26

A soft, helpless smile touched my lips, spreading across my face before I could even try to stop it. I didn't want to show him how much he was affecting me, but my body simply refused to listen to my brain. Moving like a woman under a spell, I slowly pushed my chair back, stood up from the lavish table, and placed my small hand directly into his large, open palm. The moment our skin met, a jolt of heat rushed up my arm. He pulled me close, his fingers tightening around mine as he suddenly guided me into a swift, graceful spin. A sharp, breathless gasp escaped my throat as the world blurred around me. I genuinely thought my feet were going to slip on the smooth floor and send me crashing down, but his powerful arm shot out instantly, catching me firmly by the waist. He leaned over, bending my body back slightly as he held me secure. My heart hammered against my ribs when he dipped me, his face hovering mere inches above mine, his warm breath fanning across my lips as if he were about to claim them right then and there.

Before I could lose my mind entirely, he pulled me back up with effortless strength, spinning me into a tight, fluid turn until we were standing chest-to-chest. He raised our locked left hands, holding them perfectly still at the exact height of my head, creating an intimate shield between us and the rest of the dark room. His broad right hand slid around my waist, pressing against the silk of my red dress to anchor me against him, while I instinctively rested my left hand flat against the hard, muscular slope of his bare shoulder. The beautiful, slow melody of the piano filled the spaces between us, and we began moving in perfect synchronization, gliding sideways and turning in slow, sweeping circles across the grand room to the steady rhythm of the music.

He looked down at me, his dark eyes shimmering with an intensity that made the room feel incredibly small. "Forgive me, Miss Fedora," he murmured, his voice dropping into a deep, rhythmic cadence that sounded almost like an ancient melody. "In all my countless years of bloody conquest, of plundering distant lands and breaking the wills of mighty Kings, my eyes have never beheld a creature of such rare and mesmerizing grace. The heavens have only ever sculpted a vision like yours twice in the history of this world, and the first was but a faint shadow of the glory standing before me tonight."

I blinked up at him, completely stunned by the sudden change in his tone, but he wasn't finished. He tightened his grip on my waist, pulling me a fraction closer as we glided across the floor, his gaze locked onto mine with absolute seriousness. "My mind is completely besieged by your presence, and my soul shall know no peace, nor shall sleep ever grace my weary eyelids, if I do not confess this truth to you tonight. You look absolutely gorgeous, a perfect masterpiece walking among mere mortals, a light so bright it puts the very stars to absolute shame."

A sudden bubble of amusement burst in my chest, and I couldn't hold it in. I let out a small cough, trying to suppress the sound, but it instantly turned into a loud, ringing burst of laughter that echoed through the quiet room. Michael stopped his movements for a fraction of a second, his dark brows lifting in complete surprise as a rare, bewildered smile touched his lips. "What is it?" he asked, his deep voice filled with genuine curiosity at my sudden outburst.

I shook my head, my shoulders shaking as I tried to regain my composure while we kept swaying to the music. "Yes, I get what you are trying to say, and it's incredibly sweet," I giggled, looking up into his handsome face with a bright smile. "But you really didn't have to use all that heavy poetry and big grammar just to tell me I look nice."

He let out a low, rumbling chuckle that vibrated against my palm on his shoulder, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Well," he murmured playfully, his grip on my waist remaining firm and possessive as he guided me through another slow turn. "You had better get used to it, because I don't intend to stop."

As we continued to move seamlessly together across the room, the pure romance of the moment suddenly caused a dark, heavy cloud to drift over my mind. A bittersweet realization hit me right in the chest. Stefan had never done anything even remotely like this for me during all the time we spent together. In all the long, painful years I could remember, he had never offered me a single romantic gesture, a kind word, or a beautiful night like this. All I had ever truly wanted from him was a little bit of his attention, just a tiny scrap of validation to show that I mattered to him. It was the absolute bare minimum a woman could ask for from the man she loved, but he had ruthlessly denied me even that.

A specific, painful memory suddenly flashed behind my eyelids, making my heart ache with old humiliation. I remembered one particular afternoon when Stefan was hosting a massive, high-stakes meeting at our pack house. Powerful Alphas from all the neighboring territories had traveled across borders specifically to sit down and negotiate important treaties with him. He had intentionally kept the entire event a complete secret from me, never uttering a single word about the arrival of our guests.

Because I was young and foolishly naive back then, I had completely misinterpreted the silence. I actually thought he was keeping it a secret because he wanted to surprise me with a grand event or introduce me proudly to his peers. Desperate to make him proud, I had spent hours preparing for that evening. I wore my absolute best, most expensive dress, carefully doing my makeup and styling my hair until I looked flawless.

With a racing heart and a nervous smile, I had walked up to his private study to surprise him before the guests arrived, fully hoping and praying that his eyes would light up when he saw how beautiful I looked. But the moment I pushed the door open and stepped inside, his expression immediately turned incredibly pale, his features twisting into a mask of pure disgust and annoyance. "Why on earth are you dressed up like that?" he demanded, his voice cold and sharp enough to slice through glass.

My smile vanished instantly, my hands trembling against the fabric of my gown. "Well... I was just really hoping that you would like it," I stammered, my voice dropping into a humiliated whisper as I took a step back. "I can go rinse the makeup off right now if it bothers you. I was just getting ready because I'm going to follow you into the meeting room to stand by your side."

Stefan snapped instantly, slamming his fist down on the wooden desk so hard the wood groaned. "You cannot seriously be standing there thinking that right now, can you?" he hissed, his eyes flashing with dangerous anger.

I flinched from the loud sound, but a small spark of defiance made me look up. "Are you serious right now? Why can't I come with you?"

He stood up, towering over me as he narrowed his eyes in complete contempt. "Let me make something perfectly clear to you once and for all," he sneered, the words cutting deep into my soul. "You exist solely for my own personal use behind closed doors, and for absolutely nothing else. You will never, under any circumstances, escort me to official pack meetings or stand beside me in public. I refuse to have the other Alphas looking at me and thinking I am weak for bringing a fragile woman into my business."

The sheer weight of that memory completely suffocated me. I became so utterly caught up in the dark, swirling vortex of my own traumatic thoughts that I completely forgot where I was. The grand dining room, the glowing candles, and the soft music all faded into a gray blur. I entirely forgot that I was currently wrapped in the arms of the most powerful Lycan King alive, until his deep, low voice suddenly shattered the silence, snapping me violently back to reality.

Michael paused his steps, his chest pressing against mine as he looked down at my pale, trembling face with a look of intense concern. "Are you okay, Fedora?" he asked gently, his brow furrowing as he noticed the distant, pained look in my eyes.

"Yes, yes... I'm completely okay," I lied quickly, forcing a small, breathless smile onto my lips as I tried to shake the memory of Stefan out of my head.

Michael didn't look convinced for a single second. His dark eyes softened with an emotion I couldn't quite define, and he slowly reached his large hand up to my face. His warm fingers wrapped securely around my chin, his thumb gently caressing my jawline as he tilted my head back. He slowly brought my face closer and closer to his, his gaze dropping down to lock onto my lips as he leaned in to kiss me.