Chapter 331 331
Sabine POV
As he steps further into the soft glow cast by the fire exit sign, my breath catches painfully in my throat.
He is… exquisite.
Like something carved for a museum a god immortalised in marble, perfection captured mid-motion. Except this god breathes. Moves. Exists. This god is touchable. And according to him, he has always belonged to me.
“You can’t keep following me,” I whisper, my gaze flicking down the length of the alley to be sure we’re alone. “You have to leave. You being here puts my friends at risk.”
“My friends?” He lifts a brow, amusement glinting in his eyes.
The night air does nothing to cool the sudden heat spreading through my body. His presence alone is enough to make my cheeks flush, my skin feel too tight, too aware.
I remember the small off-licence I’d noticed earlier. Needing distance needing to cool down I start down the alley, Maurice falling easily into step beside me.
Before pushing open the shop door, I turn to face him, keeping my voice low, urgent. He needs to understand what finding me could mean for Didier and Caroline.
“Two of them are werewolves,” I tell him. “But they think I’m completely human.”
I push inside before he can respond, the bell chiming loudly behind us.
I know exactly what I want water. My cocktail days, hidden away in the apartment bar, feel like another lifetime. I can’t even remember the last time alcohol touched my lips.
We’ll need fresh bottles for tomorrow’s journey, and my own body is suddenly desperate for hydration, my throat dry with nerves. Ironically, alcohol would help right now would dull the edge of having Maurice so close.
I place the cold bottles on the counter and reach back for my purse, only to hear the register ring.
Maurice has already paid.
I stiffen. I didn’t need him to do that but this isn’t the place to argue. Not with cameras watching. Damn it. I need to be more careful.
“Thanks,” I murmur, and before lifting the bottles, I pull my hood up over my head.
Maurice notices. Of course he does.
“I don’t understand how you can stay with them,” he says quietly, “but run from me.”
“I’m not—it’s not…” I trail off as we step back outside. The truth presses painfully against my chest. If anything, he’s the one person I never wanted to run from. Never wanted to hide from. But being near him would only drag chaos behind me.
“I didn’t know who they were,” I say instead. “They’re hiding, just like me. They can’t be found. And you being here adds a certain…”
“A certain what?” he prompts.
“A certain… I don’t know, Maurice.” Frustration bleeds into my voice. “They have their reasons. I can’t betray them. What if you’re being watched?”
“I’m not being watched, Bee.” His voice vibrates low in his throat, his eyes locking onto mine with a weight that feels almost accusing.
He steps closer, his presence threatening to swallow the space between us. Instinctively, I step back.
No matter how many pills I take, I can still feel him. His aura presses against me like a magnetic pull, raising goosebumps along my arms, my skin aching for a touch I refuse to give.
No.
I take another step back too far. A car horn blares behind me, sharp and loud, and suddenly Maurice is there, pulling me against his chest.
My palms land against solid muscle beneath his clothes steel wrapped in warmth his body tensing as he holds me.
“Bee… come home,” he murmurs, his mouth so close to my ear I can feel the vibration of his voice against my skin.
Home.
The word splinters inside me.
Where was home, exactly?
With Father? With Damien? With Maurice?
“I’ll take it slow,” he promises.
I shake my head, shame flooding my chest. I can’t face Aurélie not after how I left her. The memory still steals my breath.
“I can’t,” I whisper. “I left them, Maurice. I left when they needed me most.”
Dominique’s face flashes through my mind his horror as he watched me drag his mother from the lake. His pleas still haunt my dreams. How he begged me to stay. How all I could think about was Damien’s fury, how deeply I didn’t belong in their world.
It was my fault they were ever in danger.
“You saved them,” Maurice says gently. “You saved Aurélie.”
His arms are still around me. I could disappear here if I let myself.
“Only to leave as soon as Damien showed up,” I say bitterly. “I can’t face him. He’ll want to kill me.”
“I won’t let him touch you, Bee,” Maurice says firmly. “You’re mine.”
I remain still in his embrace. The familiar tingles are absent but I know they should be there. His scent alone is intoxicating, grounding and overwhelming all at once.
His fingers slide down, weaving through mine, before he releases my hands and cups my face.
Even with the tablets, Maurice’s aura is the only one I can still feel. Without finding Didier and Caroline lost in the woods, I would have remained oblivious to everything else.
“What do you want, Maurice?” I sigh, already knowing I’ll disappoint him.
“I just want to talk,” he says softly. “No pressure.”
Back inside the bed and breakfast, I climb the stairs quietly, avoiding the creaking boards as best I can.
I leave Maurice behind in the alley, swallowed by darkness. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. It isn’t as simple as rejecting him I know he’d never accept that.
Lost in thought, I don’t notice Gilles standing at the top of the stairs until I nearly collide with him, my foot slipping dangerously close to the edge.
“Where were you?” His voice is deeper than usual.
“Jesus, Gilles,” I breathe. “You scared me. I needed to grab some drinks.” I lift the bottles clutched to my chest as I move toward my room.
“You shouldn’t go off alone.” A low rumble underlines his words, stopping me mid-step.
“I didn’t want to wake anyone,” I say, forcing a smile as I slide the key into the lock.
I don’t know why but I get the unsettling feeling that he knows I haven’t been alone.
“Well… night,” I say quickly, slipping inside the room I share with Caroline before Gilles can ask anything more.