?Chapter 24:
Makenna’s POV
yton’s eyes drifted away from me. He grabbed the nket lying next to him and tossed it, saying, “Cover yourself with this.”
My mind was still in a fog. The mix of lingering desire and fear held me captive. His words broke through the haze, and I quickly pulled the nket around me, hiding my bare skin.
“Did I frighten you?” yton’s voice was thick with guilt. “My wolf took over, and I lost control. I hope you can forgive me.”
Tears slipped down my cheeks as I clung to the nket, my body trembling with the fear of what nearly happened. Words failed me.
yton sighed, rubbing his temples, the flush of his desire still visible in his eyes. He hadn’t fully regained hisposure.
The vi was silent enough to hear a pin drop, broken only by my stifled sobs.
yton inhaled deeply, clearly wrestling to rein in his urges. As I watched him, I shrank back into the sofa, fear still gripping me, wanting to put as much distance between us as possible.
“Go back to your ce. I won’t push you into anything. I’ll exin to my father. You have nothing to worry about.”
yton’s voice softened as if he were walking on eggshells, afraid of scaring me further. The wild man from moments ago seemed to have vanished, reced by someone trying hard to be gentle.
His words and tone slowly calmed my pounding heart, and eventually, the tears stopped.
Had he really decided not to harm me?
I bit my lip, awkwardly pulling the nket tighter around me as I stood. “I’m sorry. Did I mess everything up?”
I was brought here as a ve for the night. I shouldn’t have resisted, no matter what yton tried to do.
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yton had returned to hisposed self, offering me a reassuring smile. “No, I should be the one apologizing. I never intended to let things go this far, but… I’m sorry.”
The awkwardness between us grew, and I didn’t know how to respond.
yton seemed to find some amusement in my difort. He shook his head lightly, his voice gentle. “Don’t dwell on it. Go back to the house.”
I nodded, biting my bottom lip as I tried to make sense of my tangled thoughts. I turned to leave his vi.
But after a few steps, I nced back. yton stood where I’d left him, watching me with a soft smile.
My steps faltered, and my heart skipped a beat.
Pressing my hand to my chest as if that could steady my emotions, I forced myself to keep walking, even as tears welled up again.
Since arriving in this dreadful ce, I’d been constantly targeted or faced life-threatening situations. But I didn’t expect the one person who had shown me any respect to be yton.
I took a deep breath, pausing briefly before stepping outside.
After leaving yton’s vi, I wandered back toward my own, my mind a jumble of thoughts. Out of nowhere, I collided with someone.
I blurted out a startled apology, but when I looked up, I saw I had bumped into a woman. She looked vaguely familiar—another one of the ves, perhaps.
“Watch where you’re going! Are you blind?” she snapped, her tone dripping with venom.
Recognition shed in her eyes, and she raised an eyebrow. “Well, well! If it isn’t the infamous Makenna Dunn.”
The sneer in her voice made me tense.
She scoffed and exaggerated her disdain. “Weren’t you supposed to be serving Prince yton tonight? What are you doing out here? Oh, don’t tell me—did he kick you out?”
Her words hit me like a p, but before I could react, she grinned, the glee in her eyes unmistakable. “Serves you right!”
With that, she sauntered away, herughter trailing behind her.
I watched her retreating figure, feeling no need to defend myself. For the other ves, spending a night with one of the princes was a mark of honor. But not for me. If she misunderstood, maybe she’d leave me alone.
I brushed off her words and continued to my house. The living room was pitch dark when I opened the door.
Just as I was about to step inside, someone grabbed me from behind, their hold tight and unyielding. Every hair on my body stood on end, and a scream tore from my throat.
“Argh! Who are you?”
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