Chapter 90: Do You Want A Reward For Beating Me?

?I didn’t panic. A faint, lethal smirk pulled at the edge of my lips.

?"It’s called strategy," I murmured.

?Before he could process my words, I allowed my weight to drop completely, twisting my body out of his grip like an eel. While he was momentarily thrown off balance, my hand shot forward, the tip of my wooden dagger pressing firmly against the center of his chest—right over his heart.

?"There," I breathed out, catching my breath as I looked up into his stunned golden eyes. "You just died."

?Edgar froze. He looked down at the wooden knife poking his chest, then slowly shifted his gaze back up to my face. The initial shock melted into a deep, devastatingly handsome smirk.

?"You were right," he claimed softly, his voice dropping an octave as he stepped closer, ignoring the wooden blade still resting against his ribs. "I certainly won’t lose out when it comes to investing in you."

?The intense combat energy in the room dissolved into something thick and suffocatingly quiet.

?Edgar raised his hand, his long, rough fingers gently sliding a few stray, damp locks of hair away from my forehead, tucking them behind my ear. His touch was feather-light, and when I looked into his eyes, the sheer, uncharacteristic gentleness in his golden gaze felt way too real for me to dismiss.

?My heart did another stupid, traitorous leap against my ribs.

?"Now..." Edgar murmured, his thumb brushing lightly against my cheek. "Do you want a reward for beating me?"

?BA-DUM.

?Before I could even figure out how to respond to that absurdly dangerous question, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the reinforced stairs.

?"Brianna! You’ve gotta see the balcony upstairs, it has a whole—" Jayden’s voice cut off abruptly as he and Jordan rounded the corner into the training hall.

?Both of my brothers froze dead in their tracks, their eyes going wide as saucer plates. They looked at Edgar’s hand still hovering near my face, then at our flush, sweat-glistening skin and close proximity.

?"Uh..." Jordan squeaked, instantly backing up a step. "Wrong room."

?"We’ll... uh... come back in an hour. Or two," Jayden stammered, pulling Jordan by the collar to execute a desperate retreat.

?"Stop right there!" I yelled, snapping out of my daze and immediately stepping away from Edgar, pointing a wooden dagger at my brothers. "Don’t you dare leave!"

Jayden and Jordan halted like deer caught in headlights, their eyes darting nervously between my raised dagger, my flushed face, and the towering Alpha standing entirely too comfortably behind me.

?"Brianna, we swear we didn’t see anything!" Jordan blurted out, raising both hands in mock surrender while Jayden tried to use him as a human shield.

?"There was nothing to see!" I hissed, lowering the wooden dagger and glaring daggers at the two of them. "We were sparring! Combat practice! Ever heard of it?"

?"Right, combat practice," Jayden echoed, his tone dripping with skepticism as he gestured vaguely toward the space between Edgar and me. "That explains why you guys were standing close enough to share an oxygen tank."

?Before I could hurl my wooden blade straight at Jayden’s head, Edgar let out a low, rich chuckle that echoed through the high-ceilinged training hall. He casually picked up his suit jacket off the bench, slinging it over one shoulder with an unbearable, effortless grace.

?A dark, wicked smirk curved his lips as he stepped up right beside me, leaning down just enough so my brothers had a front-row seat to his teasing.

?"Don’t be so modest, little cat," Edgar drawled, his deep voice carrying easily across the room. "You worked very hard to pin me down. She was just about to collect her reward for defeating me... until you two burst in."

?Jayden’s jaw hit the floor. Jordan let out a strangulated squeak, his eyes popping out of his head as he stared at Edgar, then at me, as if I had suddenly grown a second head.

?"A-A reward?!" Jordan stammered, grabbing Jayden’s arm. "Brianna! You... with Alpha Morningstar?!"

?"Edgar!" I snapped, my face instantly burning hot enough to fry an egg on. I swung around to glare at him, but the man didn’t look even remotely repentant. The golden glint in his eyes was practically overflowing with satisfaction. "Stop talking! You’re making it sound weird on purpose!"

?"Am I?" Edgar murmured, his smirk widening as he casually reached out, his thumb lightly brushing against the corner of my jaw before dropping his hand. "I only speak the truth. Ask your sister—she’s a terrifyingly demanding investee."

?"I am going to stab you with a real dagger," I whispered under my breath, my knuckles turning white around the wooden grip.

?"I’d like to see you try, little cat," he purred back softly, completely unbothered by the death threat. He turned his gaze to my wide-eyed, thoroughly stunned brothers, offering them a smooth, refined nod. "Since you boys are here, take her upstairs to look at the rest of the villa. I have a few matters to attend to."

?Edgar gave my shoulder a gentle, lingering pat as he walked past me, leaving behind the rich scent of cedar—and a room filled with suffocating, awkward silence.

?The moment his footsteps faded up the reinforced stairs, Jayden and Jordan bolted forward, instantly flanking me with terrifying, nosey intensity.

?"Brianna Wells!" Jayden gasped, grabbing my arm. "What was that?!"

?"Did you just beat an Alpha in a fight and then flirt with him?!" Jordan whispered loudly, shaking his head in absolute disbelief. "No, since when were you even strong? Sparing? I’d believe it better if you said you were lecturing him."

"Please," Jayden rolled his eyes. "It clearly looked like they were up to something." he whispered. "So tell me, did you finally decide to accept his advances?"

"For the love of wolves, shut up!" I groaned, shoving both of my hands over my face in a desperate bid to hide the persistent heat flaming across my cheeks.

"Oh, come on!" Jayden grinned, nudging my shoulder with his elbow. "You can’t blame us! My boss is the Alpha of the Morningstar Pack—a man who could buy and sell half the district—and he just stood in this exact room claiming you were about to ’collect a reward’ from him while you two were sweating and panting. What else are we supposed to think?!"

"We were testing my weapon handling!" I snapped, dropping my hands to glare at them, though my attempt at a lethal, assassin-level death stare was entirely ruined by my red face. "I landed a clean hit to his chest, so he was playing around! That man thrives on tormenting me, and you two fell for his bait hook, line, and sinker! Idiots!"