511- The Heat That Devours All Restraint
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
I didn't really know what I was doing, I was just following the path my feet were taking me, though I knew exactly where they were going.
I crossed the forest feeling a bit dizzy. I shivered and drops of sweat appeared on my forehead.
I caught sight of the house that seemed to have stepped out of a dream. Its simple yet charming shape blended perfectly with the surrounding landscape. The large glass windows revealed its interior and made it seem as though nature extended inside. The light wooden walls contrasted with the vibrant green of the surrounding trees, while the sloped roof gave it a modern air without clashing with the environment.
It wasn't the first time I'd seen it; I discovered who it belonged to during a morning walk with Aurelka and Lana.
I climbed the veranda steps, dragging my heavy feet. There was a rocking chair and some plants in the corner, next to the front door.
I didn't know what I would say, what plausible explanation I could give, but it wasn't as if I had much choice.
The door opened before I could get close enough to knock. Anton appeared with a furrowed brow and sharp eyes fixed on me. He wore nothing but gray sweatpants. I ran my eyes over his defined chest and swallowed, trying to moisten my dry throat.
"Thalyndra, did something happen?" he asked, concerned.
I didn't blame him for receiving me that way; we were in the middle of the night.
I cleared my throat, thinking about what I would say.
"I... I..." I murmured, unable to form a coherent sentence.
The truth was that I needed him, my body cried out for him. I had been lying in my room at Edric and Lunara's house when I started feeling uncomfortable, and the desire for Anton surpassed all limits. I lived thinking about him; it was common, natural, but not on that day. The desire was so pulsating, so latent, that it seemed to hurt.
He sniffed the air, flaring his nostrils. His pupils doubled in size. He took an unsteady step backward, as if struck by something invisible.
Ignoring all my good sense, I advanced, entering his house without being invited.
"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his hair, his neck and face beginning to turn red.
I inhaled, checking if he was alone. He hadn't reacted well to seeing me; he could be with someone. The mere possibility made me so angry that I could blow up the entire house with him inside if another woman were there.
"What's your problem?" I snarled, changing my posture, ready to attack him.
I was acting like a madwoman, but I couldn't control it; it was stronger than me. There was something wrong with me, with my wolf, but I had no idea what it was.
"My problem?" He laughed, incredulous, and placed his hands on his hips.
I began to circle him, imagining him as if he were prey to be hunted. I leaned forward and started controlling my steps, making them silent, each small movement meticulously calculated.
My eyes pulsed, vibrating with my wolf's colors. Anton didn't seem at all worried that I was hunting him.
"You don't seem very happy to see me..." I hissed, without diverting my attention from him for a second.
He looked at me through his long lashes.
"Believe me, Little Beast, I've waited for this visit every single day over the last few months. I wished so much that you would give up staying at my parents' house and come straight to mine." He took a deep breath. "But... not under these circumstances."
For a second, I stopped moving and looked down, analyzing my clothes. I was wearing silk pajamas—a top and short shorts, simple and cozy.
"Are you making fun of my clothes?" I asked, not knowing if I felt more hatred or humiliation.
"No, for fuck's sake! I'm saying you're in the goddamn heat!"
I blinked, confused.
"Heat? Have you gone crazy? I've never gone into heat; I control my cycle perfectly, and I'm not even close to it."
He rubbed his face and breathed deeply, the muscles in his back growing rigid.
"Believe me, Thalyndra, if I say you're in heat, it's because you most certainly are! I can smell you from afar, attracting me, calling me."
I shivered and felt my body exude something. Anton ground his teeth so hard that I could hear it even from a distance.
"That's not possible..." I whispered, thinking aloud.
"Yes, it is very possible, and it's happening."
The hair on his body was standing on end. His eyes blinked, changing color every second. He let his arms fall to his sides and clenched his hands.
I rubbed my sweaty nape and did the math, reaffirming what I already knew—I wasn't in my heat period; there were still ten days before it was supposed to begin.
"Something's wrong; this wasn't supposed to happen."
He lifted his face and stared at me.
"Your wolf brought forward your heat."
I opened and closed my mouth, unable to find the right words to express all the horror I felt.
"She wouldn't do that..." I shook my head, rejecting the possibility.
Lana and Aurelka had told me that mated she-wolves often brought forward their heat to procreate. But I wasn't a mated she-wolf, so I saw no reason for mine to do such a thing.
"But she did."
"Why?"
He fell silent, thinking, all possibilities running through his mind.
I observed his disheveled hair, his worried expression. He breathed slowly, as if he didn't want to smell me. He was beautiful, impeccable. I exhaled the scent again, uncontrollably, my body acting as if it had a life of its own.
Anton swallowed.
"She wants to mate, that's why you came to me. She brought forward your heat to force us."
My legs gave out, and I fell to my knees on the floor. An absurd pain struck my stomach, making me see black spots before my eyes. I breathed with difficulty, pulling air through my mouth, trying to feed my lungs.
"That's madness," I commented, my voice hoarse, faltering. "Mate?
Heavens!"
He nodded, keeping firm in place. He seemed to want to approach but remained restrained, distant from me.
"Yes."
I raised my face to look at him. Every muscle in my body ached, as if vibrations were splitting me in half. It was nothing like the pain of suffering a physical wound; it was much worse.
"Anton... I can't take it anymore," I begged, moaning. My body exhaled more scent. He choked.
"I don't know if I can control myself. My father and mother marked each other during her heat, lost control, and mated when they didn't even know each other."
"We're not your parents; you wouldn't do that."
He shook his head.