Chapter 24 Heat Cycle Peak (Declan POV)
I'm dying.
At least, that's what it feels like as I thrash against sweat-soaked sheets for the third night in a row, my body temperature climbing past what any thermometer in the school infirmary could measure.
"Hold him down!" Callum's voice cuts through the haze. "Brian, grab his other arm!"
Hands press against my shoulders, my wrists, trying to keep me on the bed as another wave of heat crashes through me. My wolf is screaming, clawing at the inside of my skin, demanding I shift and run to her.
To Vivienne.
Mate. Mine. Need. Now.
"Temperature's at 40.2," Owen reports from somewhere to my left. "Same as last reading. Hasn't dropped in six hours."
"That's not sustainable," Brian mutters. "Dec, you need to…"
I snarl, the sound more animal than human. My eyes flash amber, I can feel it happening, can feel the shift trying to take over despite four pack members holding me down.
"Easy, easy." Callum's face appears above mine, his expression tight with worry. "You're okay. Just breathe."
"Can't." The word comes out garbled, half-growl. "Hurts. Everything hurts."
"I know. But you're going to get through this."
Another convulsion wracks my body. I arch off the bed hard enough that Brian loses his grip on my left arm. My hand shoots out, claws extending, and I barely stop myself from raking them across Callum's face.
"Shit!" Brian grabs my arm again, forcing it down. "He nearly took your head off!"
"He's in crisis," Callum says, not moving away despite the close call. "This is what happens when an unmated Alpha goes through heat cycle with his mate nearby but inaccessible. The bond demands completion. His wolf doesn't understand why he can't have what's his."
"Then let him go to her," Liam suggests from the doorway. "Better than watching him cook himself to death."
"Can't. Edmund's monitoring her constantly. If Declan shows up at her dorm like this..." Callum shakes his head. "It would confirm everything Edmund suspects."
I try to speak, to tell them I don't care about Edmund's suspicions, that nothing matters except getting to Vivienne. But my voice won't cooperate. All that comes out is another howl, raw and desperate.
"How long can he sustain this?" Owen asks.
"I don't know. Normal heat cycles last three to five days. This is day four, and he's getting worse instead of better." Callum presses a cold compress to my forehead. "The mate bond is making everything more intense. More dangerous."
"Maybe we should contact Freya," Brian suggests. "See if she can do something magical to knock him out?"
"Already tried. She said interfering with a heat cycle magically could damage the bond permanently." Owen moves to the window, peering through the curtains. "Besides, we have bigger problems. I did reconnaissance this morning like you asked."
"And?"
"Edmund's not alone anymore. I counted at least six new arrivals at his hotel. Professional types. Military bearing. They're checking equipment in the parking area…UV lights, silver-lined cases, tactical gear."
The words penetrate through my fever. Hunters. Edmund brought hunters.
"How many?" Callum's voice is sharp.
"Six that I saw. Could be more arriving." Owen turns from the window. "They're setting up a perimeter. Not around the hotel…around campus. I spotted motion sensors being installed near the south woods. Probably more elsewhere."
"He's building a trap," Brian says quietly. "Getting ready to close it."
"When?"
"Don't know. But given the equipment I saw? Soon. Very soon."
I try to sit up, to participate in this conversation that's clearly about pack survival, but my body won't cooperate. Another wave of heat slams through me, and I collapse back against the pillows.
"We need to evacuate," Brian says. "Get off campus before Edmund springs whatever he's planning."
"Can't evacuate with Dec like this." Callum gestures at me. "He can barely walk. And leaving means abandoning Vivienne to Edmund."
"She's not pack yet…"
"She's his mate!" Callum snaps. "That makes her pack whether she's transformed or not. We don't abandon mates. Ever."
"Even if staying gets us all killed?"
The question hangs in the air. No one answers.
I force words out through gritted teeth: "Not. Leaving. Her."
"Dec, you're in no condition to make that call," Brian argues.
"My. Pack. My. Call." Each word is agony, but I push through. "Stay. Protect. Her."
"Even if it's suicide?"
"Yes."
Callum squeezes my shoulder. "Alright. We stay. But we need a plan beyond 'wait for Edmund to attack.' Owen, keep monitoring the hunters. Document their positions, their equipment, their routines. Find the gaps in their coverage."
"On it."
"Brian, Liam, work on evacuation routes just in case. We might need to extract Vivienne if Edmund tries to move her."
"What about the others?" Liam asks. "Kieran, James, Connor. They need to know what's happening."
"Tell them. Full briefing tonight after classes." Callum looks at me. "Dec, I need you to try to regain control. I know it's hell right now, but we need our Alpha functional. Can you do that?"
I want to say yes. Want to be the leader they need. But my wolf is too strong, the fever too high, the need for Vivienne too consuming.
"Trying," I manage.
"That's all I can ask." He stands. "Owen, you're on watch until three. Brian takes over until six. Liam, you've got six to nine."
"What about Kieran?" Owen asks. "He volunteered for a shift."
"No. Keep him away from Dec right now." Callum's voice is firm. "Kieran's already questioning Dec's fitness to lead. Seeing him like this would just make things worse."
He's not wrong. I can barely imagine what I look like…fever-flushed, sweating through sheets, more animal than human. Not exactly inspiring Alpha material.
The room clears except for Owen, who settles into the chair by my bed with a textbook. Trying to study while babysitting his Alpha. The normalcy of it…homework during a crisis…would be funny if I could feel anything beyond burning need.
"She misses you too, you know," Owen says after a few minutes. "Vivienne. Sophie told me she's been asking about you. Worried."
"Can't... see her."
"I know. Edmund's got her on lockdown. Four check-ins a day, constant monitoring. She skipped two yesterday and he nearly dragged her out of the library himself." Owen flips a page he's clearly not reading. "But Sophie's passing messages. Vivienne knows you're... struggling."
Struggling. Polite way to describe this hell.
"Owen." My voice is clearer now, the fever temporarily ebbing. "If something happens. If Edmund attacks before…"
"Don't."
"Listen. If I can't protect her, if I'm too..." I gesture weakly at my current state. "You get her out. Whatever it takes. Promise me."
"Dec…"
"Promise."
He meets my eyes, and I see the understanding there. The acceptance of what I'm really asking. If I die, if Edmund kills me, Owen will make sure Vivienne survives.
"I promise. But it won't come to that."
"You don't know that."
"No. But I'm choosing to believe it anyway." He returns to his textbook. "Now shut up and try to sleep. You're no good to anyone like this."
He's right. I close my eyes, trying to find some measure of rest.
But all I see is Vivienne. Her violet-grey eyes. Her dark hair with that silver streak. The way she looked at me in the chapel before Edmund interrupted. Like I was her whole world.
Like I was worth choosing.
My wolf whines, pacing inside my mind. Four days until the full moon. Four days until she transforms and we can complete the bond. Four days until she's pack, officially and irrevocably.
If we survive that long.
I wake to arguing.
"…absolutely not. Look at him, Cal. He can barely stand!"
"I'm aware. But she asked to see him. Sent a message through Sophie."
"So? She can wait until he's recovered."
"She doesn't have time to wait! Edmund's closing in. The hunters are setting up. In forty-eight hours, maybe less, all hell breaks loose. If she wants to see him before that happens…"
"Then she can want. Our priority is keeping Dec alive, not arranging romantic meetups."
I force my eyes open. Callum and Kieran are facing off near the door, tension crackling between them.
"What... time?" My voice sounds like gravel.
Both turn to look at me.
"You're awake," Callum says, relief evident. "How do you feel?"
"Like death. What time is it?"
"Two-thirty. Wednesday afternoon. You've been out for about sixteen hours."
Wednesday. Which means I've lost an entire day to fever dreams and wolf-induced delirium.
"Vivienne?" I ask.
"Wants to meet you at three. In the woods behind the old chapel." Callum crosses to my bed. "But you're in no condition…"
"I'll go."
"Dec, be reasonable…"
"I'll. Go." I push myself upright, ignoring the way the room spins. "Help me up."
"This is insane," Kieran mutters. "He can barely walk, and you're going to let him stumble through the woods to meet the hunter's daughter?"
"She's not the hunter's daughter," I snap, the words coming out more forcefully than intended. "She's my mate. And I'm going to see her."
"Even if it kills you?"
"Even then."
Kieran shakes his head in disgust. "Your funeral, Alpha. Try not to get the rest of us killed along the way."
He leaves, slamming the door behind him.
"He has a point," Callum says carefully. "You're barely standing. What happens if Edmund finds you together? If he attacks?"
"Then I fight."
"In this condition? Dec, you'd lose."
"Maybe. But I'd die protecting her. That's what mates do."
Callum studies me for a long moment. Then he sighs. "Fine. But I'm coming with you. Hidden backup. If things go sideways, I'll intervene."
"Deal."
It takes twenty minutes to get dressed…simple tasks like pulling on jeans and finding a clean shirt become herculean efforts when your body temperature is hovering around 40 degrees. But eventually, I'm presentable. Or at least upright.
"You look terrible," Callum observes.
"Thanks. Very encouraging."
"Just being honest. Your eyes are bloodshot, you're swaying on your feet, and you smell like fever and desperation."
"Good. Maybe it'll cover my scent from Edmund's surveillance."
We head out through the back of my dorm, avoiding main paths where we might be seen. The afternoon air is cool against my overheated skin, providing momentary relief.
"Owen's report," Callum says as we walk. "The hunters are definitely preparing for an operation. They've installed equipment at eight locations around campus. UV cannons, motion sensors, what looks like silver-gas dispersal systems."
"Silver gas?"
"Aerosol silver particles. Designed to incapacitate werewolves without killing them immediately. Makes us weaker, slower, easier to contain."
"Where did Edmund get that kind of technology?"
"No idea. But whoever's funding this operation has serious resources." Callum pauses at the edge of the woods. "There's something else. Owen overheard two hunters talking. They mentioned a timeline. Said the 'operation' was scheduled for Friday night."
Friday. Two days away.
"The night before the full moon," I realize.
"Exactly. When you're at peak strength but Vivienne hasn't transformed yet. When she's most vulnerable and you're most protective." Callum's expression is grim. "Edmund's timing is strategic. He wants you strong enough to fight but distracted by protecting her. Wants her weak enough to capture but present enough to use as bait."
"He's using his own daughter as bait."
"Has been since the moment he enrolled her here. This whole setup…her arrival, the chapel meetings, even that history project…it was all planned. Edmund put her in your path knowing the mate bond would snap into place."
The implications make me sick. "He sacrificed his relationship with Vivienne to get to us."
"Worse. He never saw it as sacrifice. In his mind, he's saving her. Eliminating the threat before she transforms and becomes what he fears." Callum starts moving into the trees. "Come on. We're going to be late."
The walk to the chapel is agonizing. Every step sends fire through my muscles. My wolf keeps trying to surface, making my vision flash amber, making my nails extend into claws I have to consciously retract.
But I keep moving. Because Vivienne is waiting.
We reach the clearing behind the chapel at 2:58. Callum melts into the shadows, invisible to anyone who doesn't know he's there. And I wait.
She appears at exactly three o'clock.
Even through my fever-haze, she's beautiful. Dark hair pulled back, face pale with stress, wearing a heavy coat and black gloves despite the mild temperature. She spots me and freezes.
"Declan." My name sounds like relief and worry mixed together. "You look…"
"Like death. I know. Owen mentioned it earlier."
"I was going to say 'sick.' Are you okay?"
"No. But I'm here." I take a step toward her, and she closes the remaining distance. "Vivienne, I got your message. About meeting…"
"I needed to see you. Needed to tell you..." She stops, looking at my hands where claws are trying to extend. "Your heat cycle. It's still happening."
"It's peaked. Probably another day or two before it breaks." I force my hands to stay human. "But that's not important. What matters is…"
"My father is planning something." She cuts me off. "I don't know what exactly, but he's brought people. Hunters. I saw them from my window this morning, unloading equipment. Military-grade stuff, Declan. Not wildlife research gear."
"I know. Owen's been monitoring them."
"They're here because of you. Because of your pack." Her eyes search mine. "He knows what you are. Confirmed it somehow. And he's going to…" Her voice breaks. "He's going to try to kill you."
"I know that too."
"Then why are you still here? Why haven't you run?"
"Because running means leaving you with him. And I won't do that."
"Declan, I'm not worth dying for."
"Yes, you are." I take her gloved hands in mine. "You're worth everything. Every risk, every sacrifice, every…"
She kisses me.
It's desperate and fierce and tastes like tears. My wolf roars in satisfaction, the fever momentarily forgotten in the perfection of having her in my arms.
When we break apart, she's crying.
"I can't let him kill you. Can't let him destroy everything you are because of what I am." She pulls back slightly. "So I'm going to stop him."
"How?"
"By confronting him. By demanding the truth about my mother, about what I'm becoming. By forcing him to choose between his hunt and his daughter."
"Vivienne, that's…"
"Dangerous? Stupid? Exactly what you'd do in my position?" She manages a weak smile. "I know. But I'm done hiding. Done letting him control the narrative. In four days, I transform whether he likes it or not. Better to face him now, on my terms, than wait for him to trap us both."
She's right. Tactically, it makes sense. But emotionally, every instinct I have is screaming at me to stop her.
"When?" I ask instead.
"Tonight. During my eight PM check-in. I'm going to show him my hands."
"Your hands?"
She pulls off one glove. Underneath, her nails are long and sharp, not fully clawed, but definitely not human either.
"They shifted last night," she explains. "Fully. Claws and fur and everything. Sophie saw. I managed to hide them under gloves today, but they're getting harder to control. Tonight, I'm going to stop hiding."
"He'll try to stop the transformation. Inject you with something, lock you up…"
"Let him try." There's steel in her voice now. "I'm done being his victim. Done letting him suppress what I am." She meets my eyes. "I choose you, Declan. I choose the pack. I choose becoming what my mother was. And if that means losing my father, then I've already lost him anyway."
The words should make me happy. Should make my wolf howl in triumph.
Instead, I'm terrified.
"Vivienne, if this goes wrong…"
"It's already wrong. Has been for seventeen years." She puts her glove back on. "But at least this way, I'm choosing the ending. Not him."
"I'll be nearby. If you need me…"
"You'll be too weak to help. Look at you. You can barely stand." She touches my face gently. "Callum will protect me if necessary. Right, Callum?"
He emerges from the shadows, looking sheepish at being detected. "Right. I'll be there."
"See? I'll be fine." She kisses me again, softer this time. "Four days until the full moon. Four days until I transform. Four days until we figure out how to survive this together."
She leaves before I can argue further.
I watch her disappear into the trees, every fiber of my being wanting to follow. To stop her from confronting Edmund alone. To protect her the way an Alpha protects his mate.
But I can't. Because she's right, I'm too weak to help. Too compromised to fight.
All I can do is wait.
And hope she survives what's coming.