Chapter 30 The Pull
Zara’s POV
For a long, breathless moment after his question, I forgot how to move.
Kai’s eyes burned into mine, molten and dangerous, his hand still resting against my neck. The air around us shimmered with something that felt alive, so much raw energy pulsing through every nerve ending in my body.
My throat went dry. I wanted to say yes.
The word formed, trembling, on my tongue.
But then the stupid fucken academy bell rang.
Its sharp clang sliced through the air like a sword, echoing down every corridor.
My body jerked away instinctively, my wolf whimpering inside me.
The announcement that followed was clipped and mechanical, the same every year:
“All unmated females return to your dorms immediately. The heat begins at dusk.”
The heat.
We all knew what that was.
I didn’t need anyone to explain what that meant. The heat, that wild, merciless tide was coming.
Kai exhaled slowly, stepping back, his jaw tightening as though fighting himself. His scent, dangerous, cedar and storm still lingered on my skin.
Neither of us spoke.
We didn’t need to.
I wasn't mated yet.
I turned, forcing myself to walk away. The pull between us throbbed with every step I took.
By nightfall, the academy had changed.
Curtains drawn. Doors bolted. The air heavy with pheromones and tension.
Even the moon seemed to hang lower, its silver light coating every stone wall in an eerie glow.
Inside my dorm, I tossed and turned, pressing my palms to my heated skin. My body was at war with itself, reason against instinct, restraint against the growing ache that made it hard to breathe.
Three days. They said it lasted three days.
It already felt unbearable after three hours.
I could hear faint growls and whimpers from the hallway. Some girls were pacing, others humming low tunes to distract themselves. The academy guards patrolled outside, making sure no one left their assigned rooms unless they wanted to mate.
Mira seemed to be handling herself pretty well. She had taken some sort of pill that would keep her knocked out for days.
I took the same pill but my body resisted it.
But my wolf... she was restless.
“Kai.”
His name slipped through the mind link before I could stop it.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then... his voice, low and rough, brushed my mind.
“Zara?”
“I can’t stay here.”
A pause. I felt his hesitation like a pulse.
“You know what happens if anyone finds out.”
“I don’t care.”My voice cracked in his head.
“Please, Kai. I need to breathe.”
"We can think about the consequences later." I gritted through my teeth.
It took so much energy to talk with the pains I was experiencing.
I felt the connection deepen, a warmth spreading through my chest like his presence had reached across the walls separating us.
A single answer came.
“Open your window.”
The window creaked softly as I slid it upward. Cold night air rushed in, brushing against my flushed skin. A dark figure appeared from the shadows.... tall, broad, silent.
Kai.
Mine.
He landed without a sound, his eyes glowing faintly in the dim moonlight.
Neither of us spoke. He didn’t have to ask if I was sure; the answer was written all over me.
He extended a hand.
“Come on.”
The second our fingers touched, sparks shot through me. My wolf howled with relief.
He led me out through the night, past the empty courtyards, past the tall stone walls that guarded the academy’s secrets. Every step we took seemed louder than it should’ve been, like the world was holding its breath.
When we reached his quarters, he closed the door behind us. The silence there was deafening, broken only by the sound of our heartbeats.
For a moment, we just looked at each other.
He moved first... slowly, like I was something fragile he didn’t want to break. His hand brushed a strand of hair away from my face, fingertips grazing my jaw.
“Zara…” His voice was a growl now, deep and unsteady.
“Tell me this isn’t madness.”
I smiled faintly, though my pulse raced.
“Maybe it is.”
His thumb traced the curve of my bottom lip, and my breath caught.
He leaned closer until I could feel the warmth of him, his scent filling my lungs.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he whispered.
“I know,” I murmured.
“Then why are you?”
“Because you make the ache stop.”
Something in him broke at that. His eyes darkened, his control wavered, and for a second, the tension between us snapped into something unspoken, inevitable.
He cupped my face, pressing his forehead to mine. The world outside fell away... the rules, the academy, the watchful eyes. It was just us.
Two wolves, standing on the edge of reason.
I could feel his heartbeat pounding against mine.
My lips parted to say something, anything... but words failed.
Then, the pain hit me again. It was so uncontrollable. I pushed Kai to a cushion in his room.
He let me control him. He knew that I needed it to go through the night.
I kissed him so roughly, cutting his lower lip with how aggressive I was. I rode him gently and his groans did something to my insides. He picked me up and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his torso.
"You're so damn beautiful!" He complimented making me my face then red from the blush that kept creeping up.
He chuckled slightly and I felt a warm liquid gather in my lower side. He placed me in the bed as he undressed me, placing kisses all over my body.
I had turned mushy, the pains from the heat season hit loudly and Kai noticed it.
He could smell everything on me. In that split second, he got rid of every other clothing separating us from feeling each other.
He eased himself into me. I screamed loudly as my finger nails tore his back. He fucked me that night like a bloody animal because that was what my body needed.
Did I really need this? What are we going to be after today?
Certain thoughts kept creeping into my mind and I just had to push it away as I let myself enjoy the moment.
It was too much... The bodies swatting against each other, the sweat trickling down on our bodies, the hooded gazes and lust filled room. We climaxed together as he but my neck cleavage deep.
Fuck!!!
The last thing I saw before everything blurred was the way he looked at me: like I was both the calm and the chaos he’d been running from.
Then the night claimed us.