Chapter 66: Stay Still, Little Cat

"Allow me to erase my nephew’s scent from your neck. It... is getting on my nerves."

I paused for a second and then instinctively slapped my hand against the side of my neck, right where he had insistently sucked the previous day, my brow furrowing in genuine confusion.

"Scent?" I muttered.

I couldn’t smell a damn thing. I had taken an ice-cold shower, scrubbed my skin raw with citrus soap, and put on clean clothes. My parents hadn’t noticed a single scent on me last night either. But to a hyper-sensitive, territorial Alpha like Edgar, the faint, lingering mark Benjamin had left behind during that kiss was probably as loud as a neon sign.

I stared at him, my mind analyzing his demand with sheer annoyance. What did Benjamin’s scent on my skin even have to do with his concentration as an investor? Alphas really were absurdly petty creatures.

"Fine," I said, dropping my hand from my neck with a cold sigh. "Erase it. But the moment you’re done, I want that artifact."

"Deal," he said and then pushed his chair back to give himself space, but he didn’t stand up. Instead, he reached out one hand towards me, and then casually tapped his thigh with the other. "Come here, little cat."

I stared at his tapping hand, my eyes narrowing The arrogant Alpha was sitting back like a king waiting for an audience.

"I have two legs, Edgar," I said, my voice dripping with flat, unbothered sarcasm. "I can stand right here. You don’t need me in your lap to wipe off a scent you’re imagining."

Edgar’s golden eyes gleamed with a dark, amused flicker, completely unfazed by my sharp tone. "I’m not sitting here playing games with your height, little cat. Benjamin didn’t just leave a surface smell on your skin—his wolf left its intent right over your scent gland. If you want it cleared, you need to get close."

He didn’t move his hand. He just waited, watching me with that heavy, possessive focus that made the air in the office suffocating.

I let out an irritated breath. It was ridiculous. It was petty. It was purely an Alpha trying to claim dominance over his nephew’s lingering trace. He was the one it was bothering, not me, so why doesn’t he come to me instead? I sighed.

Well, if a few seconds of unnerving proximity was the price for an artifact that could break Silas’s chains and restore my true power, I don’t mind much. I’ll pay it.

I took two slow, deliberate steps forward, rounding his desk and stopped right in front of his leather chair. "Make it quick—"

Before I could finish my sentence, his large, rough hand shot out and wrapped firmly around my waist.

I sucked in a sharp breath as he pulled me forward in one smooth, effortless motion. My small waist nearly fit entirely within his broad grip.

With one effortless pull, he dragged me sideways straight onto his lap. Both of my legs were pressed together, resting off to the side over his thigh, while my back bumped against his broad chest. My small waist felt completely dwarfed in his grip.

This is absurd, I thought, my mind instantly flashing to how ridiculous this looked. I was an assassin, yet I was being held like an oversized stuffed toy by a giant Alpha.

His other hand came up, his long fingers cupping the back of my head to tilt my face away, completely exposing the pale curve of my neck to his line of sight.

"Stay still, little cat," Edgar whispered into the shell of my ear, his hot breath fanning over my flushed skin as his thumb pressed directly over my pulse point.

Before his scent could even sink into my skin—

BANG!

The doors of the office swung open, slamming violently against the inner wall.

"What are you doing, Uncle?"

Benjamin’s voice was low and dark. He stood in the doorway, his broad frame framed by the hallway light. I glanced over my shoulder, taking in his appearance, and my brows pulled together in subtle surprise.

Shouldn’t he be asleep?

He looked completely haggard. The dark circles beneath his eyes were noticeably deeper than usual, making his unhinged purple eyes stand out with a raw, bloodshot intensity. He looked like a man who hadn’t slept in days, driven purely by volatile instinct.

Edgar didn’t move an inch. He didn’t let go of my waist, nor did he pull his hand from the back of my neck. He remained perfectly still, as if Benjamin’s explosive entrance was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Benjamin took a slow, menacing step into the office, his gaze locking directly onto Edgar’s large hand wrapped around my waist.

"Is he taking advantage of you, Brianna?" Benjamin asked, his voice dropping into a deadly frequency, his knuckles turning white as his hands clenched into fists.

"Don’t run your mouth, Benjamin," I said, turning my head to glare at him over my shoulder. What did he mean taking advantage of me? Did I look like someone so easily manipulated? "I’m in the middle of something."

I was too focused on getting this ridiculous ritual over with so I could secure my artifact to notice what was happening behind me.

Unbeknownst to me, Edgar tilted his head up slightly, his golden eyes locking onto his nephew over my shoulder—flashing a slow, mocking sneer that practically taunted Benjamin to try and take me back.

"Is he threatening you to do this?" Benjamin demanded, taking another rigid step forward.

I blinked at him, my brow furrowing in genuine irritation. What in the world is wrong with him today?

I didn’t know the silent, primal war Alphas fought beneath their polished skin—the territorial battle of two lethal wolves snarling over a prize neither was willing to share. Benjamin could hear Edgar’s wolf loud and clear, the deep, possessive growl reverberating through his mind, convincing him I was being manipulated into a trap I couldn’t comprehend.

I hated it. I hated the undercurrent of pity in his bloodshot eyes, as if I were some fragile, clueless victim who needed an Alpha savior. I was a trained assassin.

I was taking what I needed to build my power, and if sitting on a desk-chair for three minutes was the fee, I paid it on my terms. He might call me his companion, but he certainly didn’t own me.

"Benjamin, please stop," I said, my voice sharp and laced with cold warning.

He froze mid-step. The raw, desperate fog in his purple eyes cleared for a fraction of a second, as if my dismissive tone had delivered a splash of ice water directly to his face. For a brief moment, he looked almost startled by his own unhinged reaction.

I turned my head away from him, looking up at Edgar with a flat, impatient glare. "Is it done yet?"