CHAPTER 97: A DANCE SHE CAN’T REFUSE

"So, you like me?"

My stomach dropped.

No, not dropped—plummeted.

Heat rushed under my skin, hot and humiliating, and for a moment I thought my knees might betray me.

He had been listening! I didn’t expect he’d be listening over some nonsense... why would he? Was he that bored?

His senses far outstripped mine or anyone else’s. I should have expected it. After all, he wasn’t just any wolf. He was Rion Morrigan, Alpha of the Undercity. The wolf whose shadows could blot out a city street in the blink of an eye. The Alpha whose power no one had measured and no one dared to.

And apparently, he had chosen me to toy with tonight.

I forced my mouth into something resembling calm. "I didn’t want to dishearten the child. He obviously looks up to you. Don’t give any meaning to it."

The edge of his mouth curled in something that wasn’t quite a smile. His eyes glinted behind the mask, sharp and knowing, and his voice cut through the music like a secret only I was meant to hear.

"Are you sure I am the one giving meaning to it?"

My jaw tightened. My hazel eyes narrowed into a glare. Goddess, I wanted to claw that smugness right off his face.

Couldn’t he just let me enjoy my peace tonight? I’d been suffering from training and helping Raye with the preparations for the festival these past days. I just wanted to stand at the sidelines, eat my heart out.

I wanted to walk away from him.

But instead I stood there, burning, as the world whirled on around us. The festival pressed in close—lanterns swaying, music knotting through the air, dancers weaving in bright, glittering circles. Skirts swished, laughter spilt, masks hid flushed cheeks. And yet, despite all the chaos, I knew some people were watching, recognizing their alpha in front of some girl.

They lingered on the fringes of the dancing crowd, women and men alike, whispering, curious.

Unease prickled down my neck. I shifted, desperate for escape.

"I’m hungry," I muttered, angling toward the crowd. "I should—"

But before I could finish, his hand slid around my waist.

I froze.

The contact wasn’t rough, but it didn’t need to be. It was firm, sure, absolute. His palm burned through the fabric, anchoring me against the solid breadth of his chest. His body brushed mine, not enough to crush, but enough to remind me of the heat he carried, of the power coiled under his skin.

My breath caught, shivered.

"You didn’t grant me a dance yet," he said, voice a low command. His mouth tilted closer, close enough that I felt his breath stir strands of my hair. "You dare refuse your

Alpha?"

My throat tightened.

I wanted to spit back that he wasn’t my Alpha. That I didn’t belong to him, or to this place. That he had no right to demand anything of me.

But the words snagged, caught on the truth I didn’t want to face.

I didn’t have a pack anymore.

I didn’t have anyone.

And I was here, in his city, living in his castle with all my needs provided by him, and with my safety ensured. And if I was honest with myself, the Undercity had started to seep into me. The buzzling streets, the smoky taverns, the stubborn resilience of the people—they warmed me in ways I hadn’t expected.

For the first time in too long, I felt something dangerously close to home.

His voice dragged me back. "Don’t give me lame excuses. You’ve been eating as soon as you left the castle."

I jerked back a little, stunned. "What?" My cheeks flared hot under the mask. "How did you know that?"

He chuckled, a low, amused sound that vibrated far too close to my skin. He bent just enough that his lips brushed the shell of my ear.

"My shadows are watching."

A tremor ran through me. I hated it. Hated that he could do this—coil around me so easily, leaving me shaken with nothing more than words.

My hand shot up, my index finger jabbing into his chest. I pushed. Hard.

But he only yielded an inch, no more. The man was built like stone, and I hated that my push barely moved him. His chest was solid, warm, the thrum of his heartbeat steady and unbothered under my touch.

"You are not just supposed to eat and drink during the street party, Vivien," he murmured, as if he had wanted to lecture me on how I should enjoy this event properly. "You need to enjoy the whole event."

I lifted my chin, glare fixed firmly on his face. "And that means dancing with you?"

His mouth curved into something far too wolfish.

"Hmm." He gave a single nod, the motion confident, full of authority. To him, this wasn’t a request. It was something I couldn’t deny him.

I flicked my gaze past him, to the women hovering nearby. They tried not to look too obvious, but their eyes betrayed them—hungry, calculating, annoyed, some outright covetous. They wanted him, fought each other in silence for a shred of his attention.

And here I was, caught in his grasp, his focus laid fully on me.

Dangerous.

Yes, being so close to this wicked Alpha was dangerous.

The thought of stepping into his arms, of letting them watch me dance with him... made my stomach twist. It felt like inviting jealousy, like painting a target on my back. I didn’t wish for more enemies, because I already had a lot wanting me dead. I literally had a bounty on my head.

There is nothing in this world that can kill you, Vivien. Not under my watch.

Those words echoed in my head, making me stifle a smile.

I stared at Rion. His hand didn’t waver. His eyes didn’t let me go.

And I knew it in my bones: no excuse in the world would free me now.

I sighed, shoulders sinking in reluctant defeat.

"One dance, then."