The Last of Her Pack

Chapter9. Heat

Eryx POV

My body jerked upright before I was even fully awake. A scent slammed into me so violently my vision blurred for a second. Heat. A female’s heat. The female’s scent flooded the room like a punch to the chest, sharp and sweet, so powerful my wolf went feral instantly.

Realization hit raw and hard.

She was in heat. My female was in heat.

I was on my feet before I had time to think. This—this was why I’d ordered the guards off the upper floors, why I’d kept them stationed below. I had known it would happen eventually but I hadn’t expected it tonight. I hadn’t expected the scent to be this strong. Or to hit me this badly.

My wolf lunged inside me, claws scraping, desperate to get out but I shoved it back with everything I had. My body reacted anyway, my pulse quickening, my blood heating, every instinct demanding I go to her. Claim her. End her pain. End mine.

I stormed out of my room, barely aware of myself, walking like a man possessed. My feet carried me straight to her door. I tried the handle. Locked.

Then I heard her.

A soft, broken moan.

Pain.

A sound that tore straight through me.

I didn’t think. I didn’t breathe. With a single kick, the door burst inward, slamming against the wall. I stepped forward, already reaching for her and froze.

A sound echoed from below. Heavy steps. A growl that didn’t belong to me.

Shit.

A guard had scented her.

His wolf had taken over. And if he could smell her this potently, every unmated male in this damn place would catch it soon. If I didn’t stop this now, tonight would turn into a bloodbath.

I left her room in a heartbeat and went straight to the top of the stairs. The guard stood there, chest heaving, eyes wild and already darkened by his wolf. He was moments from losing control completely.

“LEAVE,” I thundered, my Alpha tone ripping out of me like a whip. “AND NEVER COME BACK UP HERE AGAIN.”

The force of it shook the air.

The guard flinched, stumbled back and his wolf retreated instantly under the command. He turned and fled without a single word.

Satisfied he was gone, I spun around and returned to her room. I slammed the door shut and locked it firmly, my pulse still a violent rhythm under my skin.

Her voice hit me next.

“It hurts…” Rachael’s moan was thick, strangled with pain. “It hurts…”

My wolf clawed again, pushing at the edges of my control. I forced it back down, feeling my eyes flicker, red, then black, then red again.

She was on the bed, twisting, her body burning up from the inside. The scent poured from her in waves so strong they made my chest tighten. She looked fevered, overwhelmed, lost.

“Make it stop,” she screamed, her voice breaking. “Make it stop!”

I climbed onto the bed and gathered her in my arms. She thrashed, her skin burning hot against mine.

“Female,” I growled, low and rough, trying to get her attention. “Look at me.”

But she couldn’t. She was too far gone, too consumed by the heat to focus. Her breaths came in short, desperate gasps. Every muscle in her body trembled.

“Let go of me,” she rasped, twisting harder. “Let go!”

Her pain ripped at me.

Before she could fall off the bed or hurt herself, I lifted her, hauling her against my chest. She fought me weakly, screaming again.

“Make it stop… please, make it stop…”

I didn’t waste time. I carried her into the bathroom, shoved the door open, and set her into the bathtub. I twisted the cold tap all the way. Water blasted down onto her skin, and she flinched violently.

Her clothes soaked fast. The water pooled around her, chilling her flushed skin, dragging the worst of the fire away. Her cries softened, turning into rough gasps. Her body trembled as the cold fought the heat inside her.

I watched her breathing slow, even if only a little.

Then she inhaled sharply, air, finally.

I dipped her further into the water, keeping her head above the surface. Her nails dug into the porcelain as another wave hit her, but it wasn’t as brutal as the first.

My wolf paced inside me, strong enough to make my hands shake. He wanted to take advantage of her vulnerability, to end both our torture in one single movement. He wanted to claim, to mark, to mate.

But I kept him down. I had to.

She hated me. And if I touched her now, if I gave in, she would never forgive me. Not in this lifetime.

“Are you feeling better now?” I forced out, my voice low, rough, strained.

She opened her eyes and looked at me fully for the first time. Anger and pain swirled in them.

“It’s all your fault,” she whispered.

I held her gaze, silent.

“If you hadn’t bitten me,” she said, her voice shaking, “I wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“It’s for the best, little mate,” I murmured. “You belong to me.”

“I don’t belong to you,” she shot back, shivering as the cold water soaked deeper into her skin.

The heat was still there but dulled enough for her to think, even just a little. She leaned back against the tub, her breaths harsh but steadier.

“It’s terrible,” she muttered. “This is really… really terrible.”

I said nothing. I watched her. It was all I could do without losing control.

She closed her eyes again, letting the cold water settle her breathing. “If you’d just let me leave—”

“No.” The word was a growl before I could stop it. “You’re not leaving, female.”

She flinched at my tone but didn’t argue. Instead, she turned on the tap again, letting more cold water fill the tub until it rose up around her shoulders.

A long moment passed.

“Do you feel better?” I asked again, quieter this time.

She opened her eyes slowly, dragging them across my face. “I feel like shit.”

I reached out and brushed her hair back, gentle despite the hunger inside me. She turned her head away from my touch but she didn’t push me off.

Her hair was soaked already, but I cupped water in my hand and ran it over her face, washing away the sweat and heat that clung to her skin.

“Let me remove your clothing,” I said quietly, “so the water can cool you properly.”

She stiffened instantly, every muscle going rigid—