Devlin leaned against the chair, his entire demeanor shifting.

His features hardened, annoyance flickering across his expression, edged with something else—something sharper, almost like pain.

Gone was the incubus who had lit up at the realization that he could touch me without his magic muddling my mind.

In his place sat Kieran.

A scowl settled on his face, his jaw flexing in warning. Then, in a low, rough growl, Devlin said, “Run back to your coven, little witch. I don’t need your help. I don’t want your help.”

I summoned my inner Mina. She was the sunshine to Kieran’s grumpy—warm, stubborn, and completely unwilling to put up with his shit.

“Exiled, remember ?” I said, the words sharp on my tongue. A lump formed in my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing back the sting of unshed tears. You’re Mina. Mina is strong. Mina wouldn’t let an old wound fester. She wouldn’t care about being exiled anymore.

I took a steadying breath and opened my eyes.

Devlin went completely still, his brows drawing together in quiet concern.

I forced a casual shrug, as if it was all just part of the act, praying his senses were still dampened enough not to pick up on the tight knot in my chest. The moment he realized I wasn’t going to fall apart, he exhaled, the tension in his stance shifting.

Then, with a flex of his jaw, he slipped effortlessly back into character.

“That’s none of my concern, witch,” he said, his voice gravelly. “I’ll travel much faster in my wolf form. You’ll only hold me back.”

I tilted my head, letting a slow, honeyed smile curve my lips. “You’re right, of course. I would slow you down on your travels.”

Devlin’s shoulders relaxed, the perfect embodiment of Kieran’s relief, as if Mina had finally seen reason, as if she would graciously bow out of the adventure and let him carry on alone.

Then I let my smile sharpen.

“But tell me, pup,” I bit out. “Exactly how do you plan on breaking the curse once you do find your packmate? Hm? Cock your leg and piss all over it? ”

I felt my lips curl into a grin. Little emotional wobble aside, I was actually having fun.

Devlin let out a low, convincing growl, the sound pure, unfiltered alpha irritation.

Then, in five long strides, he crossed the room and loomed over me, bracing one hand against the wall above my head.

My back pressed instinctively against the wood, my breath hitching as I tilted my chin up to meet his gaze.

Okay... in the span of a single heartbeat, this had gone from playful reenactment to something else entirely.

The heat from Devlin’s body seared into mine, even though we weren’t touching, and suddenly, my knees felt useless. Like they might just give out at any second.

I sucked in a shaky breath, and a full-body shudder nearly betrayed me as his scent wrapped around me.

The lingering lavender from the bubble bath still clung to his skin, but beneath it—rich and unmistakable—was him.

Spice and sandalwood, warm and heady, something that curled deep into my senses and branded itself there.

Fuck. I had a sneaking suspicion I’d never be able to forget the way Devlin smelled.

My eyes dragged upward, tracing over the taut muscle pulsing in his neck, past the flex of his jaw— Goddess , the way it clenched, like he was holding something back. I tried not to linger on his lips, tried not to fixate on how soft they looked, slightly parted, like an unspoken invitation.

Instead, I made the mistake of meeting his eyes.

Because Devlin was looking at me like Kieran . But not just any Kieran— perfect alpha Kieran. The kind of look that said How dare you challenge me, witch ... but with just enough raw hunger to whisper You are so fucking beautiful up close.

For a split second, I forgot we were acting.

I caught my bottom lip between my teeth, my body swaying slightly forward, desperate to close the space between us. I wanted to know—to feel—if his lips were as soft as they looked.

And then Devlin moved.

My heart nearly escaped my rib cage as he reached out, gently hooking a single finger beneath my chin. My eyes fluttered closed, lips parting slightly.

This wasn’t in the script.

But, Goddess, did it feel so fucking right.

Devlin’s lips hovered mere millimeters from my ear, his breath hot as it wrapped around me, leaving my skin prickling in its wake.

He sniffed the air, as if Kieran could scent the moment Mina’s body betrayed her.

His voice was a low, dangerous growl. “I don’t need some desperate, sex-starved witch trailing after me,” he murmured, each word slow and cutting.

“Distracting me with her unrequited scent of desire.”

Well. That fucking hurt. And definitely wasn’t part of the dialogue.

He’s just going with the flow. He’s talking to Mina, not you, I reminded myself.

Devlin straightened slightly. He was back on script when he said, “There are a dozen covens between here and there. I’ll find a normal witch along the way.”

In my story, Mina had a sharp, well-articulated comeback to Kieran’s cruel words. In this moment, however, I didn’t feel much like talking.

If I had my magic, I would’ve happily hexed him—maybe turned him into a toad or shriveled his dick down to the size of a prune.

That would’ve been fair. But without the ability to actually hex his dick off, I had to go for the next best thing.

Quick as a viper, I shot my hand out and tickled the armpit of his outstretched arm.

A sharp giggle pierced the air.

Devlin’s eyes went wide in horror as if the sound had betrayed him, and he launched himself backward, clutching his armpit defensively, lips clamping shut to keep another laugh from escaping.

“What was that for?” he said, breaking character. “Mina was supposed to say ‘ Don’t mistake a physical attraction for attraction to you as a person. ’”

“Sorry!” I said. “In the moment, I decided Mina would have been a witch of action rather than words.”

“And her big move was tickling an alpha wolf shifter?” he asked, his lips spreading into an amused grin that sent my stomach into a series of flips.

“No magic, remember ?” I shot back, doing my best to keep my knees from turning to jelly. “If she had her powers, she’d probably have hexed your dick off instead.”

Devlin straightened, his movements slow and deliberate as he stepped toward me. For a split second, my mind betrayed me—I pictured him pinning me to the wall again, his body caging mine, the heat rolling off him in waves.

Instead, he sank onto the armrest of the couch, and I hated the tiny flicker of disappointment that settled in my chest. His expression was hopeful as he met my gaze. “So... how did I do?”

You made me want to kiss you. You have me both excited and terrified about how we’re supposed to tackle the more intimate scenes, because if this is how my body reacts just from you being close, then I have no idea how I’m going to survive the rest.

I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to stay even. “Yeah, that was... okay. You can stay.” I grabbed the notebook from the coffee table, clutching it to me like a shield. “I’m just going to, you know... go make some notes while it’s fresh in my mind.”

I hurried past Devlin, deliberately ignoring BooDini, who had been watching far too intently from the kitchen. I’d made it halfway up the stairs when Devlin’s voice followed me.

“And the date?”

I froze mid-step. “The date ?”

“You were going to help me find a date?”

“Right. That date.” I forced a casual nod, praying my voice didn’t sound as flustered as I felt. “Yeah, of course. I’ll, uh... think about it tonight, and we can figure something out tomorrow.”

Before he could say anything else, I bolted up the stairs, flung myself into my room, and collapsed onto my bed. With a groan, I buried my face into my pillow. What the hell had just happened?

The way my body had reacted to Devlin—the way I wanted more—it wasn’t supposed to feel like that.

He wasn’t my mate.

So why did it feel so right?