ログインChapter 31By the time I got back to the estate, my hands had stopped shaking.Barely.But the anger hadn't.That was the worse part.Not fear.Not panic.Anger.Cold and ugly and sitting under my skin like a second pulse.Because Caden had looked me in the eye and threatened my father like it was nothing.Like he had the right.Like he could keep reaching into my life and taking pieces until I finally broke and gave him what he wanted.Not this time.I barely made it through the front doors before Dante intercepted me in the main hall.He took one look at my face and his expression changed."What happened?""Where is Matthias?"His eyes narrowed immediately."In his study."I was already moving before he finished.Dante caught my arm gently but firmly."Aria."I stopped.His voice lowered. "Did Caden touch you?"The question should have embarrassed me.It didn't.I looked at him and said, "Not enough to matter."That made his jaw tighten.He released my arm instantly."Go."I didn't
Chapter 30The next morning, I made it through exactly two classes before Caden found me.I should have expected it.Things had been too quiet.Too easy.Which meant he was planning something.I was cutting through the side path behind the humanities building when I felt it first, that sick pull low in my chest—the mate bond.My whole body tensed before I even saw him.Then his voice came from behind me."You smell different."I stopped walking.Of course that was the first thing he said.I turned slowly.Caden was leaning against the brick wall beside the path, hands in his pockets, expensive black hoodie, dark jeans, that same polished rich-boy face that would have looked harmless to anyone who didn't know what lived underneath it.But I knew better now.His eyes were on me in a way that made my skin crawl.Not warm.Not longing.Possessive.Suspicious.Dangerous."What do you want?" I asked.He pushed off the wall and walked toward me slowly.Predator-slow.Deliberate.I hated that
CHAPTER 28I should have gone straight to my room.Instead, I found myself outside Matthias's study at nearly eleven at night with a folded maintenance schedule in my hand and a very weak excuse for being there.I knocked once."Come in."His voice slid through the door and straight under my skin.Matthias was behind his desk, tie gone, top buttons of his shirt undone, dark hair slightly disordered like he'd been dragging a hand through it for the last hour. There was a glass of whiskey near his elbow and a file open in front of him.He looked tired.Dangerous.And the second he saw me, something in his expression shifted.His gaze dropped to the paper in my hand."What is it?""Tomorrow's maintenance rota." I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. "The east corridor repairs got moved. If Victoria planned anything around staff movement, half the lower floor will be unsupervised for three hours."He held out his hand.I crossed the room and gave him the paper.His fingers brushed
CHAPTER 28Matthias ended the call and stood very still for a second.Too still.The kind of stillness that wasn't calm at all.It was a control stretched tight over something much darker."Caden's not missing," I said quietly. "He's avoiding you."Matthias's jaw flexed."Same result."He slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked at me.Really looked at me.And suddenly the room didn't feel dangerous because of Caden anymore.It felt dangerous because of us.Because five seconds before Dante's call, Matthias had me pinned against him like he was done pretending this wasn't inevitable.And now we were both standing there trying to act like we hadn't nearly made a much bigger mistake.I folded my arms, mostly to give my hands something to do."So what now?"Matthias didn't answer immediately.He crossed the room toward the window, one hand loosening his tie again like he was trying to physically drag himself back under control.The city lights reflected faintly against the glass
Chapter 27Matthias didn't take me back to the estate.He took me to his office.Not the one people saw during formal meetings. Not the polished public-facing version with glass walls and awards and neutral furniture designed to impress investors.This one was deeper in the Ashford tower. Private. Quiet. The kind of room built for decisions no one else was supposed to hear.The elevator ride up was silent.I stood beside him with Caden's fingerprints still burning on my arm and Matthias's scent wrapped around me like a second skin.He hadn't let go of my hand until we stepped into the office.Then the door shut behind us with a soft click that somehow sounded louder than it should have.Too final.Too private.I turned slowly, taking in the dark wood desk, the city skyline beyond the windows, and the low seating area near the far wall.Matthias loosened his tie without looking at me."Sit."I folded my arms. "I'm not injured."His eyes lifted to mine."That wasn't a suggestion."I sho
Chapter 26Caden cornered me after my afternoon class.Of course he did.I had barely made it down the side path behind the humanities building when his scent hit first, expensive cologne over wolf and anger. A second later, his hand caught my wrist and yanked me into the narrow space between the brick wall and the hedges."Let go," I snapped.Caden didn't.His golden eyes were too bright, too sharp. The kind of look that said he'd been spiraling for hours and had finally decided to make it my problem."You smell like him."There it was.I kept my face blank even though my pulse jumped."I don't know what you're talking about."He laughed once, ugly and disbelieving."Don't insult me, Aria." His grip tightened. "You think I can't tell? You think I don't know my father's scent?"I yanked my hand, but he only stepped closer."You've been avoiding me all week," he said. "Running around like you're untouchable now. Acting like you've won something.""I don't need to act."That hit.His ja
CHAPTER 18 He was chilling in the cozy little sitting room at the end of the west corridor, not at his desk. He wasn't glued to his phone. Sitting in the chair closest to the window with a folder on the table next to him, he'd gaze out at the grounds, almost like he was daydreaming or lost in tho
CHAPTER 17The issue popped up on Wednesday night out of the blue. I was finishing the last guest room on the upper east corridor when I heard water. The distant rumble of pipes echoing like they used to in those old homes: Something closer. Something is wrong. I followed it to the end of the hal
CHAPTER 16Marcus looked like he hadn't slept.He was at his desk when I arrived at seven-thirty, Tuesday morning, an hour before his official office hours started. The tea beside him was fresh but his eyes had the particular flatness of someone who'd been awake turning something over for most of t
CHAPTER 15 The estate felt different the moment I walked through the side entrance Thursday evening. Not visibly. Everything seemed unchanged on the surface Marta's standing at the door, clipboard in hand The hallway lights dimmed for the evening The aroma of dinner prep wafting through the back h







