Semua Bab THE WILD CAT: Bab 31 - Bab 36

Riley’s POVFor the first time in what felt like forever, sleep actually felt safe.No nightmares clawing at the edges. No phantom gunshots. No triplets lurking in the corners of my mind. Just darkness—soft, heavy, merciful. I curled tighter into the pillow, nuzzling deeper, chasing that rare, fragile peace. Except… the pillow was wrong. Too firm. Too warm. Too alive.Something—someone—breathed against the back of my neck. Slow. Deliberate. Hot.My eyes snapped open.Armani was right there.Lying beside me, propped on one elbow, staring down with that slow, vicious smirk that always made my stomach knot and twist in ways I hated admitting.“What the fuck,” I hissed, jerking upright so fast the room spun. I scrambled backward until my spine hit the headboard, heart slamming against my ribs like it wanted out.He laughed—low, dark, amused—and rolled onto his knees. Then he crawled forward. Over me. Caging me beneath him without even touching me yet.My pulse roared in my ears. “What the

Riley’s POVI woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck—every muscle heavy, bruised, sore in places I didn’t even know could ache that badly. My eyelids felt glued shut, but I forced them open anyway, blinking against the soft gray light filtering through the heavy curtains. The room smelled like him: cedar, gun oil, sweat, and something darker, something that still clung to my skin no matter how many times I tried to wash it off.I shifted, trying to sit up.A thick arm banded around my waist instantly, iron-tight, yanking me back down against a hard, warm chest.“Don’t go,” Armani’s voice rasped, low and rough from sleep, right against my ear.My heart stuttered. I already knew it was him—only he held me like he owned every inch of space my body occupied.“Will you let go of me?” I muttered, wiggling against him in a half-hearted attempt to break free.Big mistake.The movement dragged my bare ass right along the length of him. He groaned—deep, guttural, vibrating through my back

Riley’s POVThe club was a pulsing, living thing—strobe lights slicing through thick clouds of smoke and perfume, bass so deep it rattled my ribcage, bodies grinding on the dance floor like they were trying to disappear into each other. Everyone wore masks: glittering Venetian styles, feathered half-faces, sleek black dominoes that turned strangers into shadows. Perfect for hiding. Perfect for hunting.We’d arrived as a group of eight—me, two other girls (Jade and Mara, both higher-ranked wild cats who actually knew how to play this game), and four guys including Anthony. All of us dressed to blend: sleek black dresses for the girls, tailored suits for the boys, masks that made us look like we belonged in this glittering underworld instead of being the intruders we were.Anthony pulled us into a shadowed alcove just inside the entrance, voice low under the thumping music.“You all know what to do,” he said, eyes scanning each of us. “Scatter. Act like you belong. Don’t forget to stay