Chapter 237: Bow to only one

There was something in his low, raspy tone that sounded like a siren’s song, luring her straight into a dangerous temptation. Yuki tried to play it cool, holding his intense dark gaze and attempting to force her wildly thumping heart into a steady rhythm.

But who was she kidding? All she had to do was deny it. It was so simple, yet the words caught like dry glass in her throat, refusing to spill past her lips. The crazy, reckless voice at the back of her head urged her forward. Bracing herself against the metal table, she stared straight into those deep sapphire eyes and tilted her head.

"Then tell me what you think, Dr. Ravencourt," she teased, her voice dropping into a sultry whisper.

A slow, wicked smirk curled his lips. "You don’t want me to spell it out," Kieran purred, leaning in until she could feel the heat of his breath grazing her skin.

His lips lightly brushed against her earlobe, sending a sharp flutter straight to her stomach—a strange, thrilling sensation she found herself entirely unable to hate. His sheer physical presence was affecting her in ways he had no right to. The mate bond might have been shattered, but the painful, undeniable truth was that the bond wasn’t the only thing pulling them together.

Yuki forced a smooth, unbothered smile onto her face. "I don’t know what you want to hear, Dr. Ravencourt. But if the great lord of the Ravencourt pack is offering to be my private model... I certainly wouldn’t reject the offer. Just make sure your dear girlfriend doesn’t misunderstand."

Kieran’s smirk widened into a genuinely amused smile. Not only was she completely unfazed by his proximity, but she was brazen enough to invite him to strip for her sketchpad. He let out a quiet, raspy chuckle.

"The offer is tempting," he murmured, his voice dropping into a low, velvet hum. "But I only submit to one person."

Yuki’s brows furrowed in confusion. "Alexander?"

Kieran chuckled again, shaking his head at her. "You truly are a clueless one, vixen. A dirty-minded virgin, but utterly clueless nonetheless." He leaned down further, his lips brushing against her cheek as their breathing tangled in the tiny gap between them. "A proud wolf only submits to his mate... and that was a privilege you threw away." said the man who swore never to love anyone aside from Eloise

Her breath hitched, her eyes locking onto his lips so intensely she almost missed the weight of his words. Before she could process the sudden sting in her chest, Kieran took a step back, smoothly breaking the stifling tension between them while holding her sketchbook casually in his hand.

Yuki’s heart skipped a heavy beat. He had already changed out of his medical scrubs, now dressed in a surprisingly casual, nerdy-chic outfit—a soft navy cashmere sweater over a crisp collared shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his forearms to reveal his toned wrists. He looked infuriatingly attractive. Her eyes tracked down the fit of his clothes before darting right back to his mouth.

Kieran surprisingly tossed the sketchbook through the air. Yuki scrambled to catch it, hugging it tightly against her chest like a shield. His cool, distant demeanor returned instantly, as if the heat of a moment ago had never existed.

"Get ready," he informed her, his voice perfectly professional. "Alexander requested we return to the main Alpha residence for dinner tonight. I’ll be waiting in the car."

He turned and walked toward the locker room door. Right before pushing it open, he paused, a knowing, wicked smile playing on his lips as he looked over his shoulder.

"People normally stare at a person’s eyes, Yuki, not their lips," he remarked dryly. "If you keep staring at me like that, I might start thinking you have improper thoughts toward your brother, Miyuki Ravencourt."

Her gaze snapped up, the blood draining from her cheeks until she was ghost-pale. Kieran didn’t say another word, stepping out into the hall and letting the door slide shut behind him. The moment she was alone, Yuki buried her burning face in her hands, holding back a desperate urge to scream into her knees. She had barely survived that storm.

Moving quickly, Yuki changed out of her scrubs, shoved her scandalous sketchbook deep into the bottom of her bag, and headed out toward the reception area of the research department. Clara was sitting behind the desk, organizing patient files. She looked up and waved warmly.

"Leaving already, Yuki? Have a good evening!"

"Thanks, Clara. Good luck with the double shift—don’t let them work you to death!" Yuki called back with an encouraging smile.

Clara laughed, waving her off. "Get out of here before I change my mind and hand you this stack of charts to organize!"

Yuki chuckled and hurried down the corridor toward the central elevator bank. As the metallic doors slid shut, sealing her inside, she closed her eyes and projected her thoughts outward, reaching for his frequency.

’Where is your car parked?’ she asked through the link.

Kieran’s voice answered naturally inside her mind, smooth and crystal clear. ’Meet me at the main entrance.’

She tapped the button for the ground floor. The elevator glided down silently, and when the doors slid open to the bustling main lobby, Yuki stepped out into the crowd. Call it bad luck, but as she walked toward the massive glass exit, she bumped straight into a group of her academy coursemates who were just finishing their practical rotations. They were huddled in a circle, chatting excitedly about their day and lavishing praise on Marie.

"I’m telling you, Marie, your supervisor was totally impressed!" Gareth was saying, his voice loud enough to carry across the marble floor. "He literally said you might get recommended to work under Dr. Ravencourt’s wing next term!"

Marie preened under the attention, tossing her hair back with a smug, glowing expression. "Well, hard work speaks for itself. Getting into Dr. Ravencourt’s department is the ultimate goal."

Yuki rolled her eyes hard as she walked past. Suddenly, Kieran’s massive popularity felt entirely overhyped. What was so great about that emotional-disaster, low-EQ jerk anyway? She tried to slip past unnoticed, but Marie’s sharp eyes caught her motion.