Semua Bab TRADING MY CHEATING HUSBAND FOR THE LYCAN KING: Bab 71 - Bab 80

EMBER’S POVHe’s quiet for a long moment. Something flickers through his eyes. Pain, maybe. Or fear. The shutters start to come down, that familiar wall rebuilding itself brick by brick.“I don’t think I’d be a good father,” he says finally.“Why?”“The Volkovs weren’t exactly a stable family.” His voice has gone careful. Controlled. “Dysfunction runs in my blood. Literally. I’ve seen what happens when damaged people try to raise children. I refuse to continue that cycle.”There’s so much more underneath those words. I can feel it. Decades of history I know nothing about.“What was your family like?” I ask softly.He chuckles, but there’s no humor in it.“You really don’t get enough, do you? Always pushing. Always wanting more.”“You’re so closed off,” I admit. “Every time I think I’m getting somewhere, you build another wall. It makes me want to know everything. Every secret. Every scar. Everything you’re hiding behind all that ice.”He stares at me for a long moment. Something shift

EMBER’S POVThe rest of the morning becomes an exercise in managing chaos.Rayana needs her medication. No, not that medication, the other one, the one in the small bottle, no the smaller bottle. The sheets are too rough. Doesn’t Knox own anything with a thread count above three hundred? These feel like sandpaper. Is this how he treats all his guests?She needs her pillows fluffed, which she demonstrates with elaborate hand gestures that somehow require Knox to lean close enough that his face is inches from hers.She holds the position for several beats too long, smiling sweetly while I fantasize about what it would feel like to suffocate her with those same goddamn pillows.“Like this,” she says, her voice pitched low and intimate. “Firm but gentle. You always were good with your hands.”Knox extracts himself with the controlled precision of a man defusing a bomb. His expression is carved from granite as he steps back, and I can see the muscle jumping in his jaw.“The pillows are fin

EMBER’S POV“I need to run to the clinic.”Knox looks up from his phone, distracted by whatever security nightmare Nathaniel is updating him on.“Everything okay?”“Dr. Patel has fresh bandages ready for Rayana’s dressing change.” I grab my jacket from the back of the chair. “Figured I’d pick them up before the nurse gets here.”“Want me to come with you?”“And leave Rayana unsupervised?” I raise an eyebrow. “She’ll probably rearrange your entire office out of spite. Or seduce the room service guy just to have an audience.”That earns me a small smile, tired but real.“Fair point. Hurry back?”“Always.”The resort corridors are quieter than I’ve seen them all week. Most guests are packing, preparing to leave after tonight’s closing ceremony.The frantic Christmas energy of the Summit has mellowed into something almost peaceful, like the exhale after holding your breath too long.I should feel relieved. The trial is over. Gale is in custody. The council cleared Knox’s name and granted

EMBER’S POVMy heart is hammering. This isn’t the smooth, controlled Rafael I’ve come to expect. The one who never truly bared his cards. This is something else. Something… darker.“That wasn’t for you.”“No?” He leans in, close enough that I can smell his cologne — something warm and spiced, nothing like Knox’s addictive scent. “Because it felt like a message, querida. It felt like you were showing me exactly what I’m not allowed to have.”“You’re not allowed to have it. That’s the point. I’m with Knox.”“With Knox.” He says it like the words taste sour. “Yes. I saw exactly how with Knox you were. His hands under your dress. Your body moving against his fucking cock like you were already—” He stops, then he breathes. His wolf is right there, flickering gold in the depths of his eyes. “Do you have any idea what that was like? Watching you fall apart for him when I—”He cuts himself off, something dangerous crossing his features.“When you what?” I demand.“When I’ve been trying so har

EMBER’S POV“You look AMAZING,” she gushes, pulling back to examine my dress. “I knew that color would be perfect on you. Didn’t I say? Didn’t I specifically say burgundy was your color? I’m a genius. An actual fashion genius.”“You said it,” I confirm, forcing a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes.“And you!” She turns to Knox, undeterred by his forbidding expression. “I’m still mad you’re hoarding Nate to yourself tonight, but I’ve got to say, looking handsome as ever, Your Majesty. Very brooding. Very ‘dark king at a party.’ I approve.”“Your approval means everything to me,” Knox deadpans.“I know it does.” She beams, either missing or ignoring his sarcasm. “Oh! I need to steal Ember for a second. Girl talk. Very important. You understand.”Before I can protest, she’s grabbing my arm and pulling me away from Knox, weaving through the crowd with the determination of a woman on a mission.“Queenie, what—”“I need to tell you something,” she says, her voice dropping to an urgent w