Free Web NovelChapter 20: Chapter 20
Christian’s expression was carved from ice as he watched Fleur pull up at the airport and see Raphael off. Through the tinted window of his car, he observed every detail with predatory focus. Raphael wrapped his arms around Fleur in a lingering embrace before disappearing into the terminal. Fleur remained standing there for a moment, then climbed back into her vehicle and drove toward her office.
Something dark and dangerous prowled beneath Christian’s skin. The sight of them together stirred the wolf inside him into a restless frenzy.
"Follow her," he ordered coldly.
His driver obeyed without hesitation.
Christian remained silent throughout the journey, his gaze never leaving Fleur’s car. Only after he watched her enter her office building did he direct his driver toward his own headquarters.
Work should have distracted him.
It didn’t.
He sat through two meetings, barely hearing a word spoken around him. Every report blurred into meaningless noise. Every passing minute felt heavier than the last. By afternoon, exhaustion had settled deep into his bones like poison.
Without explanation, he rose from his seat.
"Reschedule everything for tomorrow."
His assistant looked surprised but nodded immediately.
An hour later, Christian stepped into the luxury Paris apartment he had been using while renovations on his mansion were completed.
"I expected you home much earlier."
The sarcastic voice waiting inside belonged to Syrus.
Christian’s scowl deepened instantly.
"What are you doing here, Syrus?" he growled. "Don’t you have work?"
Syrus didn’t answer right away. Instead, he studied his friend.
The sight was alarming. Christian looked like a man who had survived a war and lost every battle afterward.
For days, he had barely eaten. Sleep seemed to avoid him entirely. Dark shadows stained the skin beneath his piercing blue eyes. His cheeks had hollowed noticeably, and his expensive tailored suits now hung more loosely on his frame.
The once meticulous Alpha King no longer cared about appearances.
Dark stubble covered his jaw. His hair had grown wild and untamed.
Who would believe this was the same ruthless Alpha who commanded fear with a single glance?
The man standing before Syrus looked broken.
Worse... He looked defeated.
Syrus had witnessed this once before, six years ago, and he remembered how long it had taken Christian to claw his way back from the abyss.
This time felt even more dangerous. The wolf king was slowly destroying himself, and Syrus refused to stand by and watch.
"I could ask you the same thing," Syrus finally replied. "You told me you’d be here for two days. It’s been over a week."
"My business required an extension."
Christian brushed past him and headed toward his bedroom.
Syrus followed.
"Look at yourself," he said bluntly. "What happened to the terrifying Alpha King everyone fears? You look terrible."
Christian shot him a murderous glare through the mirror while loosening his tie.
Most men would have backed away. Syrus wasn’t most men.
"I’m serious," he continued. "You haven’t eaten properly in nearly a week. Judging by the smell of this place, I’m pretty sure you haven’t showered either."
He raised both hands defensively.
"Before you decide to kill me, just answer one question. How long are you planning to keep this up?"
Christian’s eyes flashed dangerously. "I’m fine."
The lie sounded hollow even to his own ears. "Leave me alone. I don’t need anyone."
With that, he disappeared into his walk-in closet.
A few minutes later, he emerged wearing gray sweatpants and a black shirt.
Without acknowledging the untouched meal waiting downstairs, he walked directly toward the private bar.
The bottle of scotch was already in his hand before he reached the counter.
Syrus watched helplessly. Every action screamed self-destruction.
As much blood as Christian had spilled throughout his life, as many sins as stained his hands, Syrus knew the man had suffered more than most would ever understand.
The realization filled him with dread.
Because if Christian had truly lost the will to keep fighting, then nobody on earth would be strong enough to save him. freёwebnovel.com
Determination hardened inside Syrus.
He strode forward and ripped the glass from Christian’s grasp.
"I won’t let you do this."
Christian’s head snapped toward him. The murderous growl that emerged sounded more wolf than man.
"What the fuck is your problem?"
Despite the fear crawling up his spine, Syrus stood his ground.
"You are." His voice softened. "You’re my problem, Christian. And I can’t keep watching this."
For a brief moment, genuine concern flickered in his eyes.
Because beneath the wealth, power, and fear Christian inspired, there were very few people who actually cared about him.
Most remained because they feared him. Others stayed because they benefited from him.
Syrus stayed because he loved him like a brother.
"Then leave." Christian snatched the bottle and poured himself another drink.
The amber liquid disappeared down his throat in one swallow.
Syrus clenched his jaw. Reasoning with Christian was like trying to command a storm.
Impossible.
Frustrated beyond words, he slammed the empty glass onto the counter and stormed out.
Silence settled over the apartment. Christian released a slow breath.
Then he poured another drink.
And another.
And another.
The alcohol dulled nothing. The ache remained. The emptiness remained. Fleur remained.
No matter how much he drank, he couldn’t escape her.
Unable to endure the suffocating walls any longer, he grabbed his jacket and headed downstairs.
His driver immediately brought the car around.
An hour later, Christian found himself standing outside Fleur’s apartment building.
Like a fool. Like a lovesick wolf. Like a man who had lost every ounce of pride.
His gaze lifted toward her window.
No lights. She was probably asleep.
Still, he remained there. Watching. Waiting. Hoping.
Then, as if the Moon Goddess herself had answered a prayer he would never dare speak aloud, light suddenly flooded her room.
Christian froze.
Above him, Fleur appeared by the window.
Sleep had apparently abandoned her as well. Restlessness lingered in her movements as she pushed the window open and welcomed the cool night air.
The moon painted silver highlights across her skin.
Stars glittered behind her.
And Christian could see nothing else.
She settled on the windowsill and absentmindedly traced invisible shapes through the air with her fingertips before huffing and wiping them away.
The gesture was childish. Adorable.
A smile tugged at Christian’s lips before he even realized it.
For the first time in days, life returned to his eyes. For the first time in weeks, the darkness surrounding him loosened its grip.
His gaze never left her. Not for a second.
The smile that transformed his features was so breathtakingly rare that even his bodyguards stared in disbelief.
No one had ever seen Christian Wayne smile.
Not once.
Shock spread among them as they followed their Alpha’s line of sight toward the woman in the illuminated window.
Then understanding dawned.
Because the fearsome wolf king who ruled empires with blood and brutality was looking at Fleur with something infinitely more dangerous than obsession.
Love... Raw. Hopeless. Unmistakable.
And suddenly they understood why she could never be an ordinary woman.
She was the impossible miracle who had accomplished what no enemy, rival, or king had ever managed to do.
She had reached the heart of the monster and awakened the man buried beneath.
