Chapter 225 Innocent City Boy
Chapter 225 Innocent City Boy
TESSA
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I tucked Ca in, pulling the nket all the way up to her chin. Hershes fluttered for a second, and I waited for the usual protest–the pleading for one more story, or her insistence on a ss of milk she didn’t really want.
However, this time, nothing came. Her tiny hands rxed against the pillow, and within moments she drifted into steady breathing.
It made me pause. Was it because of Rowan? She’d taken to him quicker than I expected, even though she didn’t know who he truly was. It was strange how easily she’d warmed up to him.
I shook my head quickly, brushing the thought aside, and stepped out of her room. The small house was quiet except for the faint creak of the floorboards under my bare feet. When I entered the living room, my gaze caught on Rowan.
He was slouched on the couch, his shirt stretched tight across his chest and shoulders. His eyes, already swollen from the tears he’d shed earlier, lifted to meet mine, and they glistened again under the dim light of themp.
“Would you stop crying?” I asked, arching a brow.
But as I lowered myself into the chair across from him, I felt something odd tugging at the corners of my lips. It was ridiculous, but it was the first time I’d ever seen him like this. He actually looked quite… cute.
I caught myself and quickly shook my head, trying to wipe away the thought. My eyes darted instead to the dark patch seeping through the gauze on his forehead.
I clicked my tongue. “Your bandage is soaked again.” I reached for the first aid kit on the table. “You might need stitches,” I muttered.
“Go ahead,” he said.
I pulled on gloves, set out the supplies, and leaned closer.
<b>13:39 </b><b>Tue</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>9 </b>B.
Chapter 225 Innocent City Boy
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“What are you even doing here, anyway?” I asked, pressing antiseptic to his wound. “Nobody everes to this vige. I’m sure you wouldn’t have found it on your own because you were shocked to see us here, too.”
He scratched the back of his neck. Then, after a long sigh, he said, “Long story short… my dad doesn’t want to hand me the Alpha title.”
My brows knitted together. That didn’t make sense. Even though Rowan hadn’t exactly been good to me, I couldn’t deny that he was good to the pack. Everyone knew it. He was strong and capable when it came to their safety. He was born for the role, actually. His father had always been hard on him, but to withhold the title?
“What do you mean?” I muttered.
He met my eyes. “He wants me to marry Zaria.”
The sutures nearly slipped from my fingers. I had to steady myself before continuing the stitch.
“He wants me to have a Luna before I be Alpha,” he said simply.
My throat tightened, though I forced the words out. “Then why don’t you do that?”
His answer came without hesitation. “Because I don’t want that.”
The needle hovered for a moment before I pushed it through his skin again. My chest was pounding, but his voice only grew more earnest.
“I can’t do that–for my own sanity, and for you,” he continued. His gaze locked on me. “I realized that the title wasn’t important to me. I just wanted to protect the people. But for now, I want to protect something else.”
I cleared my throat, shook my head quickly, and kept my eyes trained on the stitches, pretending not to feel his stare pressing into me. His sincerity was dangerous. It made my hands tremble if I thought about it too much.
“That doesn’t exin why you’re here,” I said curtly.
<b>13:39 </b><b>Tue</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>9 </b>B…
Chapter 225 Innocent City Boy
He shifted again. “An old couple offered to bring me to a good hotel.”
I froze, pulling back just enough to frown at him.
“And?”
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His lips pressed into a thin line. “Well, I ended up here with no phone and no money.”
I was stunned for a second before I narrowed my eyes.
“What?”
His jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything.
I set the needle down and stared at him. “You got scammed?”
He pursed his lips, not denying it.
I gaped for a moment, then let out a disbelievingugh, shaking my head. “You actually got scammed.”
How could he, of all people, get scammed by humans?
I tied off thest knot of the stitch and sat back, staring at him with utter disbelief. “How can you get scammed by humans?”
He looked down, almost sulking. “It was an old couple,” he muttered, as though that somehow excused it. “Martha and Stewart.”
I bit my lips hard to keep fromughing. My brows shot up, and I had to look away before myposure cracked. “Martha Stewart, really?” I whispered under my breath.
He blinked, ncing up at me like a lost puppy. “Why?” he asked. “Is there anything wrong with their name?”
I shook my head quickly, biting down on the inside of my cheek. “Never mind. Forget it.”
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Chapter 225 Innocent City Boy
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His confusion didn’t fade, but I couldn’t bring myself to exin it. Instead, I sighed. “You’re more innocent than I thought.”
“Innocent?” he repeated.
I gave him a dry look and gestured at his stitched forehead. “You mean to tell me you’ve fought battles, faced rogues, stood on the brink of Alphahood… and you got scammed by Martha and Stewart?”
He grimaced. “When you say it like that…”
I couldn’t help it–Iughed softly, shaking my head. The sound surprised me, because it had been so long sinceughter came easily. He looked at me like I’d just pulled the moon down from the sky, and that only made my chest tighten. I cleared my throat, quickly moving to pack the kit.
“So… you don’t have anything?” I asked.
“No,” he admitted. His expression grew sheepish, his gaze falling to the floor. “They even took my shirt.”
I stopped mid–motion and stared at him again. My lips parted, but words refused toe. Finally, I let out a long, exasperated sigh, rubbing my temples.
It became painfully clear then. Even if Fenra wasn’t considered such, it was still urban. Rowan had grown in that chaos. But strip that all away, take him out of the city, and at the core… he was still just a city boy.
My heart tugged in two directions at once. I wanted to scold him for being so careless. However, another part of me wanted to wrap him in something safe and
warm.
Before I could speak, his face brightened with a sudden spark. “What’s Ca’s full name?”
The question caught me off guard. My hand stilled, halfway through tucking the unused supplies back into the kit. “Ca Lily,” I muttered.
His lips parted in awe, his eyes softening. “That’s perfect for her,” he said quietly.
<b>13:39 </b><b>Tue</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>9 </b>B<b>…. </b>
Chapter 225 Innocent City Boy
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I ced the final gauze over his wound, taped it neatly, and straightened. “<b>There</b>.
Done.”
Before he could say anything else, I stood and gestured for him to do the same. “Get up.”
He looked at me with mild suspicion but obeyed, pushing himself carefully to his feet. His eyes widened slightly when I walked past him, heading for the door. He followed, brows furrowed, but didn’t say a word until I pulled the handle and swung it open.
The night air rushed in. “Now leave,” I muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.
“What?” he asked in disbelief.
“Dinner’s done. You’re fine now.”
“I’ve done my part.”
I pushed against his chest, forcing him closer to the open doorway. His body was warm under my palms, and I had to clench my jaw to keep from faltering.
“Now go back,” I finished, shoving thest words between us like a wall.
“What?” he eximed again, louder this time. “Tessa-”
“I’m sure the South is waiting for you,” I cut him off.
His brows drew together, his mouth parting in disbelief. His eyes searched mine, like he couldn’t possibly understand why I’d push him away after everything. But that was the truth, wasn’t it? He wouldn’t give up the Alpha title. Not for me. Not for Ca. He was too tied to it, too bound by duty and family and expectation. To think otherwise was ridiculous.
I didn’t let him speak again.
“Wait, Tessa,” he muttered, reaching out-
But I mmed the door shut, the sound reverberating through the small house
<b>13:39 </b><b>Tue</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>9 </b>B
Chapter 225 Innocent City Boy
like thunder.
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