Chapter five
975 Words
Chapter 5 – Killian
“Calm the hell down!” I growled at my restless wolf who wanted nothing but to take control and have her right there, against the door.
The second she walked into my office, the air changed. It wasn't just the scent of rain and cheap soap; it was her. My mate. The one person meant to complete my soul, standing there dripping wet and looking at me with eyes full of fire and fear.
It took every ounce of my control not to fly over that desk and claim her right then. When I cornered her at the door and realized she was untouched, my wolf went absolutely feral. The pure, sweet scent of her, untainted and mine, hit me like a drug. I was high just breathing the same air.
But I forced the beast down.
I couldn't let another woman into my heart. I’d been down that road once, and I wouldn't be broken again. Never.
She was a means to an end. A breeder. I needed an heir to solidify my throne, and that was all she would be.
My phone buzzed, breaking the trance. It was Elias, my Beta.
"Alpha, we’ve got trouble," Elias said, his voice grim. "Rogues are at the pack's edge. The magic barrier has been breached. If we don’t contain them, they’ll spill into the human city."
My jaw clenched tight. "Investigate the breach. I’m on my way."
The Council of Elders and the unruled Weres were getting bolder. They didn't think I was powerful enough to lead because I had no Luna and no heir. They wanted their rogue leader, my uncle, on the throne, and they were willing to tear the world apart to get it.
A child would silence them. An heir would prove my lineage.
Before heading to the border, I found myself walking toward her room. She was asleep, her small frame swallowed by the massive bed. She looked fragile, her face pale against the silk pillows. I reached out, pulling the quilt up to her chin.
"Asshole..." she mumbled in her sleep.
A reluctant smirk tugged at my lips. So that’s what she saw me as. Even unconscious, she was a fighter. I turned to leave, but a soft, broken whimper stopped me.
"Please... don't leave..." she cried out, her voice thick with tears. She was caught in a nightmare, her hands grasping at the empty air.
I hated how my chest tightened at the sound of her distress. Against my better judgment, I sat on the edge of the bed. When she reached for me, I lay down, letting her squirm into my side. She tucked her head under my chin, her breathing finally evening out.
I stiffened, lying as still as a statue. What the hell am I doing? I thought, closing my eyes. She’s just a carrier.
I must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing I knew, a piercing shriek shattered the silence.
Seraphina was awake, her eyes wide with terror as she realized she was sharing a bed with me.
"What are you doing here?!" she yelled, scrambling to get away.
In her panic, her legs got caught in the heavy quilt. She tripped, her arms flailing as she plummeted toward the mattress. I reached out to catch her, but her momentum dragged us both down.
She landed hard on top of me, her body pressing into mine, and then…
Our lips met in a clumsy, accidental collision. The contact was like a lightning bolt through my system. My wolf roared in excitement, and for a heartbeat, the world outside didn't exist.
She stayed frozen under me, her eyes wide with a shock that mirrored the chaos in my own chest. Time seemed to stop as I looked down at her, her breath hitching against my lips. My wolf was practically vibrating with a victory song, and before I could stop myself with logic, I swiped my tongue across her lower lip.
The taste of her was a knockout. Sweet, warm, and dangerous.
The contact seemed to snap her back to reality. She flinched, her face flushing a deep, beautiful pink that made my pulse roar. She scrambled off me, her eyes looking everywhere but at me, her hands trembling as she smoothed the sheets.
What the hell was I even doing?
I was losing control faster than I had ever thought possible. My wolf didn't care about contracts or heirs; he just wanted his mate.
I forced my face into a cold, unreadable mask, and without a single word, I turned and walked out, the door clicking shut behind me.
I needed a run. I needed to shift and let the wind tear through my fur until I forgot the way her skin felt on mine. But I was in the middle of New York. I could already see the headlines: “Giant Beast Terrorizes Manhattan.”
I headed straight for the garage instead, the roar of my car’s engine the only thing loud enough to drown out my thoughts and by the time I reached the pack lands, the sun was barely beginning to rise through the trees.
Elias, my Beta, was waiting for me, and he looked like he had aged ten years overnight.
"Alpha," he started, his voice filled with dread and ominousness. "It’s worse than the rogues."
"Speak," I snapped, my eyes scanning the area for any sign of danger.
"The soldiers... are falling ill. One after another, they are collapsing and the healers don't know what it is." He paused, his throat bobbing as he delivered the blow. "We have two recorded deaths already. It’s communicable. And we have no idea how to stop it."
My blood turned to ice. The rogues were one thing, but a silent killer was a deadlier enemy,
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