Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)
Chapter 161 - [K] What Orders Mean

Chapter 161: Chapter 161 - [K] What Orders Mean

"Don’t move. I mean it, Kyrie."

The words froze every muscle in my body before my mind could even process why. Citra’s voice carried that same tone of authority she’d used when telling me not to mark her during the thunderstorm.

Or when confronting me when we first met. I’d been obeying her from the very beginning. In ways that my wolf should have continued to bristle over. At being commanded by someone who wasn’t even properly mated to me.

Instead, it settled into instant submission - as if it agreed this state was exactly where we belonged. The rogues around us... I barely registered their presence anymore

Every part of my attention was focused on the woman who had taken complete control of me with nothing but words. The words of my mate were... absolute.

She stepped so close as if she had no fear, but I knew she was utterly full of it. I could smell it in that wild scent of hers, just like every other time. How she was scared to be close to me...

But it didn’t stop her from walking beside me more than once. Or her lips from brushing against me - from tempting and sending a jolt of need and longing through me.

< Mate! >

So docile before, but my wolf’s single thought reflects and surges against my control. It takes everything to restrain it.

But it had already been done. Reduce me from an Alpha to a statue of one.

"I guess... we’ll never know now, will we? How I might have dealt with things."

Something is stuffed into my hand as her voice starts up and I had to fight every instinct that told me to turn my head. To capture those lips with mine... and to show her exactly how much she meant to me.

But she’d told me not to move and apparently that meant I wouldn’t. I’d been so focused on letting her get in a comfortable space for the idea of it the potential in our bond.

On building trust and emotional connection... that I’d completely downplayed how rewired my responses are to her. I guess you learn some things about yourself the first time you feel so strongly for someone.

When she stepped away, I felt a physical ache. Then she was walking away at speed. Leaving me frozen here in place with the three male werewolves that haven’t even dared to whimper.

But I didn’t follow, as she’d required of me. Even as every fiber of my being screamed to chase after her... to continue protecting her and to never let her out of my sight so that something like this cannot ever happen again.

It’s a devastating realization that she held more power over me than any Alpha should ever surrender. All of my frustrated energy had to go somewhere - so I turned it back toward dealing with them.

"Lodestar: Call Luca."

I growled and waited seconds that risked me reacting to exactly what sorts of things these wolves implied they would do to my... to Citra. My Beta picked up in one ring because he was already on standby with six others in a special van of ours.

"Alpha?"

"Bring the containment unit this way and prepare them for interrogation."

"On our way. Everything alright?

"Fine. Just get here. Before I hurt them."

Nothing was alright. My fated mate had just threatened to leave the city permanently if I continued trying to protect her.

And I’d discovered that somewhere along the way, I’d started wanting her to give me orders. I’m sure that’s just because then I know what she wants me to do. Harder to make a mistake and drive her away if I have exact terms to follow.

I looked down at the rogue still sitting on the ground where I told him to stay. If I were to have placed a bet on this situation, I would have expected at least one of them to do something stupid.

"You’re going to tell my Beta everything. About who hired you, when, and what your instructions were. And if you lie to him even once, I’ll handle your questioning. Trust me, you don’t want that."

Without anything to occupy myself other than guarding the alleyway, I tried to process what had just happened. The deliberate intimacy of that whisper against my jawline felt like she’d known exactly what she was doing to me.

Luca arrived with the security team only a couple minutes later. His eyes assessed the scene before settling onto me with concern. I’d place them on wait but not told them why.

"What happened here?"

"Attempted kidnapping. They were hired by someone. Connected to the Duskpaw pack."

I reached down and hauled the large rogue to his feet with my single free hand. I still haven’t let go or looked at whatever she had curled into my fingers.

Because she hadn’t told me to look at it, even if she hadn’t told me not to. Even I realize my reasoning is weird, but I’m not sure what to do about it.

"And Citra? Is she hurt?"

He already knows she’s the one they were after. Because why else would I be looking and acting this way.

"She’s fine. Handled herself better than I expected."

My Beta’s expression suggested he didn’t believe that was the whole story, but he directed the team to secure the rogues in the van without pressing for details out in the open. Finally, with things under control by the others, I turn my palm and open my fingers.

A small glass vial, barely bigger than my thumb. The faint purplish liquid inside was recognizable even without popping the top for the scent. She’d been carrying concentrated wolfsbane of all things.

Where would she have gotten it and how long had she been carrying it? From that hunter’s hideout, maybe? I pocket it for now... trying hard not to think of it as a gift.

Failing - as I’ve already picked out a spot on my shelving even while looking at my pack’s right-hand walk back to me. Waiting for a final order to leave.

"Lodestar: Call Claire."

My earpiece rings out again and I turn it on speakerphone. She is probably busy tracing back video footage like I’d asked, I expected. Still, she answers fast enough.

"Something up, boss?"

"I want you to..."

I trailed off, remembering I was told not to protect her without consent. Fumbling in my pocket for my phone, I manually add another message to the pile that she had yet to respond to. Asking if it was alright if I-

"You want me to keep a closer eye on Citra Lomdi’s activities. Discreetly. Help her with anything she might need, watch for potential threats - that sort of thing. Without telling her, right?"

"...Yes. That’s what I want. But I’m not ordering you to do it."

A nervous cackle came from the other end. I turned my wrist and checked my watch, making sure it was till her official work hours.

"This is why our litigation attorneys like you, you know? Consider me never told to do anything. We didn’t even have this conversation. Actually, who are you, is this a spam call? No thanks."

Luca raised an eyebrow when my assistant hung up on me. Though I wasn’t as surprised.

"That felt even weirder than usual. Right?"

"It did. But more importantly, why isn’t that containment unit moving yet, Beta?"

It was his turn to chuckle nervously.

"Then again, you’ve also been really off this week as well. She might just be copying you."

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