Chapter 55
709 Words
We were still tangled up in the sheets when the first light came in through the window. Devon had his arm draped lazily across my waist, his chest warm against my back. I shifted a little and he groaned like I had just stolen his favorite thing in the world.
“Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was thick with sleep.
“I need to breathe, Devon.” I laughed softly but he only pulled me tighter, burying his face in my neck.
“You can breathe just fine right here.” His lips brushed my skin and I shivered. He always did that when he wanted to distract me.
“You’re impossible.” I tried to sound annoyed but my voice betrayed me. His hand slid lower on my waist and I knew he was smirking.
“You love it.” He tilted my chin back and kissed me, slow at first then deeper until I couldn’t think of anything but him. My body reacted before my mind could catch up and I melted into him.
When he rolled me onto my back, I didn’t resist. His mouth trailed down my throat, his hands teasing until I arched up to meet him. He laughed against my skin. “Always so eager, Addy.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
That made him grin wider, but he obeyed. The kiss turned hungry, desperate, like he needed to prove something. I clawed at his shoulders, pulling him closer, my legs wrapping around him. The world outside could hate me all it wanted, but here in his arms I belonged.
When we finally slowed down, both of us breathing hard, Devon pressed his forehead to mine. “If I could, I’d keep you here all day.”
“You already try.” I giggled softly, brushing my fingers over his jaw.
He kissed me again, gentle this time, then pulled away with a sigh. “I need to check on the warriors. The border has been restless since… well, everything.”
The reminder of “everything” dimmed my smile. He noticed immediately.
“Hey,” he said, tilting my face back to him. “Don’t go into that head of yours. I won’t let anyone or anything touch you.”
I nodded, but the words felt heavy. Because when we finally left the room and walked through the halls together, I felt it again the stares. Whispers that stopped the moment I turned to look.
“She almost burned her,” someone muttered under their breath, not quietly enough.
“She’s dangerous.”
“They say she brought something with her, something dark.”
Each word sank into me like a stone. My chest felt tight, but I forced my chin up. Devon’s hand slipped into mine, his thumb brushing circles on my skin. A warning, or maybe a promise.
“They don’t matter,” he said lowly so only I could hear.
But they did matter. They were my pack too, whether they liked it or not.
I swallowed hard and kept walking, but inside my body was heating. Not with shame. With fire. My palms tingled and for a moment I was terrified I’d burst into flames right there in front of them all. I squeezed Devon’s hand tighter, grounding myself in him.
Later, when we were alone in his office, I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.
“They hate me.” The words cracked out of me before I could stop them.
“They fear what they don’t understand.” Devon came behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “You’re stronger than they’ll ever know, Addy. They’ll see it soon enough.”
“But what if I can’t control it? What if I hurt someone again?” My voice trembled.
He turned me around and kissed me hard, swallowing the panic before it spread. His hands framed my face, steady and warm.
“You’re mine,” he whispered against my lips. “And nothing about you could ever scare me.”
I clung to him, trying to believe his words. But deep inside, the fire still burned, restless and wild, waiting for the wrong moment to break free.
- Writer
