Chapter 20

Kayla

Nicholas stormed forward and shoved Liam aside with unprecedented force, sending Liam sprawling down the front steps. Before I could process what was happening, he signaled to the security guards. They moved swiftly, escorting Liam and Isabella off the manor grounds despite their protests.

“Nicholas, what are you doing?” I exclaimed, trying to catch my breath.

He ignored my question and grabbed my wrist, pulling me into a private room down the hall. The door closed behind us with a decisive click. His grip on my wrist was firm, almost possessive.

“Let go of me,” I demanded, attempting to free myself.

His eyes bore into mine. “What were you thinking, Kayla?” he snapped.

“I wasn’t doing anything!” I shot back. “Liam approached me; I was just trying to go to the guild headquarters to ask about why our application for you to take over as Bluemoon’s acting Alpha got denied.”

His eyes flashed, but he didn’t comment on that right away. He released my wrist but stepped closer, leaving only a breath of space between us. “The entire manor saw you two clinging to each other.”

I crossed my arms defensively. “He used the mate bond to manipulate me. I couldn’t control it.”

Nicholas’s jaw tightened. “I don’t know what to believe, Kayla. I choose to trust you, but you’re making me disappointed so quickly.”

“Disappointed?” I echoed, incredulous. “You refused to discuss our relationships with others when I asked, and like I said, I had no say in what just happened. Why are you so furious over something I can’t control?”

His eyes flashed. “Because you’re my Luna. Your actions reflect on me and this pack.”

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. “Nicholas, there is nothing between me and Liam. I don’t love him. It’s just that the mark…”

He glanced at the faint mark on my neck—the remnants of the bond Liam and I once shared. The bond that we still shared. “Then let me cover it,” he said.

My breath caught in my throat. “No,” I stammered out, taking a step back. But Nicholas was there again, and his eyes were blazing as he cornered me against the wall.

“Nicholas, we shouldn’t—”

Before I could finish, he leaned in and kissed me. His lips were firm and insistent, and I felt like my knees were buckling. I knew where this was headed, and it was a horrible idea, and yet…

When he moved my hair aside and sunk his fangs into my neck, right over the spot where Liam had once marked me, I could do nothing but let out a little howl of ecstasy.

A surge of warmth spread through me, and suddenly, an inexplicable longing overwhelmed my senses. Even when Liam had given me my marking bite, it hadn’t been like… this. Looking back, that bite had been given quickly and without pure intent, nothing more than a necessary step toward Liam taking over my pack as Alpha.

But this was different. It was as if my entire body was intertwining with Nicholas’s, our very auras dancing together.

I wasn’t sure if I had ever felt such glee.

I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer. “Nicholas,” I whispered, my voice coming out as a cracked rasp.

He held me tightly, his heartbeat echoing against mine. When he pulled back, there was a tiny rivulet of blood—my blood—dripping out of one corner of his mouth. I reached up with a trembling finger and moved to wipe it away, but he caught my wrist before I could.

“You’re mine now,” he whispered.

A mix of emotions flooded me—relief, desire, and a strange sense of completeness. Then, before I could say a word, he was kissing me again. His lips tasted like copper, my own blood mingling with his saliva on my tongue.

When we finally pulled back, I felt dizzy.

We just stood there for a moment, neither of us speaking. His fingers traced patterns on my back, sending shivers down my spine. I felt connected to him in a way I hadn’t thought possible.

Did he feel the same way, I wondered? Or was this just another part of our act?

Just then, his expression changed. His eyes became distant, and I knew he was receiving a mindlink.

“What is it?” I asked, pulling away.

He sighed, his gaze refocusing on me. “It's Marcus. He found a lead about my mother’s death.”

My eyes widened. “What did he find?”

“It came from a guild informant,” he replied. “I need to go.”

And with that, he was gone. As he left the room, I lifted my trembling hand to my fresh mark, wincing at the pain mixed with pure, unadulterated pleasure.

If I had a wolf, then maybe I would be able to send a thrum down the mate bond he had just created between us—sense if he felt all the same emotions I did.

But I had no wolf. And so now that he was gone, now that he was no longer holding me, I felt nothing except a stinging pain and a strange warmth where he had bitten me.

I decided to take a walk to clear my head. Wandering through the hallways, I almost ran into Jade.

“Kayla!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“Hey, Jade,” I replied with a small smile. I didn’t want to appear too upset. “What’s up?”

She glanced around before lowering her voice. “I, uh, couldn’t help but notice the... situation earlier.”

I blushed slightly. “You saw that?”

She nodded and glanced at my neck. “Hard to miss. Are you okay?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Everything’s a bit... intense right now.”

She touched my arm gently. “Nicholas can be overwhelming, but he means well.”

I sighed. “I just don’t understand why he was so angry about Liam. It wasn’t my fault.”

Jade bit her lip. “There’s something you should know.”

“What is it?”

She guided me to a nearby bench, and we sat down. “Nicholas hates Liam for a reason other than step-sibling rivalry. It’s… tied to his past.”

I looked at her expectantly. “Go on.”

“Nicholas’s biological mother was the fated mate of the old Alpha—his father,” she began. “But Isabella came into the picture as the mistress. She manipulated everyone, making it seem like Nicholas’s mother was at fault. Eventually, his father abandoned her for Isabella.”

“Nicholas’s mother was heartbroken and died under mysterious circumstances,” she continued. “Nicholas believes that Isabella and some members of the guild were involved. That’s why seeing you with Liam hurt him so much. He feels like history might be repeating itself.”

I swallowed hard. “So, Nicholas got angry because he saw his Luna in a tug-of-war with his enemy.”

“Exactly,” she said softly. “Especially after last night, when you…” She looked away. “I don’t know much, but I’ve heard whispers that his mother died of an aphrodisiac poison. Likely the same one that you were drugged with.”

My face paled, and I felt like I might be sick.

Jade reached over and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry. Nicholas will protect you at all costs.”

The thought made my heart skip, but I shook my head. “I just feel bad for him, that’s all. That’s… a lot to go through. And I spent years believing Liam when he said that Nicholas was nothing but an egotistical playboy.”

“Well, he’s certainly not perfect,” she laughed slightly. “But you have to trust him.”

That was easier said than done, despite what I had just heard. I wanted to apologize to Nicholas for being such a pain in the ass since we’d met, but at the same time, I still hated him for some of the things he had done.

Jade rubbed my shoulder, offering me a small smile. “I can help you talk to him, if you need,” she said softly, as if reading my mind.

I opened my mouth to respond. But just then, I saw Nicholas approaching from down the hall. His stride was purposeful but less tense than before.

“Kayla,” he called out as he neared us.

“Nicholas,” I replied, standing up. My hands shook a little, and I clasped them behind myself to hide the tremor.

He glanced at Jade, offering a polite nod before focusing on me. “You’re headed to the guild headquarters today, right?”

I nodded stiffly, still not finding it in myself to speak. Just being near him made my new mating mark pulse, and I found myself torn between attraction and disgust.

Nicholas took a deep breath. “I’ll go with you.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You will?”

He nodded. “Yes. I was impulsive earlier, and I want to make it right.”