Chapter 67: After Heat
Auren's pov
A groan slips from my lips when I finally wake, and for a few seconds I lie there staring at the ceiling.
I’m alone in the bed, and every muscle in my body aches in that deep, satisfying way while my pussy throbs. The relentless sex has been amazing, but now I’m thankful that my intense urges and overwhelming wetness have calmed, allowing the clouding haze in my mind to disappear so I can finally think clearly.
I stand on weak legs and stumble toward the bathroom, wincing when the movement sends pain down there. I turn on the water, not waiting for the tub to fill up before stepping into it. The warmth immediately wraps around my tired body, loosening muscles I didn’t realize were tense. I hear the door of the room open, and that familiar woody scent reaches me. Alpha Dravik walks to the bathroom and leans against the doorway.
“Sore?” he asks, one corner of his mouth lifting.
I nod and sink a little deeper into the water, till it reaches my chin.
His expression softens as he crosses the room. “Sorry,” he murmurs, bending to press a kiss against my forehead. “It won’t always be like this.”
He then takes the bar of soap, working up a rich lather before he slowly starts to rub his large, calloused hands over my skin, gently washing me. I lean my head back against the rim of the tub, closing my eyes, a quiet moan escaping from my lips as I soak up the attention he pays to me, his hands soothing every bruised inch of my body.
"About that day in town... Brandon said you had a weird feeling," he murmurs softly.
I open my eyes, staring up at the tiled ceiling as the memories of that terrifying afternoon come rushing back.
"Yes... before Marcus appeared," I whisper. "I... I don't know how to explain it."
"You can’t explain it?" he asks, his hand rising to cup my breast, gently running the soapy water over my sensitive nipple.
"No... I just didn't... it didn't feel right," I murmur, my mind struggling to capture the feeling that had settled in my gut that day.
"What did Seris say to you?"
"That Marcus wanted to see me... that..." My breath hitches as his hand slides down between my legs, but he just gently washes me there without pushing further. "That he wanted to remind me."
"Remind you what?"
My eyes move to him, taking in the way his handsome face is squeezed in concentration as he carefully bathes me.
"She didn't say... she didn't really have a chance because Collins interrupted her, protecting me before Gamma Brandon came."
His brow furrows deeply at that statement, a dark shadow crossing his expression, one that I don't quite understand.
“I should have killed Marcus when I had the chance,” he mutters.
“Alpha Dravik, how did they know? How did they know where I was?”
“I don’t know yet.” His answer is quiet, but the certainty in it tells me he intends to find out.
He says nothing more, continuing to wash me but I feel like he still has a lot to say. I watch him for several minutes, waiting for him to tell me what is troubling him, yet he remains silent, and eventually I simply let myself enjoy the warmth and the gentle care of his hands.
When he finishes, I climb from the bath and he hands me a towel. He then leans back against the door again while I dry myself, his gaze following my movement.
“You don’t remember much about your childhood, do you?” he asks suddenly.
I pause with the towel gathered around me and shake my head. “Has Xavier said something?”
“No.” His mind seems to be elsewhere. “I haven’t talked to him yet.”
“Did I do something wrong? Did I do it wrong?”
Maybe that’s why he’s being weird. He’s he only guy I have ever been with. I can’t be certain that I had done my part properly.
His eyes snap toward mine, and he lets out a laugh shaking his head as he walks towards me. He takes the towel from my hands, dropping it on the floor and then lifts me into his arms.
“No. You were perfect.”
He kisses my forehead before carrying me to the bedroom and lowering me onto the bed, and the simple reassurance settles something inside me that I didn’t realize was worrying me.
He crosses to the closet and pulls out clean clothes for me, something I’m getting used to.
“Are we going somewhere?” I ask when he pulls out sneakers for me.
I was hoping to just stay here today and rest.”
“We need to speak to your brother. I have some questions, and I want you there when he answers them.”
My stomach twists. He said he hadn’t spoken to Xavier. Had something happened while I was in heat?
The walk through the snow toward the dungeons does nothing to settle my nerves. Every step toward the building makes the uneasy feeling in my stomach grow stronger. He opens the door and switches on the lights before taking me down the stairs.
He grips the bars and knocks against them. “Wake up, Xavier.”
A groan comes from inside, followed by the sound of movement. Xavier appears, yawning as he rubs his eyes. “I see you brought me a guest.”
He looks better than the last time I saw him. He even has a change of clothing, and behind him I can see a proper bed and water, which is far more than I ever had during the years Marcus punished me.
“You look comfortable,” Alpha Dravik says, crossing his arms.
“Your gorgeous Gamma was kind enough to bring me a few things.” Xavier grins, leaning against the wall. “He thought it might make me more conversational, although he and the brooding one seem rather annoyed that I only want to speak to you. Tell me, is he seeing anyone?”
“He’s not interested in men,” Alpha Dravik replies dryly. “I’m sure he made that quite clear.”
“Such a pity.” Xavier stretches lazily before looking at him. “Anyway, how can I help you?”
“Witches.”
Xavier's smile fades slightly. “Witches? Any witch in particular? I can’t say I have met any of them yet.”
“You said your spy gave you information from inside Marcus's pack. Was there ever any talk about witches visiting the pack, particularly around the time Auren was a baby?”
My head snaps toward Alpha Dravik.
When I was a baby?