What Have I Done?
1081 Words
The kiss lasted less than a heartbeat.
And yet it changed everything.
The moment Aria’s lips touched his, heat tore through her body like wildfire. Every nerve woke at once. Her fingers knotted in the front of his shirt. A soft, startled sound caught in her throat.
Kael went still.
For one impossible second, the most feared male in the kingdom froze above her.
Then instinct took him.
His hand slid behind her neck, fingers threading into her hair as he kissed her back—deep, fierce, starving. The other braced against the chair so hard the wood splintered beneath his grip.
Aria felt the c***k more than heard it.
The world narrowed into sensation.
The hard line of his body caging hers.
The heat of his mouth.
The dangerous control barely holding beneath the surface.
She should have recoiled.
Instead, she melted.
One of her hands rose to his jaw, fingertips tracing rough stubble. The other tightened in his shirt, dragging him closer.
Then memory struck.
Blood.
Her mother on the stairs.
Lucian’s neck snapping in Kael’s hand.
Aria tore herself away so violently the chair scraped backward.
Air rushed into her lungs in sharp, ragged breaths.
Kael straightened slowly, chest rising heavily. His eyes blazed molten gold. His mouth—swollen from kissing her—made fresh disgust crash through her.
She had done that.
She had wanted that.
“What have I done?” she whispered.
Kael took one step forward.
“Aria—”
“No.”
She stumbled backward.
“No!”
The force of her voice echoed through the room.
Disgust clawed through her chest.
At him.
At herself.
At the treacherous part of her that had forgotten everything the moment he touched her.
How could she crave the man who had destroyed her life?
Why had her body betrayed her so completely?
Then a new wave hit.
Stronger.
Hotter.
It rolled through her so suddenly her knees nearly gave out.
She gripped the edge of the table.
Something was wrong.
Her skin burned. Her clothes felt too tight. Every breath she took carried his scent deeper into her body until it became unbearable.
Kael’s expression changed instantly.
His nostrils flared.
Every muscle in him locked.
Then he stepped back.
Fast.
A sharp knock sounded before the door opened.
Ronan walked in casually—then stopped dead after one breath.
“Oh,” he said grimly. “That’s bad.”
Aria looked between them.
Neither male moved closer.
Ronan took two careful steps backward toward the hall.
“Kael.”
“I know.”
Aria’s heart pounded harder.
“What?” she demanded. “What is happening to me?”
Ronan looked almost sympathetic.
Then he glanced at Kael.
“You need to leave.”
Kael’s jaw flexed. “This is my palace.”
“And if you stay in this room another minute, it’ll become a crime scene.”
Gold flashed in Kael’s eyes.
But after one brutal second, he turned and strode out without another word.
Aria stared after him in disbelief.
Ronan remained by the doorway, keeping distance.
That alone terrified her more than anything else.
“What is happening?”
Ronan exhaled.
“You’re in heat.”
The room went silent.
“I’m in what?”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Mate heat. It happens when a female meets her true mate. The moon bond pushes acceptance. Makes the pull stronger. Harder to resist.”
Aria’s face drained of color.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I am human.”
Ronan’s expression said too much.
“Apparently not entirely.”
Another wave of heat crashed through her. She doubled over with a gasp.
Ronan immediately looked away and stepped farther back.
“Right. Definitely not staying for this.”
He turned toward the hall and barked, “Lena!”
A woman entered seconds later.
She was tall, warm-eyed, and beautiful in a practical way, with dark braids pinned over one shoulder and a healer’s satchel hanging at her hip. Confidence rolled off her in steady waves.
She took one breath, then glared at Ronan.
“You brought me into that mess?”
“You’re welcome,” he said, already retreating. “I’ll be very far away now.”
He pointed at Aria. “Don’t let any males near her.”
Then he vanished.
Aria would have laughed if she wasn’t shaking.
The woman crossed the room calmly and knelt in front of her.
“I’m Lena,” she said gently. “I’m a healer. And today, unfortunately, I’m also your guide to the worst part of mating bonds.”
Aria swallowed hard.
“This isn’t me.”
Lena’s eyes softened.
“No. It isn’t.”
Those words hit harder than comfort should have.
Aria’s breath trembled.
“I kissed him.”
“The bond wanted you to.”
“I wanted him.”
“The bond wanted that too.”
Shame burned through her hotter than the fever in her skin.
Lena opened her satchel and pulled out a small glass vial.
“This will help a little.”
She poured the contents into water and handed it over.
Aria drank without argument.
“What happens now?” she whispered.
Lena hesitated.
“If heat fully sets in and isn’t eased, it becomes painful. Your body will crave your mate. Male wolves will scent it and be drawn to you. Especially if you’re powerful.”
Aria’s stomach dropped.
“I don’t want any of this.”
“I know.”
Lena stood and moved toward the bath chamber.
“I’m drawing ice water. It won’t solve it, but it can calm the symptoms.”
Aria wrapped her arms around herself.
Everything inside her felt wrong.
Her body wanted the one person she wanted dead.
The ice bath helped.
Barely.
The pain dulled to an ache. The burning became manageable. The shaking stopped.
But the shame remained.
By nightfall, Aria locked her bedroom door.
She ignored every knock.
Ignored the trays of food left outside.
Ignored Mira’s cheerful complaints through the wood.
Ignored Lena’s soft reassurances.
Most of all, she ignored the silent presence that stood outside her door long after everyone else had gone.
Kael.
She slid down against the bed and pulled her knees to her chest.
No more talking.
No more laughing.
No more mistakes.
If silence had failed before, she would make it stronger now.
And this time, she would give it to everyone.
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