Page 8

Elijah

T wo days have passed since Scarlett’s heat began, and I never left her side, despite the fight against my wolf at every moment. She isn’t the first woman in heat I have come across and, surprisingly, the first hadn’t bothered my wolf and me anywhere near as much as Scarlett’s had.

But although I kept myself under control, not only do I want to fuck her, but the strong urge to claim her is ever-present. I want to remove that black stain on her neck, her heat trying to defy the logic that I wouldn’t be able to remove it. My wolf is constantly trying to surface, but there is no way I am going to allow anyone, including myself, to hurt Scarlett anymore.

Jessica, Amelia, or Indigo would pass us food or ice, but I never took a break, not even for a moment. I held her in my arms. Even when she would fall asleep from exhaustion I stayed with her, soothingly caressing her skin, kissing her shoulders and neck. The pain increased for her each day, and she came to a point where she wasn’t even able to talk, too out of it to focus, but one thing she stuck to was refusing me.

Before she fell asleep on the second day, she made me promise not to fuck her even if she asked for it. I agreed, although I kept my shattering heart masked inside. I simply smiled and promised her I wouldn’t. I will promise her whatever she wants and will carry it through.

Although her rejection hurt brutally, and when those moments of weakness came forward in her, I held back, wanting to respect her wishes. She has already been through a lot and that niggles my mind, wanting to know what Hank had done. How far had he gone? The thought alone hurts, and I hope she is okay.

I remained strong, even though she has clearly emotionally shut me out.

Aside from looking after her, I made sure Hank was kept under my men’s care, not wanting anyone to interfere, refusing to let even Dad handle this. But at the same time, I refused to leave Scarlett’s side. The examination was done and we are just waiting for the results.

The heat has lasted for three full days already, and with each day that went by, it became increasingly harder for her and I don’t know how she’ll do this for much longer.

I awake to the sound of a piercing scream and jerk up from the bed to see Scarlett drenched in sweat, her bare breasts rising and falling; I scoop up her naked body.

“Come on, let’s get you to the bath.”

“No! I can’t do this anymore. It’s too much; I want it gone,” she cries, tears of pain in her eyes. I look at her, her words from a few days ago echoing in my mind. Her eyes dip to the front of my boxers and she pushes them down, her hand wrapping around my dick. I shake my head despite my body reacting to her touch. A low groan escapes me.

“No… I’ll help ease it off, but you don’t want this, remember?” I remind her softly. She crashes her lips against mine, using the last ounce of strength within her, her body shaking with pain.

I kiss her back, missing this, missing her love, but I know I can’t take it further. A whimper leaves her as she crumples against me. I lay her back on the bed, running my fingers down her smooth pussy, hissing at the wetness that is pooled between her thighs. I close my eyes, trying not to focus on how sexy she looks. My touch only making her spread her legs wider for me. I know this relief won’t last long, but if it helps, even a little, I’ll give her it.

I play with her clit, pleasuring her, trying not to let her salacious moans break my willpower.

“Oh fuck!” she moans as pleasure consumes her. I open my eyes when her hand wraps around my neck and I smile softly, looking down at her beautiful face. Even without a drop of makeup, she is the most gorgeous woman I have ever laid eyes on.

My gaze remains locked on her as a rush of gratification crosses her face. Her back arches as she bites her lip, her body consumed with euphoric pleasure.

Her eyes flicker open as she reaches for my dick again, but I shake my head. Leaning down I kiss her forehead softly.

“I love you,” I whisper, but my words are drowned out by her moan of pleasure as her orgasm slams through her. The moment it does, she loses consciousness.

It’ll probably help for less than an hour, but it’s something. I place a soft tender kiss on her lips, gazing down at her. She’s lost weight, and I wish I could do more for her, but I can’t. All I can do is be here and try to take the edge off.

Sighing, I get up, deciding to get her bath of ice ready for when she wakes up.

Two days have passed since Scarlett’s heat ended. She spent the day after recovering, spending most of it by sleeping. I didn’t leave her side, and she didn’t say anything about me staying either, too tired and drained from the torture of her heat. But last night, she told me to leave.

It hurt, but I didn’t push it, telling her I was there if she needed me. What more could I have done?

I’ve barely seen Dad, but I do know he’s pissed at me for ruining his “perfect family”. If only he could see it wasn’t perfect, so much was hidden. Everyone has their demons. When were we truly honest with one another? Without everyone just assuming everything was great?

I look in the mirror as I pull on a top, before grabbing my phone just in case Candace messages. So far there’s not been much from her. With everything that’s happened, I’m worried about them, knowing we couldn’t do anything until Scarlett’s heat was over. It might be Scarlett’s pack, but they’re equally my responsibility.

El?

Aaron. What is it?

The results are in. You wanted to see them first, so come down when you can.

I can already sense the tension in his voice. What happened with Hank is troubling all of us. Liam and Aaron have been equally worried.

I glance at the bathroom door, wanting to speak to her before I head out.

I’ll be there soon. I just got to let Scarlett know what’s going on…

Sure thing. She’ll get through this. She’s a damn fighter, Aaron replies. I nod, although he can’t see.

Yeah, she is.

I need to be the one to tell her about the whole situation with Hank. The Elders, including Hank’s father, are demanding answers, and although rumours are rife that Scarlett killed him, nothing has been confirmed openly. I walk through the bathroom and knock lightly on the door to her room. I can hear her moving around the bedroom, hearing her stop when I knock.

“Red… can I have a word, please?” I ask softly.

“Sure, I’m getting dressed. I can hear you,” she replies. I close my eyes, resting my forehead against the door.

“I just wanted to talk about Hank. We’re having a meeting today. I need to know everything… please?”

“I’d need to be there, right?”

“Yeah, but only if you’re up to it. It doesn’t need to be today. We could-”

“I’ll see you there then. After all, I killed someone, no point in wasting any more time.”

Fuck, I need to talk to her face-to-face.

“Please open the door, Red.” This time it’s a command. “This is serious, and as the one heading this, I need you to talk to me.” A moment of silence follows before I hear her sigh.

“It’s open,” she says quietly.

I open the door and step inside. She is dressed in a pair of black pants with a black boat neck and a long-sleeved top. She turns and looks at me, a mask of indifference set on her beautiful face. I close the distance between us, feeling a sting of pain when she steps back, avoiding my gaze.

“Do you want to tell me what happened so I can speak on your behalf at the meeting?” I ask softly.

“No need. I think I’ll just speak there in front of everyone myself because I don’t regret killing him. Not one bit. He deserved it.” Her eyes turn silver as she looks at me coldly.

“Alright then, if that’s what you want. We… had a medical exam done on him. I’ll be getting the results for that today. I’m going to head there now.”

She tenses, and my stomach twists, seeing the way her face pales. A flash of pain contorting her face.

What did he do to her?

I close the gap between us and pull her into my arms, not caring if she gets pissed at me. I hug her tightly, burying my nose in her neck. My heart is thudding and so is hers.

We’re both fucking hurting, but I wish she wasn’t. After a moment, she slowly leans into me, as if not wanting to but unable to fight this, because, no matter how stubborn she is, she cares for me. I know that. She inhales deeply and her heartbeat steadies a little.

“Baby, tell me… what did he do?” I plead softly, moving back slightly and cupping her face, forcing her head up so I can look into her eyes. She turns away, but not before I see the pain in them.

“He was about to penetrate me… but he didn’t get that far, thanks to the fact he let his guard down at the last moment. I guess if I wasn’t strong enough, he would have raped me in that cave.” Her words become cold. “But I’m glad I was strong enough because we’re not all Fiona, who will have her knight in shining armour there to save her.”

Her words are like a knife to the gut. She roughly pulls away, spinning on her heels, and leaves the room, slamming the door behind her. For a moment I’m unable to move as pain, regret and guilt hit me like a fucking tonne of bricks. I was unable to protect the woman I should have been able to shield from all harm. I wasn’t there for her when I should have been. She had to fight to defend herself.

I exhale, trying to control my emotions. One silver lining in all of this is the fact Hank hadn’t gotten to her and, as selfish as it is, I am glad. Not only that Scarlett was saved from such an ordeal, but I’m saved too from the guilt that would have destroyed me. Running my fingers through my hair, I leave too, ready to grab the results from Aaron and head to the meeting hall at the packhouse.

It’s time to let everyone know what he did.