Tempted By my Evil Lycan Stepbrother novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Perfect Kiss

Riley’s POV

Rene lunged and knocked Ezra aside. She planted herself between him and Odin with a snarl, baring her teeth

“…Riley?” Odin called out uncertainly, his hand gently brushing over my fur.

That one simple gesture seemed to set Ezra off completely. His eyes blazed with something dark and terrifying

“Get out of the way, Riley.” he growled.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” I roared. “What did Odin ever do to make you want to kill him???!”

Ezra let out a cold, twisted laugh. “I just hate his existence OK? Do I need a reason to want him dead?”

“He’s your classmate. He’s a member of your future kingdom, for fuck’s sake. You do realize this is a crime, right?! Do you have any idea how insane this is?”

“Do I look like I give a damn about laws?” he said flatly.

My rage boiled over. I couldn’t believe this cruel bastard was supposed to be our future King. And worst of all, I couldn’t even get him out of my life.

Rene felt the fury coursing through me. She arched her back, claws digging into the gravel, a low growl rumbling from her throat.

Ezra scoffed. “Seriously, Riley? You wanna fight me? For this useless piece of shit?”

“If you don’t back off… Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m gonna do,” I said hoarsely, my breathing ragged.

In truth, I was terrified.

How could I not be? I was facing the apex predator of our world/ Ezra wasn’t just a Lycan, he was a royal. If he wanted, he could crush me with just his aura. Compared to him, I was barely a speck of dust.

And that’s exactly what made our bond so dangerous. He held all the power. And I couldn’t escape.

But I still couldn’t back down. I couldn’t let him hurt Odin because of me.

Ezra’s jaw tightened. He looked like he was teetering on the edge.

“You know if I really wanted to kill him, not even you could stop me, right?”

“I–I know,” I said through gritted teeth. “But if you do it… I’ll never forgive you.”

I didn’t know if that counted as a threat.

He probably didn’t even care what I thought. It was the weakest warning I’d ever given.

And yet… something told me he wouldn’t go through with it.

He glared at me. After a beat of silence, he suddenly stepped back.

“You’d better watch your back in the Hunting Season,” he said coldly.

Then he turned sharply and vanished into the trees.

I let out a long sigh of relief, my heart pounding so hard I could barely stand it. I hadn’t even realized I’d been sweating

Odin caught me just as I stumbled, steadying me. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Uh… I just need to shift back and change. Can you wait for me?”

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When I came bark on from the woods, shifted back and dressed. I found odm sitting age by the stream, lost in thought.

He turned at the sound of my footsteps, then strode over

He pilled me into a fight hug,

1 froze. He wrapped both arms around my waist, and I could feel his warm breath on my neck. We’d never been this close before

“Riley you saved my life,” he murmured.

“No, I didn’t do anything,” I whispered.

“You did. If it weren’t for you, Ezra Ravenshire wouldn’t hesitate a single second to kill me. He’s not the type to show mercy So

thank you.”

Guilt twisted inside me.

He shouldn’t be thanking me. Ezra only made him a target because of me.

“Okay, let’s check your wounds, shall we?” I said gently, pulling away.

He smiled and nodded.

We sat by the stream, and I started examining his injuries. God he was covered in them. Scratches, bruises, gashes… It was only an hour from the base to the mountaintop, but it looked like he’d gone through hell.

“He did all of this?” I growled.

“More or less,” Odin said flatly. “I felt his hostility from the start. But soon I realized he wasn’t just about winning. He wanted to kill me. I’m lucky I even made it to the mountain top.”

I bit my lip and held out my hand, gently brushing my palm over his wounds. One by one, they began to heal under my power.

He stared in awe. “You can heal this fast? Damn. I don’t think even some of our professors can do that.”

“Told you I had a few tricks,” I forced a smile, though my chest still felt heavy. “…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let that psycho come with us. This is all my fault.”

I’d given in to Ezra’s threat to protect my secret. And ended up putting Odin in danger.

Put Odin just laughed lightly. “It’s not a big deal. I’m a warrior. Injuries are part of the job. But.. it did get me thinking Riley, I think you should drop out of the Hunting Season.”

My eyes widened. “What? Me?”

“Yeah.” His expression turned serious. He looked right at me. “I’ve heard all the rumors. I know about Ezra’s grudge agamist you and your mom. But I didn’t think it was this bad. I didn’t know he hated you so much he’d try to destroy anyone close to you That’s not just toxic. It’s psychotic.”

I went silent.

“Think about what he’ll do to you during the Hunting Season,” Odin said with a frown. “That two week event is basically his playground. We’ll all be stuck in the wilderness. And nothing in the rules stops him from killing you. Riley, drop out while you still can.”

“I can’t. If I drop out, what happens to you and Olivia? You guys won’t survive without a healer,” I said instantly

“We’ll figure it out. Your life is more important!” His voice rose. “Don’t give that lunatic a chance.”

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I didn’t know what to say. I really didn’t know how to explain it.

“Riley?”

“Uh… I don’t know, Odin. But I don’t think Ezra will kiti me,” I stammered

That was the truth.

Ezra had make my life a nightmare, sure. But he wouldn’t kill me.

Because no matter how twisted things got, he couldn’t physically harm his mate. If anything, our matebond was the only thing protecting me.

“Don’t be naïve, Riley. You saw how unhinged he is. He’s gonna do it.”

“No, Odin… I–I don’t know how to explain it. But trust me, he won’t.”

He paused.

The way he looked at me changed. And that made me even more nervous.

“What?” I asked with a forced laugh. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Sometimes I think… there’s something weird between you and Ezra,” Odin said slowly. “He clearly hates your guts. And you hate him too. But then sometimes, it’s like… you two can’t live without each other.”

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