Sarah’s POV
I spent the entire night plagued by dreams, leaving my sleep fragmented and restless. When I finally opened my eyes the next morning, my head pounded mercilessly.
This sleep had been worse than no sleep at all, leaving both my body and mind exhausted.
It had been years since I’d enjoyed a peaceful night’s rest, my dreams always filled with painful memories from
the past.
My head throbbed painfully, and I instinctively reached up to massage my temples. As I moved, my elbow
brushed against something–or rather, someone.
I blinked once, then twice, before suddenly turning my head. I found myself staring directly into a sleeping face.
Was I still dreaming?
I distinctly remembered Alexander banishing me to the couch last night. How had I ended up in bed with him?
I closed my eyes and opened them again.
His face was still there–more handsome than any Hollywood celebrity could ever hope to be. If Alexander ever
decided to enter the entertainment industry, countless male actors would find themselves out of work.
I felt a small surge of pride. My mate had always been this handsome, from youth to adulthood. While time
wielded its knife against most people, Alexander only grew more distinguished and captivating with age.
A smile curved my lips as I turned to my side, reaching out to touch his face. I traced his expressive eyebrows,
his straight, perfect nose, and then moved down to his lips–thin, slightly parted, and beautifully colored…
I wanted to kiss him.
The pull between us remained as strong as ever, that magnetic attraction that had always drawn me to my
mate.
Surely one little stolen kiss wouldn’t hurt?
I swallowed hard, leaning closer until our lips met in the briefest of touches.
I pulled back, feeling like a mouse that had successfully stolen a piece of cheese.
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But in the next moment, my smile froze on my face.
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Those narrow, deep eyes were now open, staring at me with an icy coldness that sent chills down my spine.
Caught in the act.
“You’re… you’re awake?” I forced an awkward laugh.
He said nothing, just stared at me until I felt my skin crawl. “About what just happened, I can explain–”
“Hmph!” His scornful laugh cut me off, filled with disdain, contempt, and above all, cold indifference.
“I underestimated you, Miss Winters. Not only do you have a habit of crawling into beds uninvited, but you also dare to molest me so brazenly.”
We’re mates! MATES! I wanted to scream it in his ear. But considering my current predicament, I held my
tongue.
Still, being caught red–handed made me nervous, and my eyes darted everywhere but at him.
“Alpha Blackwood, don’t phrase it so harshly. I remember falling asleep on the couch last night. I have no idea
how I ended up in the bed–maybe I was sleepwalking…”
“Sleepwalking isn’t something I can control, and just now, I was definitely still half–asleep and thought I was
dreaming. That’s the only reason I would dare to do something so foolish.”
I scrambled for excuses, forcing a placating smile. “Besides, a strong Alpha like you hardly suffered any harm.
And someone as magnanimous as yourself wouldn’t hold a grudge over something so trivial, right?”
His beautiful eyes remained unnervingly deep, like an ocean too dark for light to penetrate. The cold emanating
from him seemed to wrap around me as if he could see straight through me. “Is that so?”
“Um…” A cold drop of sweat trickled down my back. “Okay, I admit I was tempted by your beauty. I’ve never
seen anyone as handsome as you, Mr. Blackwood. I couldn’t help myself.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, his gaze shifted away. Alexander said nothing more, getting out of bed and
walking past me. I caught his scent–clean and crisp with hints of tobacco.
Exactly the same as before.
He was still the Alexander from years ago, seemingly unchanged in so many ways.
And yet, he wasn’t the Alexander I knew at all, because everything had changed. I could only lament how time
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had altered our circumstances.
“Sarah Winters…”
His voice snapped me back to reality. I looked up, responding instinctively, “Yes?”
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Morning light streamed through the window, illuminating his handsome, pale features, making them appear both ethereal and distant. His aura remained cold and dignified, as if nothing in this world was worthy of his attention–including me.
“Stay away from me from now on,” he said.
Despite the steel I had forged within myself over these five years, despite believing I was unbreakable, when Alexander uttered those words with such finality, it felt like being stabbed with a needle.
The pain was so acute I had to take several deep breaths, unable to recover. Each second was pure torment.
I’ll stay away from you, I thought bitterly. I couldn’t bear the thought of you loving another she–wolf anyway.
As Alexander disappeared into the bathroom, I heard the shower start.
C
The sound of running water filled the cabin, triggering an avalanche of memories I’d tried so desperately to
suppress.
The last time we were together in a bathroom… his strong hands lifting me against the marble wall, my legs
wrapped tightly around his waist, his lips devouring mine hungrily as the water cascaded over our entwined
bodies.
The way he’d growled my name against my throat, his teeth grazing my skin as he pushed deeper inside me,
making me cry out in ecstasy…
I felt my body growing hot at the memory, a familiar ache building between my thighs.
I pressed them together tightly, trying to banish the thoughts.
The sound of the shower was pure torture–knowing he was naked just feet away, water streaming over that perfect body I knew so intimately…
“Buzz… buzz…“A phone vibrated on the nightstand, snapping me out of the memory I shouldn’t have been lost
- in.
I let out a shaky breath, relieved. But then, something didn’t sit right.
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Wait.
Hadn’t Alexander said there was no signal on the ship? This lying wolf had deceived me!
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I grabbed the phone and marched toward the bathroom, ready to confront him. Just as I raised my hand to
knock, the door swung open.
Steam billowed out, revealing Alexander standing there with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets clung to his sculpted chest and shoulders, trailing down the defined muscles of his abdomen. His body was a masterpiece–broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, powerful arms, and lean, strong legs.
But what caught my attention most was the tattoo that sprawled across his right shoulder and part of his chest: an intricate design of cedars and wildflowers intertwined together.
It was the tattoo he had inked–for me.
Without thinking, I reached out to touch it, my fingers drawn to the familiar pattern. Before I could make contact, Alexander’s hand shot out, capturing my wrist in a vice–like grip.
“Do you really want me to throw you overboard and feed you to the sharks?” he growled, his eyes flashing
dangerously.
