Chapter 88

Chapter 88
Nephele's POV

By the third day, I was losing my mind.

I woke around dawn, my body still thrumming from another vivid dream that left me gasping and desperate. The sheets were soaked between my thighs, clinging to my overheated skin.

I clenched my legs together, but the movement only made it worse—my swollen clit throbbed in protest, so sensitive even the friction of the fabric was almost too much.

Fuck.

Hati growled low in my mind, her voice thick with shared frustration. "Pathetic," she sneered, but there was no real bite to it—just the same restless hunger that made my pulse stutter.

I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face. The cottage was too quiet. Too empty. The space beside me in bed was cold, untouched.

But Kaedan's scent still clung to the pillow.

I buried my face in it, inhaling deeply—that winter pine that was all him—and my hips jerked involuntarily.

Gods, it wasn't enough. Not when my skin still burned with the ghost of his touch, when my body ached with the memory of his weight pressing me down, his teeth at my throat, his cock—

No.

I couldn't take this anymore.

With a snarl, I shoved the sheets aside and stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

The mirror showed the wreck I'd become—cheeks flushed, lips bitten raw, pupils blown so wide my eyes looked nearly black. Shadows coiled around my wrists like shackles, restless and agitated.

I turned the faucet on, splashing icy water on my face, but it did nothing to douse the fire under my skin. My hands trembled as they skimmed down my body, fingers slipping beneath the soaked fabric of my panties.

Kaedan.

I imagined his voice, rough and commanding in my ear. "Touch yourself for me."

A whimper tore from my throat as my fingers found my clit, already swollen and aching. The first brush of my fingertips sent a jolt of pleasure so sharp through me that my knees nearly buckled.

I braced one hand against the wall, the other working in tight, desperate circles.

"Faster," his phantom voice growled, and I obeyed, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

It wasn't the same—not his calloused hands, not the way he'd pin me down and take what he wanted—but the pressure built anyway, white-hot and relentless. My hips jerked against my own fingers, chasing the release that hovered just out of reach.

"Come for me, little star."

The command snapped something inside me. Pleasure crashed over me like a wave, so intense it stole the air from my lungs.

My back arched, a broken cry spilling from my lips as my thighs trembled, my cunt clenching around nothing—needing him, missing him—

And then it was over.

I slumped against the counter, gasping, my legs shaking too hard to hold me up. The aftershocks left me twitching, but the relief was hollow. Temporary.

Because no matter how many times I came, it wouldn't be him.

A cold shower later, I dressed mechanically, my body still humming with unsatisfied tension.

I needed to move. To fight. To do something before I lost my mind entirely.

Then I found Gregory in the kitchen, already dressed and poring over what looked like updated training schedules.

"I need to go to Stormfang," I announced without preamble.

Gregory looked up from his notebook, taking in my obvious distress with careful eyes.

"Because you miss him, or because of what's happening with the pack council?"

"Both," I admitted. "But mostly because if they're going to judge you, they should judge us both. We're a package deal."

"Okay," Gregory said simply.

"Okay?"

"I'll pack a bag. If I'm going to face a formal review, I'd rather do it on my terms than wait for them to make decisions about me without me there."

I stared at him. "You want to come with me?"

"I want to show them what a wolfless person can actually contribute," he said, closing his notebook with determination. "Besides, if I'm going to be part of Stormfang pack, I should probably meet the people who think I'm a liability."

"Gregory, you don't have to—"

"I want to," he interrupted. "Besides, if you're going to support me through this, I should probably understand what I'm asking of you."

An hour later, we were loaded into my car and heading toward Stormfang territory.

Gregory drove while I sat in the passenger seat, my hands fidgeting restlessly in my lap.

Through the mate bond, I could sense Kaedan's continued stress and exhaustion, but the connection felt muted by distance and his focus on pack politics.

"Nervous?" I asked as we passed the first territory marker.

"Terrified," Gregory admitted. "I've never faced a formal pack review before. What if they're right? What if I really am a liability?"

I could hear the deeper fear in his voice—not just about being rejected, but about making Kaedan look bad in front of his own pack.

"They're questioning you because they don't know you," I said firmly. "Once they see what you're capable of, what you've survived, they'll understand."

"And if they don't?"

"Then we'll deal with that too." I reached over and squeezed his hand. "But Gregory, you're not a liability. You're an asset they're too narrow-minded to recognize yet."

He was quiet for a moment, then said, "I'm also angry. Really angry. These people think they can judge my worth based on something I had no control over."

"Good," I said, surprising him. "Use that anger. Show them exactly what a wolfless person can contribute when given the chance."

"At least this time, we get to defend ourselves," Gregory said, his grip on the steering wheel tightening with determination.

"And we're not doing it alone," I agreed.

We spent the rest of the drive discussing strategy—how Gregory could demonstrate his training methods, how I could support him without undermining pack hierarchy, and how we'd prove ourselves through actions rather than words.

As we crested the final hill and Stormfang territory spread out below us, I felt a mixture of awe and trepidation.

"It appears different now," Gregory remarked softly, decelerating as we passed through the gates. "More formidable."

I understood his meaning. His previous visit had been as a welcomed potential member. Now we returned under intense scrutiny, his value questioned by those whose judgments seemed predetermined.

The pack members who halted to observe us emanated a different aura. Their expressions ranged from inquisitive to calculating—all evaluating not just me as Shadow Wolf Queen, but Gregory as the wolfless man whose belonging was under review.

The main building loomed ahead—part fortress, part palace, all intimidating as hell.

"Ready?" Gregory asked, parking the car and straightening his shoulders.

My heart pounded against my ribs, not merely from anxiety about the formal review. After days of solitude and tantalizing dreams that left me yearning, I would soon see Kaedan again—to touch him, inhale his essence, feel his embrace.

The mate bond tingled beneath my skin as my wolf stirred restlessly, sensing her mate's proximity.

"Ready," I said, and stepped out to stand beside my brother.

Whatever judgment awaited us, we'd face it together.