radicalducati Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Adolphus’ POV
Was that what she thought of herself?
My jaw clenched, and before she could turn away, I grabbed her wrist.
“Don’t you ever say that again.”
She stiffened.
“But it’s the truth—”
“No, it’s not.” My grip tightened just slightly, enough to keep her from walking away.
“You are not a nobody.”
She scoffed, shaking her head. “I’m not an Alpha’s daughter. I’m not a warrior. I can’t even shift.”
Her voice cracked on the last word, and I felt my chest tighten.
Katrina had always been strong for someone who carried so much pain. She wore her pride like armor, walked through the pack with her head high even when others whispered behind her back. But tonight, at this moment, I could see it. The cracks in her mask. The years of buried hurt spilling through her voice like something she could no longer contain. The doubt. The self-hatred. The way she had convinced herself she was nothing. That she didn’t belong.
And I hated it.
“None of that matters,” I told her firmly.
She let out a bitter laugh. “Easy for you to say. You’re a warrior. You’re—”
I cut her off the only way I knew how. By kissing her.
Her sharp inhale was the only warning I got before my lips crashed against hers, silencing whatever argument she was about to make.
For a split second, she froze, her entire body rigid against mine. The tension was thick, like she didn’t know what to do with this—this moment, this touch, this heat that flared between us like lightning about to strike.
Then, she melted.
Her hands found my chest, gripping my tunic like she needed something to anchor her. And then she kissed me back. Fiercely.
There was nothing gentle about it, nothing soft or hesitant. It was fire and frustration, pain and longing, all of the unspoken words and hidden emotions we had buried for too long, rising to the surface like a storm breaking through still skies.
Her lips tasted like adrenaline and rain, like truth and something forbidden. My fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss, needing her to feel everything I couldn’t say out loud.
The world around us faded. The battlefield. The blood. The chaos. None of it mattered. Not the dead rogues. Not the title I was supposed to protect. Not the Alpha’s expectations or Cassandra’s claim.
All that mattered was her.
Katrina.
My wolf growled in satisfaction, a low, rumbling purr of recognition that vibrated through my chest. The instinctive pull toward her grew stronger with every second—raw and undeniable. There was something ancient in it, something primal. She wasn’t just someone I wanted. She was someone I was meant to find.
When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing hard. Her eyes were wide, searching mine for answers I wasn’t sure I had. Her lips were parted, swollen from the kiss, and I couldn’t look away from her.
“Why… why did you do that?” she whispered.
I swallowed hard, brushing my thumb across her cheek. Her skin was warm, despite the chill in the air.
“Because you needed to know the truth.”
She shook her head, stepping back slightly. “And what truth is that?”
“That you’re not a nobody,” I said softly. “And you never were.”
Her lips parted again, as if she wanted to say something, maybe to argue, maybe to agree. Maybe both. But before she could, I grabbed her and kissed her again.
Harder.
Because once wasn’t enough.
And maybe it never would be.