Chapter 234 How Do I Make You Feel?

Chapter 234 How Do I Make You Feel?
>>Riona
“I—I'm sorry,” I whispered, my voice shaky as I struggled to find the words. “I didn’t mean… I just… I didn’t know what else to do.”
Demos didn’t immediately react, his arms still slightly raised as though uncertain whether to pull me back to him or to let me go. His expression was unreadable, but I could see the faint flicker of something—concern, maybe, or confusion—glimmer in his eyes.
I swallowed hard, my heart racing again, this time not from fear, but from the discomfort of the situation.
“I didn’t mean to—” I started, but the words faltered in my throat. What did I mean?
He didn’t say anything at first, just looking at me in silence, and then, finally, his hands dropped to his sides, the tension in his body releasing as he took a step back, giving me space. His gaze softened, but there was a quiet understanding in his eyes.
“You don’t have to apologize,” he said quietly. “It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot, Riona.”
I shook my head, still unable to meet his gaze, my chest tight again. “No, it’s not okay. I shouldn’t have… acted like that. You were just trying to help.”
Demos sighed softly, running a hand through his hair, though his expression remained gentle. He took another step back, his hands now resting in his pockets, and though he hadn’t said it outright, I knew he was giving me space. Letting me breathe.
“It’s fine, really,” he said, his voice steady. “I just... I don’t like seeing you like this. If there’s anything you need—”
“No.” My voice was sharp, surprising even myself. I took a deep breath and tried to steady myself, the anxiety creeping back in like an unwelcome shadow. “I don’t need anything. I just… I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”
There was a long, heavy silence between us.
But then, just as I thought the moment might stretch on forever, Demos took a small step forward, his gaze softening with something close to sympathy.
“You don’t have to do this alone, Riona,” he said, his voice low, earnest. “You don’t have to pretend you’re fine when you’re not.”
I felt a lump form in my throat, and for a second, I was afraid I might break again. But I swallowed it down, forcing myself to stand straighter, pushing back the vulnerability that threatened to overwhelm me.
“I’m not pretending. I just… I just need time.” I looked up at him finally, my voice more firm now, but still trembling with emotion. “Thank you. For… being there. But I’ll handle this.”
Demos nodded slowly, though his gaze lingered on me for a moment longer than I expected. The concern in his eyes didn’t fade, but he said nothing more. He simply gave me a small, knowing smile.
“Take all the time you need,” he said quietly, before turning to walk back inside, leaving me standing there, my heart still racing, but my thoughts—just for a moment—quiet.
As he disappeared into the house, I let out a long, shaky breath. My hands still trembled at my sides,
I stood there, feeling a strange emptiness settle in the pit of my stomach. It wasn’t just the absence of the wolf anymore; it was the odd, almost irrational sense of comfort I’d felt in Demos’s arms. It was as though the moment I clung to him, the storm inside me had calmed, and I had been given a space to breathe. The same kind of thing I had been searching for when I was looking for the wolf.
But why? Why did I feel this intense need to seek him out when I’d never allowed myself to rely on anyone, let alone Demos? And why did the same feeling of solace come over me when I was near him?
I shook my head, the questions swirling in my mind, trying to make sense of it all. But no matter how much I tried to focus, the tightness in my chest only grew. It wasn’t enough to stop thinking about the wolf, either. I needed answers.
Where was the wolf?
It had been missing, and I hadn’t even seen it anywhere around the house in days. Not a trace of it. I frowned, pushing away the unsettling thought that perhaps something had happened to it. But if nothing happened, surely… I should have seen it by now. Shouldn’t I?
I needed to know. I needed to ask him.
Suddenly, I turned sharply, determination rising in my chest as I set off toward the house. Demos had mentioned something about the wolf being kept in a special place—somewhere private—but I couldn’t figure out where it was. He always made sure to hide it from others. For what reason? I had no idea.
I moved quickly through the hallways of the house, the silence in the air unnerving, before I spotted the staircase that led up to the second floor. I paused for a second, my mind racing with uncertainty. Why was I so determined to find the wolf? Was it the animal itself, or was it something deeper?
But I didn’t have time to question myself. I ran up the stairs, my footsteps echoing as I headed toward the study.
When I reached the door to the study, I hesitated for a moment, then pushed it open. The low light from the lamps inside bathed the room in a soft, golden glow. Demos sat in the lounge area by the window, a glass of something in his hand as he stared out at the night. His posture was relaxed, but there was something in his expression that made me hesitant to interrupt him. Still, I had to know.
“Demos,” I called out, my voice uncertain.
He didn’t immediately look up, but I could see the slight shift in his body, as if he was aware of my presence without needing to see me. Slowly, he turned his head, his eyes meeting mine, dark and thoughtful. He didn’t say anything at first, just watched me, as though waiting for me to speak.
I swallowed my nerves, steeling myself. “I... I’ve been looking for the wolf.”
Demos raised an eyebrow, setting the glass down on the table beside him. “The wolf?” His tone was calm, but there was a trace of something else beneath it, a slight curiosity perhaps. “What about it?”
I took a step closer, trying to keep my voice steady. “I haven’t seen it anywhere around the house. I looked for it earlier in the garden. You know, I thought it might be there, but... it’s gone. I haven’t seen it for a while. Where is it?”
There was a brief, almost imperceptible pause before Demos stood up, his movements slow and deliberate. His eyes softened as he approached me, and I noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor. It was the same look he’d given me earlier when I had been lost in my anxiety, as though he understood something I didn’t yet realize.
The silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken words, but then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve been keeping it away from the house for a while.”
I could feel the tension in his voice, “What do you mean? What happened?”
Demos’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, he didn’t answer. The silence stretched again, thick with his internal struggle. I could see the caution in his eyes, the way he seemed to be measuring whether he should say more.
“The wolf... isn’t just a wolf, Riona,” he said quietly, almost as if he were speaking to himself as much as to me.
“What?”

“It can’t be here all the time,” He said further
I stood there, staring at Demos as the weight of his words settled heavily in the space between us. His explanation about the wolf made little sense to me
"Wait, you’re saying the wolf can’t be here all the time?" I asked, my voice slightly confused as I tried to piece together what he was saying. “Why? I’ve seen it here before, and it was fine. It’s not dangerous.”
Demos’s face shifted slightly, though he kept his calm demeanor. There was an underlying tension in his gaze that made me uneasy. He didn’t answer right away, his eyes lingering on me as if weighing something inside his mind.
“I can’t explain it right now,” he finally said, his tone firm but not harsh. “You don’t need to understand all of it. It’s just safer this way.”
I frowned, stepping a little closer to him, my curiosity taking the lead. “But why? What’s going on? You’re not making sense.”
He turned away slightly, as if the conversation was something he didn’t want to continue, but I wasn’t about to let it go. There was something about his reluctance that made me feel like I was being kept in the dark, and I didn’t like it.
He met my gaze again, but this time, his expression softened. “It’s not just about safety. The wolf is... something else. But right now, I want to ask you something. Why do you want to see it so badly?”
The question caught me off guard, and I hesitated, not expecting him to turn the conversation in this direction. I felt my cheeks flush as I thought about it. Why did I want to see the wolf? I had been looking for it desperately earlier, and there was a part of me that knew it wasn’t just the animal itself I was after. It was the feeling it brought me—the sense of calm, of peace.
But I couldn’t quite admit that, could I? Not yet. Not to him.
I shifted uncomfortably, looking down for a moment before meeting his gaze again. “I... I just like the wolf a lot. It helps me calm down when I get anxious,” I said softly, almost shyly, my voice trailing off toward the end.
There. It was out. I had said it.
Demos’s lips curled into the faintest of smiles, his eyes warming as he took a step closer to me. There was a softness in his gaze, something reassuring, and the look in his eyes shifted from distant to... something more personal. Something far gentler than I had expected.
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said quietly, his voice low and almost... pleased? The words felt different, as if he was truly happy to know how the wolf helped me. But then, his expression turned more focused, intense in a way that made me take a step back, though my body didn’t quite want to move.
He was standing just a little too close to me now. His presence felt overwhelming in the quiet room, his scent—strong, dark, and familiar—clouding my senses as I tried to keep my focus. But it was hard with him standing so near.
“How does he make you feel?” Demos asked, his voice dropping to a near whisper as he leaned in just slightly, his words lingering between us.
I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question. My heart fluttered in my chest, unsure how to answer him. He was so close now, his gaze locked on mine, the air between us thick with something I couldn’t name. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to answer truthfully or if it was a rhetorical question.
But my mouth was dry.
I shifted on my feet, unsure of how to articulate what I was feeling. How he made me feel. I had never quite thought about it like that. The wolf was calm, a constant, but Demos—Demos was different. It was him that made me feel... something more. Something that made my heart race.
“I don’t know,” I murmured, my voice barely audible. “It’s... calm. When I’m with him, I feel calm. Safe, I guess.”
Demos didn’t speak right away, and for a long moment, the room fell into silence. I could feel the heat of his gaze, and it made me acutely aware of just how close we were. Then, finally, he smiled—softly, but genuinely.
“You feel safe?” His words were a breath against my skin, and I couldn’t help but shiver slightly.
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure where this was going. Something in me, however, had already started to soften in his presence. Maybe it was the way he was looking at me now, like he cared. Or maybe it was just the way he made me feel, just by being there.
Demos’s smile grew just a little, and he seemed almost pleased, but it was a look I hadn’t seen before. More personal. More... intimate.
“Well,” he said, his voice low and steady, “How do I make you feel then?”