Chapter 310: Red handed

Crimson blood continued to drip slowly from Kieran’s tightly clenched fists, splattering onto the cold stone path beneath his boots. His sharp sapphire gaze remained locked onto the dark corridor where the fleeting shadows had vanished. The muscle in his jaw clenched so hard that thick veins popped along his neck, his teeth grinding together in a silent, violent fury.

‘ What the fuck is she doing?’ Kieran snapped internally, his pulse hammering in his ears. ‘ Did that reckless vixen completely forget where she was? This was a high-stakes, public engagement gala hosted by the pack nobility, not some secluded mating ground.’ He hissed in disgust to his inner wolf, completely infuriated that Yuki would dare pull a stunt like this right under the noses of the entire pack council.

‘ It’s thrilling, isn’t it?’ His wolf mocked, letting out a dark, booming laugh inside his mind.

The amusement pissed Kieran off even further. Why the hell was his wolf finding genuine entertainment in a scenario that was threatening to tear their reputation apart?

‘ Are you going to stand out here sulking like a rejected pup,’ his wolf pushed, its claws scratching at his consciousness, ‘ or are you going to find out who the hell is touching her?’

Kieran could sense the wild, twisted excitement humming through his wolf’s spirit, making him pause to question if it was truly his own beast talking. ‘ Of course I’m going to find out who that bastard is,’ Kieran spat back through their link, his inner voice dripping with venom.

His wolf chuckled darkly.’ I almost feel bad for the guy. Just try not to beat his face so badly it becomes completely unrecognisable.’

Kieran forced his legs forward, following the heavy, sweet, intoxicating trail of her arousal cutting through the cool night air. Below his waist, his own cock twitched violently in an automatic, treacherous reaction, making his trousers feel suffocatingly tight. He bottled everything down with sheer willpower, grinding his teeth. It was beyond infuriating that he could get physically aroused in an unpleasant situation like this.

As he closed the distance, his mind raced, frantically trying to deduce the identity of the man behind the wall. The closer he got to the origin of the scent, the more absolutely certain he became of one crucial fact: it wasn’t Xavier.

Aside from Yuki’s thick, honeyed scent of release and a sharp hint of heavy alcohol lingering in the air, he couldn’t detect a single trace of another person’s signature scent.

(Note: Kieran couldn’t sense Kaden’s scent because of his stealth skill masking his presence completely).

That missing detail meant only one thing—whoever was in there with Yuki was deliberately masking his scent. And Xavier had zero reason to mask his presence when he was out in the garden with his own betrothed.

The scent trail drew Kieran straight to the heavy, reinforced doors of an isolated utility equipment room, where the aroma of her desire was at its absolute thickest. A glistening, wet trail of water droplets stretched across the stone tiles leading directly to the threshold, puzzling him even further. ‘ Were they so completely lost in their lust that they actually fell into the pool first?’ he scoffed internally.

Kieran heightened his acute Lycan hearing, straining to catch any subtle verbal clue through the thick wooden door. But the only sounds that reached his ears were unmistakable, wet, frantic kissing sounds, ragged breathing, and soft, muffled moans

.

“No…” Yuki moaned in a low, sweet, raspy voice that made Kieran’s own breathing instantly turn heavy and ragged.

Kieran’s grip tightened around the metallic door handle until the steel creaked under his knuckles. She was completely being undone in there—unravelled, helpless—and worse, the auditory assault was driving him mad in ways it had no right to. Why the hell were her lewd, shameless sounds from another man’s touch turning him on so violently?

‘ Open it, ‘ his wolf growled, urging him forward with dark impatience.

Kieran turned the brass handle, slowly pushing inward. The door didn’t budge an inch, jammed solid. But the sudden pressure against the frame caused the kissing sounds inside to cut off instantly. He caught the distinct sound of two racing, frantic heartbeats reverberating from the other side of the panel.

‘ They must be leaning directly against the door,’ his wolf deduced sharply.

Kieran scoffed internally, his knuckles turning stark white on the brass handle. Just one strong, forceful push of his shoulder, and he would break the lock, catching the bastard red-handed. He couldn’t wait to see the sheer, pathetic terror on Yuki’s face when he exposed them. He could tell whoever was trapped behind the door was desperately holding their breath, trying to stay completely quiet.

Then, despite the danger, another soft, helpless moan slipped past Yuki’s lips inside the room. They weren’t even truly scared of getting caught.

“Kaden! Kieran!” a loud, feminine voice suddenly called out from down the stone walkway, cutting sharply through the quiet night air.

Kieran froze dead in his tracks. Eloise.

His head snapped back toward the entrance of the courtyard, his heightened senses immediately detecting her light, familiar footsteps heading rapidly in his direction. In an instant, two stark options flashed through his mind: he could force the door open right now and catch Yuki in the act, but then Eloise would witness the entire scandal unfold.

He couldn’t afford to let Eloise see this. She would never keep quiet about an illegitimate affair involving a Ravencourt, and the political fallout would destroy their family’s standing with the council.

“You’re fucking lucky,” Kieran whispered harshly into the seam of the door, his voice barely more than a low, gravelly rasp, yet easily loud enough for the sharp wolf ears on the other side to hear.

He quickly released the metal handle and strode briskly away from the utility shed, heading toward the manicured garden path to intercept her. Sure enough, he spotted Eloise wandering near the rose bushes, looking utterly confused as she glanced around the shadowed courtyard.

“Eloise?” Kieran called out, keeping his tone carefully steady.

Eloise’s eyes lit up as she turned toward his voice, gathering the heavy folds of her silver silk dress in her hands as she began rushing toward him. “Kieran! There you are—”

Before she could step any closer into the garden—and potentially pick up the thick, lingering cloud of Yuki’s arousal floating off the utility shed—Kieran picked up his pace, meeting her halfway under a stone archway.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked smoothly, taking a firm step to block her view of the lower path.

Eloise pouted slightly, placing a hand over her chest. “I was worried about you two! Have you seen Kaden anywhere? He’s been gone for ages.”

Kieran shook his head. In the heat of tracking Yuki, he had completely forgotten about his brother for a moment. Right now, his primary focus had to be preventing the Ravencourt name from being dragged through the dirt simply because Yuki couldn’t control her shameless impulses.

“No, I haven’t,” Kieran lied effortlessly. He gently clasped her forearm, turning her around. “We should head back inside immediately. It’s getting far too cold out here.”

Eloise opened her mouth to protest, but Kieran was already steering her firmly back toward the double glass doors of the VIP elevator lobby. As they walked, a faint, lingering trace of Yuki’s sweet rosewood scent clung to his own jacket, making his palms go clammy and sweaty against his sides.

He could barely believe he was actively helping that unfaithful vixen cover up her dirty affair.

Eloise, being dragged along by his side, glanced up at him with a slight frown. “Why aren’t you still looking for Kaden? You said you were going to bring him back to the table.”

Kieran replied calmly, his face a mask of total detachment. “I already checked the outer perimeter. Kaden is masking his presence completely tonight—he likely got bored and already left the hotel venue.”

Not long after reaching the upper carpeted corridor of the VIP suite floor, the sharp sound of approaching dress shoes echoed down the hallway.

Kieran glanced up—and his eyes landed squarely on Xavier Velmore striding towards them from the main ballroom doors.

Subconsciously, Kieran’s grip tightened so hard on Eloise’s arm that she winced in pain, shooting him a startled look. Kieran barely noticed; inside, his chest burned with bitter irritation. He could only hope that Yuki had been smart enough to break away from her secret lover and slip out of that utility room by now.

That little vixen was truly driving him to violate every single moral standard he held dear.

Xavier came to a stop a few paces ahead, his hazel eyes scanning the corridor. The very first question out of his mouth was, “Kieran, have you seen Yuki?”

Sorry for the late update. Work was super stressful today and I was having a bit of writer’s block