Chapter 11 Burning
~Keith~
"She's in heat," I breathed, the realization hitting me like a physical blow.
Matt's eyes widened. "That's impossible. She doesn't have a wolf yet."
"Not fully yet." I lifted her carefully, her skin burning against mine. "Something's triggering her wolf side."
"Keith, if she's really in heat and you're right about the mate bond..."
"I know." The scent of her arousal was already making my head spin, my wolf clawing to get out. "Just go. Now."
Matt didn't move. His brows scrunched in a frown and he shook his head. "You can't be alone with her like this. Your father—"
"Will kill her if he finds out she's going through heat before he's marked her. She'll be considered tainted." I carried her to my bed, trying to ignore how perfectly she fit in my arms. "Lock the door behind you. Don't let anyone in."
Matt hesitated. "If you mark her now—"
"I won't. Just go."
Matt hesitated for a while before turning and walking towards the door. It clicked shut behind him. I heard the lock turn, then his footsteps fading down the hall.
Sage moaned, her body twisting on my sheets. The silk gown had ridden up, exposing her thighs. Somehow, she'd drawn the straps of the gown down, and her breasts were peeling out of the dress. I gulped hard and forced myself to look away.
"Keith," she gasped, her eyes fluttering open. They were glazed with need, and so unfocused. "It hurts. Everything burns."
I slid a strand of wet hair away from her face. "I know. I'm going to help you."
Her body was hot and her andro-attractant kept on calling out to me. I ground my molars together, willing myself to behave.
It was crazy. This was the girl that I'd dreamed of possessing. The girl that I'd told myself that I couldn't wait to have. And now, she was here on my bed, needy and on heat, and yet I couldn't bring myself to do the things that I'd dreamt of.
Sage reached for me, her fingers catching my shirt. "Please. I need... I don't know what I need."
I did. I knew what she needed…want she wanted. Every instinct screamed at me to give her exactly what her body was crying out for. To pin her to this bed and ease her heat the way nature intended. The way mates were supposed to.
"Touch me," she begged, pulling me closer. "Please, Keith. Make it stop burning."
Her lips were right there, pink and parted. The need to taste her, to confirm what my wolf already knew, was overwhelming. Just a drop of blood. That's all it would take. But not like this. Not when she couldn't truly consent.
"Sage, listen to me." I caught her wandering hands, trying to keep my voice steady. "You're in heat. Your wolf is trying to emerge. I need you to fight through it."
"I can't." She arched against me, and the friction nearly shattered my control. "Keith, please. I know you want me. I can feel it."
She wasn't wrong. Want was too mild a word for what I was feeling. Every cell in my body demanded I claim her. Mark her. Make her mine in every possible way.
"Kiss me," she whispered, pulling my head down. "Like you almost did before."
I should have resisted. I should have pulled away. But her mouth was hot against mine, desperate and needy, and my control snapped. I kissed her back hard, swallowing her moan as my tongue swept into her mouth. She tasted like honey and sin, like everything I'd ever wanted but couldn't have.
Her hands tangled in my hair, holding me close as she pressed her body against mine. Every curve, every soft inch of her was fitted against me, and she was rolling her hips, seeking friction that would ease the ache inside her.
"Yes," she gasped against my mouth. "More."
I grabbed her waist, meaning to hold her still, but instead I found myself guiding her movements, grinding her against my thigh. She cried out, the sound of pure need, and I lost myself in the feel of her. I could feel her wetness rubbing on my thighs through her underwear. My hands roamed her body, mapping every curve through the thin silk. When my thumb brushed over her breast, she arched into the touch, begging wordlessly for more.
"So beautiful," I growled against her throat. The urge to bite, to mark, was nearly unbearable. My canines had lengthened without my permission, ready to claim. "Perfect."
"Keith," she moaned. "I'm so empty. Please fill me."
Those words were like cold water. She wasn't in her right mind. This wasn't really her asking. It was the heat talking, the biological imperative that would make her beg anyone for relief…anyone that wasn't me.
The thought made me cold. I wrenched myself away, breathing hard. She whimpered at the loss of contact, reaching for me again.
"No," I said firmly, though it took everything I had. "I can't do this."
"You don't want me?"
The hurt in her voice nearly broke me. "I want you more than I want my next breath. But not when you don't know what you truly want."
I found a bowel, stumbled to the bathroom, and filled it with cold water. My hands shook as I grabbed a cloth.
When I came back to the room, she had pushed the gown straps down, the silk pooling at her waist. Her breasts were perfect, pink nipples tight with need.
The urge to put my tongue on that pink, tight, bud was overwhelming. It was literally calling out to me, telling me to come drink from it.
I forced my eyes up to her face.
"This will help," I said, approaching slowly. "The cold will ease the burning."
I started with her forehead, smoothing the cool cloth over her feverish skin. She sighed, some of the tension leaving her body. I moved down to her neck, her shoulders, steadfastly ignoring the expanse of bare skin below.
"That feels good," she murmured, sounding more like herself.
"Heat cycles are dangerous for unmated wolves," I explained, keeping my touch clinical even though every brush of my fingers against her skin tested my sanity. "Your body is preparing for something it's not ready for."
"Because I'm not fully wolfed out?"
"Because you're changing." I dipped the cloth again, wringing it out. "Your wolf is trying to emerge, but without a proper trigger, it's stuck. The heat is your body's way of forcing the issue."
"What's the proper trigger?"
I hesitated, then decided on honesty. "Usually? A mate's bite."
Her eyes found mine, clearer now. "Is that why you wanted to bite me earlier?"
"Partly."
"What's the other part?"
I focused on cooling her arms, her hands. "You know what the other part is."
"Say it."
"Sage..."
"Please." Her fingers caught mine. "I may be out of my mind with whatever this is, but I'm not stupid. There's something between us. Something that makes no sense but feels... inevitable."
"My father will kill us both."
“Your father?” She studied my face. "What happened in the council meeting?"
"He threatened you. Made it clear that if I don't watch him mark you at the celebration, he'll hurt you in ways that..." I couldn't finish.
"Then I'll refuse him to mark me."
"It's not that simple."
"Isn't it?" She sat up, pulling the gown back up to cover herself. The heat seemed to be subsiding, leaving her tired but lucid. "Keith, I can feel it. This thing between us. It's like gravity, pulling me toward you even when logic says I should stay away."
"Mate bonds are complicated—"
"Is that what this is? A mate bond?"
I wanted to lie. To protect her from this impossible truth. But looking into her eyes, I couldn't do it.
"I think so. Yes."
She absorbed that, then asked quietly, "What would confirm it?"
"Blood," I admitted. "If we shared blood, we'd know for certain. The bond would fully manifest. I need to bite you and taste your blood."
"Then do it."
"Sage—"
"I'm giving you permission. While I'm clearheaded." She tilted her head, offering her throat. "Taste me."
The sight of her pale neck, vulnerable and willing, nearly undid me. My wolf howled, demanding I take what she was offering.
"Not tonight," I managed. "Not until you're completely free of the heat. I need to know it's really you choosing this, not your raging hormones."
She looked frustrated but nodded. "Then what do we do about the celebration? I can't let him mark me."
"I'm working on a plan."
"Which is?"
Before I could answer, footsteps thundered down the hallway. Multiple sets, moving fast. Matt's voice rose in protest,
“Your majesty, the prince said he's not to be disturbed.”
“Open this door, now!” I heard my father roar.
My mind worked as fast as my hands did. If it had been a few weeks ago, I wouldn't mind him seeing us together, but right now, the stakes were too high.
“Prince Keith isn't feeling too well, your majesty. He has a fever and is trying to rest.” Matt kept on explaining.
“If I tell you to open this door one more time, you'll lose your head.”
The door exploded inward then, and my father walked in. He stopped as his gaze landed on the bed, and he stood there, taking in the scene before him.
"Well," he smiled, "This is interesting."