?Chapter 26:

I wanted to scream “no,” to tell him he was thest person I wanted to touch me. But then his closeness hit me, his intoxicating cologne wrapping around me like a warm nket on a winter night. Ryder was driving me insane—his ocean-blue eyes, his sharp, angr jawline, his full lips…

He leaned in close, his breath whispering against my ear, sending a wave of heat coursing through me. “Vixen,” he whispered, his hand grasping my neck. As if a spell had broken, I snapped out of my trance, my anger resurfacing.

“Don’t call me that,” I spat, trying to shake off his grip.

“My name is Jasmine. I’m not a vixen,” I weakly protested.

Ryder’s brows arched, his eyes glinting with yful amusement, but he released my neck, his hand falling away. “Jasmine,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’ll make sure to remember that.”

I red at him, trying to keep my distance. But he just smiled, his eyes never leaving mine.

“You can’t resist me forever, Jasmine,” he said, his voice confident. “I’ll wear you down.”

I shivered at his words, a mix of fear and anticipation coursing through my veins. I knew I had to keep my guard up, to resist his charms—the very ones that had gotten me into this mess in the first ce—at all costs. But a part of me wondered… what if I didn’t?

With his hand still on my neck, Ryder trailed his cool fingers slowly down the nape of my neck, making swirling motions with the tips of his nails. The effect sent a hot wave rushing between my thighs. I couldn’t help but shut my eyes, intent on savoring the passionate sensation he was offering.

I was beginning to rx when the door flung open, and a voice boomed into the room.

After the door mmed, I took that as the cue to leave my hiding ce. My chest was on the verge of exploding with anger as I crawled from under the bed, my eyes fixed on the door Jason had just exited. That smug, self-righteous bastard! The nerve of him—thinking he could waltz in here, dump Jasmine like trash, and then try to marry her off because it was convenient for him? Again? After I had already imed her as mine?

It was the audacity for me. The fact that they thought they could outsmart me… I gnashed my teeth at the thought. So desperate to make sure I didn’t have her, they were willing to rece her with Jason’s fiancée. No one dared to struggle for anything that was mine, and to make matters worse, Ace was involved.

g?lnσνe??s is your update hub

“I told you these people couldn’t be trusted!” he growled, the sound of his voice echoing in my head.

“I was only giving them the benefit of the doubt,” I said angrily, defending myself.

My eyes burned with fury, the rage spilling over as Iy there, listening to their absurd n. Jasmine’s expression was filled with so much fear. Her lips barely moved, her eyes just watching me closely. She was probably too frightened to say anything. This was the first time she’d seen me angry—very angry.

My lips twitched slightly, and I thought of saying something… anything to her, but then I thought against it. I was only going to end up doing something we’d both regret.

Leaving as I hade, I eased myself through the window, a solid n forming in my mind.

There’s an old saying: when your enemy knows all your moves, you can’t win the battle unless you change the battlefield. That’s exactly what I intended to do. I wasn’t a Lycan just by name; I was a force not to be messed with. I got what I wanted, who I wanted, and when I wanted them. All the packs around feared my name—Ryder Kael.

And even if they didn’t acknowledge my name, my father’s name was more powerful. It sent people moving quickly and shuddering with respect or fear.

The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual, determined to get started on my n. The earlier, the better. With a few phone calls and negotiations, I had all the legal documents ready. What would have taken an average person weeks took me only a few minutes. My Lycan influence made it easy to get things done quickly.

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