Chapter 53 Chapter 53
AILSA'S POV
I could only stare at the door long after Lucian had left. The room felt colder now that he left. I was still shocked by what almost happened. I could still feel his hot breath on my neck. Even though he had pulled away, I could still feel his teeth grazing my neck, the heat from his body and his desire. His erect member that poked me was proof that he wanted me before he pulled away. But why?
My mark throbbed softly, it was not the painful kind. This was the first time it was throbbing in a while and it was because of his presence. I pressed my hand to it, trying to stop the throb but it pulsed harder like it called for Lucian.
My wolf paced in furious circles inside me torn between fury and aching need. Fury that her mate didn’t finish what he had started.
'He should have marked us' she whispered, breathlessly. 'He wanted too. I felt his wolf insistence before he pulled back' I felt the pull from his wolf too.
I don't know if I should be bothered about the fact that he almost marked me or that he had pulled away. Did he not want to claim me? It was confusing.
'He is fighting the pull. He's fighting his wolf from sealing it' my wolf murmured softly.
I remembered the witches word from that day, the one she said I had to be marked and mated. I didn’t know how true her words were and how it would help my mark and this pack but whichever way, I still wanted him to mark me. But most importantly, I wanted him to do it without any push from his wolf.
That night, I couldn't sleep, I kept tossing and turning on the bed. Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined Lucian's breath on my neck, and his hands holding my waist tightly and his wolf trying to claim me while Lucian held back. His eyes darkened with desire, he was fighting it but he finally gave in and sank his teeth in my neck.
I shouldn't have come here
Those were his last words to me. His voice sounded strained when he said it. It must have been hard holding himself back when he was not in control. I wouldn't have minded him marking me.
The question was what did he feel for me? Was now the right time? And most importantly were we ready to feel each other’s emotions at all times?
I’ve always wondered how it would feel like to be able to feel what my mate is feeling. His excitement, his pain and fear.
I shake the thought out of my head. I’m reading meaning into it. I was not ready to take such a huge step.
'Yes, you are' my wolf said. 'You want him and it's not just because of the bond anymore. You want him for himself' I sighed. Maybe she was right.
I would try and get some sleep and hopefully by tomorrow, I’d have forgotten every single detail about this night.
The next morning, I woke up with an aching head because I had barely gotten any sleep the previous night. I dragged myself out of the bed feeling like my bones were made of stone. Yesterday's event replayed in my head, from Damian's visit which seemed weird for some reason to Lucian's night visit which I thought I would have forgotten all about that.
My chest tightened. I told myself I wasn't going to think about either events. I splashed water on my face and stepped into the room just as there was a knock on the door. I already knew who it was before the door opened. It was Lina and she was beaming.
"Ailsa" she hugged me tightly. "You have dark circles under your eyes. Did you get enough sleep? Are you okay?" Lina bombarded me with questions.
"I'm fine" I lied.
"You're definitely not" she laughed. "Come on, let's take a walk. It'll help you"
I wanted to protest, I had not showered yet but the walls of my room were starting to become suffocating and I needed a distraction. A morning walk would help clear my mind.
"But I haven't cleaned up"
"Don't worry about that, you'll probably get dirty after we are done. There’s this part of the pack I want to show you. You’ve never been there before”
"Alright" I said.
The morning air was crisp as we walked through the pack grounds, we passed servants and guards. Lina chattered happily beside me. Usually, I'd laugh with her and tease her but today her voice sounded like distant echoes.
I couldn't stop thinking about last night. I could tell stop feeling it too. Lucian’s breath on my neck, it was like a permanent mark. My wolf was restless too.
'Find him. We should be near him' she whispered.
"Stop it" I muttered under my breath. Lina blinked.
"Did you say something?" She looked at me.
"No" I said flatly.
We continued walking and Lina continued chattering about different pack members and what she overheard but I barely listened to her, we walked past patrol guards at different stations, we passed through the training field towards the quiet forest far from the pack house. Then it hit me.
My skin tingles and a burning hot pulse across my arm, my heartbeat uneven. I stopped abruptly, gripping a tree for balance.
"Ailsa, what's wrong?" She grabbed my arm in concern.
"It's my mark" I whispered. "It's burning" she frowned.
"I thought you said it didn't burn anymore?"
"Yes, it stopped....I don't know anymore" something deep inside me twisted sharply.
"We should go back"
"What? No, we just got here, let's explore a bit more. I want to show you..." the burning continued.
I realized that this was a warning. Something was wrong somewhere.
"Let’s just go a little further and we'll go back to the pack house" Lina whined.
"Lina" I said more sharply. "We need to..."
The wind shifted and a rustling in the leaves cut me off.
“Get back” I hissed. Then a low growl split the air. Lina froze.
"Ailsa...." She trembled in fear.
"I know" my heart dropped.
I looked in the direction the sound came from as I shoved Lina to the back. Three men stepped out from the trees, I assumed they were rogues. Then two more came out, they were bigger than usual, their eyes wild.
"Look what we found" one of them grinned at us. I pushed Lina as the one at the rear, tried to attack us. Lina screamed. I swung at the one right in front of me, knocking him into the tree. Another lunged at Lina, I snarled at him and dragged him away from her. His claws raked my side.
“Ailsa!” Lina cried. It was barely a scratch, I knew I would be fine.
"Run back to the pack" I said to her
"But...."
"Go!! " she hesitated then turned and sprinted. I blocked the path so none of them would chase after her.
The rogues lunged, I shifted partially, my claws coming out but I kept my human form. I moved fast, dodging the strike from the first rogue and I slashed at the chest of the second and I kicked the third in the ribs. Two dropped and one staggered.
‘Good’ I said to myself. I was proud that I hadn't forgotten everything I had learnt so far during training and I was able to put it into practice.
The other two lunged forward, one caught my arm twisting it until pain shot up my shoulder. I cried out, slamming my elbow into his face. Another grabbed me from behind, his teeth sank into my shoulder. Blood spilled warm down my skin.
Still, I fought. I kicked one off and clawed another's face, then smashed the head of another into a tree. They fell, unconscious or dead. I didn't know which one. I was panting, dizzy and bleeding from my shoulder and arms.
I heard a snarl behind me, it was too close. I turned a bit too late because the rogue behind me tackled me, his claws tearing deep across my back. I hit the ground hard. My vision blurred. I fought to stay conscious, fought to push myself up but I was weak from the pain I was feeling.
I tried to fight the last rogue, the one who had tried to kill me but my body was failing. His shadow loomed over me. The rogue raised his claws to end me. I prayed to the goddess to save me. A roar split the air. A familiar scent.
“Ailsa!!!”
Lucian.
His voice hit me like a wave. My head snapped to the side just as blackness began swallowing everything. He was running towards me. I saw his face filled with rage and something raw I had never seen on his face. Fear. I lifted my hand.
“L….Lucian….” I whispered.
Then the world went dark.