Chapter 48
Killian Volkov
I
1 stormed down the hallway, my footsteps hea
as I tried to contain the seething rage bursting inside me. Every muscle in my body was tense, and my jaw clenched so tightly that it hurt. Adeline had slapped me. She dared to raise her hand against me. The nerve of that woman–no, that wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was the infuriating way she had looked at me, with those eyes blazing with hatred, as if she had every right to do so.
I slammed the door to my room shut behind me, the sound echoing through the room. I couldn’t get the image of her out of my mind–the fire in her gaze, the way her lips had curled into that infuriating, disapproving line–just before her hand. made contact with my face. I could still feel the sting of it, not just on my skin, but deep in my pride.
How dare she
1 began pacing back and forth, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. My thoughts were a whirlwind of anger and something darker that I didn’t want to acknowledge. She had no right to hit me. I had only spoken the truth. I was sure of it.
She had been having an air with Sebastian for five years. From the moment they stepped into the pack, they kept flaunting it right in front of me, like she had something to prove. Every time they walked into the pack house, they were always together, whispering to each other and holding hands like they were lovers. It was disgusting,
It made my blood boil just thinking about it
My fists tightened until my knuckles turned white. The memory of them together, so close and so comfortable, sent a wave of pure rage coursing through my veins.
How could she do that?
How could she act like she was the victim?
“She’s not your mate anymore, remember?‘ My wolf, Bastian’s voice, was a low growl in the back of my mind, filled with frustration
I snarled back at him, the anger in my chest only growing stronger. “She’s never been my mate. I rejected her. She’s nothing
to us.”
But my wolf wouldn’t let it go. He never did when it came to Adeline. “You rejected her. I didn’t.”
I stopped pacing, my breath coming in ragged gasps. This argument was becoming all too familiar. Every time I tried to distance myself from Adeline to remind myself why I had rejected her, my wolf would throw it back in my face, as if he were somehow above it all. As if he hadn’t been there when she betrayed us.
“She had an affair with him, right in front of us” I snapped at him, my voice echoing off the walls of my empty room. “She’s a liar and a cheat. You know that”
But my wolf only growled in response, the sound low and full of hatred. “You don’t know that. You’ve never known that You’re too blinded by your own anger to see the truth.”
I felt a flash of frustration so intense that it made me want to punch something, anything, to release the pressure building up inside me. But instead, I just stood there, fists clenched at my sides, trying to calm the storm raging within me.
“She’s nothing to us,” I repeated, but this time my voice lacked the conviction it usually held. My wolf’s silence was a damning reminder that no matter how many times I said it, there was a part of me that didn’t believe it
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to pull myself together. I needed to think clearly, to push her out of my mind, and to focus on what mattered. Laurel
=
14:56 Wed, Dec
Chapter 481
Laurel was my
nity
She was the one carrying my child, the one I had chosen to protect and care for. Adeline was just a bitter reminder of a past that I had long since tried to forget.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the memory of her standing there, so close to Sebastian, her hand in his, and that look in her eyes that made my blood boil. It wasn’t just anger that I felt–it was something deeper, something more primal, that clawed at the edges of my control.
My wolf’s voice cut through my thoughts like a blade. “You still care for her.”
“No, I don’t, I shot back immediately, but my woll’s low growl of disbelief made my chest tighten.
“You’re lying to yourself,” he snarled, his voice filled with a mix of frustration and anger. “You’ve always cared, even when you didn’t want to. That’s why it hurts so much.”
I gritted my teeth, trying to block him out, but his words echoed in my mind, stoking the fire that burned within me. It hurt because I was angry, not because I cared. I was angry, and 1 don’t even know why
*Sebastian is nothing bua friend to her. You know that deep down.” My wolf’s words were a cold truthy that I didn’t want to acknowledge, but he kept pushing, relentless in his pursuit. “You’re just using him as an excuse to justify your own anger and your own guilt.”
“Guilt?” I barked out a harsh laugh, the sound devoid of humor. I have nothing to feel guilty about. She’s the one who-
“She never betrayed you,” my wolf interrupted, his voice harsh and cutting. “You convinced yourself of that to protect your pride. But you know as well as I do that she’s innocent. You’ve always known.”
1 shook my head, refusing to listen to him. “No, you’re wrong. She killed Claire, she-”
But my wolf wouldn’t let me finish. His growl was a low, rumbling sound that made my skin prickle with unease. “No, she didn’t. You’ve been running from the truth for too long, Killian It’s time to face it
The truth.
What truth?
That she was still in my thoughts, haunting me like a ghost that refused to leave me alone? That every time I saw her with Sebastian, a part of me wanted to tear him apart for being close to her? That I still remembered the way she felt in my arms that night, the way her body had felt against mine in the dark. I loved fucking her; I loved every single moment of claiming her that night.
No. I couldn’t let myself think like that.
I couldn’t afford to.
1 clenched my fists, trying to steady my breathing. “It doesn’t meter anymore. She’s not part of our lives
“She’s always been a part of you,” my wolf countered, his voice softening slightly, though je sill held a note of accusation. “You just don’t want to admit it.”
I slammed my hand against the wall, the force of it sending a sharp pain shooting up my arm. “Enough!” I roared, my raw with emotion “She’s nothing to us! She’s nothing to me!”
voice
But the silence that followed was heavy and suffocating, and no matter how many times I repeated it, the words felt hollow, like a lie I couldn’t quite convince myself of
I took a deep breath, trying to regain control. I couldn’t let her get under my skin like this. 1 had to focus on what mattered. -Laurel, my child, and the future I was trying to build. Adeline was the past, a past that I had rejected and that I had chosen
2/3
ווו
Chapter 48
Killian Volkov
I
1 stormed down the hallway, my footsteps hea
as I tried to contain the seething rage bursting inside me. Every muscle in my body was tense, and my jaw clenched so tightly that it hurt. Adeline had slapped me. She dared to raise her hand against me. The nerve of that woman–no, that wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was the infuriating way she had looked at me, with those eyes blazing with hatred, as if she had every right to do so.
I slammed the door to my room shut behind me, the sound echoing through the room. I couldn’t get the image of her out of my mind–the fire in her gaze, the way her lips had curled into that infuriating, disapproving line–just before her hand. made contact with my face. I could still feel the sting of it, not just on my skin, but deep in my pride.
How dare she
1 began pacing back and forth, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. My thoughts were a whirlwind of anger and something darker that I didn’t want to acknowledge. She had no right to hit me. I had only spoken the truth. I was sure of it.
She had been having an air with Sebastian for five years. From the moment they stepped into the pack, they kept flaunting it right in front of me, like she had something to prove. Every time they walked into the pack house, they were always together, whispering to each other and holding hands like they were lovers. It was disgusting,
It made my blood boil just thinking about it
My fists tightened until my knuckles turned white. The memory of them together, so close and so comfortable, sent a wave of pure rage coursing through my veins.
How could she do that?
How could she act like she was the victim?
“She’s not your mate anymore, remember?‘ My wolf, Bastian’s voice, was a low growl in the back of my mind, filled with frustration
I snarled back at him, the anger in my chest only growing stronger. “She’s never been my mate. I rejected her. She’s nothing
to us.”
But my wolf wouldn’t let it go. He never did when it came to Adeline. “You rejected her. I didn’t.”
I stopped pacing, my breath coming in ragged gasps. This argument was becoming all too familiar. Every time I tried to distance myself from Adeline to remind myself why I had rejected her, my wolf would throw it back in my face, as if he were somehow above it all. As if he hadn’t been there when she betrayed us.
“She had an affair with him, right in front of us” I snapped at him, my voice echoing off the walls of my empty room. “She’s a liar and a cheat. You know that”
But my wolf only growled in response, the sound low and full of hatred. “You don’t know that. You’ve never known that You’re too blinded by your own anger to see the truth.”
I felt a flash of frustration so intense that it made me want to punch something, anything, to release the pressure building up inside me. But instead, I just stood there, fists clenched at my sides, trying to calm the storm raging within me.
“She’s nothing to us,” I repeated, but this time my voice lacked the conviction it usually held. My wolf’s silence was a damning reminder that no matter how many times I said it, there was a part of me that didn’t believe it
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to pull myself together. I needed to think clearly, to push her out of my mind, and to focus on what mattered. Laurel
=
14:56 Wed, Dec
Chapter 481
Laurel was my
nity
She was the one carrying my child, the one I had chosen to protect and care for. Adeline was just a bitter reminder of a past that I had long since tried to forget.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the memory of her standing there, so close to Sebastian, her hand in his, and that look in her eyes that made my blood boil. It wasn’t just anger that I felt–it was something deeper, something more primal, that clawed at the edges of my control.
My wolf’s voice cut through my thoughts like a blade. “You still care for her.”
“No, I don’t, I shot back immediately, but my woll’s low growl of disbelief made my chest tighten.
“You’re lying to yourself,” he snarled, his voice filled with a mix of frustration and anger. “You’ve always cared, even when you didn’t want to. That’s why it hurts so much.”
I gritted my teeth, trying to block him out, but his words echoed in my mind, stoking the fire that burned within me. It hurt because I was angry, not because I cared. I was angry, and 1 don’t even know why
*Sebastian is nothing bua friend to her. You know that deep down.” My wolf’s words were a cold truthy that I didn’t want to acknowledge, but he kept pushing, relentless in his pursuit. “You’re just using him as an excuse to justify your own anger and your own guilt.”
“Guilt?” I barked out a harsh laugh, the sound devoid of humor. I have nothing to feel guilty about. She’s the one who-
“She never betrayed you,” my wolf interrupted, his voice harsh and cutting. “You convinced yourself of that to protect your pride. But you know as well as I do that she’s innocent. You’ve always known.”
1 shook my head, refusing to listen to him. “No, you’re wrong. She killed Claire, she-”
But my wolf wouldn’t let me finish. His growl was a low, rumbling sound that made my skin prickle with unease. “No, she didn’t. You’ve been running from the truth for too long, Killian It’s time to face it
The truth.
What truth?
That she was still in my thoughts, haunting me like a ghost that refused to leave me alone? That every time I saw her with Sebastian, a part of me wanted to tear him apart for being close to her? That I still remembered the way she felt in my arms that night, the way her body had felt against mine in the dark. I loved fucking her; I loved every single moment of claiming her that night.
No. I couldn’t let myself think like that.
I couldn’t afford to.
1 clenched my fists, trying to steady my breathing. “It doesn’t meter anymore. She’s not part of our lives
“She’s always been a part of you,” my wolf countered, his voice softening slightly, though je sill held a note of accusation. “You just don’t want to admit it.”
I slammed my hand against the wall, the force of it sending a sharp pain shooting up my arm. “Enough!” I roared, my raw with emotion “She’s nothing to us! She’s nothing to me!”
voice
But the silence that followed was heavy and suffocating, and no matter how many times I repeated it, the words felt hollow, like a lie I couldn’t quite convince myself of
I took a deep breath, trying to regain control. I couldn’t let her get under my skin like this. 1 had to focus on what mattered. -Laurel, my child, and the future I was trying to build. Adeline was the past, a past that I had rejected and that I had chosen
2/3
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