Lahat ng Kabanata ng Feral Desires: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

CLAUDEMY HEAD THROBBED like it had been cracked open, the kind of ache that made it hard to think straight. Every nerve in my body was screaming, and the drip-drip-drip of water somewhere close only made it worse, each echo hitting like a hammer. My back ached where something cold and sharp pressed into it, scraping against bone, and no matter how I shifted, I couldn't find relief.And my wrists—fuck. The sting of metal biting into my skin was enough to remind me I wasn’t going anywhere.I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t budge. They felt heavy, like I’d been drugged. Voices buzzed around me, tangled and overlapping, but I couldn’t make out the words.“Ya slyshal, on byl s bossom na tom korable. Dumayesh, on gey?” “Zatkní svoy gryóbanyy rot. On prosypáetsya.”Then one sentence broke through, clear despite the heavy accent.“Go tell boss that he’s awake.”Boss.My pulse jumped. Even through the haze, I knew exactly who that meant.I forced my eyes open, but darkness greeted m

NIKOLAITHE TENSION IN my shoulders refused to ease, even as I stepped out of the car. Ross Manchelo had been a thorn in my side for weeks, but today? Today, the bastard had earned himself a special place on my list of problems to resolve—permanently.The doors to my estate were already open when I arrived. A soft murmur of "Boss" followed me as I strode through the marble-floored foyer, but I didn’t bother acknowledging it. I had no patience for pleasantries tonight.Up the stairs, straight to my study. No stops.The scent of aged scotch greeted me as I poured a glass, the amber liquid catching the faint light from the fireplace. The first sip burned, but it wasn’t enough to drown the feeling sitting on my chest. As I sank into my chair, the room seemed quieter than usual, empty but for my thoughts.And there he was again.Claude. Tate. Whatever name he wanted to wear now.I leaned back, dragging a palm down my face. Three days. I’d been away three fucking days, and still, he lived i

CLAUDE HE’D FORGOTTEN TO take the ones around my hands off.And he didn’t believe me.Those two thoughts circled in my mind, over and over, as I paced the room. Minutes, hours—I wasn’t sure anymore. The untouched food on the nightstand had gone cold, the smell stale now, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. All I could think about was Nikolai and how much I needed him to believe me.I sank down on the edge of the bed, knees bouncing, my eyes trained on the door like I could will him to come through it. I couldn’t get Nikolai out of my head, couldn’t stop thinking about the way he’d looked at me.Like he was waiting for me to fuck up.Then I heard it. Footsteps.My pulse kicked up, the air catching in my lungs. But something about the sound was wrong. They weren’t his—too heavy, too uneven.The steps stopped just outside the door. My heart was a knot in my throat as the lock clicked, and when the door swung open, it wasn’t Nikolai standing there.It was him. The man who’d stopped them

CLAUDEI PUSHED THE shift back the second Nikolai went limp, his head tilting forward, dark hair sticking to his sweat-drenched skin. My chest tightened, panic gripping me so hard it made my vision blur for a second, my breath catching in my throat. My leg was already on the couch, one knee pressing into the cushion as I reached for him, my hands gripping his face, tilting it back, trying to get a better look at him.“N-Nikolai?” I stammered, my fingers tightening around his jaw, my thumbs brushing against the sharp angles of his cheekbones, clammy with sweat. His skin was too pale, his lips parted slightly like he was about to say something, but nothing came out.My hands were shaking, my heart slamming against my ribs as I gave him a small shake, then a harder one. “Nikolai, wake up,” I said, but his body remained limp, his breathing shallow.Panic turned to desperation, clawing at my throat, pressing down on my chest like a stone I couldn’t shake off.I turned, searching for someon

CLAUDETHE CHAINS RATTLED as I jerked up, my heart slamming against my ribs so hard it hurt. My breath caught in my throat, my eyes locking on the figure standing in the doorway.Nikolai.His name slipped from my lips before I could stop it, shaky and desperate.He was standing, but barely. His shoulders slumped slightly, exhaustion clinging to him like a second skin. Bandages wrapped tight around his torso and shoulder, stark against the paleness of his skin, and a pair of sweatpants hung low on his hips. His hair was a mess, damp and tousled, and a faint sheen of sweat glistened along his brow. He looked like hell.But he was here.A sharp breath wrenched itself from my lungs, relief and something dangerously close to panic twisting inside me. I moved before I could think, stepping forward, but the moment I did, metal clanked loudly against the floor.I froze.Nikolai’s gaze flickered downward.For a second, he didn’t move. Didn’t speak.His eyes stayed on the silver shackles wrappe