Chapter 92 Chapter 92
Violet
The moment I left Lady Aurelia's room, the world began to fracture around the edges.
Seduce him. Break his heart. Make him fall for you, then destroy him. Or your family dies.
I pressed my palm against the cool stone wall, trying to steady myself.
My heart hammered against my ribs, and there was this impossible, crawling ache building under my skin out of nowhere.
I looked outside the window and saw that it was dark. The moon shone above me and the manor, bathing us in its soft white light.
It was a full moon. Was that the reason I was suddenly feeling weird?
"Just get to your room," I whispered to myself. "Lock the door. And just go to sleep."
But thinking was becoming increasingly difficult.
Every step down the hallway felt like wading through a maze. My skin prickled with awareness, hypersensitive to the brush of my dress, the movement of air from the open windows.
By the time I reached my door, my hands were shaking so badly I could barely turn the handle.
I had to be alone and not attack the first man my eyes fell on. I couldn’t become a wolf who couldn’t control herself.
Except I wasn't safe from my own body.
The pain intensified the moment the door closed behind me as a deep, throbbing ache that centered low in my belly and radiated outward in waves.
I gasped, stumbling toward the bathroom. Maybe cold water would do the trick. Maybe I could shock my system back into submission.
Rain stirred inside of me, growing increasingly impatient, demanding I let her out right this instant.
And I realized with growing horror what was happening. I was going into heat.
"No," I whimpered, gripping the edge of the sink. "Not now. Not like this."
But my wolf didn't care about timing or manipulation or Lady Aurelia's cruel games. She'd been dormant for so long ever since I walked into Ironcrest manor, suppressed under layers of shame and survival, and now she was awake and demanding.
And the only werewolf she was craving for, the one who was within scenting distance was exactly the one I was supposed to seduce and destroy.
No, I won't do that! I told myself.
A desperate moan tore from my throat, my hands trembling as I twisted the cold water tap with shaking hands and splashed it on my face.
But it did nothing. The fever was inside me, burning through my veins like liquid fire.
I was burning up, and every instinct was screaming for relief I couldn't allow myself to take.
Not like this. Not when it would prove I was exactly the kind of manipulative creature Lady Aurelia thought I was.
Another wave hit me, stronger this time, and my knees buckled. I caught myself on the edge of the bathtub, breathing hard. Maybe I should sit in ice cold water.
Maybe if I just…
I turned on the cold water, not bothering to remove my dress before climbing in. The shock of it made me cry out, but the relief lasted only seconds before the heat came roaring back, twice as insistent.
I was sobbing now, I realized distantly. Crying and gasping and clawing at my dress because the wet fabric was somehow worse than before, clinging to my oversensitive skin like a second layer of torture.
"Please," I whimpered to no one. "Please make it stop."
But it wouldn't stop. It was getting worse. My core clenched with need so intense it bordered on pain. I pressed my thighs together, trying to find any relief, but it only made the ache sharper.
My hands moved of their own accord, sliding down my stomach when suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Violet?"
I froze upon hearing Elijah’s voice. Of course it was his voice.
"Go away," I managed, but it came out broken and breathless.
The front door swung open because I'd forgotten to lock it and Elijah stood there, his eyes widening as he looked around before he noticed me in the bathroom, sitting in the bathtub, fully clothed, soaking wet and trembling.
"What the fuck—" He was across the room in two strides, kneeling beside the tub. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Don't," I gasped, shrinking back even as my traitorous body wanted to surge toward him. "Don't touch me. You need to leave. Now."
He did the exact opposite and inched closer, placing a hand on my forehead.
“You’re burning like a furnace”
“I…don’t…” I couldn’t even speak without wanting to pounce on him like a rabid cat.
And then he took a long whiff and I saw the moment understanding hit as his nostrils flared, his pupils dilated, and his entire body went rigid.
"You're in heat," he said, his voice dropping an octave.
"Yes. So leave. Please, Elijah, just…"
Another wave crashed over me and I couldn't hold back the moan. My back arched involuntarily, seeking something, anything.
"How long?" His jaw was clenched tight, every muscle in his body taut with the effort of staying still.
"Just started. Right after…" I couldn't tell him. Couldn't admit what his mother had asked me to do. "Please go. I don't want…I can't…"
"Can't what?" He reached out slowly, carefully, and pushed wet hair back from my face. The simple touch sent electricity racing across my skin and I whimpered. "Talk to me."
“Go away!”
I shook my head frantically, but another wave hit and this time I screamed. My hands clutched at the edges of the tub, nails scraping porcelain.
"Fuck," Elijah breathed. "Okay. Okay, we need to get you out of these wet clothes first."
"No, you need to…go…"
"Violet." His voice turned commanding, the alpha tone that made my wolf want to roll over and submit. "Stop fighting me and let me help you."
"You don't understand," I wept.
"I don't want to." He was already lifting me from the tub, water sloshing everywhere. "Right now, all I care about is you."