Lesson Learned.

"Really?" he asked, his voice edged with a dangerous darkness. 

My heart skipped a beat. 

His arms were still firmly around me, but he hadn't moved. The weight of his stare pressed against my face, scorching and unrelenting. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel it. 

What is he waiting for? Is he going to punish me for trying to escape? 

I fought the urge to squirm. My pulse raced, and my mind scrambled for a plan. Should I keep pretending to be unconscious? Maybe he'd think I fainted from the fall and let it go. 

But who was I kidding? 

This was Kalix—stubborn, perceptive, and absolutely not someone who would be fooled by such a pathetic ploy. 

I risked cracking one eye open just a fraction. 

Big mistake. 

His face was closer than I expected, jaw tight, lips pressed into a thin line, and those eyes... dark pools of irritation mixed with something else I couldn't quite decipher. 

"You can stop pretending now." His voice was low, but it carried a command I couldn't ignore. 

Busted. 

I opened my eyes fully, giving him a sheepish smile. "Uh... i got scared for a moment there." 

He arched a brow. "Did you really think it would work?" 

"Nope." I sighed dramatically. "Worth a shot, though." 

"You're reckless," he said, his voice softening just slightly. "What were you thinking, trying to jump from that height in your condition?" 

"I was thinking I wouldn't get caught," I thought. My cheeks burned. I was going to need a better escape strategy. One that didn't involve me dangling from a window like a clumsy fool. 

"I swear I wasn't trying to escape! I fell—trust me! I thought I heard something, and when I tried to see, I accidentally fell." 

The words tumbled out in a desperate rush. I knew I was blabbering, but panic had scrambled my brain. Kalix just stared at me, expression unreadable, his dark eyes practically drilling into my soul. 

I swallowed hard. Okay, maybe the truth wasn't convincing enough. 

Desperate times call for desperate measures. 

I pouted slightly, widening my eyes in the most innocent expression I could muster. It was a trick that always worked on my dad—one flutter of these big eyes, and I was out of trouble. 

Maybe, just maybe, it would work on Kalix too. 

Wrong. 

Suddenly, he released his hold on me without warning. 

A shriek tore from my throat as I clung to his neck with the strength of someone hanging on for dear life. 

"What the hell?!" I glared at him, heart pounding in my chest. He was as stoic as ever. 

My glare faltered. Right. Alpha. Probably not the best idea to stare him down like I was ready to pick a fight. 

With as much dignity as I could scrape together, I loosened my grip and backed away. 

Note to self: pouting doesn't work on him. 

Lesson learned.