Chapter 209
JESSICA
Clearly, I’ve lost the bet.
I’m sprawled sideways across the bed, half on the sheets, half on him. My cheek rests against the solid warmth of his stomach while his back is against the headboard. His arm curves around me, fingers tracing slow, lazy patterns along my shoulder and side.
“That’s a solid ten,” I chuckle, earning a low, guttural growl from him.
“Ten, huh?” His fingers tighten just slightly against my shoulder, playful but possessive. “Come here,” he murmurs, voice dipping low, “and I’ll give you a hundred.”
“A hundred what?” I tease, though my pulse is already skipping.
His thumb brushes my lower lip. “A hundred ways to make you forget your name.” He leans in, the words hot against my mouth. “A hundred ways to hear you moan.”
Heat rushes through me but I bite my lip, forcing myself to restrain. I don’t know how much time Kirill allowed Grayson to be here inside the Triad.
“How did you find your way here?”
“I didn’t.”
I frown at him.
“Kirill… fetch me.”
My brows shoot up. “Kirill? Fetching you?”
Grayson smirks. “Yeah. Seems like you’re distracted in your training.”
I snap upright, ready to defend myself. “That’s not true!”
Grayson smirks wider, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face, thumb lingering just below my jaw. “He’s asking me how to control your wolf.”
“He’s what?”
“Kirill. He asked me how to control you.”
I freeze, eyes narrowing. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
Grayson tilts his head, watching me, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Seems like…that asshole got… questions about how badly you can misbehave.”
I snort, incredulous. “Misbehave? Me? I won’t misbehave!”
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Chapter 209
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Grayson’s mouth curves, wolfish, “Oh, Jess… you have no idea.”
“Stop it,” I hiss, but it comes out weaker than I want.
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We’re in the middle of a very serious conversation, but Grayson doesn’t care. His hand slides higher with deliberate slowness, palm skimming my side until his fingers close around my breast in a squeeze.
“Tell me everything that happened.” His thumb brushes over the sensitive peak. “All of it.”
I try to glare, but heat is already rushing up my neck. “You’re impossible.”
He pinches my nipple lightly, a sharp tug that makes me gasp. “Start talking”
This is ridiculous.
For the last few hours, Grayson manages to SQUEEZE ME all at once.
“So you’re thinking of letting your wolf submit to him?” His voice is low, almost too calm, but I can feel the bite under it.
I hesitate, words tangling on my tongue. “I…”
I don’t know if he’s angry or just tired of fighting, but when I finally finish explaining, it isn’t fury I see on his face. It’s something worse. Hurt.
“You’re the one who sent me here,” I snapped. “Not me. Don’t look at me like I chose this.”
Grayson doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he grabs his shirt from the floor, tugging it over his shoulders, almost like he’s trying to calm himself.
“Grayson. We’re talking.”
He shrugs. “I’m so pissed I’ll fuck you again so get dress and we’ll talk somewhere else.”
“You can’t just-”
“Move,” he interrupts, grabbing my hand. His fingers dig in, firm, demanding. “Now.”
I follow, heart hammering, every step a mixture of fury and want. He doesn’t look back, doesn’t explain, just drags me toward the door, and I realize: I’m not arguing anymore.
However, he’s not allowed to any place here so we are locked on mine, me sitting on the couch while him staring at the window.
When did he get so impatient?
I’m not checking him out, but the way the muscles on his arms flex when he shifts by the window doesn’t
escape me.
“Someone’s been working out,” I mutter, trying to keep my voice light, teasing–but it comes out sharper than I intend.
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Chapter 209
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Grayson doesn’t turn. Not immediately. He just straightens, jaw tight, shoulders rolling as if he’s holding something back.
“My mate’s away,” he says, morbid. “So I’ve had to burn off steam somewhere. Training. Fighting. Whatever it takes to not lose my mind.”
He glances at me over his shoulder. “Meanwhile, Kirill’s circling you like he wants you for himself.”
For a second I forget to blink. “Kirill–what? That’s not-”
Grayson turns fully now. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed. The way he looks at you. The way he keeps you close. He’s not training you out of the goodness of his heart, Jess.”
“Right. And he knows too that I’m your mate so why would he do that?”
“You’re a hybrid.”
Right.
“And everyone wants to breed me. Is that it? Is that what you are so worried about?”
I’m standing up now, so worked up with all of this bullshit and secrecy he’s trying to hold against me.
““You throw that word at me like it’s a curse. Like I’m a prize some Alpha’s supposed to win.”
His eyes are darker than I’ve ever seen. “We both know that’s not what I meant.”
“Right?” I step closer, chin tilted up. “Then what do you mean, Grayson? Because all I hear is you telling me what I am without ever telling me why.”
He exhales hard, nostrils flaring, hands flexing at his sides like he’s holding himself back. “You’re twisting this
“No.” My voice cracks, but I push it louder. “You don’t get to act like you’re protecting me while you’re hiding everything. You sent me here. You let Kirill near me. And now you’re acting like I’m the problem?”
His jaw ticks. “I sent you here to survive, Jess. Not to end up under his control.”
“And how exactly am I supposed to survive?” My voice rises, ragged. “You throw me into the fire, then stand there telling me not to burn?”
Grayson’s eyes flash. “Do not let him control your wolf. Learn their rules, adopt what you can–then get out.”
I laugh, bitter and cracked. “As if it’s that easy. As if I can just walk away like none of this touches me.”
I’m shaking, but not from fear. His fists are still curled, jaw locked, and for a moment it feels like we’re both standing on the edge of a cliff.
This is their plan. His plan.
Kirill told me something and I want your thoughts about it.”
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Chapter 209
“Fuck off. Now, you’re friends with him?”
“Jess.” He looks so out of it
exhausted, angry, restless
but so am I
“What?” I bite. “You’ve been running back and forth between him and me, you’ve been hiding things. Say it.”
He drags a hand over his face, palm rough against his stubble, like he’s trying to scrape off whatever he’s feeling. “It’s not like that.”
“Then tell me what it is like.”
“I’m trying to keep you alive here.”
I scoff. “And I’m trying to keep myself alive too.”
“Kirill is offering me a place here in the Triad,” he says, not acknowledging my sarcasm.
“What?” My voice cracks, louder than I meant. “A place? You mean you’re joining him now?”
His jaw tightens, eyes flicking to mine but not staying. “It’s not like that.”
“Oh, isn’t it?” I push up off the couch, heart hammering. “You’re standing there telling me I’m the one in danger, and meanwhile you’re slipping into his camp?”
Grayson exhales hard, raking a hand through his hair. “I’m not slipping into anything. I’m staying close enough to know what he’s planning. To keep you safe.”
“You’re lying.” My hands curl into fists at my sides. “You don’t even tell me the truth anymore, and now you’re going to live under his roof? Eat at his table?”
He finally meets my eyes, something raw flashing there. “It’s the only way I can watch him. The only way I can make sure he doesn’t take you from me.”
We’re both breathing hard now, the room has gone small with our words.
Kirill doesn’t just offer things. He doesn’t give anything without a leash attached. What does he want from you?”
Grayson’s throat works as he swallows. He doesn’t answer right away–just stares past me, jaw flexing like he’s chewing on something poisonous.
“Tell me,” I demand. “Stop treating me like a child.”
He exhales slowly, like the air is scraped out of him. “You. As his mate. As our mate.”
Chapter 210
