The First Wake
1006 Words
Ariselle’s POV
"He won't wait forever, Ariselle," my father said. He was standing by the window of my room, watching the servants set up the lights in the courtyard below.
"Caelan is an Alpha. If he decides it is time to return to Nightfall, he will take you with him. Consent or not, the alliance requires your presence at his side."
I paced the floor, my boots clicking sharply. I was still vibrating with the fury from the library last night, and my father was here talking about how I needed to succumb to Caelan so he would leave with me whenever he wanted to.
"Let him try," I said. My hand went to the empty space on my hip where my dagger usually sat.
"I will cut him down before he reaches the pack borders. He is a shitty person, Father. He is cold, he is unstable, and he doesn't deserve a single second of my time."
"He is your future," my father sighed. "Now, put on the dress. The gala starts in an hour."
"I hate you for this," I muttered as he walked out.
An hour later, I was standing at the top of the grand staircase. The dress was a deep, blood-red silk that clung to my curves and left my shoulders bare. It felt like a costume. I felt exposed, but as I looked down, I saw him.
Caelan was waiting at the foot of the stairs. He was dressed in all black, his hands clasped behind his back. When he looked up and saw me, his entire body went still. His eyes didn't just look at me; they burned through the silk.
I descended slowly, my heart thudding against my ribs. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.
When I reached the bottom step, he didn't move back. He stepped closer, his scent hitting me like a wave.
"I want to devour you," he whispered. His voice was raw, stripped of its usual icy edge.
"Don't start," I snapped, trying to push past him.
He blocked me with his arm, leaning down so his lips were an inch from my ear.
"I'm serious, Ariselle. I want nothing more than to find a quiet room in this house and feast on you until you can't scream anyone's name but mine."
I felt a sharp, traitorous heat bloom between my legs. "You are disgusting."
"Am I?" He looked me up and down, his gaze lingering on the swell of my chest.
"You look beautiful in a dress. It’s a shame it has to come off. I'm getting hard just standing here looking at you."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" I hissed. "After how you treated me last night? You think you can just say something crude and I’ll forget what a prick you are?"
"I don't expect you to forget anything," he said. He reached out and traced the line of my jaw with one finger.
"But you won't find me disgusting when I get you back to my pack. I’m going to make love to you every single night until you realize you belong to me."
"I'll never belong to you," I scoured. But my voice lacked its usual bite. The way he was looking at me was doing things to my resolve.
"We'll see," he said.
The music started in the ballroom, a slow, heavy beat. Caelan offered his hand. I looked at it for a long second, then placed mine in his.
The moment our palms met, a spark shot through my arm. It wasn't just a spark—it was a jolt of pure energy. My wolf, Myrrh, suddenly sat up in my head, her ears pinned back.
“Him,” she called out.
Inside Caelan, I felt something shift too. His wolf, Obsidian, let out a low, rumbling growl that I could feel in the marrow of my bones.
"Do you feel that?" Caelan whispered as he led me to the dance floor.
"I feel like I'm going to be sick," I lied.
He pulled me flush against him. One hand settled on the small of my back, pushing me into the hard line of his thighs. The other held my hand tight against his chest. As we began to move, the Mating Fever hit. It so intense and golden that the heat that clouded my vision.
A bond was waking up.
Caelan’s grip tightened. A younger warrior from my pack passed too close to us, his eyes lingering on my back. Caelan let out a low, predatory growl that made the warrior stumble away in fear.
"Stop it," I breathed, my head spinning from his scent. "You're acting like an animal."
"You are mine," he growled. He tucked his face into the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply.
"I can smell how wet you are, Ariselle. I can feel your heart trying to beat out of your chest. Stop fighting the pull."
"I'm not fighting," I whispered, my eyes closing. The magnetic force was too strong. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down. I wanted to forget the library, the alliance, and everything else.
He pulled back just enough to look at me. His eyes were wide, filled with a desperate, naked need.
"Ariselle," he started, his voice cracking. "I... I didn't mean what I said in the library. I just—"
He stopped. For a second, the arrogance was gone. He looked like he was about to tell me the truth or like he was about to surrender.
"Everyone! Attention please!"
My father’s voice boomed from the dais, cutting through the music.
We snapped apart as if we had been burned. Caelan cleared his throat, his face hardening back into a mask of cold stone. I stepped back, my skin feeling cold where his hands had just been.
The moment was gone.
I looked at Caelan, and he looked straight ahead. My heart was still racing, and my body was still screaming for his touch.
- Writer
