Chapter 77: ⁷⁷: possessive

I started the car after placing my two suitcases in the back.

The destination was already set in the GPS, so all I had to do was follow the directions. As the car began moving, I glanced at the screen. It showed that the journey would take approximately twenty-five minutes.

That meant I would have to drive for almost half an hour every day from there to the academy.

I shook my head, deciding to worry about that later. For now, I just needed to reach the place and figure out exactly what Kael had arranged for me.

The sun was already beginning to set. Between packing my belongings and completing all the formalities at the packhouse, I hadn’t even realized how much time had passed.

I glanced down at myself. I hadn’t even changed my clothes. Apparently, everything would have to wait until I reached whatever place Kael had decided was now my new home.

The drive was surprisingly quiet. As the packhouse gradually disappeared behind me, the surroundings became less familiar, with fewer houses and more trees lining the road. I kept following the GPS until, after a while, it announced that I had reached my destination.

I slowed down and looked out of the window. My brows furrowed. There were towering trees everywhere, surrounding a single, decent-sized villa standing almost completely isolated from everything else.

That was it? This was the place Kael had chosen for me?

Since it was the only house anywhere in sight, I had no trouble figuring out where to go. I drove toward the large gates and pressed the horn, looking around for a guard or anyone who might come out to open them.

There was no one. Not even a single person in sight. I frowned. Before I could step out of the car to investigate, the gates suddenly began opening on their own.

I stared at them for a moment before slowly driving through. I parked the car to one side and switched off the engine.

For a few seconds, I simply sat there, taking in my surroundings. It was strangely peaceful.

The only sounds were the gentle rustling of leaves and the occasional chirping of birds. Compared to the constant activity of the packhouse, the silence here felt almost unnatural.

I finally stepped out and looked around.

"Why is there nobody here?" I murmured.

I opened the trunk and pulled out my suitcases, still wondering what exactly Kael had been thinking when he chose such an isolated place for me.

Just as I was about to walk toward the house, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled it out and it was a message from Kael.

Get your luggage inside. Why are you taking so long?

I blinked at the screen. I looked around immediately, half expecting him to appear from somewhere.

"Is he watching me?" I muttered. There was no sign of him anywhere. My gaze shifted toward the villa. "Maybe he’s inside."

With a small sigh, I grabbed both suitcases and started dragging them toward the entrance.

The moment I stepped inside, a familiar voice reached my ears.

"Why did it take you so long just to enter, Athena? Not feeling very confident now, are you?"

I immediately looked toward the source of the voice. Kael was standing near the staircase. I stopped in my tracks. He must have been upstairs until now.

My eyes narrowed as I studied him, still trying to understand why he was here and what exactly he had planned.

Of course. He hadn’t simply given me a house. There was clearly something more to this.

Also there was something different about him. I had sensed it from the moment he entered my room yesterday, but today, that difference felt even more pronounced.

There had always been a subtle hint of playfulness in Kael’s eyes whenever he looked at me. Even when he was teasing me, I could see that spark beneath his cold exterior.

But now, it was completely gone. His eyes were cold..Too cold and distant. I swallowed the lump that had unknowingly formed in my throat.

"Why did you suddenly decide that I should move out of the packhouse?" I asked, refusing to move from where I stood. "You didn’t even have the courtesy to ask me first."

A faint smile appeared on his face at my words, but the coldness in his eyes remained. "I do what I want, Athena Moonvel," he said. The smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "I don’t like making decisions according to other people’s comfort. Now that you’re here, there won’t be any disturbances or unnecessary problems."

I frowned. "What exactly does that mean?"

His gaze remained fixed on me. "It means I’ll be able to get what I want from you without any disturbance."

My heartbeat quickened slightly as I understood the implication behind his words.

I probably should have felt nervous. Perhaps even a little frightened. Yet strangely, I didn’t.

There was something unsettling about the effect Kael had on me. Whenever he was involved, my usual caution seemed to disappear beneath a strange mixture of curiosity and defiance.

I remembered how shocked I’d been when I first learned what I would have to do to remain close to him and accomplish what I wanted.

Back then, the arrangement had seemed almost impossible.

But after everything that had happened between us, I had begun to realize that being around Kael was slowly uncovering a side of me I hadn’t known existed.

"Is this what you meant yesterday when you said something had to change?" I asked. "Did you decide this after Miss Renee interrupted us?"

Kael shook his head. Then he began walking toward me...Slowly, each step seemed deliberate, and despite myself, I found my attention following his movements.

"You don’t need to concern yourself with all of that, Athena," he said as he stopped a few steps away from me, his cold gaze meeting mine. "You just need to focus on being a good slut for me now."

My eyes widened at his words before he pulled me by my waist flush against him, making me go crazy. I placed my hand around the back of his head too engrossed in feeling him against myself.

But the very next second Kael’s expression suddenly changed.

His eyes darkened as he looked at me more carefully, his attention shifting toward my clothes as though he had noticed something unusual.

" Who the fuck were you with Athena?! His voice had turned dangerously quiet.

I blinked.

"What?"

He took another step closer, his expression becoming increasingly suspicious.

"Why do I smell someone other than me all over you?!"