Chapter 163 Crimson Tide

Chapter 163 Heat
Lyra POV

Out of the bar and settled into Gabriel's car, I found my mind still reeling from Eleanor's revelations.

"I need to go to Wave Crest," I said abruptly as he slid into the driver's seat beside me.

"What?"

"If the Council has plans for me and my pack, I need to get back to Wave Crest as soon as possible. I need to prepare for whatever's coming. You should return to Silver Moon."

Gabriel's jaw tightened, his knuckles whitening against the steering wheel. "I'm going with you."

"Gabriel—"

"I particularly believe what Eleanor said about guardians," he cut me off, his voice leaving no room for argument. "I am your guardian, Lyra. I won't let your abilities be exploited by those with evil intentions."

The intensity in his gray eyes made my breath catch. There was something both terrifying and thrilling about having this powerful Alpha declare himself my protector. Part of me wanted to argue, to insist I could handle myself, but another part—perhaps the wiser part—recognized that having Gabriel by my side was a blessing I shouldn't reject.

I nodded once, conceding the point, and Gabriel pulled the car onto the road.

As we drove, my thoughts drifted to how my abilities had first manifested. The training session at Silver Moon when I'd first shifted after my memory loss... there had been something unusual about that experience.

"Gabriel," I said slowly, "During that first shift training after I lost my memory, did you... did you feel an energy wave of some kind?"

Gabriel's eyes remained fixed on the road, but I noticed his grip tighten slightly on the steering wheel.

"There was something," he admitted. "A sensation, like a pulse of energy. But I wasn't certain it came from you."

"I might have hurt you without even realizing it."

"You didn't hurt me."

"Maybe not that time. But I killed Ethan with my abilities."

Gabriel's response was immediate and certain. "You didn't kill him. You absorbed his energy. I killed him."

I opened my mouth to argue, but suddenly a searing heat erupted in my lower abdomen, spreading outward like wildfire through my veins. I gasped, doubling over as the sensation intensified.

"Lyra?" Gabriel's voice sounded distant through the roaring in my ears. His hand reached across the console to touch my shoulder. "You're burning up."

"Cold," I managed to stammer, though it made no sense. My body felt like it was freezing while simultaneously being consumed by flames. "It's... probably just... the energy from Eliza... assimilating."

Gabriel abruptly steered the car off the main road, down a small incline where we were hidden from passing traffic. He put the car in park and turned to me fully, taking my hand in his. The contact sent another wave of heat through me, but this one was different—more focused, more intense.

"I'm here," he said simply, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand.

I nodded, unable to speak as another wave of sensation crashed through me. I closed my eyes, trying to ride it out, grateful for Gabriel's solid presence beside me.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the cold vanished. In its place bloomed a heat so profound that I nearly cried out. My eyes flew open, meeting Gabriel's concerned gaze.

"Heat!" my wolf howled. "We need to mate NOW or the pain will be unbearable!"

Understanding washed over me in a rush of clarity. I'd been suppressing my heat cycles for so long, pushing them back with sheer force of will... but now, with my abilities awakened and my body recovering from absorbing energy, my control had finally slipped.

Gabriel's scent suddenly intensified, the snow cedar and blackberry notes filling the car until I could barely think of anything else. I watched his nostrils flare, saw the exact moment when he registered what was happening to me.

"I'm in heat," I said, my voice husky with need. "Gabriel, I need you to fuck me." I reached for him, my fingers tangling in his shirt. "You marked me. Now I want you to mate me."

A growl rumbled deep in Gabriel's chest as he pulled me into the backseat, positioning me beneath him.

"Finally," he breathed.

His lips found mine in a bruising kiss that sent electricity sparking through my veins. His hands slid under my shirt, pushing it up to expose my midriff, his touch leaving trails of fire on my skin.

I moaned as his mouth moved to my jawline, tracing a path of hot, open-mouthed kisses. I raised my arms above my head, and he took the opportunity to pull my shirt off completely.

He lowered his head to the mark on my neck, sucking at the sensitive skin there.

I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine, to soothe the burning need inside me. Gabriel helped, shrugging out of his shirt. I ran my hands over him, marveling at the contrast between his smooth skin and hard muscle.

He cupped my breasts through my bra, kneading them with a roughness. I arched into his touch, wanting more, needing more.

I reached behind me to unhook my bra, letting my breasts spill free. Gabriel's eyes darkened further as he stared at his hands on my body, his tongue darting out to wet his lips in a gesture of pure desire.

We crashed together again, lips and teeth and tongues battling for dominance. I ground against him instinctively, feeling his hardness. The friction was exquisite torture, not enough yet too much all at once.

With bold determination, I reached for Gabriel's belt, unfastening it and then the button of his jeans. I slipped my hand inside, wrapping my fingers around his length, feeling him pulse against my palm.

I guided him to my entrance. His hands gripped my hips, holding me steady as he began to move, thrusting into me with controlled power that spoke of his Alpha nature.

I surrendered completely to the sensation of Gabriel inside me, my back pressed against the seat, uncaring of any discomfort in the face of this overwhelming pleasure. Each thrust drove me higher, closer to a peak I could feel building inside me.

When it crashed over me, the orgasm was so intense that it shook me to my core. Every muscle tensed and then released in a wave of pure bliss that left me gasping and clinging to Gabriel's shoulders.

Exhausted, I collapsed against his neck, inhaling his intoxicating scent. I felt my canines elongate, my wolf urging me to complete our bond by marking him as he had marked me.

Just as I was about to sink my teeth into his flesh, Gabriel stiffened, his release filling me as he threw his head back, his neck moving just out of reach of my mouth. A flicker of disappointment passed through me at missing the opportunity to mark him, but it was quickly washed away by the sensation of his warmth inside me, triggering another wave of pleasure that left me trembling in his arms.

Next time, I thought hazily as the intensity began to fade. I'll mark him next time.