21

My jaw dropped instantly, completely frozen in place as my eyes locked onto his lower body. I already knew he was an incredibly strong, massive man, but a foolish rumor I had heard in the past flashed through my mind—that overly muscular men usually had smaller packages. Michael completely shattered that myth. Not that I wanted to compare, but Stefan’s size was absolutely no match for what was currently staring me in the face. It had a heavy, wicked curve to it, looking like something that would ruthlessly hit every single hidden nook and cranny inside a woman.

I stood there like a statue, totally captured by the sight, taking a mental picture and saving it in my brain within a millisecond before my survival instincts finally kicked in. I jumped backward in absolute surprise, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Oh God!" I gasped, spinning around on my heel to face the wall, squeezing my eyes shut as tight as I could.

My face burned with a fiery blush that spread all the way down to my chest. "Oh, sorry! I didn't know you were in here, I swear!" I stammered, my voice trembling as I pressed my hands against my closed eyelids. "I'm so sorry, I truly thought you were still outside or something! I didn't mean to look, I promise!"

The sound of trickling water continued, followed by the casual friction of a sponge. He sounded completely calm. It felt like nothing in this world could ever shake this man or catch him off guard. "Well, now that you have already seen it, I guess you are flattered," he murmured, his voice smooth and laced with a quiet, deep amusement.

"No! I'm not flattered at all because I didn't see anything!" I protested loudly, my eyes still tightly covered, though the vivid image was already permanently burned into my memory.

"Okay, just wait for me to finish up," he replied simply, the water splashing against the floor tiles.

"Okay, thanks," I breathed, letting out a small sigh of relief. Assuming he had at least grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist after making that comment, I slowly turned back around to head toward the door. But the moment my eyes opened, I realized I had made a massive mistake. He hadn't covered up at all. He was still standing completely bare, right in the open.

I jumped into the air a second time, letting out a loud shriek. "Oh, fuck! Sorry, I didn't mean to look again! And don't worry, I definitely didn't see anything this time either!"

Without waiting for a response, I threw the bathroom door open and bolted straight out into the main bedroom. I leaned against the wall, covering my burning face with both hands. Oh God, that was way too big. I had just made a complete and total mess of myself in front of the Lycan King, and my heart wouldn't stop pounding. I could only panic inwardly, wondering what kind of shameless woman he thought I was now.

Unable to calm my racing thoughts, I walked over to his massive bed and sat heavily on the edge. I looked down at the dirty, stained dress on the floor and then at the oversized silk pajamas in my hands, completely torn on what to do. Should I just force myself back into my dirty clothes and run away, or should I stay put like he asked? The uncertainty made me incredibly restless. I couldn't sit still for even a second, my legs pacing across the expensive rug as the silence of the room pressed down on me.

As I wandered aimlessly around the space, trying to distract my brain, a sleek device caught my eye. It was his personal laptop, sitting half-open on a low shelf near the desk. Curiosity got the better of my fear, and before I could stop myself, I moved closer and lifted the screen. It wasn't locked. My fingers trembled as I began clicking through his files, my eyes scanning the private folders. There were thousands of images stored inside, but one specific old photograph made me freeze.

It was a picture of Michael and Lucy from years ago. In the shot, Lucy was clinging to him with everything she had, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck with a bright, possessive smile, while Michael just stood there perfectly straight, his expression stiff and unreadable. A strange pang hit my chest, but I quickly shook my head and closed the file, ignoring the weird feeling. I scrolled past it, finding more recent folders filled with pictures of him standing alongside powerful global elites, wealthy business partners, and high-ranking Alphas from different continents. The images looked raw and completely unedited, capturing the harsh, real world of supernatural politics.

Suddenly, the sharp click of the bathroom door handle echoing through the room shattered the quiet.

I jumped violently in shock, my heart leaping into my throat. In my wild panic to hide what I was doing, my grip slipped, and the expensive laptop went flying high into the air. I tried to rush away from the shelf, but my feet tangled in the long towel wrapped around my body. I stumbled blindly forward, completely losing my balance as the floor rushed up to meet my face. But before I could crash into the hard ground, a pair of strong, solid arms wrapped securely around my waist, catching me mid-air and pulling me hard against a warm, bare chest.