Chapter 291: Dare devil

Kaden froze dead in his tracks. A hot, violent flush of crimson spread rapidly from his neck up to his sharp cheekbones as his eyes locked onto her delicate, exposed frame pinned beneath him under the moonlight.

He scrambled backwards in an undignified panic. His hands flew up as he jumped off her body. His lips parted to harshly reprimand her for being reckless enough to shift out here, but the memory that she was a standard werewolf, and that clothes did not magically materialise back onto her skin, choked the words right in his throat. If she had clothes before shifting they must have torn so most werewolves strip first.

Swallowing hard, his voice cracking slightly, he rasped out, "What the hell are you even doing out here this late? Isn’t your massive engagement party tomorrow ?" he snapped at her.

Yuki, still trembling from the adrenaline and the sheer mortification of the situation, pushed herself up onto her elbows, keeping her arms tightly crossed over her chest. Kaden had the decency to turn his back, facing the tree line, which only slightly mitigated her burning humiliation.

"I just needed some fresh air," she snapped back defensively. Her voice was tight and defensive.

Kaden let out a dry, incredulous scoff, turning his head back just enough to glare at her over his shoulder. "And you just had to come to this exact spot?" he snickered.

Yuki’s lips twitched with annoyance as she glared daggers at his broad back. "What, do you own this entire forest? Do you control every step I take, Kaden?" she sneered irritation burning through her.

A dangerous, arrogant smirk pulled at the corner of Kaden’s mouth. He turned fully around to face her. His golden eyes raked down her form with infuriating amusement.

"If I didn’t know any better, Snow," he drawled, his deep voice dripping with sarcasm, "I’d say you have some deep psychological attachment to the day I pinned you down here. Or maybe you’re having second thoughts about getting engaged to your precious little fiancé tomorrow?"

Yuki rolled her eyes so hard it physically hurt. "You are the most self-absorbed, unbearable bastard alive," she shot back, scrambling up to a sitting position while hugging her knees to her chest. "It’s a peaceful, beautiful river, and the sound of the water is calming. That’s all."

The hyper-rational part of her brain was screaming at her to stand up, grab her clothes from wherever she had dropped them, and run back to the manor. But a stubborn, defiant streak of pride kept her anchored to the spot. She refused to let him win, and she refused to run away just because he was making her uncomfortable.

"Is that so?" Kaden drawled, leaning back on his palms. His eyes were dark and unreadable. "Too bad I found it first."

Yuki let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "Fine. You can sit right there, and I’ll sit right here. Just pretend I don’t exist." With that, she scooted a few feet further away along the bank, pulling her knees up even tighter against her chest as her blonde hair pooled over her shoulders.

That statement was the single biggest joke of the century. Was it even physically possible for him to ignore her presence when every nerve ending in his body was screaming on high alert?

Kaden watched her intently as she sat on the smooth grey rock by the bank. He could not help himself.

"Aren’t you going to shift back into your wolf form? At least have some basic decency," he muttered, though the words felt weak even to him.

Of course, Yuki was riding a full wave of pure rebellion. She tilted her chin up, a defiant spark in her eyes.

"If you’re so uncomfortable, Kaden, you’re free to leave. Why are you so bothered by me being naked anyway? Nudity isn’t a big deal among shifters. Especially not for you, a hardened soldier."

She narrowed her eyes, pressing her advantage. "You’ve trained against other pack members in their wolf forms, and when they burn out from exhaustion, they routinely revert to their human bodies in front of everyone. Aside from the Ravencourt bloodline, I doubt any other family carries pure Lycan traits. In summary pack warriors are entirely desensitised to nudity."

It was true. To regular pack werewolves, casual nudity during training or recovery was purely clinical, entirely stripped of sexual connotation. The only time shifters felt a sudden, violent aversion to seeing someone naked, or seeing their partner exposed, was when a mating bond was active, or when deep subconscious attraction was at play.

A wolf instinctively hated anyone else laying eyes on their mate, and they physically could not tolerate them walking around bare for obvious territorial reasons.

Kaden understood the crystal-clear meaning behind her taunt. He should not be bothered by the nudity of a woman he supposedly despised. The fact that his pulse had already climbed, and that his gaze kept dragging back to the pale line of her shoulder no matter how hard he forced it away, was its own quiet failure.

Kaden snorted harshly. His jaw clenched. "You’re my adopted sister, for Christ’s sake. I’m just annoyed by your absolute lack of shame," he lied smoothly, using the familial line like a shield.

Yuki snorted right back. A genuine, mocking smile broke across her face. "That completely disproves your excuse then. If I’m practically your sister, you shouldn’t be bothered at all. You shouldn’t feel a damn thing looking at my naked body."

"Who the hell said I was attracted—" Kaden began, his voice dropping an octave, but he abruptly choked on the words. For some reason, his brain short-circuited, and he could not finish the damn sentence.

Instead, driven by a sudden, frustrated spike of adrenaline, he grabbed the hem of his dark T-shirt and yanked it straight over his head, discarding it onto the dirt. His broad, heavily muscled chest and finely toned torso were suddenly fully exposed to the cool night air.

This time, Yuki was the one forced to look away. Her breath caught sharply in her throat. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs as her composed, sarcastic facade began to crumble away in real time.

Kaden’s heightened senses caught the frantic, accelerated thudding of her heart instantly. Without a second thought, he pushed himself up from the ground and stalked toward her like a predator closing in on its prey. Before she could react, he grabbed his discarded T-shirt, leaned down, and shoved it roughly over her head.

The fabric dropped heavily over her shoulders, instantly turning into a makeshift, oversized mini-dress that covered her torso.

Yuki’s head bobbed up. Her eyes were wide with shock. She had not expected him to actually cover her up. She had fully anticipated that he would angrily curse, throw a fit, and storm off into the woods like a petulant child.

The fact that he had actually cared enough to cover her up infuriated her even more, sparking a volatile mix of pride, embarrassment, and something far more dangerous in her chest.