bChapter /bb197 /b

    ra’s POV

    I almost screamed.

    Then, I saw it clearly–the red on the ground wasn’t blood. It was wine.

    3.36%

    The wooden boxy shattered, just like the ss bottle that had been holding the wine. Every precious drop was gone. Spilled. Not a single drop left.

    Thorne stood there, the broken bottle still gripped in his hand, staring at Dorian with a gaze cold enough to freeze

    the air around us.

    “You’re fucking insane,” Thorne muttered after a long, tense pause.

    Dorian just chuckled, casually slipping his gun back into its holster.

    “I was actually aiming at your head,” he said, shrugging like it was no big deal. “Guess my aim’s gotten rusty. Consider yourself lucky.”

    A vein in Thorne’s forehead bulged in frustration. He was clearly doing everything he could not tosh out.

    “When ra finds out about this-” Thorne started, his voice low and dangerous.

    “ra won’t find out a damn thing,” Dorian interrupted smoothly. “I’ll just tell her the bottle she wanted is sold

    out. It’ll be my word against yours.”

    Thorne’s jaw clenched so hard I thought it might crack. The sight seemed to amuse Dorian even more.

    Dorian whistled, savouring the moment, then leaned in a little closer, his voice practically dripping with malice.

    “Oh, and who do you think ra will believe?” He gestured to himself with a wide grin. “Me? Charming, attractive

    me? Or you? The jealous ex who betrayed her once already?” He tilted his head. “Yeah, I think it’s pretty obvious.”

    Thorne’s eyes turned into fiery slits. A drop of blood ran down his cheek from a shard of ss that had caught him

    earlier.

    “…Sooner orter, ra will find out what kind of person you really are,” he spat, his words hard like jagged stones.

    Dorian’s lips curled in that infuriating/smirk. “Maybe. But by then, you’ll be long gone.”

    Mr. Larkin’s voice shattered the tension, high–pitched and frantic. “My wine!”

    He rushed out, his face pale with horror. “What have you done to my wine? It’s ruined! All of it!”

    Dorian nced back at him, his demeanor calm and almost amused. “Get me another bottle. I want the finest one

    13.18 Thu, 21 Aug J

    from your vineyard.”

    36%

    +13

    Mr. Larkin’s re was sharp, but there was no heat in it. Just fear. “Forget it! This vineyard won’t sell a single drop

    to you-”

    Dorian’s eyebrow arched, and in one smooth motion, he pulled his gun from his jacket. He twirled it between his fingers, aiming at nothing in particr.

    “Really?” Dorian asked, his tone so casual it sent chills down my spine. “I just shot a bottle of wine from ten feet. It’d be so much easier if I aimed at your head, don’t you think?”

    Mr. Larkin’s face turned an ashen gray.

    “Answer me, Mr. Larkin,” Dorian said, his voice suddenly cold. “I don’t like being kept waiting. I’ve got ady

    expecting me at home.”

    Mr. Larkin swallowed hard, looking like he might faint at any moment.

    “Alright, alright,” he said quickly, “There’s staff at the reception desk. You can ask them for whatever wine you

    want.”

    “Fabulous.i” /iDorian’s smile was wicked as he stepped over the broken ss. He paused beside Thorne, a smug expression settling on his face. “I guess I’ll see you back at the packhouse… or not.” He gave a dismissive shrug,

    then walked off.

    Mr. Larkin stood there, watching him leave with something akin to disbelief, before rushing over to Thorne’s side.

    “That man’s a monster! He’s out to get our princess, Alpha Thorne! You can’t just let him have his way! You need to

    warn ra about him!” Mr. Larkin cried.

    Thorne rubbed his forehead, exhaustion lining his face. “ra won’t believe me.”

    “I’ll vouch for you! That Lycan is dangerous, Alpha Thorne. Please-”

    “I knowi,/ii” /iThorne cut him off, his voice like gravel. He took a long breath, then nced back at Mr. Larkin. “I’ll protect her the best I can. But I still need that bottle of wine before heading back.”

    “Of course! Of course! Let me give you one of our oldest collections. It’s worth thousands, you know-

    “It’s not about the value. It’s about the taste,” Thorne interrupted, his tone sharp. “Vessa wanted that particr bottle because of its taste. Do you have anything simr?”

    Mr. Larkin rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “Well, the one Luna Vessa requested is light–bodied with a bright vor, hints of raspberry and cinnamon. We’ve got a simr barrel in storage, Just haven’t bottled it yet…”

    “Can you bottle it tonight?” Thorne asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

    “We can. But that will put you behind the Lycan-”

    13:18 Thu, 21 Aug

    35%

    “Don’t worry about him for now,” Thorne said quietly, his gaze far away. “Vessa deserves the wine she likes at her

    wedding.”

    Mr. Larkin gave a deep sigh, nodding reluctantly. “I’ll have it ready for you tomorrow morning.”

    They started walking down the trail, fading into the shadows.

    When they were gone, ra and Kimberly stepped out from behind the garden wall.

    “Kimberly gasped. “Holy shit! Did you see how Dorian acted? He’s like apletely different person when he’s not

    in front of you!”

    ra shook her head, disbelief twisting her stomach. “I—I had no idea.”

    The Dorian she knew would never shoot things just for the hell of it. He wouldn’t threaten innocent people. Or

    maybe… maybe that’s who he really was.

    She’d been fooled before.

    “What are you going to do?” Kimberly asked, urgency in her voice. “You can’t be with him, ra! He’s just acting nice because you haven’t recognized your mate bond! And when you do… when you go to hisnd with him, he’ll change. You’ll have no one left to protect you. You can’t stay with him!”

    ra remained silent for a moment, her chest tight.

    “I’ve got to go,” she said suddenly, her voice hard.

    Kimberly blinked. “Go where?”

    But ra was already running down the trail, not waiting for an answer.

    “Don’t wait up for me, Kimberly!” she called over her shoulder.

    Kimberly shouted her name, but ra didn’t stop. Her heart pounded faster than her feet could carry her as she

    dashed into the night.

    The moon hung low, casting a silvery light over the sprawling vineyard. The air was cold, and ra’s breath misted in the crisp night. She pushed herself harder, the gravel path beneath her feet clicking as she moved faster.

    She rounded the corner.

    Ahead, in the moonlight, she saw Thorne’s silhouette.

    Her heart skipped a beat.

    “Thorne!” she called out, her voice trembling but urgent.

    He froze and turned. The shock in his eyes mirrored her own.

    13:18 Thu, 21 Aug

    DA

    “ra?” he whispered, as if he couldn’t believe she was there.

    She reached him, breathless. “I’m here to see Dorian.”

    Thorne’s expression darkened. “He’s already left.”

    ra stepped closer, her eyes locking with his. “I saw everything. I saw what he did ito /ithe wine. How he

    threatened Mr. Larkin.”

    Thorne’s expression tightened, and for a moment, his gaze hardened.

    “So?” he asked, his voice rough. “What are you going to do?”

    35%

    ra’s breath came out in a shudder. The night’s cool air filled her lungs, but it couldn’t cool the fire inside her.

    “Kimberly asked me, Thorne or Dorian?” she said. “I said Dorian.”

    Thorne’s lips pressed into a thin line.

    “You know why I said Dorian?” ra’s voice was harsh, almost cruel. “Because I lost you.”

    His eyes went wide, the words hitting him like a p.

    “I had my chance with you,i” /ishe continued. “And I blew it. Now, you’re moving on, and I can’t stop it.” Her voice cracked. “And it’s my fault.”

    He looked at her with disbelief, as if the weight of her words crushed him.

    ra shook her head. “I hate myself, Thorne. I hate that I’m still in love with you after everything… after all that’s

    happened.”

    +13

    He moved before she could blink, cupping her face in his hands, his breathing rapid. “Tell me this isn’t a dream,” he

    whispered.

    Without thinking, she grabbed his cor and pulled him close, her voice barely a whisper. “Promise me you’ll never

    let me down again.”

    His eyes glistened, brighter than the stars above them. “I promise… with everything I am.”

    Then, before either of them could think, she kissed him.

    AD

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