Chapter 5: Tangled in the Dark
1442 Words
The door had closed, but Lucien’s presence lingered like smoke in the walls.
Tessa sat on the edge of her bed, knees drawn up, her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her body still burned faintly beneath the surface, but the suppressant was beginning to dull the worst of it. It didn’t silence the ache entirely, though. And it definitely didn’t erase the mark Lucien had left—not on her skin, but inside her.
Rowan stood in the hallway, silent. She could hear him pacing softly outside her room. Like he wasn’t sure if he should come in or give her space. A part of her wanted to call for him. Another part wanted to be alone. And another, quieter voice whispered that she wanted Lucien back.
She hated that voice the most.
A knock came.
“Tessa?”
She looked up, her voice dry. “You can come in.”
Rowan opened the door slowly and peeked in, holding a bottle of water and one of her hoodies.
“You looked cold,” he said, offering it gently.
She took it with a tired smile. “Thanks.”
He sat down a few feet away from her on the bed, respectful but close enough that she could feel the warmth of him. Alphas always radiated heat like a furnace. But Rowan’s warmth didn’t suffocate. It soothed.
“You’re still shaking,” he said softly.
“I’m okay.”
He looked at her for a long moment before asking, “Did he hurt you?”
“No,” she said too quickly. Then again, softer, “No. Not physically.”
Rowan’s shoulders relaxed a bit, but the tension in his jaw didn’t fade.
“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Tessa whispered. “I feel like I’ve been hijacked. Like he got inside me without even touching me.”
“That’s what Alpha scent does,” Rowan said, his voice gentle but steady. “Especially a powerful one like him. It’s chemical. Not your fault.”
“But it’s not just scent,” she confessed, pressing her forehead to her knees. “It’s the way he looks at me. The way he speaks. I hate it and… I don’t.”
Rowan stayed quiet, letting her unravel.
“I was never supposed to be seen,” she said. “That’s why I stayed home. That’s why I kept everything quiet. I didn’t want to feel this. I didn’t want to wake it up.”
“Wake what up?”
“My wolf.”
Rowan blinked.
“She’s… she’s restless now. She wants things I don’t understand. She didn’t care about Alphas before. But now—”
“She wants him.”
Tessa nodded miserably. “But I don’t.”
Rowan finally reached for her hand, his fingers closing gently around hers.
“You don’t have to want him. Just because your body reacts doesn’t mean you belong to him.”
She clutched his hand tightly.
“But what if it’s too late? What if the bond already started?”
Rowan was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Did he bite you?”
“No. He kissed me. But he didn’t mark.”
“Then it’s not done.”
“But I can feel it,” she whispered. “It’s like… there’s a thread. Pulling me toward him.”
Rowan looked down at their hands.
“That thread can break,” he said quietly. “If you want it to.”
Her throat tightened.
“I don’t even know what I want anymore,” she admitted.
Rowan stood up and crossed the room, pacing once before turning back to her.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he said. “I thought maybe it wasn’t fair, not now. But I think you need to hear it.”
She looked up, confused.
“I’ve had feelings for you for a long time, Tessa,” he said. “Before Lucien. Before tonight. Before your scent ever changed.”
She froze.
“I didn’t say anything because I knew you didn’t want Alphas in your space. I respected that. But seeing you like this… watching him get into your head…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t keep pretending it doesn’t matter to me.”
Tessa’s heart pounded.
“Rowan…”
“I’m not here to claim you,” he added quickly. “I’m not like him. But I am here. And I’d fight for you if you asked me to.”
She stood slowly, her legs still unsteady, and walked toward him.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she said. “I don’t want to ruin what we have.”
“You won’t,” he said. “I’d rather stand next to you in the storm than watch you face it alone.”
Tessa stared up at him, tears stinging her eyes.
And then, without thinking, she leaned in and pressed her forehead against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her slowly, letting her feel safe for the first time in hours.
Her wolf settled, just a little.
They stood there for what felt like forever. No words. Just breathing. Just heartbeats.
But then Rowan tensed.
Tessa felt it immediately.
“What?” she whispered.
He slowly pulled away and sniffed the air.
And her stomach dropped.
The scent of another Alpha was rising—rich, dark, and impossible to ignore. It was outside. Close.
Lucien.
“He’s back,” Rowan said, his voice quiet but laced with fury. “I thought he left.”
Tessa’s heart began to race.
Rowan moved toward the door, but Tessa grabbed his wrist.
“No. Don’t go out there.”
“I’m not letting him near you again.”
“I don’t want you two to fight.”
“He’s not going to stop, Tess. Don’t you see that? He’s already made up his mind.”
A knock echoed through the apartment.
One knock.
Then silence.
Rowan stepped into the hallway, muscles taut, but Tessa slipped past him and reached the door first.
She hesitated.
Lucien didn’t knock again.
Rowan stood behind her. “Don’t open it.”
But she already was.
Lucien stood on the other side, dressed in black again, hair damp like he’d been caught in the rain. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes locked onto hers immediately.
“Why are you here?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
“I forgot something,” he said.
“What?”
He leaned forward slightly, voice quiet.
“You.”
Tessa’s breath hitched.
Rowan stepped in beside her, fury written all over his face. “You need to leave.”
Lucien’s eyes didn’t waver.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Tessa stepped between them again, heart hammering. “Stop.”
“You don’t get to decide for her,” Rowan snapped.
Lucien tilted his head. “Neither do you.”
Rowan growled low in his throat. “You think she’s yours just because you got her in heat? That’s not a bond. That’s assault.”
Lucien’s expression darkened. “You want to talk about bonds? She called out for me. Not you.”
“She was vulnerable.”
“She was mine.”
“She’s not yours!” Rowan shouted.
But then Tessa moved suddenly, clutching her head.
Both Alphas froze.
She swayed on her feet, breath shallow, vision spinning.
The suppressant was failing.
She could feel it crashing out of her bloodstream like a wave pulling back before it hits the shore.
No.
Not now.
Not again.
Lucien’s scent was hitting her too fast. Rowan’s was too close. She was stuck between them and her body was spiraling.
“Tessa,” Rowan said, moving to catch her.
Lucien was there just as quickly.
But she dropped to her knees before either of them could touch her.
“I can’t—” she gasped. “I can’t breathe—”
Both of them reached for her.
But all she could feel was heat. Rising. Swallowing.
And the terrifying truth that her second wave of heat was starting.
Early.
Too early.
The suppressant had triggered a rebound.
Her body had chosen.
But she hadn’t.
And now, trapped between two Alphas ready to tear each other apart, Tessa’s body was no longer listening to her mind.
She looked up at both of them with tears in her eyes.
“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t make me choose right now.”
Neither of them spoke.
But both stepped closer.
And her heat surged again, snapping all her control like a thread pulled too tight.
- Writer
