Chapter 217: Payback

"Better?" he asked her, his brows pulling together as a scowl settled over his face.

Yuki responded with another miserable groan. Kaden sighed. "I’ll take that as a no."

He picked up the tablet and held it out. "Take this."

Yuki immediately shook her head. "No," she refused. She grimaced at the sight of the pill as though it were her mortal enemy.

"Yuki," he called patiently.

"No drugs," she mumbled stubbornly, turning her face away.

Kaden stared at her. "It’s a hangover tablet. You need it," he explained.

She grimaced and pressed her fingers against her temple. "My mouth tastes awful."

"You just threw up," Kaden replied dryly. "What did you expect it to taste like?"

Yuki frowned at him as though that were somehow his fault. Kaden exhaled through his nose before softening his voice. "It’s sugar-coated."

Yuki’s eyes flickered towards the pill, but she still shook her head. "No," she deadpanned.

Kaden studied her for several seconds. She was behaving strangely now. The sharp-tongued woman who had spent the evening provoking him had disappeared beneath the alcohol, leaving behind someone stubborn, miserable and oddly childlike.

Then an idea struck him. It was possibly the greatest idea he had ever had. Kaden lowered himself until they were eye level and deliberately softened his voice. One Kaden in his right mind would faint from anger. He was going to coax her like a child.

"How about this? You take the pill, and I’ll give you a reward," he coaxed.

Yuki’s eyes immediately brightened. "What reward?" she asked weakly.

"You’ll see," he chimed mischievously.

She considered his offer seriously, but another headache struck before she could answer. Yuki groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, and Kaden waited patiently until she finally looked up again. Two black wolf ears appeared on his head.

Yuki stared. A long, deep-black tail emerged behind him, sweeping across the bathroom floor. Her emerald eyes widened with fascination, and Kaden immediately knew his plan had worked. He deliberately moved his tail from one side to the other, watching Yuki’s eyes follow it.

"Take the pill," he reminded her casually. "Then you can touch it."

Yuki looked at the tablet, then at his tail, then back at the tablet. Her lips pushed into a reluctant pout, but eventually she opened her mouth.

"Good girl," Kaden murmured as he placed the tablet on her tongue and handed her the water. "Swallow."

Yuki drank obediently. Kaden watched carefully before nodding.

"Open your mouth." She obeyed, and he checked to make sure the tablet was gone.

"Good," he sighed in relief.

The moment he was satisfied, Yuki didn’t waste a second. She reached for his tail and grabbed it with both hands. Kaden’s entire body stiffened. A sharp jolt travelled through him, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth. It wasn’t pain. He had simply forgotten one very important detail. A wolf’s ears and tail were among the most sensitive parts of their body, and Yuki had apparently decided to test that fact personally.

He had fucking miscalculated that detail in the heat of the moment.

"It’s fluffy," she murmured with genuine fascination.

She squeezed the tail again. Kaden’s jaw tightened. "Yes. It’s fluffy," he hissed.

Yuki ran her fingers through the thick black fur, inspecting it as though she had discovered some priceless treasure. She squeezed it again, and Kaden clenched one hand into a fist.

"Snow," he whimpered.

She looked up innocently. "What?" she blurted.

"Careful," he whispered. "Please..."

She ignored him completely. Her fingers continued exploring the tail, and Kaden forced his expression into neutrality even as the tips of his ears began burning. He couldn’t endure it any longer and finally pulled his tail away. Yuki’s face immediately fell. She stared at him with such obvious betrayal that Kaden had to look away.

"Don’t look at me like that," he muttered.

Her eyes began watering. Kaden’s jaw tightened.

"Stop," he begged helplessly.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"You are being dramatic," he grumbled, even though he knew perfectly well that she was deliberately testing him.

Yuki blinked innocently. Then her gaze shifted towards the black tail moving behind him. Kaden followed her eyes and immediately understood.

"Don’t even think about it."

A tiny, mischievous smile appeared on Yuki’s lips. Kaden barely had time to react before she lunged. He caught her around the waist and pulled her securely into his arms.

"Enough."

"Tail," Yuki complained.

"No," he snapped.

"Give it." She whined, struggling to reach for the tail.

"Absolutely not," he deadpanned, leaving no room for argument.

She wriggled restlessly against him, trying to reach around his shoulder. Kaden kept his tail well out of reach and held her firmly enough to stop her from falling.

"Sit still."

Yuki pouted, but then her attention shifted towards his ears. Kaden noticed. His expression immediately changed.

"Don’t... don’t," he warned, knowing that look.

Yuki smiled. "Kieran..." she called, still clueless.

"No."

She leaned forward and bit the tip of his wolf ear. Kaden’s entire body locked. His eyes flashed gold, and a low, involuntary groan rumbled from his throat as his arms tightened around her.

Yuki pulled back and blinked at him, completely unaware of what she had just done. Kaden stared at her, his breathing suddenly heavier. He swallowed hard and tried to force his expression back into something resembling composure, but the sensation still lingered through his body.

Yuki, oblivious to the danger she was creating, reached towards his ears again. Kaden caught her wrist.

"Don’t."

His voice came out rougher than he intended. Yuki tilted her head. Kaden closed his eyes for a brief second and took a slow breath. He knew exactly where his instincts were heading, and he wanted no part of it, especially when Yuki was too drunk to understand what she was provoking.

His body was painfully tense, and the memory of her fingers squeezing his tail was doing absolutely nothing to help. He needed distance. Immediately. Before he lost control of himself.

"You’re going to sober up," he muttered.

Yuki frowned. "What?"

Kaden didn’t bother explaining. He scooped her up and crossed the bathroom in several quick strides, moving so fast that Yuki barely had time to realise what he was doing before he lowered her into the bathtub.

"Kieran!" she screamed, the wrong name indeed striking a nerve.

He immediately grabbed the hand shower and turned the water on full. Cold water blasted over her. Yuki shrieked, pushing her soaked hair away from her face.

"What are you doing?!"

"Sobering you up," Kaden snapped, his voice strained with exasperation.

Yuki glared at him from inside the bathtub. "You are horrible!"

Kaden stood over her, breathing heavily as he stared down at the soaked little wolf. He dragged a hand over his face, trying to regain the composure she had been steadily dismantling all night.

"Yes," he muttered grimly. "And apparently, that’s the only thing keeping me sane tonight."