Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)
Chapter 79 - Trembling Toward Temptation: Warming, Weakening, Wavering

Chapter 79: Chapter 79 - Trembling Toward Temptation: Warming, Weakening, Wavering

I quiver in place at just... all of this. The display of her dominant nature.

Violence, so tempered and used for such effect. Used for my sake.

Before I knew it, my back had arched. Very obviously, I’ve raised out my chest... as I lean slightly to the side.

As if I’m just inviting her with this mild submission, the moment she looks over, to come and do something to me...

With the sound of ringing blood pressure in my ears as my heart slams in excitement at the danger. For a half dozen heartbeats, simply forgetting all of my resolve.

Much like me, Vrika is simply vibrating in my mindscape with a strange feeling of attraction that has it breathing deeply. As if it could somehow make me smell her pure, clean, wonderful scent better.

Or close the gap I’m somehow keeping, that it desperately wants to be zero... so it can rub against her... her thighs. I think.

I can’t be sure that’s not my own thought.

> Do not. I repeat, do NOT urinate on the imaginary corners of my soul to make her look this way, you ridiculous wolf! <

Watching her hand release... and gravity crumple him to the ground in a pathetic heap... a soft, yearning whimper is vocalized from... my own throat.

"You’d best convince whoever gave you an ’order’ to leave my city. Then do the same. I am not patient."

He shivered there for a moment before scrambling to his feet. Looking as defeated as I feel after all of this.

Then, the werewolf whom I had been so certain was going to be my first real attempt to ever fight... cast one last, terrified glance in my direction before fleeing deeper down the alley.

I watched him go after willfully tearing my gaze off of Kyrie. The whole while, feeling rather complicated about every, single, bit of this.

Those orange eyes then turn to me - and that fierce expression softened immediately into one of such... concern. Like she might cry just for seeing me standing up here, safe.

> Is that - normal? To be looked at like that, in this situation. By someone you only met days ago... <

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you before I arrived?"

"No, I... f-fine."

I mumbled my words because my heart was pounding still. And I couldn’t tell if it was from the adrenaline of the confrontation - or the remaining proximity of the woman that had just protected me.

Even though she’d only taken a cautious half-step closer, my legs felt that much more like jelly. I’d been so confident that I could make it through this by myself if I had to.

But now...

> Will you stop that? I am not letting her mark me! <

While I suppressed my wolf, Kyrie’s eyes that were scanning every part of me landed on the knife near my feet. Something fairly unreadable crossed her face.

Something that was definitely not pride, praise, or ’princess’.

"What exactly was your plan with that? Were you going to anger him on purpose?"

There was a clear amount of incredulity in her voice that made me bristle. Slowly, I leaned down and picked the item back up.

With a grip so tight on the handle that I’m surprised my voice did not have more venom in it.

"I can’t always rely on claws and fangs out in public, right? People don’t know about us, and I am a single woman that has to think of more than werewolves."

This Alpha’s expression softened again. A rueful smile paired with an acquiescing tilt of her head followed.

"Fair enough. Though there are other options... I’m just glad I got here in time. The thought of you getting hurt... just..."

She trailed off as a wash of emotion morphed her face again. The white haired woman shook her head as if to clear it.

But it wasn’t exactly something I could unsee. That pretty face, looking so pained and hurt from a mere hypothetical.

"Never mind. I’m just glad you’re safe."

An annoyingwarmth buzzed in my chest at the caring words. I tried to squash it down.

Tried to pretend it was the system. To remind myself that I couldn’t afford to let my guard down, not even for a moment.

After all, there is no guarantee that this wasn’t all part of a plan. That he hadn’t been hired as a staged criminal to threaten me and make herself look good.

> I don’t even REALLY know anything about her - why are you so willing to submit, huh? Wasn’t that a problem with Jace and Helene already? <

"I could have taken care of myself. I don’t need your constant protection."

The werewolf, with her eyes fading back to their more human brown, stared at me and raised an eyebrow. Amusement was in her eyes instead of getting angry back at me.

Even though I had a ’tone’. The kind I got that made royal suitors picture me as a woman only capable of berating them.

However, that empathetic whine that my wolf answered back with, at her earlier words of worry, just caused my voice to come out... sharper than I really intended.

"I’m sure you don’t, Citra. But have you thought that I might just enjoy such a role? I am, after all, the protector of my pack."

I scoffed... even as a traitorous part of me thrilled at her words. At being included within the bounds of her ’family’.

A part that wasn’t the wolf spirit. Not that Vrika wasn’t also still begging to just cuddle, a little, for even a moment.

I’m trying my best here not to be in her debt or succumb to this silly fated mate business. But... it gets harder and harder every time she flaps those lickable lips.

> No, I did not just think that. You’re imagining it. <

"I am not a damsel in distress and I am certainly not of your pack."

Panicked at my inner failures to maintain even mental distance from her attractiveness, I speak the words through my teeth. Coming off as if I am seething even more than I am.

The beautiful, tall, white haired beauty - did I just compliment her twice? - held up her hands in a placating gesture. Yet the... flirty smile never left her face.

Goddesses, I must be blushing or something. Why else would she be provoking me with that?

"Of course not. My mistake. How about I make it up to you?"

Her hand gestures back to the entrance nearby. The plastic bags of foodstuff I’d dropped.

"A meal maybe? You look like you could use one. And I’d... love to spend more time with you. If you allow it."

I instinctively wanted to ask what was wrong with her. She just talked about being impatient when speaking to that male rogue.

Yet, for me she keeps giving ground. Placing the ’ball’ so much in my ’court’.

Guilt and desire turn a fresh, hot feeling near my eyes. Tear ducts warm as though threatening to ’make a scene’ like I have not in years, but I lift my chin defiantly.

"Fine. But I want to stress that this doesn’t mean anything. I still don’t trust you."

Words barked hurriedly, before I could change my mind. Before... uh?

The woman’s smile widened with a toothy, unrestrainedhappiness. Her eyes filled with a flickering orange warmth that made my breath catch.

She wouldn’t be... a masochist? To be so happy at me saying that while nagging at her this whole time...

I’m not even sure I’ve ever said anything nice about her - to her face.

"No trust yet...? I wouldn’t have it any other way. I get to prove myself in meaningful ways."

> Oh, not masochism, exactly. Just a ’tryhard’. Thank the lunar goddess. <

Kyrie Voss offered her hand with a confident pose, insisting without ever saying a word that I should take it when I was ready. My eyes look down to the ground as I stow the knife in the backpack again.

And brush at my dark hair. Once, twice-

"...I see."

I couldn’t shake the deep feeling that I was letting my guard down too much. Giving this woman any more opportunity at all to further weaken my resolve felt far more dangerous... than any kind of threats of rogue werewolves.

For when she does betray my expectations, once I have them-

Ah, but the promise of something more than the convenience store goods I’d acquired... made not caring about that kind of danger easy.

Or maybe I just don’t have the energy to resist the temptation as fully as I once did. For food.

> And if - as you keep trying to convince me - the rush of her presence makes the food we eat taste even better, well... <

That’s something innocuous enough that I’m too curious about not to test!