Chapter 63: 63

Alpha Aric Darkclaw.

The room was only lit by the clear fire of the fireplace, its fire crepitant slowly in the fireplace. That was the only sound I heard, well, almost the only. I heard my breath mixed with Elowen's; it was in front of him.

I was very close to her, had cleaned her wounds, and was looking at her face where she had hurt, and it burned in me. From seeing her like this.

I tried to breathe calmly and left the cloth wet near a table that was close.

Elowen stood there before me, and everything inside me screamed.

I touched her face. I shouldn't have, but my hand moved on its own.

It was a simple gesture, or it should have been.

But what I felt... was anything but simple.

The warmth of her skin, the shiver that formed under my fingers, the way her eyes rose to meet mine. As if searching for something even she couldn't name, it all hit me like a knife.

Elowen's scent hit me hard. Sweet, wild, magical. It was blackberry, blood flower, and wet earth. It was intoxicating.

And my wolf… my wolf was going crazy.

My heart was beating faster, and my mind was racing.

Inside me, he growled, impatient, hungry. He scratched at the barriers of my self-control with sharp claws. And no matter how much I ordered him to be quiet, he struggled like a caged beast, as if he knew that the woman in front of me was his.

Ahh, but she wasn't. But how could I control my wolf?

Stop it! I shouted in my mind. She's not yours. She can't be.

But he wouldn't listen.

No.

He wanted her.

And, God, so did I.

The self-control that had sustained me for years—that had kept me cold, distant, and intact—was now wavering. Like ice cracking under my feet, ready to swallow me whole. And I let it happen.

I just took a deep breath as I looked into her blue eyes.

Elowen was light and shadow, heat and ice, danger and refuge. A star on fire, and I was just a fool drawn to the inevitable collision.

I shouldn't. I thought. She's my wife only by agreement.

But at that moment, with her so close, her breath coming in gasps, her eyes in mine... the silence screaming between us...

I knew.

I was lost. I wasn't going to walk away now, especially not this close. She was too close; I was touching her, smelling her sweet scent, and I wanted more, much more.

I moved closer and kissed her.

I just acted and felt her lips so soft against mine.

At first, it was slow, almost chaste. A brush of lips as if I were asking permission to cross the wall I had built between us. Then... she kissed me back.

It wasn't hesitation. It was desire.

Pure, hot, urgent.

The kiss deepened like fire, swallowing oxygen. My fingers slid across her skin, up her neck, until they wrapped around her face more firmly, pulling her closer.

I wanted her.

And Elowen... wanted me too. I could feel it in the way she kissed me and the way she breathed.

Control slipped through my fingers, and every second beside her was harder to resist. With every muffled moan between our kisses, with every sigh in my mouth, I lost myself.

My arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her easily toward me. Our bodies collided in a cruelly perfect fit. I kissed her deeper, more urgently, and felt her hands on my chest, touching, grabbing the fabric of my shirt tightly.

Without thinking, I led her to the bed. My steps were steady, but my mind was a whirlwind of sensations. I laid her down carefully, staying on top of her, supported by my arms. Elowen looked at me with eyes darkened by desire, her breath hot, her chest heaving.

I kneeled between her legs and let my hands explore her skin. Her firm thighs, her soft hips, the contours of her body under her dress.

She was perfect.

My lips left hers and began to descend her neck, tracing a slow path to her shoulder. She writhed slightly, arching her body at my touch, and when her mouth parted in a whisper, my name escaped in a low, hoarse sound...

“Aric...”

I felt my whole body vibrate.

My hands sought the fabric of her dress, pulling it carefully, then more quickly. Her breasts were exposed in the dim light, white, delicate, hard with desire. My eyes devoured them. My lips sought them.

And then...

Something inside me screamed.

A wall rose, cold, cruel.

My breath caught in my throat.

She wasn't my Luna.

Even though my heart screamed otherwise.

Even though the wolf had already decided for me.

Just though... I loved her without understanding when it started.

I closed my eyes tightly. My hands clenched the mattress beside her. My fangs ached from the force I was using to hold them back.

“No...” I whispered, more to myself than to her.

I pulled away.

I took a step back. Then another. My breath was a gale in my chest. Cold sweat ran down the back of my neck. The wolf howled, maddened by frustration.

Elowen sat up in bed, covering her body with the sheet. Her eyes were wide, confused, and hurt. She didn't say anything, but everything in her gaze begged me for an explanation.

But I couldn't. Not there. Not now. Not in that state.

“Shit,” I muttered through clenched teeth, pulling away before it was too late.

I crossed the room with long strides and left, slamming the door behind me. I leaned against it from the outside, my heart racing, my fists clenched. My nails scratched the wood.

“Idiot...”

I ran my hands over my face, as if that would erase her taste from my lips. But it didn't.

Nothing would.

Because, at that moment, I knew with cruel certainty:

She was mine.

And nothing would tell me otherwise. I had tasted her and would always seek her out, even if it meant she would only be in my dreams, in my mind. And that was torture for me.

What was I going to do now?

I started walking down the hallway, grabbing my hair tightly, cursing myself, and feeling my teeth cutting into my mouth until it bled.