Mated To The Alpha King (Raven and Ethan) novel Chapter 164

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Chapter 164

Chapter 164

Alpha Ethan’s POV

I carried her unconscious body in my arms, her weight so light it was almost scary.

Her skin felt cold against me, clammy even, and that worried me more than I wanted to admit.

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My boots made heavy thuds on the polished wooden floor as I walked toward my room. My jaw was tight, every muscle in my body stiff as I tried to push away the rage still boiling inside me.

She had been in the cage for hours. In the water. I didn’t want to think about what that must have done to her body.

Damn it, Ethan, what were you even trying to prove? That she would break? That she would confess? My wolf growled low inside me, pacing like it was accusing me of being a brute…

Maybe I was. No, she lied before; she could be lying again. That’s what I told myself over and over, like a mantra to quiet the guilt pressing hard against my chest.

I pushed the door open with my shoulder and walked straight to the bed.,

Carefully, Nowered her onto the soft mattress. Her head fell to one side, wet strands of hair sticking to her pale cheeks like dark threads. I cursed under my breath when I saw how drained her face looked. Her lips were slightly parted, with a faint bluish tint on them. My chest tightened painfully.

“You’re not dying on me,” I muttered, more to myself than to her. “You don’t get to leave that easily, Raven.”

I turned and walked to the closet, pulling the doors open and taking the first things I saw–a pair of gray sweatpants and one of my loose black shirts.

They were big for her small body, but that didn’t matter. Warmth. That was all that mattered now.

I came back to the bed and sat beside her. My hands moved to the buttons of her soaked clothes.

Every second that passed, the icy wetness of her clothes/seemed to drain more color from her skin. I paused for a moment.

This was Raven–stubborn, sharp–tongued, annoying Raven.

But she wasn’t like that now. She was fragile, breakable… and it twisted something inside me that I didn’t want to name.

“Don’t think about it,” I growled at myself, looking away from her face as my fingers undid the buttons on her blouse. The fabric clung to her as I slid it off her shoulders.

Cold, her skin was freezing cold. A chill ran through me, and I worked faster, pulling the sleeves down and tossing the blouse aside.

When I reached for her jeans, my throat tightened. My pulse pounded in my head. My fingers touched her chilled waist as I unbuttoned the clasp. Halfway through sliding the denim down her legs, a soft sound made me freeze.

A low, shaky inhale,

Her fingers twitched,

Then, suddenly, her lashes fluttered, and her eyes opened.

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10:53 Fri, 22 Aug

Chapter 164

林家24%公

For a second, both of us froze, staring at each other. Her gaze moved from my face to her body, then down to my hands, still hooked around the waistband of her jeans.

“W–What-” Her voice cracked, hoarse and weak. “What are you doing?!”

Before I could answer, she tried to push me away, her small hands pressing against my chest with what little strength she had.

It felt like a light nudge, but the intent was clear–defiance, even when she was barely holding on.

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“Stop it.” My voice came out in that sharp, commanding tone that always made wolves in the pack drop to their knees. “Don’t even try it, Raven. Stay still.”

Her wide eyes locked on mine, fury flashing through the haze of exhaustion clouding them. “Don’t tell me what to do-”

“I said stay still!” My voice cracked like a whip, harsher than I meant. Her breath hitched, and for a brief moment, vulnerability showed on her face. My chest tightened painfully at the sight, but’l pushed it down. Now wasn’t the time.

I worked quickly, sliding the wet jeans off her trembling legs and tossing them aside. Then I grabbed the sweatpants and eased them up her slender frame, careful not to hurt her. Her shirt was next. I pulled the loose black tee over her head, the fabric swallowing her small body like a blanket. When I was done, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

She lay there, breathing unevenly, her gaze fixed on me like I was some monster she didn’t know. Maybe I was.

“Warmth,” I muttered under my breath as I tucked the thick duvet around her. “You need warmth.”

She didn’t say anything. Just stared at me with those eyes that always seemed to strip me bare in ways I hated.

I stood and walked to the door, calling for a maid. “Bring food. Now.”

“Yes, Alpha,” the maid stammered and ran off.

When I turned back to Raven, her eyes were closed again, her lips trembling slightly like she was fighting something inside her. Hunger? Fear? Both? I couldn’t tell. And I hated that I couldn’t.

The maid came back within minutes with a tray. I took it from her without a word and put it on the bed in front of Raven. She blinked at the plate, then at me, suspicion flickering across her pale face.

“Eat,” I ordered.

For a moment, she didn’t move. Then, slowly, she reached for the spoon with trembling fingers and started to eat, I stepped back, arms crossed, and just… watched.

And God help me, watching her felt like being punched in the gut.

She ate like someone who hadn’t eaten in days, spoon after spoon going into her mouth fast. My wolf whimpered deep inside me, the sound cutting through me like a blade. What had I done to her? What was I doing?

Her hands shook as she lifted the glass of water, sipping desperately before going back to the plate. I didn’t say a word. I couldn’t. My throat was too tight.

When she finally finished, she leaned back against the pillows, her chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. The maid came back to take the plate, and I waved her away without looking.

“Rest,” I said, my voice low but firm. “You need it. We’ve got somewhere to go later.”

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10:53 Fri, 22 Aug

Chapter 164

I turned toward the door, but her voice stopped me cold.

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