Chapter 7 The Dirty Shirt And A Late-night Remote Tease

• Aria’s POV
• To dodge that kiss, Valen never actually landed, I bolted straight to the backyard.
• Before I could even catch my breath, a little mud-covered ball of energy burst out from the bushes.
• “Gotcha!”
• It was a three or four-year-old girl, like a runaway cannonball crashing right into my arms.
• “Whoa!”
• The impact made me slip, and I was about to fall backward, still holding the kid.
• But the pain I expected never came. Instead, a warm, solid body caught me from behind.
• “Aria, are you just throwing yourself into my arms?” Valen’s teasing voice rang out above me.
• I whipped around.
• Valen had somehow appeared right behind me.
• But what caught my eye first were the two black, muddy handprints smeared across his chest.
• Trying to keep my balance, I pressed my hand hard against his abs, right next to the muddy prints, leaving an even clearer muddy handprint.
• I gasped. “S-sorry!”
• I panicked, quickly putting the kid down and frantically reaching to wipe the dirt off his chest. “I didn’t mean to! I’ll clean it up right now…”
• I scrambled to rub the stains off, but the more I wiped, the worse it got.
• Even worse, I could feel the tight, hot muscles through the fabric, and his heartbeat suddenly speeding up.
• That was the kind of reaction a top-tier male lycan has when he was stirred up.
• Suddenly, Valen’s big hand clamped down on my wrist, stopping me dead in my tracks.
• The air thickened, charged with tension.
• He lowered his head, his dark golden eyes bottomless and intense, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he spoke in a rough voice laced with danger.
• “Stop wiping. If you keep touching... it’s gonna catch fire.”
• My face flushed bright red, like I’d been shocked. I tried to pull my hand back, but he gripped it even tighter.
• “Uncle! Hug me!”
• The little mud-monster on the ground didn’t notice the mood shift at all, tugging at Valen’s pant leg.
• He looked annoyed, scooping up the mud monkey with one hand and tossing her to the nanny who’d just arrived. But his eyes never left my face.
• “This shirt’s ruined,” he said flatly.
• “I... I’ll pay you back!” I said out of shame.
• “No need,” he muttered quickly.
• Then Valen suddenly let go of my wrist and hooked his fingers on the collar.
• Slow and deliberate, he peeled off the dirty shirt, revealing his ripped chest in the moonlight.
• “Consider it a gift.”
• He casually draped the shirt over my shoulders, wrapping me up in his heat, his possessive warmth engulfing me.
• He suddenly leaned in close, a wicked grin playing on his lips as he whispered…
• “Wash it clean, and from now on… wear it as your pajamas for me.”
• I grabbed the shirt, my face burning red like it was about to bleed, and bolted away.
• Back in my room, I quickly took care of myself and dove under the covers.
• But just as I was about to drift off, a sharp, electric buzz exploded in my mind.
• “Wifey…”
• It was the mate bond!
• In the dead of night, Lucas’s voice forced its way through the still-unbroken link, invading me like a suffocating presence.
• “Aria, I know you’re still awake.”
• His voice was full of pain but carried this weird, stubborn confidence.
• “Still mad? Cut it out. I know you’re doing this just to piss me off. I forgive you now. Come back. Just hand over the key, and I’ll make you a real luna…”
• “Screw you! Get lost!”
• I screamed inside my head, trying to sever the link.
• “No… don’t…”
• I curled up under the blanket, cold sweat soaking my pajamas, trembling with nausea and fear.
• Just when I was about to break, a sharp, commanding scent of fir trees suddenly flooded the room, cutting through the stale air.
• Right after, a terrifying wave of mental power crashed in from outside the door, carrying a deadly vibe, locking onto that psychic tendril like a hunter.
• “Where the hell did this filth come from, thinking they can touch my people?”
• Valen’s cold voice exploded in the void.
• Then, with a crisp snap, the mental link was violently ripped apart by an outside force.
• Deep in my mind, Lucas’s agonized scream echoed like a soul being crushed by a hammer.
• The world went dead silent.
• I poked my head out from under the covers, gasping for air.
• Outside the door, that dangerous aura instantly faded.
• “Aria?”
• Valen’s low voice came through the door, tinged with a hint of tension. “It’s over.”
• He was right outside.
• That same man who’d just been like a killing machine was now knocking so softly it barely made a sound.
• “Did I hurt you back there?” he asked softly.
• Tears welled up instantly. “No… thank you, Valen.”
• A faint sigh came from outside.
• He then reassured me. “Go to sleep. That mad dog won’t be barking again anytime soon. Leaving him alive is mercy enough.”
• I wiped my tears and smiled through them.
• That night, wrapped in the calming scent of fir, I slept the best I had in five years.