Chapter 18 Chapter 18
We walked through the quiet pack house together, Kaius leading me to a part of the building I’d never been in as a servant. The private lounges for high-ranking wolves and their guests.
The night air was cold, but he noticed me shivering and shrugged out of his hoodie without a word.
“Here.”
“You’ll be cold,” I protested weakly.
“I run hot. It’s a Blackthorne thing.” He draped it over my shoulders anyway, and the fabric was warm from his body heat. It smelled like cedar and bergamot.
I forced chuckled then quickly muttered a thank you.
We reached a door at the end of a quiet hallway. Kaius paused before opening it, turning to look at me with some seriousness in his expression.
“Are you sure you want to be alone with me tonight?” he asked softly.
The question hung between us, weighted with meanings I was too tired and too high to fully parse.
“I’m sure,” I whispered.
Inside the private lounge, Kaius moved about, pressing buttons on a panel that made the lights dim even further. Not quite dark, but soft enough that shadows pooled in the corners.
“Pick whatever you want,” he said, handing me a remote as he settled onto the large sectional sofa. “Fair warning though—I have terrible taste in movies.”
I managed a small laugh, some of the tension easing. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“Oh, it’s true. Ask my mother. She’ll tell you I cried during that animated movie about the fish that gets lost.”
“That’s not terrible taste. That’s having emotions.”
“Tell that to my Uncle who gave me shit about it for years.” His grin was self-deprecating and charming.
I scrolled through the options on the screen, trying to focus on titles instead of the fact that I was alone with a man who was not Zane, in a dim room while wearing his hoodie and still slightly high from the brownie.
My thumb landed on a title that made my breath catch.
The preview image showed two people pressed close, their faces inches apart. The summary promised a story of forbidden desire. It was rated 18+.
I should have kept scrolling to something lighter to see.
But my thumb hit play before my brain caught up.
The opening credits rolled across the screen—moody and atmospheric, with a soundtrack that immediately set a tone.
“Interesting choice,” Kaius murmured beside me.
I darted a glance at him, but his expression was neutral. Just watching the screen with polite interest.
Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. Maybe the rating was for violence or one of those substance abuse.
But with the front cover graphics, I knew it was not. The first scene opened in a bedroom. Dim lighting. Two people tangled in sheets and the camera lingered on touches. On the arch of her back. On his hands gripping her hips.
My face went hot.
Because in that moment, I was seeing Zane holding me in that way.
“We can change it,” Kaius offered, though his voice had gone slightly rough.
“No, it’s fine.” The words came out too quickly. I didn’t want to change it. Some masochistic part of me wanted to watch this.
The hoodie Kaius had given me was too warm now, so I shrugged it off, leaving me in just the thin spaghetti-sleeved bodycon gown I'd thrown on before leaving my chambers.
On screen, the male lead had the woman against a wall now. His hand slid up her thigh, pushing her dress higher. Her head fell back as his fingers disappeared between her legs.
My breath caught. Between my own thighs, wetness gathered. The ache that Zane had left unfinished throbbed harder.
I pressed my legs together.
The scene shifted again. Now he had his mouth on her breast, sucking hard while his hand worked between her legs. Her moans filled the room.
“Okay, this is crazy.” I forced out lightly, trying to ease the tension I was feeling which I had no idea if it worked, to Kaius at least.
But to me? My nipples tightened, pressing against the thin fabric of my nightgown. Hard points that suddenly felt unbearably sensitive watching everything that was displayed on screen. I wanted them touched. Grazed. Sucked the way his mouth was working on screen.
I had no idea the direction my mind had gone, but my eyes shifted to Kaius watching his undivided attention remain on the screen.
I swallowed, unable to accept that maybe I was the only person feeling this way. Even if I was not, what did it change?
Kaius was first a newfound friend, which was why I was comfortable watching this in his presence. And then, my mate’s nephew.
“How do they make these movies?” I muttered, attempting to start a conversation.
“The way they make regular movies,” Kaius responded, partly amused, his gaze shifting between me and the TV.
“Of course, I know. It’s just, the characters? Do they just fuck with these random people? Do they move on with their life and carry on like nothing happened?”
I kept on rambling to Kaius and myself, “It’s hard to imagine that they can just do it easily. When the viewers who are not even partaking in it, can feel the tension.”
Kaius turned to me fully now. “You can feel the tension?”
I’m not sure what to reply so I nod slightly like it’s nothing. “Yeah, it’s normal. Isn’t that the point of these rated 18 movies?”
It was as though he had not heard the answer I supplied because instead of replying to me, I noticed a bob in his throat.
Following his line of sight, I caught Kaius’ gaze located just at my chest.
Acting oblivious, I wrapped my shawl around my chest to cover it in ‘warmth’ then turned my gaze back to the TV.
Again on screen, the woman was riding him now. The camera showed the slide of his length into her, the way her body took him, the desperate rhythm.
I was so wet. I could feel the soaking through my underwear. My clit throbbed with every heartbeat, begging to be touched.
I squeezed my thighs tighter, searching for any friction or form relief.
“Fuck,” Kaius muttered under his breath.
I glanced at him, about to tease him that he could change the channel if it was uncomfortable.
Staring at him, his jaw was tight. And his hands gripped his thighs.
Between those legs, a bulge had grown.
Unmistakable, thick, and straining against his pants. He was hard. Fully, obviously hard.
My mouth went dry.
He caught me looking. His eyes met mine for a split second before dropping.
To my chest.
To where the shawl was crossed, trying to hide my peaked nipples. Except the shawl had dropped again, leaving my nipples visible and my attempts to hide it by crossing my arms, only pushed my breasts together, making them more obvious through the fabric.
His gaze lingered, darkening as the time went on.
I dropped my arms slowly, leaving them on display. What was the point of acting all innocent now when our intentional actions had brought us to this point?
My nipples were clearly visible now. Hard and firm, and an aching representation of the desire that flew through me.
“Tiana.” His voice was strained, and I noticed a curve on his lips.
On screen, the lovers had changed positions. He had her bent over now, driving into her from behind. Her cries of pleasure echoed through the room.
My core clenched. At this point, I did not care to look to see if Kaius was staring at me.
I couldn’t help it—my hand moved to my thigh. Not between my legs. Just… there. My fingers pressing into soft flesh.
Kaius made a sound low in his throat.
His hand moved too. Adjusting himself through his pants. The outline of his erection was even more obvious now. Thick. Long. Straining.
We weren’t touching or crossing any lines.
But we were both watching. Both responding. Both sitting here, getting more and more worked up with every moan from the screen.
“This is…” I started, but didn’t know how to finish.
“Yeah,” he agreed roughly.
The male lead flipped the woman onto her back. Spread her legs wide. The camera showed his tongue on her, the way her back arched, the desperate sounds she made.
I bit my lip hard. My thighs trembled with the need to spread. To slip my hand between them and ease this ache.
Kaius’s breathing had changed.
I looked at him again. His hand was still on his thigh, but his fingers were tense. Like he was fighting not to move them.
His eyes were locked on the screen, but I could see his jaw working. And I could feel the tension radiating through his entire body.
The movie built toward its climax. The lovers were moving frantically now. Her legs wrapped around him. His grip was bruising on her hips. The sounds of their bodies meeting while making wet sounds.
My hand slid higher on my thigh. Just an inch. Then another.
Kaius noticed. His eyes tracked the movement.
“We should—” he started.
“Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t say anything.”
I had no idea what he wanted to say but I preferred it if he did not.
I did not want to think about what this meant or why it was wrong.
I just wanted to feel something other than the hollow ache Zane had left.
After a few moments of pounding, the woman on screen came with a cry. Her whole body was shaking. The man followed, his own release visible in every tense muscle.
I was trembling. My underwear was soaked. My nipples so hard.
And Kaius—
His erection looked painful now.
“You know the project I talked about Zane assigning me to,” he said suddenly, his voice tight. “Regarding construction at the park borders. I’m just thinking of how to go about it.”
I blinked, trying to process the random statement. “What?”
“Would you like to work on it with me?” His eyes met mine.
I was not sure what this was, but it was such a perfect way for Kaius to cool the steam off us.
“I’m still waiting for your response.”
“I..” I stuttered. “I don't know what to say. Why would—“
Before I could finish my statement, a knock on the door came, interrupting.
“Kaius, are you in here? I have been looking for you.”
My heart stopped functioning at that minute. Zane.