Chapter 283 The Knock at the Door

    Third Person POV

    + Peats

    Aubrey didn’t spare Justin another nce. Coldly withdrawing her gaze, she scooped the orange cat into her arms and turned, leaving without hesitation.

    Her poise was effortless, as if she had brushed aside nothing more than a speck of dust.

    Perched on her shoulder, the fat cat looked back at the still–frozen Justin. Its round amber eyes glimmered with mockery and disdain, as though to say: iYou/ii? /iiWorthy/i?

    But as Aubrey’s figure disappeared into the trees, Justin’s fear and humiliation twisted, reshaping into something far more deranged. His gaze burned, feverish and hungry.

    That overwhelming aura–that cold, irresistible dominance—it didn’t scare him. It intoxicated him. It ignited something poisonous in his chest: a hunger to conquer, to im, to destroy.

    “So beautiful… this is the power of a female alpha…”

    He lowered his head to his hand, where he clutched a single strand of reddish–brown hair. He had plucked it from Aubrey’s clothes in that fleeting instant.

    A little short, perhaps. But hers, no doubt.

    Carefully, reverently, he slid the hair into a small clear pouch and tucked it away. Then, without hesitation, he turned toward the North Mountain forest.

    He had heard whispers of a ck witch living there. A witch who could craft a potion from hair. Mixed with his own, the draught would bind them–make Aubrey love him, need him, belong to him.

    She might never agree to marry him willingly, but he wouldn’t give up. Not on the chance to cage, break, and own a female alpha.

    After crossing paths with Justin, Aubrey had no desire to keep walking. She carried the orange cat back to Charles’s apartment.

    The moment she opened the door, warmth and fragrance rushed out to meet her–toast browned to perfection, eggs sizzling in oil, the faint sweetness of jam. It washed away the irritation Justin had left behind.

    She hadn’t even taken off her shoes when Charles poked his head out of the kitchen.

    Seeing her, the tension in his shoulders eased at once. Relief softened his face into a smile. “You’re back? You were gone a while. I was just about to call you.” A spat was in his hand, and a in dark apron tied at

    his waist.

    “Mm. Just went out for some air,” Aubrey said vaguely, setting the orange cat down. It bounded off, springing onto the sofa to sprawlzily.

    Charles stepped closer, sharp eyes noting the strands of orange fur clinging to her clothes. He chuckled ruefully. “Long–haired cats shed a lot. Look at you, covered already. I bought you some fresh clothes- change into themter.”

    Chapter 283 The Knock at the Door

    Aubrey nced down, unconcerned. “It’s fine. Let’s eat.”

    She sat at the table.

    Charles hesitated, then joined her. They ate in quiet, a fragile peace hanging between them.

    But it didn’tst.

    Pearls

    A sudden, urgent knock shattered the calm. Aubrey froze mid–bite, her expression hardening into a frown.

    “I’ll check.”

    Charles rose, walked to the door, and peered through the peephole.

    One look–and his face changed instantly.

    “It’s… the alpha.”

    Aubrey’s hand stilled on her toast. Her brows knit tight, displeasure shing across her face.

    “Do we open it?”

    Charles’s feelings tangled.

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