Chapter 24

Chapter 24
Hunger and Restraint
(POV: Darius)

The trees blurred as I ran.

Branches slapped my arms. My boots pounded against the forest floor. Wind tore through my hair like claws, but it wasn’t enough—not nearly enough to quiet the storm inside me.

Rage burned through every muscle. The scent of Kael still lingered on my skin, the memory of his hands on Alice—of her glowing, trembling body slumping to the ground while we all stood frozen.

She fainted. And I couldn’t do a damn thing. Even though I was freaking close. It annoyed the hell out of me.I promised to protect her, yet…I pushed harder, faster, tearing through the woods like I could outrun the fact that I almost lost her again. That I keep losing her every time I get close.

A low growl escaped my chest as I stopped at the edge of a stream, breath ragged. I doubled over, palms on my knees, forcing myself not to shift. The beast wanted out—wanted blood. But blood wouldn’t solve anything. Not this time.“I thought I’d find you out here.”My head jerked up.

She stood between two birches, barefoot, hair loose, arms wrapped around herself like armor. Alice.“Shouldn’t you be resting?” I straightened, instantly alert. “You collapsed in front of the entire pack, and now you’re strolling around the forest like it didn’t mean anything?”She didn’t answer right away. Just walked forward slowly, her gaze fixed on mine.“I couldn’t breathe in there,” she said softly. “Too many eyes. Too many whispers. I needed space.”

I swallowed the thousand things I wanted to say. She looked pale, but steady. Fragile but determined. The scent of her was stronger than the wind, stronger than my restraint. My heart thudded loud and angry in my chest.

“I came out here to clear my head,” she added, voice quieter now. “Not to be found.”“I didn’t come looking,” I said. “I came to lose control.”She gave a dry laugh. “Funny. That’s what I’m trying to stop from happening.”A beat of silence stretched between us.Then I stepped toward her. “Do you feel it too?” I asked, voice low. “The pull. Like something ancient won’t let us go.”Her lips parted, but no words came.

I kept moving, one slow step at a time. “Every time you look at me, I forget everything else. Fate, duty, the war between our packs—none of it matters. Only you.”She blinked quickly. “Don’t do this.”

“I have to. Because if I don’t, I’ll explode.”I reached her. She didn’t move. Her breath hitched, just once, as I reached up and cupped her face.Her face fit perfectly in palms, smooth and soft.“You called me your salvation,” she whispered.

“I meant it.”“But I’m not,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m chaos. I’m the very thing tearing this pack apart.”“You’re the only thing keeping me sane.”I kissed her.

Hard, deep, and desperate. Like I needed it to breathe. She leaned into it, fingers curling into my jacket, and I felt her tremble against me—not with fear, but with want.The kiss turned wild.I pressed her back against the tree, mouth hungry, hands roaming, finding the heat beneath her shirt. Her skin burned against mine. She gasped into my mouth, clutched me tighter, let out the softest sound that nearly undid me.She was fire. She was danger. She was mine—if only for a moment.

Her hands found the hem of my shirt. My lips traced down her neck. She arched into me, body electric.And then—she pulled back.Breathless. Eyes wide. Lips swollen.I was shocked by the sudden loss of her warmth but she quickly opened her mouth to say something.“Not like this,” she said, voice broken. “Not while I’m still weak.”I froze. Every inch of me screamed to keep going, to ignore the words, to pretend we could get lost in each other and forget everything else.

But I saw it in her eyes.She wasn’t ready. Not for this. Not for me.I stepped back, heart pounding, fists clenched at my sides.“Say something,” she whispered.“I can’t. Because every word I want to say sounds like a demand.”She flinched. “I’m sorry.”“Don’t be. I’d rather you stop me than regret me.”

A silence fell over us. This one wasn’t comfortable—it was raw, exposed. She touched her lips like they’d betrayed her. I wanted to touch her again but didn’t trust myself to stop.“I feel like I’m drowning in everyone’s expectations,” she finally said. “Kael wants me to be his goddess. The Sect sees me as a threat. Some wolves whisper that I’m divine. Others think I’m cursed. And then there’s you…”“What about me?”

“You look at me like I’m still just a girl. Like I’m allowed to be confused. Like I can still choose.”My jaw clenched. “You can.”“I don’t know who I am anymore, Darius.”

I softened. Stepped close again, just enough to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re still Alice. The girl who snaps at Kael when he gets arrogant. The girl who faced the Lunari sect and walked out into enemy territory because she refused to watch people die. The girl who kissed me like the world was ending.”

Her breath caught again.

Before either of us could speak, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out with shaking fingers, glanced at the screen—and all color drained from her face.“What is it?” I asked, instincts flaring.

Her eyes met mine. “It’s Liam. He says a Lunari scout was caught at the border.”My blood chilled. “Lunari?”She nodded. “He was tracking me.”The forest fell silent. No birds. No wind. Just that one sentence hanging between us like a blade.“What do they want with you now?” I asked, already knowing the answer.“I don’t know,” she whispered. “But this... this changes everything.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.Because if the Lunari had sent a scout into Pentagon territory, then whatever came next would be worse. Much worse.And it had her name written all over it.aaa