Chapter 62
reston lounged back on the leather sofa, one arm draped lazily over the armrest, his hand propping up his chin. His gaze rested intently on Georgia, unblinking and unreadable in the dim, muted light of the room. The air between them was thick, almost tangible, charged with a quiet tension that neither dared to break.
Do as I say? he thought, a flicker of disbelief crossing his mind. Is that really you, Georgia Cooper? That’s not the woman I remember.
His posture was casual, almost indifferent, but beneath the surface simmered a restless energy. He studied her s waiting, his cold eyes sharp and unyielding in the shadowed room
silently,
Minutes ticked by, slow and heavy, and Georgia began to feel the weight of his scrutiny pressing down on her. The silence grew unbearable. The dim lighting obscured much of Preston’s expression, leaving only the cold gleam of his eyes visible in the gloom. Tentatively, she dared a glance upward, searching for some sign of emotion, but found only the merciless chill of his stare.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she lifted her head and cut through the silence with a straightforward declaration. “Mr. Hill, I’m here to ask you to forgive someone.”
Her voice was steady but threaded with desperation–a fragile plea that hung in the stillness.
Preston inclined his head in acknowledgment, a faint, almost lazy nod. “I know. I was waiting for you to say it.”
Georgia’s breath caught. She hadn’t realized until that moment that Preston’s impassive silence was a deliberate invitation
-an expectant patience for her to speak up for Laura,
She hadn’t noticed how intently he’d been watching her, every subtle movement cataloged in his calculating mind. The closeness between them stirred something deep inside him–a restlessness, a surge of primal desire he had struggled to
suppress.
His wolf, Luca, a fierce and insistent force lur Chapter Unlocked, Enjoy Reading! or, was growing louder, demanding release.
“I want you to spare Laura,” Georgia said, the words spilling out with a mix of conviction and uncertainty.
Preston’s voice dropped, deepening into a hoarse timbre edged with impatience and something darker. “Get to the point.”
Since their reunion, he’d fought to keep Luca’s hunger at bay, but now the beast clawed at his restraint, his emo
threatening to spill over.
“Will you?” Georgia’s question hung between them like a fragile thread.
His eyes glinted with a mocking light. “Georgia, you know she’s the one who dragged you through all this. And yet you’re here, pleading for her. She didn’t succeed in destroying you this time, and now you’re willing to give her another chance to do it again? Tell me how should I describe you? Stupid? Hypocritical? Do you think this makes you a good person? No. It just makes you a hypocrite. The Georgia Cooper I knew was unafraid–unafraid to love, unafraid to hate.”
Her eyes flickered with a shadow of pain as she said quietly, “Mr. Hill, I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
Preston’s gaze bore into her, sharp and accusing. You deny who you were so easily?
“Are you sure you want to plead for that Laura after everything she’s done to you?” he pressed, voice colder now, sharper. “If you want to be a hypocrite, be my guest. But what can you offer me in return for sparing her? Your dignity?”
He smiled, but it was cruel and sarcastic. “Georgia, your dignity is worthless.”
The words hit like a slap, but Georgia’s voice remained calm as she met his gaze steadily. “I know.” Then she whispered, ‘Till offer myself.”
Preston blinked, stunned. What? Did I hear that right?
“Mr. Hill, I’ll spend the night with you,” Georgia said, fighting to keep the humiliation from seeping into her tone.
“Are you saying you want to sleep with me?” he asked bluntly, his voice rough and direct.
“Yes.” Her face paled slightly, but she nodded without hesitation. She was waiting, heart hammering, for his verdict.
Chapter 62
Preston studied her, the flickering light casting shadows over his face. Though he saw only the top of her head from where he sat, his anger ignited and spread like wildfire beneath his skin.
Without warning, he sprang up, his movement sudden and fierce.
Georgia barely had time to react before he pressed her back against the sofa, the force of it knocking the breath from her lungs.
“Mr. Hill, please let go,” she whispered, voice trembling with a mixture of fear and something darker.
But his reply was cold and sharp. “You just offered yourself to me, didn’t you?”
His tone was laced with fury, raw and unforgiving. “Since you’re so willing to debase yourself, Georgia, I’ll do you a favor.”
And then he kissed her.
It was not a kiss born of passion or tenderness–it was a punishment, fierce and consuming. His lips crushed hers with relentless intensity, searing and merciless, leaving no room for doubt.
When he finally broke away, his eyes blazed with an unforgiving fire as he lacked onto hers. “I’ll ask you one last time, Georgia. Are you really going to throw away your dignity for the sake of this disgusting woman?”
“Yes. I’m begging you, Mr. Hill. Please–just let her go,” Georgia said, her voice cracking beneath the weight of her plea.
Preston laughed, a cold, mirthless sound that echoed through the silent room. “Georgia, nobody really cares about you. Because you don’t deserve it.”
Her gaze dropped, heavy with shame and pain, but the tremor of her lashes betrayed the storm raging inside her.
Preston, you know nothing, she thought bitterly. In that hellish prison of werewolves, Maya was the only one who ever treated me with kindness. He died for me. Do you know what that felt like?
“Georgia, you don’t deserve kindness. Whoever shows you mercy is making the biggest mistake. You don’t deserve anyone’s compassion,” Preston spat out, his usual cold detachment replaced by searing anger.
His words cut her to the bone, striking the deepest wounds of her soul.
But in a sudden surge of defiance, Georgia lifted her head and glared back, her voice raw and shaking–a sharp break from the quiet resignation she’d maintained since Maya’s death.
“You don’t know what I’ve been through! You know nothing! Who gave you the right to judge me? The almighty Mr. Hill, I know you too well. I wouldn’t have come here if I thought you intended only a small punishment.”
Her voice broke, the sadness bleeding through as she continued, “I don’t care what you do to her. I don’t care how you punish her. I only want you to spare her life today. I can’t owe anyone else a life. Never again.”
Georgia knew all too well what Preston was capable of–how easily he could twist agony into torture and wield power like a weapon. He had thrown her into hell without hesitation. She understood, painfully, that Laura’s fate was already sealed.
Preston offered no denial–his tacit silence confirmed everything.
But Georgia had made her choice. She no longer cared what became of Laura.
The one thing she would never bear again was to owe a life to anyone.
