RYKER

    Three more steps. That was all Ronan Volkstane had to take ito /ireach me then this little game would have ended in blood and death, if she hadn’t intervened.

    In the three seconds after that she would have been mine forever, if she hadn’t interfered again.

    My wolf had been on the edge of breaking when she left, but her feminine scent lingering on my palm, the soft ghost of her touch had tethered me to sanity. Secretly, I found myself craving the true essence of her scent, hidden beneath the perfume she always wore.

    “Alpha Ryker,” Grace’s voice drew my attention. She lowered herself gracefully into the seat opposite mine, crossing her legs with a teasing smile. “I see you lost intentionally to Seth Darven. Do you…like him?”

    “I love him,” I replied.

    Her smile faltered, herposure cracking. “Love?”

    “What is there to be surprised about?” I leisurely crossed my legs, meeting her wide, silvery–grey eyes with calm indifference.

    “A strong and dominating Alpha like you…falling for Seth Darven?” She forced augh, shifting ufortably. “I mean, you must have she–wolves throwing themselves at you. So why Seth Darven?”

    My finger trailed idly around the rim of my ss. “Because he is mine.”

    Her eyes widened, shock spilling across her features. “Yours? S–Seth Darven is yours?!” She stumbled over the words, as if speaking them might summon lightning. “How?i” /i

    “This…” I leaned back, my gaze brushing the mark on her neck, “even he doesn’t know how. So let’s keep it a secret.”

    Her lips curved into a mischievous grin. “Fine, I’ll keep your secret, Alpha Ryker. But you’re far too secretive. I wonder why.”

    I lit a cigarette, exhaling smokezily. “Perhaps that’s because those who learn my secrets tend to die.”

    The color drained from her face. “What?”

    Chapter 145 Burned By Yearning

    I inhaled again, then said softly, “I’m joking.”

    She stared at me for several long seconds, her face pale, before releasing a shaky breath and pouting. “You nearly scared me, Alpha Ryker.”

    My lips curved in response. If she only knew how much truthced my words.

    “When you joke, you should at least smile so people don’t get heart attacks,” sheughed lightly, though her eyes lingered too long on my face, as if trying to piece together something forgotten.

    “Is there something on my face?” I asked quietly.

    Her cheeks flushed as she shook her head quickly. “It’s just…you’re too handsome. I couldn’t help myself,” she admitted shyly, before tilting her head. “Still, I didn’t expect you’d let him go with Alpha Ronan.”

    A low growl rumbled from my wolf, curling beneath my skin, as a cold smile yed on my lips. “No matter where Seth Darven goes, he will end up with me. I am merely letting him lose his way for a while.”

    She giggled softly. “Wow, I really admire your confidence.” Rising to her feet, she smoothed her dress. “Well, it was fun chatting with you, Alpha Ryker. I only hope you don’t end up with a love rival.” With that, she returned to the circle of Alphas, leaving me seated alone, far away from him.

    My wolf shimmered in my eyes, growling low. ‘She seems to have seen us before‘

    I leaned back in my chair, my gaze locked onto the mate mark at her throat. “She definitely has.”

    “Shall I kill her?” A voice drifted from behind a tree.

    I crushed the cigarette against the ashtray, murmuring, “Keep an eye on her for now. The day she bes a threat,” I rose, striding toward the forest, “end her. End her entire pack. Including her mate.”

    “I understand,” Percy’s voice carried from the shadows as he followed silently, his presence a natural extension of the darkness itself. “Alpha, your absence has been noticed by a few people.”

    “Is that so?” I murmured, unconcerned.

    He hesitantly nodded. “I fear it may cause trouble. You had nned to stay at

    Chapter 145 Burned By Yearning

    the Academy for only a day or two. Why extend your stay?”

    The trees thinned, revealing the towering structure of Lupine Academy. My head tilted slightly, my gaze settling on the building. On the row of dorm windows. On hers. The window was

    set wide open.

    “Why did I extend my stay?” I whispered, my lips curling as my eyes locked on that room. “It became fun. Too exciting, too intoxicating. I can’t help but crave her every flinch, every panic sparked by my wolf, every tremor from my touch. She’s… impossible to resist,” I bit down on my lower lip. “Ending this game now would be far too boring. Not when she still hasn’t realized the hand she holds should not be his…but mine. Not when I can still drag her deeper into the pit and let her drown in the consequences awaiting her.”

    I paused mid–step, my wolf flickering in my eyes, desperate for just a glimpse of her at the window. Even for a heartbeat.

    “But nowi,/ii” /imy lips curved darker, “the game has changed. I want her. And soon she will realize it, or I’ll make her realize it in my own way.”

    Percy halted behind me. “What are your orders, Alpha?”

    “Orders?” My gaze slid from the Academy walls back to her room, the room shared with another man. “Find out everything about Ronan Volkstane. His past. His present. His secrets. Every detail, from his first cry at birth to hisst smile. I want his entire lifeid bare in my hands.”

    Percy gave a sharp nod and melted into the shadows.

    My wolf lingered stubbornly in my eyes, aching for another glimpse of her. My lips parted in a murmur meant for no one but her.,

    “This yearning hits differently every time you tease me like this, Seraphina.”

    Wait! I Have Something to Say!

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