Chapter 237 Even


    <b>Leslie’s </b>POV


    ?


    +8 Pearls


    The banquet ended in an uneasy quiet, and Kirby and I were escorted out together.


    Before I could figure out how to shake off the storm cloud walking at my side, Eren bolted down from the stairs like a little wolf cub and wrapped himself around my leg.


    “Muse, stay here and sleep! I want to fall asleep smelling you…”


    His lips jutted out in a pout, crystal–blue eyes shimmering with hope, so sweet I felt almost melt.


    my


    heart


    “Eren,” Adler’s voice cut in coolly as he nced at the time, “Muse has her own Pack to return to. You should finish your assignments.”


    Eren’s glow dimmed instantly, and he red at his father with the pitiful look of an abandoned pup. Homework stalked him wherever he went–wolf life was far too cruel.


    My mind flickered back to the photo, to that terrified little boy frozen in the blood–soaked streets. Now here he was, grown just enough to cling stubbornly to my skirts.


    I smoothed a hand over his soft golden curls, my voice gentle. “Tomorrow we’ll y again, all right?”


    He blinked up at me, disappointment clouding those clear eyes. For a moment, I thought he might relent.


    But then he mped his fists into my clothes, his gaze brightening with a sharp little glint.


    “No! I want <i>to </i>sleep with Muse tonight! I won’t do homework! I’ll follow her back to hernd! Daddy, you can grow old alone!”


    The deration rang out–innocent yet fierce.


    Adler, clearly used to such dramatics, narrowed his eyes. A single gesture brought a broad- shouldered gamma guard forward. While Eren still wriggled and wailed, the man hooked a hand into his cor and hoisted him like a squirming kitten over his shoulder.


    Quick, Efficient. Brutal,


    “Aaahhh, save me! I don’t want to leave my Muse! I want to stay with her forever!”


    His cries echoed up the stairwell until they vanished entirely.


    173


    <b>9:16 </b>Thu, Sep 18 <b>B</b>…


    Chapter 237 Even


    :


    <b>81 </b>


    +8 Pearls


    “Princess of Rogue Pack. Alpha Kirby. Safe travels.” Adler’s tone was as smooth as if nothing had happened.


    I drew my gaze back and finally exhaled. “Good night.”


    Kirby and I stepped out into the night. A Crimson Moon Pack car waited at the drive.


    He moved ahead, opening the rear door, and his ck eyes caught mine.


    “I’ll take you.”


    I turned away instinctively—only then realizing I’d arrived with Eren and had no ride of my own. Summoning a Pack driver thiste would be a nuisance.


    I hesitated. Kirby’s lips curved faintly, and even his formidable Alpha aura seemed tempered, softened.


    “What, afraid I’ll eat you?”


    His voice was unusually low, almost gentle.


    I froze. When I finally looked back, his gaze was steady, humor glinting beneath depths tooplicated to read. It seemed he wanted to speak volumes, yet couldn’t find where to begin.


    In the end, I slid into the car.


    The engine hummed. His woodsy scent seeped into the enclosed space, pressing too close, making my skin itch. Somehow the short drive felt endless.


    Atst he spoke. “It’s because of back then… that you remembered me, isn’t it?”


    I pressed my lips together, weighing my words. “Yes.”


    “Why didn’t you tell me?” His question came quick, heavy, echoing the same raw edge as that day in the Bloodfang arena.


    I forced a crooked smile. “You saved me once. I saved you once. We’re even.”


    “Even?” The word lingered in his mouth, heavy, low. A tide of tangled feelings surged behind it, all forced down into the silence pressing thick between us.


    “Isn’t it?” I shot back.


    After all, nearly drowning in that pool was thanks to him as well. If anything, he still owed me.


    And if I chose to call it even–that was me being more than generous.


    9:16 Thu, Sep 18 G…