Chapter 170 170

Chapter 170 170

Aeson's POV

She shook her head, her voice rising. "Are you okay? What stupid connection are you talking about?"

I felt something snap inside me. I grabbed her arms, my grip firm, my eyes locked onto hers. "You really can't feel it now?" My voice dropped, raw and desperate. "The bond between us?"

Her brows creased, confusion and something else flickering in her eyes. I couldn't hold back any longer.

I looked at her, my voice low and fierce. "You can keep denying it. But fuck it... I'm done acting like you don't bother me. The energy, the pull, the need for you even when I spite the thought of it…I can't ignore this anymore."

The air between us was thick, charged. I could see her breath catch, her lips parting slightly.

"Tell me you feel it," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Tell me I'm not alone in this.”

She looked at me with disgust, her eyes narrowing, her lips curling. "I don't know what you're talking about." She pushed my hands away from her, her touch sharp and dismissive. "Don't cross the line..." She pointed at me, her finger trembling with anger, trailing off as if she couldn't find the words to finish.

I stared at her, my jaw tight. What nonsense? When would she stop pretending? The act was wearing thin, grating on my nerves like sandpaper.

I nodded, a bitter shrug rolling off my shoulders. "You won't drop the act that easily. You've got an agenda, don't you?"

"Excuse you?" Her voice was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade.

"I know." I stepped closer, my eyes fixed on hers. "I bet you've gotten that bad pretense abilities and dubiousness from your mother."

"I beg your pardon!" She looked enraged, her eyes blazing with fury, her fists clenched at her sides.

No, Aeson. Tyson's voice cut through my thoughts, low and urgent. You're making her upset.

She's fucking pretending not to feel anything, I shot back, my frustration spilling over.

No, Aeson. His voice was firmer now. I think something isn't right. I can smell wolf traces on her. But somehow, I've not been feeling her wolf. It's like it's... blocked. Hidden.

I blinked, the words sinking in. What do you mean, Tyson?

No wolf means she can't realize the bond or connect with you. We need to figure this out. There was a note of urgency in his voice, a warning I couldn't ignore.

I thought about it, my mind racing, and looked at her. "Are you wolfless?"

She scoffed, the sound sharp and bitter. "Wow. Like you had no idea."

I opened my mouth to respond, but she cut me off, her voice rising with fury. "I think you're the world's worst pretentious guru. You probably knew I was wolfless, which is why you wanted to humiliate me earlier by asking why I didn't turn into my wolf." She stepped closer, her finger jabbing at my chest. "And I'm sure you decided to start teaching at the college to make my life hell because I rejected you." Her voice cracked with emotion. "Now you have the guts to talk bad about my mother. How dare you?"

I couldn't respond. The words were lodged in my throat, heavy and unyielding. She was fuming, her chest heaving with anger, her eyes blazing with a fire that made me take a step back.

"I see you've lost your words," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "But listen to me clearly. Just because you saved me more than once doesn't mean you get the right to talk bad about my mother. You don't even know her."

She turned away, walking to the small window, her back to me. I stood there, frozen, my mind reeling. I had misunderstood her. Gravely. She wasn't pretending. She genuinely didn't feel the bond because she didn't have a wolf.

You're an idiot, Tyson growled in my mind. You pushed her. You insulted her mother. You made her feel like she's the one in the wrong when she's been fighting a battle you don't even understand.

I know, I thought, the realization hitting me like a punch to the gut.

She's been alone, Tyson continued, his voice softer now. She's been fighting without a wolf, without the connection we take for granted. And instead of understanding, you attacked her.

I looked at her silhouette against the window, her shoulders trembling, her hands pressed against the glass. She was trying to hide her pain, and I had just poured salt into the wound.

I took a step toward her, then stopped. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know if there were words that could fix this.

"Tyson," I said aloud, my voice barely a whisper. "What do I do?"

Start by apologizing, he said. And this time, you should mean it.

I took another step toward her, then paused, looking away like I hadn't been staring at her the entire time. My jaw tightened, my fists clenching at my sides. She was walking toward the door, her steps quick, determined.

"Where are you heading to?" I asked, my voice flat.

She stopped but didn't turn around. "This isn't my place. Neither is it yours. You can stay here if you want." She glanced back at me over her shoulder, her eyes cold. "I don't want to spend another minute with you."

She took another step forward, and I had no other option. "There's danger outside that door," I said, my voice sharp.

She kept walking.

I heightened my voice, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I managed to save you with much difficulty. Don't throw it away."

She stopped and turned. Her expression shifted, a flicker of anxiety crossing her face.

I pressed on, the lie forming on my tongue. "Logan was fully prepared. He had a lot of people around. I'm sure you came to this part of the woods to see him." I paused, letting the words sink in. "Right?"

She tucked her hair behind her ear, her gaze dropping. "But I saw you kill them. You got rid of—"

"Yes, I did." I stepped closer. "And I brought you here because it's safer. But I saw more of his men approaching." I met her eyes. "I couldn't take them all."

She blinked, her voice hesitant. "Seriously?"

"Yes." I held her gaze, willing her to believe me.

She walked up to me, her steps slow, her voice cautious. "You're Alpha Aeson..."

"So?" I crossed my arms. "You think I'm untouchable?"

She rolled her eyes, a flicker of annoyance breaking through her anxiety. "Look, I can't stay here. We can't stay here longer. Let's go. I just need you to follow me out of the woods. That way, Logan's minions won't dare to get me."

I walked to the other side of the room and leaned against the wall, exhaustion settling into my bones. "I'm exhausted. Also, I don't have a problem passing the night here." I looked at her, my voice dropping. "If you have a problem, you're free to go. But don't be stupid enough to think I'll show up like I did earlier to save you. Got it?"

She stared at me, her mouth falling open. "Are you serious? They could come here too!"

"No one would dare."

"How can you say that with certainty," she shot back, her voice rising, "didn't you just say they're a bunch of them out there?"

I quickly rephrased, covering my tracks. "They won't. Trust me."

She huffed in resignation, her shoulders slumping. "So... what now?"

I pushed off the wall and walked toward her, my hands moving to the buttons of my shirt. I undid the first one, then the second, my eyes fixed on hers.

Her eyes widened. "W...what are you..."

I undid the last button and took a step forward. She gasped, stumbling back.

"What the heck are you doing?"

I shrugged off my shirt, letting it fall to the floor. Her eyes followed it, then snapped back to my face. She tried to look away, but her gaze kept dropping, tracing the lines of my shoulders, the planes of my chest.

Her lips parted slightly, and I saw the conflict warring in her eyes—the urge to look away warring with something deeper, something she couldn't control. The way her gaze lingered on my chest, tracing the lines of muscle, sent a jolt of heat straight through me. It made me want to do something reckless, something wild, fuck thst. I wanted to close the distance between us and taste that hesitation on her lips.

Tyson rumbled low in my chest, a deep, possessive growl that vibrated through my bones. Don't even think about it, he warned, though his voice carried the same hunger I felt. Not like this. Not when she's still scared.

I forced myself to still, fighting to hold back the urge surging through me.