جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 150

ARDEN I didn’t think it would be this stressful.Miss Loveson came with another announcement that we had another week off for more preparation, so fortunately, I didn’t have to go back to Elite just yet. A full week to rest, breathing, and maybe even get back to some sort of normal. Cade, on the other hand, wouldn’t be coming back with me because of his duties.With great power truly came great responsibility. And in Cade’s case, the responsibility seemed endless. He had so much to do, and so did I. There was a mountain of work—literal piles of documents, schedules, and endless messages from people asking for help, advice, or approval.Cade, of course, insisted he would do it all on his own. He’d given me that stubborn look of his, the one that said “you’re not touching this, Arden” in the most loving yet infuriating way possible.Naturally, I ignored him.So there we were, spending almost every waking hour sorting through work. We did it side by side—sometimes in comfortable silence

ARDEN My head felt like someone had stuffed it with clouds, then set the clouds on fire.I didn’t know what to do with myself. My thoughts were slow, dragging themselves through my brain. I couldn’t even remember how I fell asleep. Then I remembered the dream.In it, I had… oh, god.I had actually professed that I missed Cade’s body. It was a nightmare. An actual nightmare.I sighed in relief, pressing a hand to my face. It was just a dream. It wasn’t real. I could still face him with dignity.I yawned and rolled over, seeing my mate standing shirtless on the balcony. The early light spilled over his skin, highlighting every muscle. His hair was a little messy, his expression easy, and when he turned and caught me staring, he smiled.I gulped.Delicious. “Had a great sleep?” he asked, leaning against the railing like he didn’t know he was committing a crime just by existing like that.I nodded wordlessly. Talking seemed dangerous.“You don’t have any work?” I finally managed.“N

ARDEN When we first started, it was still bright. The sunlight poured through the windows and wrapped us in its golden warmth.But now, it was dark.The soft rocking of the yacht was the only sound beyond my own breathing. Somewhere below us, the driver was asleep in his chamber. Cade and I were out on the deck, both of us wrapped in robes. Or… mostly wrapped.Only, from the look in his eyes, I had the distinct feeling that Cade had another idea entirely.“Cade,” I muttered, eyeing the mischievous glint on his face. Maybe I regretted telling him earlier that I’d missed his body—because, truth be told, he’d taken that as a personal challenge. He was relentless. A monster, really. A monster in the most maddening, unfairly irresistible way.“It’s a full moon tonight,” he murmured.I turned to him, startled, my eyes going wide. There was a symbolism to the full moon. Perhaps, we were finally going to mark each other? “Yup,” he answered even though I didn’t pose a question. My eyes wid

ARDEN My heart had been fluttering ever since we arrived.There was something about Ylarc that felt pleasant. The air carried a salty freshness from the sea, the cobblestone streets weren’t so quiet, and the people, though curious, seemed kind. I liked Fenra, of course. It’s my home after all. However, with Cade’s recent win, I couldn’t deny that our actions were now under public scrutiny. Here, no one knew us.Although humans didn’t have the best reputations in the entire world. They do quite a lot of stupid and unreasonable stuff. Along with that, some of them were convinced that shifters truly existed and some wanted to hunt us down or to make trophies of our kind. They never truly succeeded—Fenra wolves, and I guess those from other shifter countries, were too disciplined for that. We didn’t shift in open spaces, unless you went to designated shifting grounds or stumbled upon the deep forests, which were heavily guarded by each faction.Still… being here, in a place where I co

ARDEN Oh.I was about to politely turn him down when a sharp scent cut through the salty air. It was Cade’s scent mixed with jealousy. It was faint but unmistakable. My eyes flicked to the side, and there he was, standing a few feet away, gaze locked on us.Before I could call out to him, he started walking toward me. His steps were steady, but his jaw was set, and the way his eyes narrowed ever so slightly told me exactly how he felt about what he’d walked in on.Charlie glanced between the two of us, probably realizing this wasn’t just a “girl lounging at the beach” situation. Still, Cade didn’t shoo him away immediately. Instead, he came right up to him, extending a hand toward him. “Do you have anything you need?” Cade’s voice was polite, but even then, he sounded intimidating. Charlie pursed his lips. His gaze darted to me, then back to Cade, and for a second, I thought he might try to insist. But instead, a deep blush crept up his cheeks, and he shook his head quickly. “No, uh