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Ava immediately moved away from lan.
She glanced at the door and noticed that she had forgotten to close it, so she did not realize when lan entered the
room.
“I–I was just…”
She struggled to find words. Just now, she was caught!
Ian smirked when he saw she could not reply. Ian had just come back to the pack house to take a file when the maids informed him about Ava.
He was surprised to learn she was here. He was delighted that she had come to his house. When they told him she was in his study, he hoped she had come to see him.
However, when he arrived here and found her attempting to obtain an ancient book, he was skeptical.
“Let me see what you were so eager to get,” he muttered, taking a look at the book.
He was tall, and it was easy for his long hand to reach for the book. He picked up the book and looked at the cover.
He froze as soon as he read the title.
“The myth of Alpha’s rejection”
His voice sounded like a whisper. Ava raised her gaze and saw him holding the book in his hands.
She hurriedly leaned toward him to grab the book. But he held his hand up out of her grasp before she could grab it.
“Ian, give it to me.”
With his hand still in the air, he leaned his back against the bookshelf and composed his bewildered face.
“What’s so special about it?” he asked.
She tiptoed to take the book from his grasp. “Stop playing and give it to me.”
“Why don’t you reply to me first? Then I will consider whether I should give it to you or not.”
Ava turned her gaze from the book and looked at Ian. She calmed down and stated,
“You don’t need to know why it’s special. It is a special book, so I want it.”
He grinned at her, which she found maniacal. Why didn’t he just give it to her and let her leave?
“What would I get if I gave it to you?” he asked.
She paused, standing on her feet. She gave him a frown. “What do you want?”
He looked around as if thinking about something. His eyes lit up as he responded,
“How about letting me mark you?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow.
She was shocked to hear him. “Have you lost your mind?” she let out a yell.
Ian smirked at her and mumbled, “You should not yell at your mate. Your mate’s heart hurts.”
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She scoffed at him and asked, “Heart? Does he have a heart?”
His smirk froze when she questioned him.
How could the woman, for whom his heart had been beating for so long, ask the question? He could consider if other people had asked him that, but how could she?
“I don’t have a heart?” he muttered as if questioning himself.
She shook her head. “No, you don’t have a heart. You have a stone in place of a heart that can change colors whenever it wants.”
After saying that, she moved close to him and tiptoed to grap the book, considering the last time to take a chance.
Instead of giving her the book or allowing her to take it from his hand, he wrapped his hands around her waist and pressed her body against him.
She was stunned.
“W–What are you
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He lowered his face to interrupt her. His nose brushed against hers, and he whispered,
“Don’t hurt me with your words. I do have a heart, and it only beats for you.”
His voice was deep; his eyes were dark, but she could see pain in them. She felt her insides clench as she looked into those eyes.
She blinked and could not say anything in response.
While looking into her eyes, he said,
“You are very desperate to break this mate bond, aren’t you?”
She gulped, looking away from him. She pushed against his chest, prompting him to release her.
She stepped back and glanced at the book in his hand.
“You can’t stop me from getting this book. Even if you succeed, you can’t stop me from finding a way to break this bond. I will find my way.”
After saying that, Ava left the pack house.
Ian stared at the door for a long time until his phone rang. He almost forgot that he had returned to the pack house to take a file.
His eyes fell on the book he was holding tightly. He opened the book, trying to see what she wanted to find.
He started to read, turning a few pages until his eyes turned red. His fingers gripped the page, causing the top of the page to tear slightly.
His expression was fierce, as if he had discovered a way to break the mate bond that Ava was searching for.
