FEVER AND FIRE.
1064 Words
LYRA'S POV
I heard him groan.
The sound pulled me out of sleep so suddenly that for a moment I didn’t know where I was. The fire near the far wall had burned low; one of the torches had gone out completely, leaving the room steeped in shadow. Dawn had not yet come.
My neck ached. My body was stiff.
I must have fallen asleep.
I pushed myself upright in the chair and turned toward the bed. Alpha Keenan lay tangled in the blankets, his breathing uneven, his brow damp with sweat. Another groan tore from his throat, low and strained.
Damn it.
I stood and moved closer, my steps quiet. I pressed my fingers to his forehead.
Still burning hot.
I exhaled slowly and lifted the edge of the blanket to inspect the wound. The bandages were damp, but not soaked. No fresh bleeding. Still… the fever hadn’t broken.
Then suddenly,his hand closed around mine.
I gasped, instinctively trying to pull away, but his grip tightened instead. For someone supposedly on the edge of death, he was terrifyingly strong.
“Don’t…” he murmured.
His voice was rough and broken.
“Don’t let me die. Please.”
I froze.
“What?” I whispered.
His eyes were still closed. His head rolled slightly on the pillow, his breathing turning shallow and uneven.
“Please,” he said again, the word cracking. “Please… don’t…”
My chest tightened painfully.
This wasn’t the Alpha who had ordered my pack’s destruction. This wasn’t the cold, ruthless monster who had dragged me into a cage and threatened my life.
This was a man drowning in fever.
And then I realized something that sent a chill down my spine.
He wasn’t talking to me.
“Please,” he whispered again, voice trembling. “Don’t leave me.”
His body shook violently now, teeth chattering. Whatever the fever was showing him, it had claws deep in his mind.
I didn’t know what to do.
I had seen pain. I had treated warriors screaming through broken bones and torn flesh. But this,this fear,was something else entirely.
“Stay,” he whispered hoarsely. “Please… stay with me.”
This time, his hand tightened again, holding me.
My throat burned.
What could terrify a man like Alpha Keenan so deeply that he begged in his sleep?
“Hush,” I whispered before I could stop myself. “Hush. I’m here.”
I eased onto the edge of the bed, carefully guiding his shaking body closer, wrapping my arms around him to steady the tremors.
“It’s alright,” I murmured, hating the softness in my voice. “I’m here.”
He clutched me like a child would do for its mother, his grip desperate, his forehead pressed against my shoulder. Slowly, the shaking eased.
His breathing evened out.
He fell asleep again.
Still holding me.
I should have moved.
I should have pulled away and reminded myself who he was,what he had done.
But I didn’t.
I stayed there, awake and tense, afraid that whatever nightmare had taken hold of him would return the moment I let go.
Eventually, exhaustion claimed me too and I closed my eyes.
******
Warmth brushed my lips.
I frowned in my sleep, shifting slightly. The sensation came again, stronger this time.
I opened my eyes.
Alpha Keenan’s mouth was on mine.
I jerked back with a muffled sound, instinctively pushing at his chest, but his hand came up and caught my wrist, pinning it to the bed.
“Keep still,” he murmured.
His voice was deeper now, clearer.
Awake.
“What the hell….” I started, but he cut me off, his mouth claiming mine again.
I struggled, anger flaring, but his body shifted over mine, solid and heavy despite his injuries, trapping me against the mattress, His heat seeped into me,it
My mind screamed at me to fight; but my body betrayed me.
I knew I could stop this but I didn't want to.
His lips moved slowly, deliberately, as if testing my reaction. When I didn’t immediately resist again, his mouth softened, coaxing instead of forcing. His tongue brushed my lips, teasing.
Against every instinct, every oath I’d sworn to myself, I responded.
The kiss deepened, heat spiraling through me like wildfire. My hands slid into his hair before I realized what I was doing.
I found myself pressing closer to him, feeling his warmth, the hardness of his body. His tongue found mine and it was glorious, mind-blowing even.
Then his hands began caressing, stroking my ears,neck, into my clothes ,his hands caressing my bare body.
I let out a small cry of ecstasy. My mind blowing inside of me. I wanted more, I wanted to feel him, have him inside of me,hard and strong.
Moon goddesses help me.
This was wrong.
So wrong.
And yet…I wanted more.
Then, abruptly, he stopped.
The sudden absence left me breathless, disoriented. I reached for him without thinking.
He caught my wrists midair.
I looked up.
He was watching me.
A slow, wicked smile curved his lips.
“Well,” he drawled softly, “you want me that bad,eh?.”
I felt ashamed, felt hatred, felt like punching him all at once.
I yanked my hands free and shoved at his chest, scrambling off the bed. “Go f**k yourself.”
He laughed out loud.
“You say that a lot,” he replied lazily. “But your body tells a different story.”
I turned on him, fists clenched, my face burning. “You think this means something? You think I wanted you?”
His eyes darkened, something dangerous glinting beneath the surface.
“I think,” he said calmly, “that you are afraid to admit what you want.”
The words sank deep.
I hated him.
I hated myself more, but I wasn't going to let him win.
“I'm not afraid of anything, and I'm not afraid to admit that I wished you died earlier”. I said with hatred in my voice
“You murdered my pack,” I whispered, voice shaking with fury. “Don’t you ever forget that.”
His expression shifted then,not mocking, not amused, but cold.
Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.
And I knew, with chilling certainty, that whatever had just been awakened between us was going to be my downfall.
- Writer
