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CHAPTER 4: THE COLD WATER
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2026-10-20 19:12:27Gold eyes burned in the dark, close and unblinking.
"Move your hands," the stranger growled, his voice a lethal rasp against my neck.
"I'm sorry..." My fingers tangled in his shirt before my brain could stop them. "I don't know why I..."
A deep, terrifying growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating straight through my bones.
"Please..." I whispered, my knees giving out. "Help me."
This is wrong. Why am I leaning in?
What exactly am I doing??
His broad shoulders loomed over me in the shadows like a wall of solid stone.
He didn't release my throat. He dragged me higher against the wall until my toes barely touched the floor.
"Are the she-wolves of the Shadow Flint Pack now throwing themselves at strangers just to get over their heat?" His tone was merciless, cutting through me like a razor.
"It's not..." My head slammed back against the stone. "I'm not..."
"When did it start?" he snapped, his grip tightening on my jaw until it bruised.
"Wine," I rasped, struggling to breathe. "Victoria forced... the wine was spiked."
"Why this room?" He shoved me deeper into the corner, his presence terrifying, suffocating.
"The handle was unlatched," I slurred, terror battling the fog in my brain.
"You expect me to believe you stumbled in here by accident?" he barked, his face inches from mine. "Speak!"
"I hit someone!" I gasped, shaking violently under his weight. "With a lamp!"
He went deathly still, his gold eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.
"Did you," he said, his voice dropping into a cold threat.
He's right about how this looks. I've heard it my whole life. Throwing myself at things I can't have.
"He was in my room," I choked out, my arms falling uselessly to my sides. "They trapped me... to break my oath to Alpha Tristan."
The stranger’s grip on my neck shifted, dragging me forward until my chest pressed against his.
"To Alpha Tristan," he growled softly.
"Please," I sobbed, the heat in my blood burning out of control. "It's poison. Please."
"Walk," he commanded, ripping me off the wall and hauling me forward by my upper arm.
"Where are you taking—"
"Shut your mouth."
He dragged me through an archway and into a cold marble bathroom. Without a single word, he hoisted me by my waist and slammed me sideways into the clawfoot tub.
The icy water hit me like a physical blow.
I went under, my heavy dress dragging me down into the freezing depths.
I thrashed frantically, my hands clawing at the porcelain as I dragged my head above the surface, coughing and choking on cold water.
"What did you..." I gasped, my teeth clicking together so hard my jaw ached. "Why would you do that!"
He stood over the tub like an executioner, his dark silhouette blocking the light, his arms folded tight over his broad chest. He stared down at me with utter contempt.
I can think. Why can I think?
The freezing water was slicing straight through the thick, poisoned haze of the wine.
"It works," he said, his voice flat, devoid of an ounce of sympathy.
I shivered violently, gripping the edge of the tub to keep from sinking. That was when I caught a glimpse of his right hand resting against his thigh.
To my surprise,
A thin line of fresh, dark blood was trickling down his palm, dripping off his knuckles and hitting the white tile. He held his fist clenched so tight his skin was pale, as if he had been cutting into his own flesh just to keep him from touching me.
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