Chapter 30 – Marked By The Stranger I Kiss

He’s standing a good distance away, but it feels like his voice was right in my ear. My heart skips a beat, my pulse racing faster with every step he takes toward me. I drop the fabric of my dress as he closes the distance.

His face is unreadable, that same stoic mask he wears so well. When he reaches me, his hands slide over mine, his touch cold, his fingers slipping between mine in a possessive grip.

Without a word, he leads me to the center of the hall. Over a hundred eyes are locked on us, wide with curiosity and shock. I don’t have to ask what’s going through their minds-they’re all wondering the same thing. What’s he going to do?

“Pack members,” Ryder’s voice booms through the hall, commanding silence. “I present to you my lady, Jasmine. Anyone who disrespects her disrespects my authority as Alpha. And I demand your respect and your apologies for the disgrace shown to her. Bow and greet her.”

The room falls into stunned silence. My mouth drops open as I stare up at Ryder, my mind reeling. Is he really doing this for me? Lycans, like werewolves, don’t bow…

No one bows to anyone except their Alpha and Luna. But here Ryder is, demanding that they bow to me.

The apologies come in a murmur, followed by the pack lowering themselves into a bow, their heads bent in submission. My eyes blur with tears, but this time, they’re from relief. The weight of humiliation lifts from my shoulders.

Turning my gaze to Isabelle, I’m surprised to see her bowing too. I can only imagine what her face looks like behind that curtain of blonde hair-probably murderous.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

Ryder’s warm breath brushed over my ear, making my heart skip a beat. “You look absolutely stunning, Baby Vixen. Damn, I couldn’t take my eyes off you.” His voice was like velvet, but his words? They sent a shiver down my spine, and I was sure my face betrayed me with that tell-tale flush.

He placed a hand firmly on my lower back, leading me as if we were in some sort of movie. He even pulled out the chair for me, Mr. Perfect Gentleman, and I slipped into it slowly, a goofy grin plastered on my face. What can I say? Ryder had that effect.

“Turn around,” he ordered, all serious. Like the lovesick puppy I was, I did as I was told, no complaints. His voice had this grip on me that I couldn’t break.

Not that I wanted to.

“Alright, you can look now.”

I turned to see a sleek black jewelry box in front of me. The thing was practically dripping with elegance, sparkling with tiny specks of light. Ryder had tied it with a red ribbon-because of course, he did. With a slow, practiced touch, he opened it up, revealing a silver necklace with a small diamond nestled at the center.

A gasp slipped out before I could stop it. My eyes darted to his face, and there he was, with that maddening little smirk. He knew exactly what he was doing. Just as I reached out to touch it, he slid the box back toward himself. Figures. With his cool fingers brushing against my skin, he fastened the necklace around my neck, the cold silver sending chills down my spine. The necklace was gorgeous, but it was Ryder’s touch that had me completely off balance.

I could feel the butterflies swirling in my stomach, and I didn’t know whether it was his sweet talk or his fingers, but something had me twisted up inside. Sitting next to him, pretending to listen to the Lycans talk business? Yeah, right. I was too busy replaying his words in my head. The way he looked at me, like I was the only thing in the room worth staring at… it was driving me insane.

As the conversation dragged on, I started counting the women in the room just to keep myself from zoning out. Thirty-five… thirty-six… But my thoughts fizzled out when something brushed against my leg.

At first, I thought it was a bug. I shook my leg, but nope-whatever it was kept creeping up from the slit in my dress. My hand shot down to flick it away, but there was nothing. Maybe I was imagining things.

I poured myself more champagne, trying to focus on anything but the endless chatter, but then I felt it again-this time, closer to my knee. Before I could react, a strong hand pinned my leg down. I didn’t even have to look. Ryder. Of course, it was him. His face was the picture of focus, nodding along to whatever important business was being discussed, but under the table? His hand was up to no good.

His fingers started tracing slow, deliberate circles around my hips, like he had all the time in the world. My breath hitched, and I bit my lip hard. I reached down to grab his hand, to make him stop, but instead of letting go, he tightened his grip. Seriously? The nerve.

I tried to keep my breathing steady, but it wasn’t working. My pulse was racing, and my body wasn’t listening to me anymore. If anyone in the room bothered to glance our way, they’d know exactly what Ryder was doing. But standing up? That would be a disaster of epic proportions. No way was I going to embarrass myself twice in one night.

Ryder’s hand kept moving, tracing heat across my skin like he knew exactly where to touch. Hell, he probably did. I tried to distract myself, but it was useless. All I could think about was him-how he made me feel like I was the only woman in the room. The only one that mattered.

I cleared my throat, trying not to make any noise that would give us away. His fingers slid higher, grazing the bare skin where my dress split. It was torture, plain and simple. Delicious, mind-numbing torture.

Meanwhile, everyone else was completely oblivious. They were too deep in whatever deal they were talking about to notice Ryder’s little game under the table. It was almost laughable how serious they all looked while I was practically burning up inside.

His fingers moved like he knew every weak spot, every little place that would make me lose my mind. My breath caught in my throat, my chest rising and falling faster now. Part of me wanted to shove his hand away, but another part of me… well, I wasn’t exactly complaining.

He leaned in, his lips barely brushing against my ear, enough to make my whole body react. “Behave, Jasmine,” he murmured, his voice a mix of amusement and command. “Unless you want everyone to see just how much you need me right now.”

A rush of heat spread across my face. My thighs pressed together on instinct, trying to control the fire he’d started. Ryder always had control over me, and right now? I was drowning in it. One wrong move, and the entire room would know how completely under his spell I was.

His hand slid even higher, rougher this time, his fingers teasing dangerously close to where I wanted him most. My core tightened, and I nearly whimpered. This man was driving me insane, and the worst part? He knew it.

“Ryder,” I whispered, my voice barely above a breath. It was a mix of warning and pleading. I didn’t know whether to beg him to stop or beg him to keep going. Hell, I wasn’t even thinking straight anymore.

But just like that, his hand disappeared, leaving me hanging-hot, bothered, and utterly frustrated.

“Later,” he mouthed, his eyes locked on mine, full of promise. His lips curled into that infuriatingly smug smile, the kind that said he knew exactly what he was doing. I licked my lips, already counting down the seconds. Oh, I was so ready for later.

Time dragged on way too slowly, to be honest, and with each passing minute, my anger simmered just beneath the surface, ready to explode. But I wasn’t about to lose it. Not here. Not in front of all these people. Thanks to Ryder, I’d gone from a horny vixen to a sexually frustrated wreck.

The party was still going strong, and despite everything, I remained the center of attention. At least Isabel was nowhere to be seen-thank God. Her face gave me PTSD. Everyone else treated me with newfound respect, their fake smiles and admiration hard to digest, considering these were the same people who had laughed at me just hours ago. Pathetic.

“Did you enjoy the party?” Seraphina chirped, her voice sugary sweet and dripping with curiosity. Her bubbly tone grated on my nerves, but I forced a smile, my jaw tight as I swallowed back the seething rage boiling inside me.

Before I could respond, Kade joined us, looking like some GQ model in his black silk shirt and tailored pants-a stark contrast to his snow-white hair. He extended his arm, and I looped mine through his without hesitation. The moment we moved toward the exit, I could feel Ryder’s heated gaze searing into my lower back. Arrogant prick.

Just to confirm, I glanced back-and yep, there he was. Eyes full of mischief and lust, smirking like the devil himself. He knew exactly what he was doing, and worst of all, he was reveling in it. Typical Ryder.

I narrowed my gaze and shot him a silent, “You’ll pay for this” look. That cocky smile only grew wider, as if daring me to make a scene.

Rolling my eyes, I flipped him off. His laughter echoed through the room, loud and amused. What the hell was so funny?

“Shall we?” Kade’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah, let’s get the hell out of here,” I muttered, turning my back on Ryder for good.

The night air hit me like a splash of cold water as we stepped outside, clearing my head just enough for me to breathe. I let out a heavy sigh, relieved to finally be away from that circus.

“So, why the escort, Kade?” I asked, breaking the silence as we walked down the dimly lit hall.

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