تسجيل الدخولRiley’s POVI looked down at Leon icily.He was sprawled on the polished floor, one hand pressed to his chest where Ezra had kicked him. His hair was ruined. His expensive suit was twisted, and his whole face cracked open with panic.A few minutes ago he had still been pretending he could talk his way out of this. Now he looked exactly like what he was—a shameless fraud.And of course I felt nothing for him.It’s funny that he still thought I might save him.Leon dragged himself up on one elbow and glared at Ezra.“You entitled prick!” he snapped, though his voice shook badly enough to ruin the effect. “What do you have beside your title, huh? Nothing! Y—You were just born in a nice family and that’s all. I’m not scared of you. Actually, stay the hell out of this. Because I’m her fiancé. You have no right to interfere in this.”Ezra stared at him. And then laughed.It was a short, cold sound that sent a chill down my spine.“Fiancé?” he repeated with despise. “No. You’re not.”“Yes I
Riley’s POVA shocked silence fell upon the room.The shattered sapphire glittered in Ezra’s bloody palm while the whole ballroom stared at him.Yilia’s face had gone white. Leon looked like someone had slapped him on the face.Even my mother seemed frozen, her mouth slightly open, all that practiced poise gone at once.Then the first wave of disbelief hit the room. Everybody was talking at the same time:“That’s impossible.”“Lady Yilia would never—This is for charity!”“Surely this is some misunderstanding.”The noblewomen didn’t want to believe it. Most of them had already admired the jewelry, praised Yilia’s “generosity,” and mentally placed bids on the pieces. To accept that they had been fooled so easily would mean admitting they were not half as clever as they liked to think.Ezra looked around the room and raised on eyebrow, “Lady Cressida, would you do us the honor of taking a look at those jewelries?”A woman near the front straightened up and nodded.I recognized her at onc
Riley’s POVI stared at Leon in disbelief.His face was calm, almost bored, like calling me a freeloader and asking me to help scam a room full of rich women was the most reasonable thing in the world.I drew in a sharp breath and said, “I’d rather show up to that wedding wearing nothing than help you cheat people.”Yilia’s head snapped toward me. Leon’s expression hardened.But I was already done listening.I shoved past him, opened the door, and walked out.The noise of the ballroom rushed back over me at once. Music, laughter, the low hum of expensive people chattering.I inhaled deeply, prepared myself for what’s coming next. But I had barely taken a few steps before my mother appeared in front of me.She looked irritated more than worried.“What is going on in there?” she asked in a low voice. “I heard arguments in the powder room.”I stared at her, almost laughed out. “You eavesdrop? That’s not how queen should act like.”There’s no laugh on her face. “Whatever it is, fix your a
Riley’s POVI was so startled that I almost stumbled out of the dress.“Get out,” I snapped, spinning around at last.Ezra was standing right behind me, dressed in dark clothes that made his eyes look even sharper. He looked completely at ease in the middle of my fitting room, like sneaking into a locked bridal suite was just another ordinary part of his day.His gaze moved over me slowly, from the white silk hugging my body to the bare skin of my shoulders.My pulse went wild as his gaze roamed around.Then he stepped forward.“I said! Get the hell ou—”I barely had time to suck in a breath before his mouth crashed into mine.The force of it drove me backward. I shoved at his chest instantly, furious, but Ezra caught both my wrists so damn easily and pinned me against the wall beside the mirror.His body pressed me there, all heat and strength and control.The kiss was wild, angry, hungry enough to make my knees go weak. He kissed like he meant to break through every last one of my d
Ezra’s POVI stopped walking and turned back to her slowly.Viola was still standing where I had left her, one hand wrapped around the wrist I’d grabbed earlier. Her expression looked at ease, but I could still see the tension underneath it. She was nervous.I looked at her and said, “What exactly are you implying?”She smiled in that polished, harmless way of hers. “I’m simply pointing out things I’ve noticed. The first time I saw you and Riley together, I knew something was off.”I said nothing.That only encouraged her.“The way she looks at you,” Viola went on, “the way you look at her… it’s not brotherly. Not even close.”A faint breeze moved through the ivy behind her, carrying the scent of tea roses and fresh-cut grass. Somewhere farther back in the garden, I could hear Riley’s mother laughing too loudly at something under the canopy. The whole scene felt soft and elegant and civilized.Viola’s words were none of those things.She tilted her head and lowered her voice just slig
Riley’s POVI should have known he wouldn’t let it go.Ezra was still standing in the doorway, one hand braced against the frame, his whole body tense.His gaze stayed fixed on my feet, on the bloody towels, on the bandages in my lap. I had already told him to get out. He had ignored that as easily as he ignored every other boundary I tried to put between us.“Nothing happened,” I said, grabbing another cloth and dabbing at the cut on my heel again.He didn’t move.I could feel him looking at me. The weight of his attention pressed against my skin until even the air in the room felt too tight.“Try that again,” he said.I didn’t look up. “I tripped.”The silence that followed was intense. I could almost hear the fury gathering inside him.Then he crossed the room.Before I could pull away, his hand closed around my wrist. The bottle in my other hand tipped and rolled across the blanket.“Ezra—”“Either you tell me,” he said, leaning down so I had no choice but to meet his eyes, “or I
Riley's POVThe staff led me down a long hallway to the last room.I noticed the atmosphere here was different from usual. All the staff were on edge, and even the usually rowdy patients were staying quietly in their rooms."Where's Mateo?" I whispered.The staff girl’s face was pale. "We haven't s
Riley's POVNot only were the teachers stunned, but even I was a bit shocked.I called Ezra here to bail me out. Maybe stop the teachers from bullying me.I never expected him to take my punishment for me."What? No, no way!" The history teacher was the first to snap out of it. He waved his hands f
Riley's POVSilence hung thick and tense in the air. He stared at me. Even though he hadn't moved, I could feel his scent growing darker, heavier, more aggressive.Shit. He was mad. Really mad.I swallowed quietly, wondering if I'd pushed things too far. No Lycan could stand to see his mate make ou
Riley's POVMy heart instantly jumped to my throat."What the hell are you talking about?" I snapped.Silas's eyebrow flew even higher. "Why so mad? I'm just messing with you. Or did I just strike a nerve?""No, you didn't. It's just a very, VERY bad joke," I gritted out."That's right. It isn't fu







