Chapter 61: A Drunken Kiss and a Lingering Suspicion
Chapter 61: A Drunken Kiss and a Lingering Suspicion
(Aria’s POV)
I woke with a start, my heart hammering against my ribs. The taste of wolf–whiskey lingered on my lips, a potent reminder of last night’s unexpected kiss.
Disoriented, I touched my mouth with trembling fingers. Had that really happened? Had Dominic Blackwood, the powerful Alpha King of Shadow Pack, actually kissed me?
The memory rushed back with alarming clarity. Coming home to find Hunter supporting a drunken Dominic. Offering to help. The spilled remedy. And then… his lips on mine, hungry and insistent, tasting of wolf–whiskey and something uniquely him.
“What have I done?” I whispered to the empty room.
After the kiss, I had managed to guide him to the couch where he’d promptly passed out. His hands had wandered to my waist, then slipped higher before I firmly removed them. When he’d tried to pull me down beside him, I stepped away, my heart racing wildly.
His silver–gray eyes had been hazy with intoxication as I’d covered him with a blanket. I’d even placed a pillow under his head so he wouldn’t wake with a stiff neck. Such a foolish, domestic gesture for a wolf who had just crossed every boundary between us.
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. I’d stood there afterward, staring at his sleeping face like some lovesick teenager. The strong lines of his jaw had relaxed in sleep, making him look younger, almost vulnerable – a stark contrast to his usual commanding presence.
When I’d finally snapped out of it, I’d scrambled to clean up any evidence of our compromising position. The spilled remedy. The wolf–whiskey glass. Even the cushion where his head had rested against my shoulder as I’d guided him to the couch.
I glanced at the clock – 5:30 AM. Too early to be awake, but sleep now seemed impossible. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Dominic’s face, felt his hands pulling me close, his lips claiming mine with unexpected passion.
My dreams had been disturbing. Vivid scenes where Alexander morphed into Dominic, the latter more aggressive, more possessive. In my dreams, I hadn’t pushed him away. In my dreams, I had welcomed his advances, allowing his hands to explore my body, his lips to trail fire down my neck. I’d woken up gasping, my body betraying me with its response.
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, throwing off my covers. “He was drunk. It meant nothing.”
I knew better than to read anything into a drunken kiss. Dominic had been intoxicated, probably not even aware of what he was doing. And me? I was pregnant with another wolf’s pup, for Moon’s sake! I had no business entertaining such thoughts.
Stepping into the shower, I let the hot water wash over me, hoping it would clear my head. It didn’t. The memory of his touch remained stubbornly present, like a brand on my skin. I could still feel the pressure of his lips, the heat of his breath, the strength in his arms as he’d held me.
“No,” I told my reflection firmly. “This stops now.”
By the time I finished getting ready for work, I had firmly decided to pretend nothing had happened. With any luck, Dominic wouldn’t remember. Alpha wolves who consumed wolf–whiskey often experienced memory gaps the following day.
Taking a deep breath, I opened my apartment door and nearly collided with Dominic himsel
in the hallway, hand
raised as if about to knock, looking far too composed for someone who should be nursing a serious hangover.
“Good morning,” he said, his deep voice sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.
I took an instinctive step back. “Morning.”
He winced slightly, one hand going to his temple. So he wasn’t entirely unaffected after all. His eyes looked slightly bloedshot, the silver–gray dulled by his obvious headache.
“Heading to work?” he asked, his gaze dropping briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes.
I nodded stiffly, clutching my bag like a shield between us. Did he remember? Was he thinking about our kiss right now?
His silver–gray eyes studied me with unsettling intensity. “I have a strange feeling I saw you last night. Was that real, or did I
<Chapter 61: A Drunken Kiss and a L..
dream it?”
My heart skipped a beat. “Dream,” I said quickly. Too quickly.
“Ah.” He looked almost disappointed. “I have these vague memories of you being there when Hunter brought me home.
Something about a remedy? And you on my couch?”
+8 Points
My face burned hot. “Nope,” I lied, avoiding his gaze. “Must have been the wolf–whiskey playing tricks on you. I never saw you last
night.”
I hurried toward the elevator, desperate to escape this conversation. To my dismay, he followed, stepping in close behind me. His scent filled the small space – that distinctive Alpha musk now painfully familiar after our unexpected proximity last night.
“I’ll give you a ride to work,” he offered, standing closer than necessary in the elevator.
“Actually,” I said, staring at the elevator buttons, “I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”
“Oh?” His eyebrow raised slightly in question.
“I’m planning to move back to my old apartment.”
The words hung in the air between us. I waited for his reaction, some sign that he cared one way or another. Would he try to convince me to stay? Did the memory of our kiss, if he remembered it, make him want me closer or farther away?
“If that’s what you want,” he said simply.
His indifference stung more than it should have. After the way he’d touched my face in the car, the intensity in his eyes when he’d looked at me – had I imagined it all? The kiss must have been nothing but a drunken impulse, meaningless to him.
“I think it’s best,” I continued, needing to fill the silence. “Now that the mate bond severance is proceeding, I should start standing on my own feet again.”
He nodded, his expression unreadable. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to. The apartment is yours until you find something suitable.”
The elevator doors opened, and we walked to his car in awkward silence. I couldn’t help wondering if he truly had no memory of the kiss, or if he was simply pretending for my sake. Either way, his casual acceptance of my decision to move validated it. Once I moved back to my old place, our paths would cross less frequently, and these confusing feelings would fade.
Inside his car, the silence continued. I stared out the window, acutely aware of him beside me, his powerful hands gripping the steering wheel – the same hands that had pulled me close just hours ago, that had held me against his chest as his mouth claimed mine.
My phone rang, shattering the tension. I glanced at the screen – Dr. Nathan Lewis from Silvercrest Hospital. My stomach knotted with apprehension as answered.
“Hello, Dr. Lewis.”
“Ms. Summers,” his voice sounded grave. “I’m calling about Ell
mother had been hospitalized for over a week now.
I straightened in my seat. “Has her condition changed?” Alexa Teed.”
“Not for the better, I’m afraid.” He sighed heavily. “She’s been under treatment for
losing consciousness more frequently.”
a week now with no improvement. In fact, she’s
“I don’t understand,” I said, my brow furrowing with concern. “The initial diagnosis was a heart attack, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, but I’m beginning to suspect it’s more than that.” His voice dropped lower. “I believe she may be suffering from poisoning.”
The word sent a chill down my spine. “Poisoning? Are you sure?”
“No, that’s why I’m calling you. As a herbalist, you might be able to help. Could you search Elizabeth’s room, or bring me her recent medications for analysis? There might be something there we’re missing.”
I felt Dominic’s eyes on me, his attention clearly caught by the serious turn of our conversation.
“Of course,” I agreed. “I’ll do what I can. Is it urgent?”
“Very,” Dr. Lewis confirmed. “Her systems are failing gradually. If my suspicions are correct, we need to identify the substance quickly.”
<Chapter 61: A Drunken Kiss and a L
“I understand. I’ll contact you as soon as I find anything.”
