Chapter 208: Tipsy little wolf

Yuki couldn’t tell what was going through Kaden’s mind, but seeing that foreign red tint on his ear was such a rare sight that it only made her want to tease him more.

The cool night air drifted across the bridge, carrying the soft rush of the river below and the faint perfume of night-blooming flowers from the nearby hedges. Somewhere in the distance, a frog croaked once before falling silent again. The cold should have cleared her head. Instead, it only seemed to sharpen the pleasant fog the wine had left behind.

Kaden’s fist clenched at his side as though that could somehow hide the obvious redness on his ears, which stood out against the pale moonlight.

"Don’t tell me I’m right," Yuki teased, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips. Her voice carried a slight slur she refused to acknowledge.

Kaden clicked his tongue, trying to act unbothered despite the blatant evidence on his ears. "You’re just imagining things. Having a drunk loitering around Ravencourt property isn’t particularly a good look," he said, falling back on the same excuse about protecting the family’s image.

Yuki couldn’t help smiling. She pushed herself to her feet and turned to face him. A cool breeze swept through her hair, sending a few golden strands across her cheek. The scent of wine on her own breath mixed with the damp earth and crushed leaves rising from the riverbank. Under the moonlight, her red lips stood out against her pale skin, their colour almost blood-red and strangely seductive.

Kaden’s gaze subconsciously lingered on them. For one brief moment, he genuinely couldn’t hear a word she was saying. The soft lap of water against the stone pillars of the bridge faded into the background. His attention remained fixed on the way her lips moved until a sharp jab landed against his stomach.

His gaze immediately snapped down. Yuki was glaring at him.

"Are you drunk?" she demanded, her brows drawn tightly together.

Kaden blinked, bewildered by the sudden accusation. "Drunk?" he repeated.

"Yes." Yuki frowned deeply. "What were you thinking about? Why were you spacing out?" she snapped, annoyed.

Kaden stared at her. She narrowed her eyes. "Your gaze was creeping me out," she added.

The corner of Kaden’s lips twitched. "Weirdo," she whispered before walking around him with a sneer. "Don’t get your weirdness on me."

She continued muttering under her breath, throwing one insult after another at him as she walked away. The soft click of her heels against the stone mixed with the steady rush of the river. Kaden watched her with a faint frown, wondering whether she was simply drunk out of her mind or whether her new status had already gone to her head. He quickly got his answer as he stared at her slender figure moving away.

"Where are you going?" he asked calmly.

Yuki snapped her head around and glared at him. "Back to the party. What do you think?" she hissed, clearly finding him more annoying by the second. A strand of hair stuck to her damp cheek; she shoved it aside with an impatient hand.

Kaden arched a brow, giving her that questioning look she hated.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice mild but edged with quiet amusement.

Yuki’s temples throbbed. The cold night air brushed across her flushed face and did absolutely nothing to sober her. If anything, the contrast only made the warmth of the wine feel sharper.

"What do you mean?" she snapped. "Just stay away from me."

She spun around and stormed off, but she barely made it a few steps before her heel caught in the long train of her dress. The fabric tugged hard. Kaden was already moving, his instincts sensing the impending danger before his mind had even caught up.

"Yuki, watch..."

His warning never left his lips. Her knee struck the stone path with a hard thud, and pain exploded through her leg. The impact sent a sharp jolt up her thigh. She sucked in a startled breath.

"Ow!"

Her face contorted, and tears immediately sprang into her eyes. The scent of crushed grass and damp stone rose around her as she sat there, one hand pressed against the throbbing bruise. Kaden froze at the sudden change. One moment she had been storming away from him, and the next she was sitting on the stone path, clutching her bruised knee and glaring at him through tears.

"You!" she cried, pointing an accusing finger at him. Her voice cracked slightly.

Kaden stared at her in disbelief.

"This is your fault!" she wailed.

"My fault?" he repeated, his voice filled with genuine confusion.

"Yes!" Yuki snapped. Her anger surged so fiercely that for a fleeting second, her wolf surfaced. Her emerald eyes flashed a brilliant shade of purple. The colour caught the moonlight for less than a heartbeat before vanishing, leaving him wondering whether the night air had played some strange trick on his eyes.

Yuki, however, had no interest in whatever he was thinking. She was still pointing at him.

"You’re bad luck!" she cried. "Everything is already going wrong for me, and now you’re making me fall too!"

Kaden blinked. The soft rush of the river continued behind them, indifferent to the small drama unfolding on the path.

"My girlfriend is already making my life a living hell," Yuki continued, her words tumbling out between dramatic sobs. "She framed me, locked me in cold rooms and made sure I missed meals, and now you’re making me fall!"

Kaden’s expression changed. Framed? He knew Eloise had bullied Yuki earlier. He knew about the cold room. He knew she had missed meals because of what happened. But framing her? That was different. Kaden wasn’t completely oblivious.

Maybe there was something in the past, but he had ignored it because he clearly hated Yuki for being Aevia’s sister.

"Eloise framed you?" he blurted before he could stop himself.

Yuki’s tears flowed harder. "That bitch framed me for ruining her party presence!" she cried. Her voice cracked again, raw with leftover wine and genuine hurt.

Kaden stared at her. The incident at Eloise’s birthday flashed through his mind. There had been plenty of red flags that night, things that hadn’t quite made sense. But he had never bothered looking into them. Why would he? Yuki was Aevia’s sister. That alone had been enough for him to decide he didn’t like her.

Whether she was innocent or guilty had never mattered to him. She was Aevia’s sister, and in his mind, that had made her guilty from the beginning. Yet now, for the first time, his interest was genuinely piqued. Somewhere deep in his gut, he already knew there was more to the story.