Page 26

H azel

My wolf howls, her desire overwhelming as the bond flares to life. Every fiber of my being screams for him, my body aching with a need that’s both foreign and all-consuming.

Kieran’s eyes darken, his wolf flashing in their depths. He takes a step closer, his gaze heavy with something primal and undeniable.

“Hazel,” he murmurs, his voice sending shivers down my spine.

I shake my head, trying to fight the pull. “No. Don’t.”

But my body betrays me, leaning toward him even as my mind screams to stop. The air between us is thick with tension, the bond thrumming like a live wire.

“Hazel,” he says again, his voice softer now.

My breath comes in ragged gasps, my resolve crumbling under the weight of the bond. I can feel his wolf, his presence pressing against mine, relentless and consuming.

Nina’s voice cuts through the haze, sharp and bitter. “See? She can’t even control herself. Is this really what you want, Kieran?”

His gaze snaps to her, his jaw tightening. “Leave. ”

“But—”

“I said leave,” he growls, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Nina hesitates, her lips pressing into a thin line before she turns and stalks out of the room.

The door clicks shut behind Ayana, her worried glance lingering on me as Kieran silently gestures for her to leave.

I can’t meet her eyes, not with how every cell of my body is pulled to Kieran this way.

The room feels smaller without her, the air charged with an intensity I can’t escape.

My wolf whines restlessly, excitedly. She can't wait to express just how much she's needed him.

Kieran’s broad frame fills the space. The silence between us is suffocating. My body is alive with the awareness of his eyes on me, with the draw of his pheromones igniting a devastating ache in me.

I cross my arms over my chest in a weak attempt to shield myself from the pull of his magnetic presence, even though I should be doing the opposite for my own good.

“What now?” I know the only way to alleviate this heat burning through my veins is to be with him.

But how can I let him use me, in yet again another way?

I'm not even sure who else he will believe over me next.

I try not to look at him. Not with the way I know my body will respond. Not with this need that I’ve had for him for Goddess knows how long. Not with how much I still crave him, even with all the anger I still feel for him boiling in my chest.

But my eyes meet his clear blue ones. They hold me hostage in the same way that they did that first day by the river.

Unforgettable. Mesmerizing. Addicting. My wolf whines, needing to connect with him.

Needing this ache to be gone. Needing to bond with her Mate, to feel strong and alive again under this seal.

The heat spreads through my limbs until it’s almost unbearable. My breath quickens, my body betraying me as my body leans toward his, as I bite my lip, needing to feel his tongue.

Kieran steps closer, eliminating even more of the distance between us, his hand brushing against mine. The contact sends a jolt through me.

“Hazel,” he murmurs, his voice rough. “I want to–”

“Don’t. I don’t want to hear it,” I whisper, even as my body leans toward him. I want to pull back, push him away, walk away. Just…something to make sure there is some kind of distance between us.

But it’s too late.

The tension snaps, and suddenly, we’re moving.

His hands grip my waist, pulling me flush against him as his lips capture mine.

The kiss is fierce, consuming, and I lose myself in it, the bond roaring to life and drowning out every rational thought.

It's just what I've needed, what I've been craving.

Desire spreads through me like ice, clashing with the lava-like heat of my blood.

My hands fist in his shirt, pulling him closer as the heat between us builds to an unbearable crescendo. His touch is firm and unrelenting, his presence overwhelming in the best and worst ways.

His grip is tight enough, like a reassurance that he's not letting me go. But loose enough that it's my choice to stay.

I hate this.

I hate that he has this effect on me, that the bond leaves me powerless to resist him.

But I can’t stop. I need him. My wolf needs him.

Otherwise, I'll be a weak shell of a woman for longer than necessary.

I'll have to suffer through the pain of my heat, month after month.

I didn't want to lose my wolf. Not after everything we've been through.

I still have to find a way to free her from the seal.

Until then, I’m letting Kieran play my body like a heavenly harp, like his fingers were made for every hole in me, to heal me, to strengthen my wolf.

It changes nothing. I simply have no choice.

I mewl into his mouth when he sucks on my bottom lip.

Goosebumps wash all over me. I can't believe how long I've gone without his touch.

He lifts me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carries me to the nearest bed.

It could be next to the kitchen or upstairs.

I couldn't care less with my tongue down his throat.

The world blurs, the bond driving us forward with a need that borders on desperation.

When he lays me down, his touch softens, his lips trailing down my neck and leaving a path of fire in their wake. My wolf howls in satisfaction. Her need for him will finally be sated, if only temporarily .

“Kieran,” I murmur, my voice trembling. His hands explore every inch of me.

He places his knee in between my legs, and at the same time, parts my lips with his tongue. I take his tongue in mine and he literally fucks my mouth with it. I am awash with sensation as he grinds his knee into my crotch.

I moan, my hips gyrating to the rhythm of his body.

He knows every inch of my body, everything that keeps me going, and he knows that when he holds onto my hips as I grind against him, when he pulls back from me and looks into my eyes before diving for my nipple and gently biting, increasing the pressure by the second, that I will come undone for him.

I’m restless for him. I reach between us and slip the elastic band of his cotton joggers off his waist, feeling the smooth, toned ripples of his muscles give way as he kicks them off his feet.

His searing warmth is directly against my skin now.

My pants come off in one swift motion from him.

The buttons are nothing to him, and then I am bare before him.

“Kieran, oh fuck, don’t stop,” I beg, not caring that I sound like a shameless woman in his arms. I need the firmness of his thigh between my legs, need his mouth back on my breasts, need him to have me every which way.

“You’re mine,” he says, and it sounds like both a command and a plea. And something about the way he says it makes me let go of the tension in my body.

He kisses my jaw, then all the way down to my chest. He takes each nipple in his mouth and I feel like I’m drowning in his kisses.

He doesn’t stop. He kisses down to my belly, his teeth lightly grazing my skin.

I arch my back to meet his mouth, my muscles rippling in pleasure at the slightest touch of his lips.

His hands ride up to my face as his face trails down in between my legs.

I am already wet and ready for him. The scent of my pheromones is filling the air. I can't deny how good it feels to receive pleasure from the only one who was created to make me feel that way.

His tongue roams all around inside of me until I am a trembling mess, grinding against his face until his strong hand pins me to the bed while the other slides between my lips.

I suck on his finger and he moans into my slit, sending thrills of pleasure through me.

He lets go of my hip, and his finger-teases my hole.

I'm sure I'm going to implode at this point.

There is no air in my lungs when he slides the second finger in with ease.

If he doesn't let me cum, I'm afraid I may die right here.

But he doesn't tease me for long. He knows my body is ready for this.

He flicks his tongue and fingers my hole a certain way, and I turn into a wet mess.

I squirt all over him, losing control of my limbs.

The finger that I was sucking on keeps my jaw open and I feel my orgasm spread from my tingling scalp to my curling toes.

And as I cum, as I feel him come up to me to kiss me with a mouth that tastes like desire and passion, I fear that I may be doomed to live with resentment for the only one who can make me feel this way.

He fills me up with his cock and I am awash with need and pleasure.

His strokes are rhythmic, precise, geared to own me, claim me.

And I want him to. I feel his lips graze where his mark should be, where his teeth should sink into my skin instead of a seal to cage my wolf, where his love should be made manifest.

And yet, as I crave him to mark me, as I hunger for it with the intensity of the scorching sun in the desert, as he moans my name as he empties into me, and incomprehensible words leave my lips as I am drowned in his pleasure, I cannot give myself to him.

Not in that way. My heart still aches at the thought of the ways he hurt me.

The memories burn like an unending fire.

I feel him drip down my thighs. And I know I should be happy.

I should feel something other than the relief my body feels.

But now that the heat is not coursing through me like lava in my veins, I can still feel the heaviness in my heart.

And my wolf whines and sulks at the pain that we will have to bear.

Afterward, the room is quiet, the air thick with unspoken words. I sit on the edge of the bed, my back to him as I pull the sheet around me. My skin is still flushed, my body aching in delicious ways I don’t want to think about.

“Hazel. You were– ”

“Don't say anything to me.”

I don't dare turn to see his face. I don't even risk touching him again. I can't even bear to look at myself and remember that this body will always attune to his touch, will always give in to this need, and will always betray my hurt.

“I'm sorry,” he blurts out.

I turn sharply, my hair whipping around with me. The emotions burning in my chest make my lips curl.

“Don't you dare. Don't you dare think that a flimsy apology can undo the damage between us?”

I feel his heart break. But I can't care. He didn't care for me when I needed him most.

I stand, gathering my clothes and heading to the bathroom without a backward glance. I can't stand being around him knowing that whatever affection he has for me, he's acting on it because he thinks it's best for the pack. Not for me. Not just for us.

I hate that this is my life. The sobs swell in my throat, and I am trembling with all the things I've bottled up.

In this moment I miss my mother. I miss the comfort of her hugs.

As I close the door, I lean against it, my chest tight and my eyes stinging. I’m alone in this feeling, in this pain. Not even Ayana can make me feel better.

What could possibly help me reconcile the fact that my Mate is using our bond as an element of pack politics? He wants me as his Luna just because it's what he's supposed to do. Even the love I know he feels for me is tainted by politics and duty.

How can I trust him treating me so differently now? It all feels so overwhelming.

He would please everyone else, fulfil every other duty, except the one bestowed by the Goddess. He will do it all except dedicate himself to me.

This bond, this connection—it’s a curse. And I don’t know how much longer I can endure it.

The faint click of the door reaches me, and the loss I feel in his absence weighs me down like lead.