Page 35 of Captured By the Russian Wolf

"I do," she whispered. "I didn't mean for it to happen, but it did. I fell in love with you, Nikita."

Her words stabbed at something deep inside me, something I hadn't even realized was there. But I couldn't let her see that. I couldn't let her know how much her betrayal had affected me.

"Do you think that changes anything?" I demanded, stepping closer until I was looming over her, my shadow swallowing her whole. "Do you think that makes up for all the lies? For everything you've done?"

She shook her head, her gaze dropping to the floor. "No," she whispered. "It doesn't. But it's the truth."

"The truth?" I spat, my anger flaring up again. "You don't know the first thing about the truth, Lily. You've been lying to me since the day we met."

She didn't argue. She didn't defend herself. She just sat there, broken, defeated, her body trembling as the weight of her actions crashed down on her.

The rage boiled over inside me, and before I could stop myself, I grabbed her by the arm, pulling her up from the bed. She gasped, her eyes wide with fear, but I didn't care. I couldn't care. All I could see was the betrayal, the lies.

"I should have killed you the moment I found out," I growled, my grip tightening on her arm. "You're lucky you're still standing."

She whimpered, but she didn't pull away. She didn't resist. She just stared up at me, her eyes filled with tears, with guilt, with regret. But not fear. Not anymore.

"And now?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "What will you do now?"

I didn't answer right away. I didn't know what to say. The fury was still there, pulsing through me with every breath I took, but beneath it, something else twisted inside me. Something thatmade it impossible to act, to follow through with the punishment she deserved.

"I should end this," I growled, my grip still tight on her arm. "I should end you."

The words were harsh, cruel, but they were laced with a truth that neither of us could deny. I could kill her.

Ishouldkill her, like I killed her husband.

CHAPTER 12

Lily

The silence after my confession was worse than any scream, worse than any blow he could have delivered. I could feel the tension radiating off Nikita like a live wire, coiled tight, ready to snap. He stood there, unmoving, his cold eyes fixed on me, as if weighing what to do with me now that I had laid myself bare before him. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, the only sound breaking through the suffocating stillness in the room.

But he said nothing.

"Nikita…" I whispered, my voice shaking with fear. "Please. Say something."

His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I wished he would yell. Lash out. Do anything other than stand there with that icy mask on his face, looking at me like I was nothing more than a bug under his boot. His silence was suffocating, crueler than any words he could have thrown at me.

"You want me to say something?" he finally asked, his voice low, deadly. "What exactly do you want me to say, Lily? That Iunderstand? That I forgive you for lying to me since the day we met?"

My heart clenched painfully in my chest. His tone was razor-sharp, each word cutting deeper than the last. There was no warmth in his voice, none of the desire I'd once seen when he looked at me. Now, he only radiated cold, ruthless fury.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," I said quickly, desperate to explain myself. "I didn't… I didn't know why you killed Alexei. I was broken after his death, and when we first met, I couldn't see anything else. I was consumed by it."

Nikita's lips twisted into a bitter smile, but there was no humor in it. "Consumed?" he repeated, still gripping me tightly. "That's what you call it? You spent months lying to me, pretending to care, while plotting to destroy me. All because of some misguided notion of revenge."

"I didn't plan for it to go this far," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I didn't plan to fall in love with you."

His eyes flashed dangerously, and the warmth from the fire did nothing to ease the chill that crawled up my spine.

"Love?" he spat, his voice dripping with disdain. "You expect me to believe that you love me? After everything?"

I flinched at the venom in his voice, my heart pounding in my chest. "It's the truth," I insisted, but even to my own ears, it sounded weak.

He barked out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "The truth?" His eyes darkened, his mouth twisting into something cruel. "You wouldn't know the truth if it hit you in the face, Lily. You're nothing but a liar."

My breath hitched at his words, tears stinging at the corners of my eyes. I couldn't let him see how much it hurt. How much his words cut into me like a blade. I had to keep it together.

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