Page 18

LIVIA

“You can’t be going through this right now,” Caelan said, seizing a bit of control from his wolf, his eyes continually shifting between brown and gold. “We just finished with the rogues. There could be more waiting for us around these parts. If you don’t control yourself…”

“Little mate,” I said, finishing his sentence.

His eyes glowed gold. “ Little mate .”

“Lycos… I love when you call me that,” I whispered.

He shook his head again, regaining control. “Livia, control yourself.”

“Maybe that’s why the rogues were chasing us,” I offered. “They could smell me.”

After inhaling sharply, smelling my arousal, my heat , he growled softly. “You know that’s not why they were chasing us. They were sent by the Whispering Pines Pack to kill you, and I need to get us home in one piece.”

I swallowed hard, and the heat continued to swell inside of me. While I tried hard to control it, I couldn’t stop staring at him: the way he moved, how the wind blew his hair just slightly, his scruff…

Lycos, he is so fucking sexy.

“Livia,” he growled through his canines. “Control yourself. Now.”

“I’m trying,” I whimpered. “But… but I can’t.”

“You must.”

I sucked in a short breath, my breathing becoming ragged. “Or what? What’s going to happen? What are you gonna do about it?” I taunted. “You know the only way to solve this is to mark me, to claim me, to make good on your nickname for me. Little mate. ”

“Livia,” he said again, barely able to get my name out of his mouth.

“I’m really hot,” I whispered, sweat now covering my body.

The forest around us was empty, and we had nobody else to chase us.

“We’re alone, and I’m so hot,” I whined desperately. I stopped at a tree and curled my fingers against the bark. If I had claws, they would dig right into it. But my dull little nails didn’t do anything.

“Livia, we must continue moving,” he said, not looking back at me.

I held out an arm and stared at the dirt. “I’m so hot. I can’t.”

My core was throbbing, and I knew that if I looked at him again, I might do something that I’d regret. That we’d both regret. I had been so confused lately. I didn’t know if he wanted me or if he didn’t.

If he wanted me out of his hair, he should’ve let me die in that arena. But he hadn’t. He’d dragged me out of there and protected me multiple times since then. But… I had gone through heat so many times, and he still didn’t want to mark me.

And now? Now I was being punished for it.

I had to go through heat. Again . This time worse.

And he didn’t.

“This would be so much easier if someone marked me. Anyone .”

A ferocious growl left his mouth. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s true,” I murmured. “If you won’t… someone will eventually.”

“Livia,” he snarled. “You know that I can’t.”

“If you’re not gonna mark me, you should reject me so this heat will be over with.”

He snapped his head toward me, saliva dripping from his canines, his eyes a golden fire. “Don’t you ever fucking say that again.”

“I mean it,” I pushed. “Reject me or mark me.”

The heat coursed through my body, making me sweat all over. I grasped onto the tree harder, my knees trembling and my eyes burning. “Please. I need something,” I pleaded. “What can I do?”

“It will pass by dawn.”

“I can’t wait that long. It hurts. Badly. It feels like my skin is too tight, like it’s burning.”

He took another step closer, then another until I stared up at him through glossy eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he growled.

“Like what?”

He drew his tongue across his canines, another growl leaving his mouth. “Like you want my hands everywhere.”

“I fucking need it,” I breathed.

“If I touch you while you’re in heat, I won’t be able to stop.”

“Then don’t stop,” I murmured, grabbing his hands. “Please.”

His eyes shifted between brown and gold, finally settling on brown. “Breathe,” he murmured softly, the word drifting into my ear. He closed his eyes. “Breathe for me, Livia. Slowly. It will pass, and I will mark you when the time is right.”

“It will never be right for you,” I said, unable to breathe steadily.

“Yes, it will,” he said, his hand twitching as if he wanted to touch me.

“Every fucking instinct that I have is screaming at me to help you. But you know that I can’t do that.

You’re in heat right now, and when I take you…

it’s going to be when you have all your senses, when this war is over, when we’re both safe. ”