I Bought A Male Escort, Turns Out He's The Lycan King novel Chapter 69

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**Leaves Falling Like Promises**
**By Amara Grant**
**Chapter 69**

**KAT**

In a flurry of panic, I shoved everything I had painstakingly unpacked back into my bags, my heart racing as I fumbled to insert my contact lenses once more. The air was thick with Hunter’s intoxicating scent, an aroma that wrapped around me like a warm blanket, igniting a desperate longing within me. But then, like a sudden storm, Mr. Rivers’ words from our confrontation by the river crashed back into my mind, drowning out my desires.

“Your scent is changing. What the hell is going on, Kathrine?”

His fury had been immediate, almost primal, and I had instinctively recoiled, trying to shield myself from the weight of his accusation.

“I’ve taken the suppressants,” I had insisted, but even I could hear the emptiness in my own voice.

In the span of just one night and the agonizing moments since I had slipped away from my room, I had consumed double doses of those damned pills—twice. And before I had even begun packing, I had swallowed two more, feeling the remnants of their effects still trembling through my fingers.

“He’s been hunting you for three years,” Mr. Rivers had hissed, his tone like ice, cutting through the air.

I was acutely aware of that fact. My entire plan to conceal myself right under his nose at the Bureau had hinged on those pills keeping me hidden, invisible to the world.

“He won’t be here for long,” I had replied, but even as the words left my mouth, I sensed the insincerity in them. Hunter wasn’t the type to simply walk away; his sudden appearance had sent shockwaves through everyone, and I hadn’t even dared to ask how he had tracked me down.

“You need to leave with me,” Mr. Rivers had commanded, his voice low and urgent. “Unless you want things to blow up in your face.”

His threat hung in the air, just like the one about my brother. It was a manipulation tactic, a way to coerce me into compliance. He wanted me away from Hunter, but I could sense there was something deeper at play, some ulterior motive that I couldn’t quite grasp. Yet, I was left with no real options. The itch beneath my skin was intensifying, my senses heightened, and my pulse erratic—time was slipping away from me.

Just as I placed my bags near the door, Hunter entered the room, his presence commanding and electric. His gaze flicked to my bags and then back to me, and I felt my anxiety spike as the silence stretched between us like a taut wire.

Would he sense it? The change within me?

“I’m not saying how I feel about you is your responsibility,” Hunter began, his voice low and measured, yet laced with an undercurrent of tension. “But I didn’t imagine the pull between us. I didn’t anticipate it when you accepted my claim.”

Claim.

The very word sent a shiver down my spine, now more daunting than ever. I turned away, feigning interest in fixing the sheets, desperate to escape the weight of his gaze.

“It was just sex,” I muttered, hastily grabbing the last of my belongings from the nightstand, my heart racing.

Hunter staggered back as if I had struck him, and my throat tightened painfully. Even in this moment of fear, I could feel the undeniable desire for him, a physical ache that coursed through my body.

All I wanted was to confess that I belonged to him, to let him protect me, to love me. But those were feelings I shouldn’t have entertained with anyone. If my wolf emerged, I would become nothing more than a pawn in someone else’s game again.

I brushed past him, desperate to escape before he could utter another word. I scooped up my bags, including the money Mr. Rivers had given me, and I didn’t dare look back—not even for a fleeting second. I knew that if I did, I would falter. I would surrender everything I had struggled to build for my own survival.

As I stepped into the kitchen, Mal glanced up, his expression shifting from my bags to my face, and he let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head in disapproval.

“It’s a bad idea, Kathrine.”

“I’ll be fine,” I replied, my voice wavering. I attempted to muster a smile, but tears threatened to spill, blurring my vision as my lips quivered.

I didn’t wait for Hunter to follow. Outside, a sleek Range Rover idled, its polished exterior starkly contrasting with Mal’s aging vehicles. Mr. Rivers rolled down the window, his expression as hard and cold as steel.