Chapter 8

Malric’s Pov

The dining table was unusually quiet — just the soft clinking of utensils, the muffled scrape of plates. But beneath the silence, my head was chaos.

It’s been two days since… that night.

Two days since I had Delilah trembling beneath my touch, gasping my name like she belonged to me. And fuck, even now… I could still smell her. That sweet, wet heat clinging to my senses, teasing me like a curse.

I should never have touched her.

I don’t want anyone. I’ve never wanted anyone. People want me, they always have. I don’t chase. I don’t bend. But Delilah…

She’s different. She’s trouble wrapped in soft skin and defiance, and the more I try to ignore her, the more I want to ruin her.

And I hate that.

I sat at the head of the table, trying to appear as cold and untouchable as ever, ignoring the weight of her presence just a few seats away. She hadn’t looked at me once since that night. Not even once. That should’ve pleased me — instead, it burned.

Seraphine was here too, chatting idly, and across from me sat Cory — the Alpha of Grayfang Town. An irritating bastard who’d left his duties just to spend his days mocking me.

“This place is boring,” Cory muttered between bites, as though his opinion mattered. Then his gaze slid to Delilah, and I felt my jaw tighten. “So, Delilah,” he said smoothly, “what’s going on with you?”

She blinked, startled, like she hadn’t expected anyone to address her. “Nothing,” she replied calmly, lowering her gaze to her plate. “I came to do my job. I’ll be leaving in a few days.”

Cory’s grin deepened. “Such a pretty woman shouldn’t be so mysterious. I think I deserve to know you better.”

Something hot and sharp twisted in my chest. My wolf stirred instantly.

“He’s flirting with her,” Drekkar growled inside me, low and rough. “Let me out, Malric. I’ll make him bleed.”

Shut up, I snarled back, shoving him down.

But Drekkar didn’t stop. He hasn’t stopped since that night. Ever since I touched her, he’s been relentless — whispering, pushing, taunting me with the one thing I swore I wouldn’t want.

Across the table, Delilah gave Cory a polite, tight-lipped smile but said nothing. Smart woman.

Seraphine suddenly clapped her hands, breaking the tension. “We’ve talked about this, Malric. The party’s tonight. You have to come.”

“No,” I said flatly, not even looking up.

“Come on,” she huffed, turning to Cory. “Talk to him.”

“Oh, I’ll talk to him,” Cory grinned. “Mal, you seriously have to come. If you don’t, I swear I’m never visiting this boring place again. Your life would be miserable without me.”

“I prefer my life boring,” I muttered, my tone ice. “Especially without you in it.”

Seraphine groaned dramatically. “Malric, for once, be normal. Go. Bond. Breathe some air.”

“I’m not interested.”

That was when Cory decided to turn his grin on Delilah. “Delilah, tell him to come. He listens to beautiful women.”

I stiffened before I even realized it, my fork pausing mid-air. My gaze snapped to her instinctively, waiting for her response.

She hesitated, glancing at me briefly before speaking. “I… I don’t know what to say. But Malric…” She swallowed. “I think you should go.”

Drekkar purred in the back of my mind, smug and dark.

“She wants you there.”

I ignored him, exhaling slowly through my nose.

Cory’s laugh was loud and grating. “See? You can’t say no to her. Come on, Malric.”

I set my utensils down and leaned back. “Fine,” I said coldly. “I’ll go. But only to show my face. Don’t expect me to enjoy it.”

“Good enough,” Seraphine chirped.

Then Cory predictably tried again. “Perfect. Now, Delilah, you should come too.”

Delilah’s head jerked up, surprised. “No,” she said quickly, her tone clipped. “It’s not my place to involve myself in your family affairs. I came here for one reason, and once Malric’s better, I’ll leave.”

I said nothing. I couldn’t.

She rose from her seat gracefully, her curves shifting beneath that soft fabric, and every eye followed her without meaning… especially mine.

“Enjoy your meal,” she said quietly before walking out.

I didn’t realize I was staring until Cory chuckled under his breath. “I see what you’re looking at,” he teased.

I turned my head slowly, meeting his smirk with a deadpan glare. “Sometimes,” I said softly, “I wonder why I haven’t killed you yet.”

He just laughed harder.

I pushed back from the table, standing to leave.

“Don’t be late,” Seraphine called after me. “The carriage will be waiting to take us down to the town.”

I didn’t bother responding — just nodded once and walked off.

But even as I headed back to my room, one thought lingered.

Two days. Two whole days. And I still couldn’t get the taste of her out of my head.

****

The maids had been fluttering around my room for the past hour, bringing out outfit after outfit like my opinion mattered. Silks, velvets, heavy ceremonial cloaks, all of it meant to make me look like the Lycan Supreme everyone bowed to.

I didn’t give a damn.

This entire event was for Islode, who was welcoming a baby — a baby that, by blood, was supposed to make me a “grandfather.” The thought alone was absurd enough to make my temples ache. I hated ceremonies. I hated noise. I hated the crawling, greedy stares of people pretending to worship me.

Still, when I finally shrugged into the outfit the head maid insisted on, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

I looked… lethal.

Not because of the fine cut of the midnight-black tunic or the deep silver embroidery climbing its edges, but because power clung to me like a second skin. My presence could silence a room, and I’d learned to weaponize that long ago.

I didn’t enjoy it. But I used it.

A sharp knock rattled the door.

“Don’t tell me you’re still brooding in there,” Cory’s voice came from the hallway, loud and infuriatingly casual.

I didn’t answer, so the door opened anyway.

The moment his eyes landed on me, he let out a low whistle. “Damn. If I were a woman, I’d be drooling.”

I shot him a flat look. “Sometimes, I wonder how the hell you became an Alpha. You act like a damn child.”

Cory smirked. “To be fair, to you I am a child. What are you now… a hundred and fifty? Two hundred? I’m a baby in comparison. Enjoy my youthful charm while it lasts.”

Despite myself, a quiet chuckle slipped past my lips. Cory had that effect, he was the only one who could pull laughter out of me, even when I didn’t want to give it.

We left together, heading for the carriage. Seraphine wasn’t waiting; she’d gone ahead, of course, eager to play Moon Goddess at the ceremony.

Inside the carriage, Cory wouldn’t shut up. He went on about the event, the ceremony, the wine, the women, the politics, his voice filling the space like an overexcited pup.

I finally pinched the bridge of my nose. “Cory,” I muttered, “for the sake of my sanity, find yourself a Luna. Someone else deserves to suffer through your endless blabbering.”

He grinned. “Soon,” he said simply.

The rest of the ride, I drowned him out, staring at the forest rolling past the windows until the town lights came into view.

By the time we arrived at the hall, the air was thick with incense and perfume. People lined up along the entrance, bowing as we stepped out. All eyes turned, conversations paused, and the weight of their stares followed me as I walked inside.

The title of Lycan Supreme carried with it a kind of worship I’d never asked for. People wanted to touch me, to breathe the same air, as though my presence made them blessed. But my guards kept them at bay, only the inner circle was allowed close.

At the high table, Caleb rose the moment I approached, bowing low. “Father,” he greeted softly.

I gave him a short nod. Islode was beside him, glowing with that irritating, content softness that came with motherhood. She bowed too, and I acknowledged her the same way.

We sat. The ceremony began.

Seraphine performed the protective ritual, her voice smooth and melodic as she prayed to the Moon Goddess to bless the newborn, and the room erupted into applause when the baby was presented. The hall shifted into celebration after that, music rising, laughter spilling, cups clinking together.

And still, boredom gnawed at me.

Until the lights dimmed.

The grand double doors creaked open, and silence rippled through the crowd like a wave.

Someone stepped inside.

A woman.

Her face was veiled, her features hidden, but her body…

The soft curve of her waist, the sway of her hips, the arch of her back, it was impossible not to notice, impossible not to feel the hush that fell as every male in that room followed her movement. Her scent was masked, muted beneath something floral and sharp, but it didn’t matter.

I knew.

I’d know her anywhere.

Delilah.

What the fuck was she doing here?

My wolf stirred instantly, claws raking at the inside of my skin.

“Ours,” Drekkar growled, low and possessive. “Look at her. She came for you.”

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to sit back, my fingers digging into the carved wood of the table.

Then looking over behind her, she was with someone.

Who dared.