Chapter 63
Georgia’s mind churned with a bitter truth she could no longer ignore. I know what it means to owe someone a life–a debt that can never be repaid. Despite every desperate, grinding effort she’d made to claw her way back to freedom, to reclaim her stolen future, she knew, with brutal clarity, that Maya would never witness the fruits of her struggle. He was gone, last to a cruelty she could never undo.
Her feelings toward Laura were tangled and numb–neither affection nor hatred filled the space. Laura was selfish, reckless, and crossed lines that should never be tested. Yet Georgia hadn’t come here to plead out of kindness or loyalty
che wasn’t interested in meddling in the tangled webs of others‘ affairs.
No, her presence here was born of a deeper, darker need–a relentless refusal to owe another life, no matter who it belonged to. Whether the person was kind or cruel, involved or indifferent, Georgia did not want to carry that weight again. Not ever.
That is why I came, though every step dragged heavy with reluctance and shame
Her anguished cry–her declaration that she refused to owe another life–echoed in the cold room. Preston caught every word, every trembling syllable. He sat quietly for a moment, letting the weight of her confession settle between them.
He did not know the truth behind her words. In his mind, the silent assumption took shape: Georgia was finally feeling guilt over Giselle’s death.
Then, without warning, Preston lowered his head and kissed her.
The kiss was not gentle; it was fierce and raw, his teeth biting into her lips with savage hunger, as though he sought to tear the fragile skin apart and consume her very essence. It was a kiss filled with dark promise and bitter regret.
For the first time since Giselle died, he heard Georgia admit it–acknowledge that she owed a life
Preston had long suspected Georgia’s hand in Giselle’s demise, though she had never confessed. She had stood firm through accusations, through the horrors of Chapter Unlocked, Enjoy Reading! never yielding. Yet now, her admission
pierced him deeper than he expected.
He was shaken by the admission, confused by the flood of emotions it unleashed. Part of him was angry, part of him reluctant to believe it, and yet the raw truth settled over him like a cold fog.
“Georgia,” he murmured against her lips, voice husky, “you’re finally admitting it.”
She blinked, uncertain. “What?”
But Preston offered no explanation. Instead, he said simply, “Georgia, I will grant your request. Whatever you want, I will do it now.”
Luca, the wolf within him–the wild, primal force he had long tried to suppress–roared to life, fueled by lust and fury. He abandoned all restraint, letting raw desire flood through his veins.
Preston’s hands tore at Georgia’s clothing with hungry urgency. Her smooth, pale skin was exposed to his hungry gaze, her breasts rising and falling beneath his burning eyes. His breath hitched as desire ignited like wildfire inside him, hot and uncontrollable.
He pushed Georgia onto the leather sofa, ripping her pants down to the floor without hesitation. The mounting pressure inside him was volcanic, a fierce eruption threatening to consume every rational thought.
There was no tender prelude, no gentle caress–only the brutal immediacy of possession.
Preston claimed her in an instant.
Georgia’s eyes flew wide open in shock and pain. She stared, helpless, at the ceiling as her body writhed beneath his overwhelming force. The agony was sharp, unrelenting.
Yet through the pain, her mind sharpened with cold clarity.
He said I was finally admitting it. What does he mean? she thought, the words cutting through her like shards of ice. Does he think I caused Giselle’s death?
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He’s wrong again, just like always.
A bitter laugh burst from her lips, breaking the suffocating tension.
“What are you laughing at? Stop it!‘ Preston growled, his anger flaring.
But Georgia didn’t hear him. Her laughter spilled over, wild and free, reckless in the face of his fury.
“I said, stop laughing!” he barked, his patience shattering.
Anger fueled his movements as he pressed harder, sending fresh waves of pain through her.
He couldn’t understand it–why was she laughing? How could she be so defiant when she was the one who owed a life? The one who had caused Giselle’s death? She had no right to mock him, to mock fate.
“Shut up!” he snarled, leaning down to crush her mouth with his lips
This time, Georgia bit him hard.
Preston recoiled, tasting blood, blinking in surprise.
“You bit me?” he asked, disbelief coloring his voice.
I
once more.
Georgia’s voice was calm but laced with exhaustion. “Mr. Hill, I do owe a life. But it isn’t Giselle’s.”
She closed her eyes, refusing to say more. She was too drained to explain to Preston whose life she owed–too certain he wouldn’t want to hear it anyway.
“Hey, open your eyes!” Preston commanded sharply.
But Georgia remained still, unresponsive, her eyelids shuttered like a fortress against him.
Narrowing his eyes, he barked, “Open your eyes!”
Still, she didn’t move. He reached out and gently shook her, and her head lolled to the side, limp.
His heart lurched violently. “Georgia?”
She
e was unconscious.
The wolf inside him howled with frustration and alarm–Luca, desperate to claim their mate, let loose a sharp, angry whine
in Preston’s mind.
Without hesitation, Preston scooped her into his arms and dashed toward the bedroom, his mind racing.
Damn it! Her body is burning hot. She was fine when I got her out of that room–what happened?
Frustration bubbled to the surface as he called out through the mental bond, “Simon, where are you? Come here, now!”
Simon’s voice echoed back, laced with weary exasperation. “Alpha Preston, I’m the pack’s doctor, not your personal on–call medic. I just left, and now you’re calling again? What’s wrong this time?”
Preston’s eyes never left Georgia’s pale, fragile form as he pressed, “Get down here! She’s fainted again. Did you check her thoroughly?”
“Georgia? She’s fine, just needs rest and her medication,” Simon replied. “Are you questioning my competence? Wait–why is she with you? Preston, did you hurt her again? She’s fragile as it is. She should be thanking the Moon Goddess for not collapsing before now. And you’re torturing her?”
“If you hate her so much, why not just end it?” Simon snapped. “It’d be easier for everyone.”
Preston’s eyes flickered with a dangerous light. “Fragile? What do you mean? She’s still intact, isn’t she?”
Simon’s voice was grave. “That’s true. But she’s missing her wolf.
Preston’s hands trembled uncontrollably for a moment.
“If you don’t believe me,” Simon said quietly, “lift her shirt and see for yourself.”
