Chapter 204
I take a step back, his words striking harder than claws. “W–What do you mean?”
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“That this,” his thumb presses against the tender skin, “should never have been his to leave. That you….” his eyes lift, dark and claiming, “…were never his to claim.”
Heat blooms under my skin, confusing, shaming, thrilling. “You–you can’t just-”
“I can,” he interrupts, soft but dangerous. His breath is warm against my cheek now, his thumb still circling, marking, teasing. “And I will. Because if you’re going to survive here, little wolf, you don’t get to hide behind his scent. You need to learn who you are. What you are. And whose hands you’re really in.”
“I…”
My wolf stirs faintly, restless beneath my skin.
“He’s a mistake, Jess.” Kirill’s words are quiet but merciless, his fingers still at my throat. “Grayson will become your weakness.”
Something inside me snaps. My palm rises before my mind can stop it, striking his cheek with a crack that echoes off the stone walls.
His head barely shifts with the blow. He just stands there, gaze fixed on me, unreadable, like a beast deciding whether to bite or to toy with its prey.
“How dare you,” I whisper, my voice shaking with anger, shame, something darker. “You don’t know him. You don’t know me.”
I shove him hard, all the heat and humiliation coiling inside me, and it barely makes him stumble.
“I said–back off!”
I spin on my heel, letting my hands claw at the hem of my tunic as I storm toward the door. I don’t know how I found my room, I just know that Kirill is bad news for me.
“Something’s wrong?”
When I turned around, I saw Cid hanging on the edge of my bed, fingers on my cover. “Cid! Fuck. What are you doing here?!”
“I… I wanted to say sorry,” he mutters, eyes still confused. “For being an ass… for last time. I—”
“Cid-“I snap, hands trembling, wanting to shove him out. “You can’t just-”
“I know,” he interrupts, taking a cautious step forward. “I was a bastard. I don’t expect forgiveness…. I just-”
Shit.
My mind is in chaos but I manage to smile at him and pretend to be calm. “It’s okay. I forgive you even if you
13:26 Sun, Sep 28 ***
Chapter 204
almost ate me alive.”
“Really?”
My chest rises fast, adrenaline still prickling from the Cradle.
“Really,” I say, voice trembling just a fraction, trying to hide it with a crooked grin.
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Cid shifts slightly, shoulders tense, like he wants to close the distance but isn’t sure if I’ll let him. He takes another step, reaching his hands to me. “So, welcome to the triad?”
My hand trembles, but I lift it and let my fingers brush against his.
“Please be good to me from now on?”
He chuckles, shaking my hand. “Yes ma’am. But are you sure, you’re okay?”
“Yes.”
His gaze lingered a moment too long before he let me go. “Okay. Sorry for barging in again. I’m actually headed for patrolling the area. Want to come with me?”
“I can?”
Cid nodded his head. “Alpha Kirill wants you to. He hasn’t told you?”
“Told me about what?”
Cid’s jaw tenses, but he shrugs like it’s nothing. “That you’re allowed to accompany me. On patrol. If you survive, maybe you’ll feel less useless.”
I blink, heart skipping. “Survive?”
“You’ll see. He doesn’t do this for fun, little fire. You’ll either keep up… or burn yourself out trying.”
I swallow hard, mind racing with a mix of fear and reckless curiosity. My wolf thrums beneath my skin, restless, sensing the scent of the wild and of him–Kirill–looming somewhere out there, waiting, testing, watching.
“You… you really want me to come?”
Cid tilts his head, amused, almost wolfish in that smug, dangerous way. “Don’t ask me. Ask the Alpha. But if you go, you won’t be alone.”
I nod slowly, chest tight. “Okay,” I murmur. “I’ll go.”
Cid grins. “Good. Keep up, little fire. Or don’t. I’d like to see him scold you.”
You have no idea, Cid.
I just slapped your alpha so I think I’ll get more than scolding from him. But I needed to get my mind off
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Chapter 204
things and this is an opportunity for me to explore the pack.
In vounter
“So, this is where you train?” I asked Cid after he told me he’d let me join his patrol. “I mean, except in the cradle of course.”
“This… this is the backbone of the Triad. Every shadow, every stone, every scrap of blood spilled here shapes who we are. The Cradle is where we survive. Out here… we dominate.”
I glance around, eyes widening. The open grounds stretch farther than I expected. Training dummies, obstacle courses, and shadowed alcoves for sparring litter the area.
“And… you just let me wander here?” I ask, half in awe, half in disbelief. “Alone?”
“Alone? Not a chance. I’m with you. But the rules… they’re the same for everyone. You step out of line, you’re done. The pack doesn’t forgive weakness.”
I swallow, a mix of fear and thrill coiling in my chest. “Right. Of course.”
He chuckles, dark and low, the sound sliding under my skin. “You know, everyone is the strongest here.”
“Except me?”
Cid’s laugh is rough and genuine. “You’ve got claws, Jess,” he says, still grinning. “You just haven’t learned how to use them yet.”
I arch a brow at him, trying to keep the heat out of my cheeks. “So I’m the runt, then?”
“No. Not a runt. A loaded gun with the safety still on.”
That does something to me – the way he says it, like he’s already seen the wolf in me, the one I’m still trying
to wake.
I snort softly, trying to shake it off. “You’ve got a way with metaphors, you know that?”
Cid smirks, leaning a little closer as we walk. “And you’ve got a way of getting under people’s skin. Ask Alpha Kirill.”
My breath catches at the mention of his name. “I think he hates me.”
Cid chuckles again, this time quieter, darker. “He doesn’t hate you. If he did, you wouldn’t still be standing.”
“Then what does he want?”
Cid shrugs one broad shoulder. “That’s something you’ll have to figure out before he does.”
“Does he have a mate?”
I briefly wondered if there’s a she–wolf out there who is attracted to someone like him. Kirill is hot. Gorgeous, yes–but there’s something about him.
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Chapter 204
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“Why don’t you ask me yourself?”
Kirill.
“I’ve sent you here to patrol the area, learn about how we do things and make sure you won’t embarrass yourself again but then what are you doing, Jess?”
“We’re just talking, Alpha.”
He doesn’t glance at Cid. “Ask me again, Jess.” Kirill tipped my chin with his fingers. “I have no mate. Do you know why?”
“No.”
“Because the Triad owns me. And in case you’re wondering…” His gaze sharpens, cold and merciless, “…you won’t even make it.”
