Chapter 48: The Fire Between Us

Claire’s POV

I had no regrets about my choice. The supplies might not have been available when we got there if I had waited for backup. But I could still hear Derek’s voice in my head, low and furious—"You could’ve gotten yourself killed."

He was not mistaken.

Nevertheless, a part of me refused to feel bad about living.

The tension in the air increased as we eventually arrived in Redwater's territory. As we got closer, the warriors who had stayed behind stood at the border, evaluating us with piercing eyes. I heard the whisper of voices and the looks directed at me.

"She entered by herself?"

"She ought to have held off."

"Carless."

On the inside of my cheek, I bit down.

Derek's silence weighed more than their criticism.

Inside the main lodge, he led us directly to the war room, where strategic plans and maps were spread out on a long wooden table. Old parchment and the lingering smoke from the fire crackling in the stone hearth filled the room.

Derek turned against me as soon as the door closed behind us.

How could you have been thinking? Despite his low voice, the anger in it was unmistakable.

Before Vaughn cleared his throat, the other fighters exchanged nervous looks. "I believe we ought to give them some time."

After a moment of hesitation, Lucia followed Gregor out the door after he gave her a gentle shove.

Derek strode over to me as soon as we were by ourselves. His jaw was tight and his silver eyes were burning with annoyance.

"Claire, you had no fallback. Are you even aware of the danger that was involved?

With my arms crossed, I shot back, "I completed the mission," "Didn't we get the supplies?"

"That's not the point at all!" His voice was like a blade slicing through the air. "You believe you're unbeatable? That you can simply infiltrate enemy territory and escape unharmed?"

I took a step closer, determined not to retreat. "I was aware of the dangers."

"So why in the world didn't you pay attention to me?"

I let out an irritated laugh. "Because the crates would have disappeared if I had waited. Then what? We wouldn't have accomplished anything."

His hands curled into fists. "What if you had passed away?"

His voice changed in some way, its unadulterated edge piercing my barriers.

I took a deep breath.

Derek wasn't merely upset.

He was afraid.

"But I didn’t." I lowered my voice, but his face was still unreadable.

With a sharp exhale, he combed through his dark hair. "Claire, you can't keep putting yourself in danger like this."

"And what about you?" I retorted. "You risk your life for this pack every single day. But I'm careless the moment I do it."

"That's not the same—"

"Why?" I insisted. Considering that I'm not an Alpha? Since I lack sufficient strength?"

His jaw tensed, but he remained silent.

There was a thick, charged silence between us.

Finally, he let out a breath, speaking in a softer tone. "Because I'm afraid of losing you."

I gasped.

More weight than the battle we had just fought, the words hung between us.

I looked into his eyes, but he averted them quickly as his hands gripped the table's edge.

He whispered, "This war isn't just about Midnight Moon anymore." Lila took it personally. Claire, you are more than just another warrior. You're a target.

I was aware of that.

Ever since I had left Midnight Moon, I had known it.

But it was not fear that tightened my chest when I heard it from him, when I saw the way his walls cracked, even for a moment.

I moved in closer. "Derek, I can take care of myself."

Before he looked up at me, he flexed his fingers against the table and let out a rough breath.

"You shouldn't be required to."

I didn't know how to respond to that.

The door opened and Vaughn strode in, his face tense, before I could find the right words.

"We're having trouble."

In a moment, Derek's whole attitude changed.

"What is it?"

Vaughn took a moment to think before responding.

"Just now, a messenger from Midnight Moon arrived. Jared is requesting a meeting. He's open to negotiating.

My stomach turned over.

Jared? Are you negotiating?

No.

There was no truce here.

There was more to this.

Derek's fingers clenched into a fist as his face darkened.

"Assemble the council. We need to be ready for whatever this is."

Vaughn nodded and disappeared down the hall.

Derek faced me again, his eyes once again unreadable.

His voice was rough as he asked, "You want to prove yourself?" "Then stick by me. This isn't just about Redwater anymore, whatever it is. It concerns you.

I felt a chill go through me.

I had run from Midnight Moon for so long, from Jared. From the conflict that I had no desire to participate in.

Now, though?

The running was over now.

I had to fight now.

They had cleared the war room, but I was still there, looking at the map on the wooden table.  My fingers traced the borders of Redwater’s land, the inked lines that marked the territories at stake.  Now, Midnight Moon was more than just a threat; it was personal.  Jared had seen to that.

The door behind me clicked softly shut.  I knew it was Derek without having to look.  There was no denying his presence, a force that seemed to draw the room's air towards him.

"You're overanalysing."  His deep voice, tinged with something unintelligible, broke through the silence.

Still examining the map, I sighed.  "This meeting isn't about peace, as we both know."

"No, it's not."

His body heat warmed my back as he took a step closer.  I stiffened slightly when his fingers brushed my shoulder, ghosting over the fresh bandage where I had been wounded.  He touched lightly, almost reluctantly.  Derek hardly ever hesitated.

"You ought to be sleeping," he whispered.

"After this war is over, I'll rest."

He hummed, low and amused.  "As stubborn as ever."

"Takes one to know one."

I eventually turned to face him as his fingers moved down my arm.  He appeared both dangerous and devastatingly handsome due to the shadows cast by the firelight on his sharp features.  Something dark and indecipherable swirled in his silver eyes as they locked onto mine.

The tension between us was different tonight.

It was more than just a fight.

It went beyond simple survival.

There was more to it.

I took a deep breath.  "What are you thinking?"

He took a while to respond.  Instead, he curled his fingers around my wrist, making a firm but gentle touch.  "That you make me go crazy."

I gasped.  "I—"

"That I don't just get upset, Claire, every time you put yourself in danger.  I feel like my control is slipping away.

He had a rough, low voice that sounded almost desperate.  My heart pounded against my ribs.

"Derek…"

He took a step closer.  With the heat of his body pressing against mine, there was hardly any distance between us anymore.

"Assure me that I'm not alone in experiencing this."

Before we crossed a line that neither of us could uncross, I knew I needed to say something to defuse the tension and take a step back.  However, I was unable to.

Since I was experiencing it.

After weeks of growth, the slow fire between us had finally flared into something indisputable and blazing.

His thumb traced the corner of my lips as his free hand reached up to cup my jaw.

"If you don't stop me now, Claire..."

I didn't.

Rather, I raised my head, bringing the final inch closer to us.

Everything else disappeared the instant our lips touched.  In the fire between us, the conflict, the uncertainty, and the danger vanished.

Derek wasn't nice.   He kissed me as though he had finally stopped pretending and had been suppressing himself for too long.   He tightened his hold on my hair, pulling me in and enclosing my body in his.

His tongue brushed mine in such a way that heat accumulated in the pit of my stomach as he used my gasp against his mouth to intensify the kiss.

His hands went down my back and caught my waist as he pushed me against the table's edge.   He lifted me onto the surface, stepping between my legs, and the map crinkled beneath me, forgotten.

"Tell me you want this," he rasped against my lips, his breath hot against my skin.

"I do," I whispered, my fingers entwining themselves in his dark hair.

That was all he needed.

His teeth scraped against my pulse point and his mouth moved to my throat, causing me to shudder.   His hands gripped my hips, drawing me flush against him as my thighs tightened around his waist.

Warmth.

That was all I sensed.

It's hot and you feel like Derek Callahan has taken over your life.

How this would impact us, the conflict, and everything that stood in our way was unknown to me.

But for now, I didn’t care.

For now, I just wanted this.

Desired him.

And I had decided to give up fighting it.