Chapter 214: It’s Kaden not Kieran

"I..." Her voice was barely audible. "Kieran... I..."

"Don’t go..." she mumbled.

Her voice was low, but in the quiet room, it carried clearly.

"Kieran..." she called again in that low voice, barely above a whisper.

Kaden froze. His gaze remained fixed on her as her fingers tightened around the front of his suit. For a moment, he wasn’t sure whether he should pull away or simply leave her there. Her breathing was slow and uneven, and her lashes rested against her cheeks as though she were completely asleep.

"Kieran," she mumbled again, still barely audible.

A silent laugh escaped Kaden’s lips. He sat down on the edge of the bed, watching the little wolf cling stubbornly to his shirt while calling his brother’s name. His amusement faded when he looked at her hand. Something dark flickered through his eyes before he forced himself to rein in his temper.

"What exactly is going on in your mind, Snow?" he muttered.

Yuki mumbled something else. Kaden couldn’t make out the words. His jaw tightened. He drew a slow breath before speaking in an unusually calm voice.

"Let go," he instructed, but it fell on deaf ears. Her fingers tightened instead. Kaden stared at them. "You’re really doing this?" he said in disbelief.

Nothing. He clicked his tongue. She was particularly troublesome in this state. Kaden leaned closer, lowering his head until his mouth was near her ear. He saw her ears twitch and redden slightly. A knowing smirk curled at the corner of his lip.

"Let go, little wolf," he whispered, his voice carrying a quiet warning. "Don’t make me repeat myself."

Yuki’s heart skipped, which didn’t escape Kaden’s sharp hearing. A small smile threatened the corners of his lips. She wasn’t asleep. She had woken up while he was carrying her upstairs, but she had decided that pretending to sleep was far more entertaining.

Her fingers tightened around his jacket. She squeezed her eyes shut, determined not to give herself away, but her heartbeat had already betrayed her. The faint flutter of her lashes did not escape Kaden either. He stared at her for several seconds. So that was the game she wanted to play.

He could smell her clearly from this close. The familiar caramel and rosewood scent clung to her skin, mixed with the sharp, spicy trace of alcohol from the wine she’d consumed throughout the night.

Kaden’s gaze darkened. He didn’t know what game she was playing, but it was a dangerous one. He reached down and carefully tried to pry her fingers from his jacket, loosening them one at a time. The first finger came free. The second did not. Yuki tightened her grip again. Kaden frowned.

"Stubborn little wolf," he hissed.

He tried again, but her fingers only curled more firmly into the fabric. He could have forced them apart. He could have applied enough pressure to her wrist to make her release him. The thought crossed his mind before he immediately dismissed it. Instead, his hand settled around her small wrist.

The Ravencourt bracelet glinted beneath the bedroom lights. Her skin looked far too pale and fragile beneath his fingers. Kaden’s jaw tightened.

The man who had earned a reputation as a ruthless general and a battle monster among his brothers had faced hardened warriors without hesitation. Soldiers feared his strength, his endurance and the brutality he could unleash when pushed.

Yet here he was, hesitating because one drunk, troublesome little wolf refused to release his jacket. He could think of several reasons. She was part of the Ravencourt family now. He had to protect the family name. He couldn’t afford to hurt her even if he hated her. She wasn’t worth ruining his reputation over. Those were all perfectly reasonable explanations. At least, they should have been.

Kaden released a long breath.

"Snow," he said, his voice almost pleading now. "Let go."

A smile spread across Yuki’s lips. She hadn’t expected that. The faint helplessness in his voice gave her a ridiculous amount of satisfaction. Even through her drunken haze, she enjoyed knowing she could drive the usually unshakable Kaden Ravencourt completely insane. Yes, her brains were completely fried, and she genuinely thought it was Kieran and not Kaden. She had completely forgotten what happened in the garden earlier.

After all, you couldn’t blame her. They looked so much alike, and their voices even sounded alike.

Her eyes finally fluttered open. There was a mischievous glimmer in them. Kaden immediately noticed. "You were awake," he snorted, a fact he had long known.

Yuki stared at him through hazy eyes. For a moment, she genuinely struggled to make out his face. The room seemed to tilt slightly. Kaden’s dark hair, blue eyes and familiar features blurred together with another face in her alcohol-clouded memories. Kieran. Her old crush.

The brother she had once secretly admired before coming to Ravencourt. The two looked so much alike that, in her drunken state, her mind simply settled on the person she wanted to see. Her lips curved.

"Make me, Kieran," she murmured, the words soft and slightly slurred. There was a challenging tone in them.

Kaden’s expression went blank. "What?" he blurted. His brows furrowed. Why was she still calling Kieran?

Yuki giggled softly. "You’re Kieran," she said confidently.

"I’m not," Kaden hissed. A vein popped in his forehead. "Kieran’s hair is shorter," he pointed out. But reasoning with a drunk was impossible.

"Yes, you are," Yuki insisted.

"I’m Kaden," he drawled, emphasising his name.

She squinted at him as though seriously examining the evidence. Then she shook her head. "No. Kieran." She then tapped his cheek. "I will recognise him anywhere."

Kaden sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. He was losing it. "We don’t even smell alike," he said heavily, then decided to wave the white flag to end this madness. "Please, can you stop? It’s been a long night," he pleaded.

"I will do anything. Just stop. You win," he said helplessly.

"Anything..." she chimed. He hesitated before nodding. "Yes, anything..."

Her grin widened. She knew he was suspicious, and that only made the next part more entertaining. There was no way he was going to trust someone who had kicked him in the groin earlier, but he was taking the risk.

"Come closer," she whispered.

Kaden stopped. He was reconsidering his decision.