Chapter 3: Unraveled
1397 Words
Tessa hadn’t planned for her heat to come early. She’d tracked it obsessively for months, counting days, marking her calendar, even doubling up on scent blockers just in case. Everything had been under control. Predictable. Safe.
Until last night.
Until Lucien.
Now she sat curled on the floor of her bathroom, breathing in shallow gasps, back pressed against the cold tile wall as her body betrayed her.
It had started slowly that morning—a warm flush in her chest, a subtle shift in her scent, enough for her to panic and grab an emergency suppressant. But by noon, it was like the dam broke. The air in her room was thick with Omega pheromones, heavy and sweet, too strong for even her strongest blockers to hide.
She’d locked herself in. Texted Haylee to stay away. Drawn the curtains. Turned on the fan.
It hadn’t helped.
Because Lucien’s scent was still stuck in her head.
The moment he said her name. The way his voice dropped when he leaned in. That magnetic pull she couldn’t explain, the one that clung to her skin like a brand. She’d scrubbed it off and still it lingered, as if her inner wolf had memorized him.
She curled tighter, gritting her teeth as another wave rolled through her.
No. Not now.
She wasn’t supposed to go through this alone. No Omega was. It was dangerous—painful even—without a suppressant or someone to regulate her scent. But asking for help would mean confessing everything.
And she couldn’t.
She couldn’t tell her sister what she was really feeling. Couldn’t tell anyone that she hadn’t just panicked last night—she’d reacted. Responded.
Her body had wanted him.
Her heart hadn’t. Her mind had screamed no.
But still, she’d responded.
Another ripple of heat surged through her, sharper this time. She bit her lip, holding back a sound that felt too close to a whimper. Her skin burned. Every inch of her ached. She couldn’t even think straight.
Then her phone vibrated.
She blinked, disoriented, reaching for it with trembling fingers.
Another unknown number. Another message.
On your own, little Omega?
Her stomach dropped.
He knew.
She stood slowly, clutching the sink as she leaned forward. Her reflection was a mess—flushed cheeks, glossy eyes, damp hair clinging to her temples. She looked like someone she didn’t recognize. Someone not in control.
The doorbell rang.
She froze.
No. No, he wouldn’t. He couldn’t have—
The bell rang again, longer this time.
She grabbed her robe and stumbled out of the bathroom, feet bare on the hardwood floor. Every step felt too loud, too slow. Her heart thudded hard enough to echo in her ears.
She peeked out through the peephole.
Lucien.
Standing there like he belonged, dressed in all black again, calm and patient, hands in his coat pockets. His eyes met the door like he could see through it.
Her breath caught.
She backed away slowly.
No. This was a hallucination. A heat-induced dream. He wasn’t really here. He couldn’t be.
Another knock.
Louder.
“Tessa.”
His voice—muffled through the door—still hit her like a chord. Low and rich and terrifyingly steady.
“Open the door.”
She didn’t move.
“I can smell you,” he said.
Her whole body went cold.
“I warned you,” he added. “I wasn’t finished.”
She stood there frozen, every instinct shouting at her to run. But her legs refused. Her wolf was howling inside her now, clawing at her control, responding to his voice like it was law.
Lucien didn’t knock again. He waited.
And then—
The doorknob turned.
She had locked it. She was sure she had.
The door cracked open an inch.
She gasped and ran forward, slamming it shut again and throwing the second lock.
“Don’t,” she whispered, voice shaking.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I know.”
“Then go.”
“No.”
Her hands were trembling on the doorknob. Her entire body was on fire, heat rolling over her in suffocating waves. She was getting dizzy now. If he stayed—if he stepped inside—she didn’t know what would happen. She didn’t trust herself.
“I can’t… I can’t think straight,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said again, softer this time. “That’s why I came.”
She flinched.
“I’m not letting you go through this alone.”
“You don’t get to decide that!”
“You’re not safe like this.”
“I was fine before you.”
There was silence.
Then, gently: “Were you?”
Tears pricked her eyes.
“I don’t need you,” she said. “I don’t want your help.”
“I believe you.”
“Then leave.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re not just anyone, Tessa.”
Her heart clenched.
“You’re the only Omega who’s ever said no to me,” he added. “And I think that’s exactly why I can’t stop thinking about you.”
She leaned against the door, forehead pressed to the wood.
“I’m not yours,” she said, voice barely a whisper.
“I haven’t marked you.”
“That’s not what I said.”
He didn’t respond to that.
She waited, breath shaking, heart pounding, scent thickening in the air around her.
And then—
A small sound.
A lock clicking open.
Her eyes flew wide.
She’d locked the top bolt.
The one Haylee always forgot was broken.
She backed away from the door as it creaked open.
Lucien stepped inside slowly, calmly, like he had all the time in the world. He closed the door behind him with a soft click and looked at her.
His eyes darkened the second he took in her scent. Not in lust. In awareness. His Alpha instincts flared immediately, his posture straightening, his presence growing heavier.
“Tessa.”
She stumbled back another step.
“You need to leave.”
He nodded once. “I will. If you really want me to. But look me in the eye and say it.”
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
He took one slow step toward her.
“I’m not here to take advantage of you,” he said. “But I’m not going to lie. Your body’s calling for me.”
“No,” she whispered.
“Yes.”
Another step. Then another.
She bumped into the couch.
Her legs shook.
“Tell me to stop,” he said again, voice low and even. “Tell me now.”
“I—”
But her voice broke.
Lucien was in front of her now, inches away, close enough that she could feel his heat.
His eyes searched hers.
Then he leaned in slowly, his nose brushing gently against her neck—testing, not touching.
She gasped.
Her knees gave out.
He caught her before she fell, his arms strong around her waist, holding her up with terrifying gentleness.
“Your body’s in distress,” he said quietly. “You can’t keep going like this.”
“I was fine—”
“No,” he said. “You were trying to survive. That’s not the same as living.”
She shook her head, but she didn’t pull away.
She couldn’t.
Her scent bloomed, thick and helpless, a signal she hadn’t meant to give.
Lucien’s eyes glinted.
“I’m not going to mark you,” he said. “Not unless you ask.”
Tessa stared up at him, breath shallow.
“You should go,” she whispered, even as her hands curled against his chest.
“I will.”
But he didn’t move.
Neither did she.
Then—
A sharp knock echoed from the front door.
Tessa froze.
Lucien’s head turned, nostrils flaring.
Another Alpha.
Right outside.
Lucien’s expression shifted in an instant—from calm to lethal.
He turned back to her.
“Expecting someone?”
She shook her head, terrified.
He let her go and walked silently toward the door, his energy suddenly coiled tight, dangerous.
Then a voice called out—
“Tessa? Are you okay? It’s Rowan. Open up.”
Her heart stopped.
Lucien’s jaw clenched.
And just like that, everything shattered.
- Writer
