Chapter 187
gasped against him, and his tongue slid in–deep, claiming, desperate.
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I should have shoved him off. Should have screamed at him, reminded him what he was, what I was. But my body betrayed me.
I kissed him back.
Hard.
My fingers curled into the front of his shirt, dragging him closer as his hands slid down to my hips, gripping them like he’d been starving and just found something worth devouring.
His mouth moved to my jaw, my throat, then back to my lips, and I moaned against him–guttural, furious, aching.
His scent–sandalwood, smoke, male–wrapped around me, dizzying. Everything about him was too much, and I still couldn’t pull away.
His thigh pressed between mine. I pressed back.
We kissed like we were trying to hurt each other. Like we were trying to forget–but all it did was remind me of everything I hated.
Hated how good it felt.
Hated the ache between my legs.
Hated him.
And Goddess help me, I hated how badly I wanted more.
We devoured each other like it was the only language we still knew how to speak. Like the bond didn’t care about our pride, our mistakes, our lies.
And oh, how I hated it.
But I let myself burn.
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I didn’t realize how much I remembered until I stepped into Derek’s office.
The scent was the same–leather, fine paper, firewood. The same low hum of quiet authority beneath the silence. But he was
different.
He held the door open for me without a word, and I walked in, pulse ticking louder than I liked. I’d been here befor When I was Mia. When he still didn’t know who I was. When I was just the rogue he kept at arm’s length–and then, cruelly,
Back then, this room had felt like a cage dressed up in luxury.
Now, it felt like the eye of the storm.
- er.
Derek sat across from me, nursing a cup of something strong. He looked tired. Serious. And, for once, not like he was trying to win me back with charm or pressure or anything resembling control.
Just him. Still. Waiting.
He offered me a drink. I took it. Not because I needed it, but because it gave me something to hold.
“So,” he said, voice even. “Tell me.”
I stared into the amber swirl in my glass. “Since I started memory treatments with Dr. Voss, more things have come back. It’s been gradual. Unpredictable.”
Chapter 187
He said nothing, just nodded for me to continue.
One of the memories that’s clearest now is… when I was taken. Right before the cliff. The kidnapping, ”
He stiffened slightly, hands clenched together, but didn’t interrupt
“I remember the ropes. The gag. Being dragged through the woods And Pierce,”
Derek’s brows drew together. “Pierce.”
I nodded. “He was the one leading them. And then… Maggie was there.”
His eyes widened a little, but he said nothing.
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“She acted like she was one of them. But she wasn’t–not really. She untied me. She told me to run. She made a scene to distract them. Pierce nearly got me anyway–grabbed me by the hair. He was going to kill me.”
The words felt heavier than I expected.
“But Maggie screamed. She shouted at him. She stopped him.”
Silence stretched between us.
Then I added, “She called him father.”
Derek sat back like I’d slapped him.
“I didn’t remember that part until today,” I said quietly.
His gaze was intense now, lips slightly parted. “Maggie… is Pierce’s daughter?”
I nodded. “I’m sure of it.“”
He leaned forward slowly, voice rough. “Then she’s…”
“She was raised in the roguelands,” I said. “But… she wasn’t born there.”
Derek’s face darkened. “Before Pierce was banished, he wasn’t just a member of Silverclaw. He wasn’t just a warrior.”
I blinked. “What are you saying?”
“He was my father’s Gamma.”
I stared at him.
Derek nodded slowly. “Which means… Maggie was born here. In this pack. In my pack. Maggie was Silverclaw.”
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