My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 178

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Kane

"You haven't been sleeping," she murmured, stepping closer until our bodies were inches apart. "I can see the shadows under your eyes. It’s all that business with the East, isn't it? The envoy?"

She looked sad then. Her lower lip trembled just a fraction. "I'm sorry, Kane. I didn't mean to ruin things. I was just trying to help. I saw how stressed you were about the beasts, and the Mistwood Lord was so certain that they could protect us. I wanted the nursery to be safe."

I looked at her, and a wave of nausea rolled through my gut.

She was beautiful. There was no denying that. She had the kind of flawless skin and perfectly curated figure that would make any man choke on his own breath. She was beautiful in a way that Sera wasn't. Looking at her felt dangerous. It felt like you were plotting your own death every time you touched her, because you knew, deep down, that she was careless. She was selfish. She didn't understand the weight of the crown she was wearing.

Maybe she did.

But the addiction was there. My wolf responded to her scent—that heavy, cloying smell of expensive perfume and rising arousal. My body moved forward before my brain could stop it.

"It's fine, Elara," I said, my voice dropping. I reached out and petted her damp hair, pushing it back from her face. "You don't need to worry about it. We’ll sort it out. Jace is already putting some things in place to ensure the issue is settled."

If Jace heard me making those promises in his name, he would have fucking hanged me. He hated Elara with a passion that bordered on pathological.

Elara’s face hardened the second I mentioned his name. She grumbled, leaning her head against my chest. "Jace is an idiot. He’s too playful, Kane. He’s going to mess it up even more than it already is. Why do you listen to him?"