerve in her body ignite.
His presence seemed to expand, pressing in on her lungs.
Her wolf stirred, unsettled, aware of the predator inches away.
She swallowed again.
“You don’t get to say that like it’s some noble restraint.”
His eyes darkened.
“You think restraint comes naturally to me?”
It was a mistake, one she hoped he hadn’t caught.
“You’re not my mate,” she said quickly.
“You don’t get to decide what I can handle.”
Evren’s lips curved into a cold, almost twisted smile.
“Whoever it was that pushed you tonight thought you were alone,” he said.
“That you were unprotected.”
“I wasn’t.”
“No,” he agreed softly, leaning in.
“You weren’t.
Because I arrived in time.”
That landed like a blow.
She turned toward the window, her jaw tightening, her breathing heavy.
“I guess I should be thanking you then?”
The King didn’t respond, he just watched her.
Then finally, he turned, fastening his seatbelt.
“This isn’t just about you falling down a stairwell,” he said.
“It’s about what you represent.
A Luna in the middle of a fracture.
A divorce that hasn’t been finalized.
A woman who now carries my scent.”
Her breath caught.
“You marked me,” she whispered, remembering the angry look she had seen on Adrian when he’d noticed too.
The king’s gaze snapped to her throat, where his blood had once pulsed beneath her skin.
“I stabilized you,” he corrected.
“The mark was…
unavoidable.”
She laughed, the sound soft, bitter.
“Funny how unavoidable your choices are, but mine got called reckless.”
He leaned closer again, his forearm braced between her and the door, not touching her—yet.
“Your choices put you in reach of men who would tear you apart,” he said quietly.
“And mine keep pulling you out.”
Her pulse throbbed.
“Then stop.”
His eyes snapped to hers.
“Stop watching me.
Stop intervening.
Stop acting like you own the countdown to my freedom.”
For the first time, something dangerous flickered in his expression. This story is hosted at g.com.
It wasn’t anger.
It was possession.
“You have two more weeks,” he said.
“After that, Adrian’s claim ends.”
“And yours begins?” she challenged.
Evren straightened, creating distance even as the tension remained razor-tight.
“I haven’t decided what I’ll do with you yet.”
The words should have terrified her.
They should’ve made her blood run cold.
Instead, her wolf leaned forward, wanting.
The door unlocked with a soft click, a silent dismissal.
“Don’t make me save you again.” he said, his voice back to iron control.
Mira hesitated, her hand on the door.
“You don’t scare me,” she said quietly.
His gaze lingered on her, slow and heavy.
“I should.”
Those were his last words before she got out of the car.
The engine revved, and the slick SUV rolled out of the parking lot, disappearing into the night.
Mira stood there, her hand clutching at her chest, her heart pounding in her ears.
The cold night air did nothing to cool the heat the King had ignited.
“Mira!”
Mira stiffened, her subconscious recognizing that voice.
A hand clamped on her upper arm, spinning her around roughly.
Adrian stood mere inches from her, his eyes wide with rage and possession, his breathing ragged.
“Adrian?” She gasped, taking a step back but he didn’t let her.
His grip on her arm tightened, almost bruising.
“What’s going on?” She whispered, alarm bells sounding in her ears.
He didn’t look normal, didn’t look like the usual controlled Alpha.
He looked like a man on the brink of snapping.
“You smell like another male.” He hissed, his voice thick, tinged with his wolf’s.
Mira tried to yank her arm free but this time, he turned the other way, dragging her to his car.
“Let go!” Mira struggled against his hold but he was too strong.
“Adrian!”
He pushed her into his car, getting in after her.
“What are you—”
He pressed a kiss to her lips.