Chapter 88
I let out a helpless sigh. “All we’ve got is fruit.”
Alpha Gideon’s furrowed brow smoothed, and he nodded like he understood.
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I figured that would be the end of it, but instead, he picked up the phone and ordered ingredients to be delivered. At this hour! Just how starving was this wolf?
By the time the ingredients arrived and I’d cooked up a meal, it was already 11 p.m.
Alpha Gideon dug in with obvious relish, wolfing down each bite like it was the first meal he’d had in days. Watching him, I half-wondered if I’d been underselling my cooking skills.
Better than Frank’s?
Hell, I could probably take over a Michelin kitchen and dominate.
By 12:45, exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks.
Last night’s sleeplessness, paired with only a quick nap that afternoon, had my eyelids drooping so heavy they felt glued shut. When I saw Alpha Gideon head for the study, I didn’t bother asking if he needed anything —just shuffling to my room, hopping in the shower, and crashing face-first into the mattress.
Around 1 a.m., a low, guttural growl jolted me awake.
I shot up, threw open my door, and spotted a sliver of light seeping from under Alpha Gideon’s bedroom door -probably from a floor lamp.
Pushing the door open, I froze, horror coiling in my gut.
Alpha Gideon stood there, radiating enough fury to make the walls shake.
On the floor, Chloe huddled in a sheer white nightgown, sobbing, her hair a tangled mess, looking every bit
the lost lamb.
I snapped into action, grabbing a bath towel from the bathroom and draping it over her.
“How the hell did you get in here?”
I demanded, my voice sharp enough to cut through her sniveling.
Chloe just cried harder, saying nothing.
No need to guess-this was William’s doing.
As a co-owner of the resort, rigging access to our villa would’ve been child’s play.
This was beyond reckless. Sending a she-wolf over like this required at least a hint of mutual interest, but Alpha Gideon had made it painfully clear he wasn’t into her.
Yet William kept pushing-first the drugged soup, now Chloe delivered like a midnight snack.
Did he really think Alpha Gideon would wake up, see her, and lose all control?
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What was that old wolf thinking?
“Get her out of here,” Alpha Gideon growled, waving a hand, refusing to even glance at her.
Chloe’s sobs escalated, shrill enough to make my ears ring.
I hauled her to her feet and marched her downstairs, annoyed by the nonstop waterworks. “Cut it out.
Crocodile tears won’t work on me.”
Chloe’s red-rimmed eyes pleaded, her bottom lip quivering.
“Vivian, if I go back like this, William will throw me to those wolves. They’ll tear me apart.”
“So what’s your grand plan?” I asked, baiting her, my tone cold.
She clung to my arm like a lifeline, her nails digging in.
“You’re kind, like Margot. I know you don’t really want to sleep with your boss either. Help me out, and when I’m Alpha Gideon’s mate, I’ll put in a good word for you. I’ll do whatever you say.”
I wanted to laugh and slap her at the same time.
Put in a good word?
Please. Swallowing my exasperation, I pressed, “Tempting, but how do I help? Send you back? He’s not into you-he’ll just kick you out again.”
“No, he drank the water,” Chloe said, her “pure” face twisting with a sly edge.
“The drug just hasn’t hit yet. When it does, he won’t be able to resist.”
My stomach dropped, my face darkening.
I didn’t let her say another word, dragging her to the door and shoving her out.
My voice was ice. “Go tell William he’s made an enemy of the Hartley pack. As for you? Good luck.”
My shift in tone must’ve caught her off guard-she froze, stammering,
“Vivian, please, don’t tell Alpha Gideon-”
“Get lost!” I slammed the door shut, locking it.
I had no time for this rotten little she-wolf.
Spinning around, I raced back upstairs to Alpha Gideon’s room.
In the dim bedroom, he leaned against a black chaise by the bed, eyes closed, one pale hand propping his forehead.
His black robe trailed to the floor, its collar loose, exposing a broad swath of his chest, the waistband hanging low enough to make my cheeks heat.
A faint cherry-liqueur scent lingered in the air, and I spotted an empty water bottle by the bed.
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That influencer-faced she-wolf had swapped it out when she slipped away!
Damn them all! I wanted to tie William, Chloe, and that she-wolf up and beat them senseless with a rolling
pin.
I sat beside Alpha Gideon, my face grim.
“They spiked your water. You feeling anything off?”
I studied him closely-no flushed skin, no sweat.
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Body temp… I reached out, then pulled back, suddenly aware of how intimate that would be.
“Doesn’t seem like it’s kicked in yet. We need to get you to a hospital. I’ll call the driver.”
I reached for my phone, then realized I’d rushed out without it. In just my pajamas. No bra. I internally screamed
“Alpha Gideon, hang tight. My phone’s in my room-I’ll grab it.”
I turned to bolt, suddenly prioritizing a bra over Alpha Gideon’s crisis. It’d only take a minute, right?
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<Chapter 88
“Vivian.”
His hand landed on my shoulder, his voice a low, feverish rumble that sent a shiver down my spine.
Oh no. Torn, I couldn’t abandon him now. I turned back.
“Alpha Gideon, you okay? Feeling hot? Sick?”
He didn’t answer, slowly opening his eyes.
The dim light cast his gaze in deep shadows, like a secret realm unlocked at night-dangerous, mesmerizing, ready to devour me body and soul.
I held my breath.
His hand tightened on my shoulder, his tall frame leaning in, his breath molten against my ear.
“I’m a little thirsty.”
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A tingling jolt shot through me, and I yanked his hand off.
“I’ll get you water!”
I launched up like a missile, ready to blast out.
A second later, he pinned me back to the chaise.
“Too late.”
His husky whisper grazed my ear, his hand sliding to my waist.
My vision blurred as soft lips pressed against mine, a minty, grassy warmth invading my mouth-gentle yet deep, fiery but restrained, surging like a tide.
I’d have to admit, later, that it got me a little high.
But in the moment, I snapped out of the shock, bit his lip, shoved him back, and grabbed a pillow, smacking
him with it.
“Snap out of it! Don’t let the drugs win! You got this! Fight it!”
Okay, maybe a bit of pent-up frustration fueled my swings.
Alpha Gideon caught the pillow, looking helpless yet amused. “I’m clear.”
I stood, wary, my guard up.
“Really? I don’t buy it.” I eyed the door, mapping my escape route.
“We’re going to the hospital. If we don’t, you’ll turn feral. You can’t control this.”
The drug was so strong, he was already slipping. It’d turn a saint into a midnight cowboy.
“It’s three hours to the hospital. You want me losing it in the car?”
Alpha Gideon’s gaze was dark, almost pleading, and I knew he was right.
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Should’ve brought Elliot!
Elliot, where the hell are you?
I mentally cursed him, then ran through William’s entire family tree with a string of choice words. I sighed.
“So what do we do?”
“Go. Shut the door. I’ll handle it,”
Alpha Gideon said, leaning back on the chaise, his jaw tight.
I left, but not for long.
A bit later, I hauled all the ice from the fridge upstairs, dumped it into the bathtub, and added cold water. It took twenty minutes of coaxing to get Alpha Gideon in-wolves hate cold water, even alpha ones.
“Feeling better?” I asked, watching him shiver.
Alpha Gideon’s lips, blue from the cold, pressed into a tight line.
“Where’d you get this idea?”
I waved a hand, dismissing it.
“Don’t ask. It’s the go-to fix. Soak till dawn, you’ll be fine. Don’t worry about ice-I’ve got more freezing. Plenty
to go around.”
