CHAPTER 5

Seraphina’s Pov

The heat was killing me slowly and all I could do was writhe in my bed, calling for Dimitri while my body burned from the inside out with need so intense, I thought I would lose my mind completely.

"Dimitri, please," I moaned into my pillow that was soaked with tears and sweat as another wave crashed through me, making my back arch off the mattress. "I need you so much, it hurts."

Every nerve ending was on fire, and my skin was so sensitive that even the silk sheets felt like torture against my fevered flesh. 

Between my legs was a constant ache that throbbed in time with my heartbeat and no amount of cold showers or ice baths helped. My body only wanted, one thing. My mate.

Natasha came in with water and I nearly growled at her because she wasn't him. Her scent was wrong. 

Everything was wrong without Dimitri here to take care of me the way my body desperately craved.

"Shh, I know sweetie," She soothed, helping me drink as my hands shook so badly, I couldn't hold the glass myself. "The separation is agony when you're in heat and mated."

"We're not fully mated," I gasped, clutching my stomach as another cramp hit me. "That's why it hurts so much. The bond is incomplete and is pulling at both of us, trying to force us together."

She wiped my forehead with a cool cloth that felt good for about two seconds before my skin heated up again. "How do you know he's suffering too?"

"I can feel it," I whimpered, pressing my thighs together trying to ease the ache, but nothing helped. "Through the bond I can feel his wolf going mad and his body burning just like me. Knowing he's in pain makes it so much worse."

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him standing in his room three nights ago with his eyes gone red and his control hanging by a thread while he watched me touch myself. 

The memory made me moan and my hand moved between my legs without conscious thought because my body was desperate for any relief even though I knew it wouldn't really help.

"The Elders have decided," Natasha said quietly while I tried not to sob from frustration. "They've agreed to let you and Dimitri attempt the Lunar Trial."

My eyes snapped open and I grabbed her arm. "What does that mean? Will I see him?"

"The first test begins tomorrow night," She explained, gently prying my fingers loose. "You'll be locked in a sacred chamber together for three days during the full moon."

My whole body clenched at the thought and I could feel myself getting wetter just imagining being in the same room as him again. "Three days together?"

"Yes, but you cannot complete the bond," She warned and my heart sank. "No mating, no marking, or the magic of the trial will kill you both instantly."

"I don't care about the risk," I said immediately because even being near him without him fucking me would be better than this torture. "I just need to see him, smell him and hear his voice again before I completely lose myself to madness."

She looked at me with sympathy. "It will be the hardest thing you've ever done, because the mating fever will be even stronger with proximity and the moon's power will amplify everything."

That night, my dreams were so vivid I could have sworn they were real. Dimitri's massive frame over mine while his hands gripped my hips hard enough to bruise.

His voice was rough with desire as he told me exactly how he was going to claim me. I dreamed of his mouth on my neck and his teeth grazing the spot where he would mark me while he moved inside me so deeply, I could feel him in my soul.

I woke up crying his name with my fingers buried between my legs and my whole body shaking from a release that only made the hunger worse. 

The sheets were soaked and had to be changed again, but I didn't care about the embarrassment anymore because everyone in the pack could smell my heat anyway.

The next day, crawled by in a haze of fever and need while I counted down the hours until sunset. 

Natasha helped me bathe and the water felt like needles on my skin. She dressed me in a simple white dress that tied at the shoulders for easy removal, if the heat became unbearable.

"Remember what I said," She reminded me, braiding my hair to keep it off my neck. "No mating or you both die."

"I understand," I said, though my wolf was pacing frantically inside me at the thought of finally seeing our mate again.

The walk to the ritual chamber felt endless, and my legs shook with each step while my body temperature spiked higher, knowing I was getting closer to him. 

I could already catch hints of his scent in the air. Pine forest and whiskey mixed with dark spices that made my mouth water and my core clench with need.

Elder Isaac and Ruth waited at the entrance to the underground chamber with solemn expressions that did nothing to discourage me. 

Viktor stood beside them and I noticed he kept his distance probably because my heat scent was affecting him too.

"The chamber is warded with ancient magic," Isaac explained while I tried to focus on his words, instead of the pull toward the door. "Once sealed, it won't open for three days no matter what happens inside."

"The test requires you to resist your most basic instincts," Ruth added with something like pity in her eyes. "Every cell in your body will scream to complete the bond, but you must not give in."

"There are supplies inside," Viktor said while avoiding eye contact. "Water, basic food, blankets and pillows on the floor, but no furniture."

"Why no furniture?" I asked even though talking was difficult when my body was vibrating with anticipation.

"Because you'll destroy it," Isaac said bluntly. "The mating fever makes wolves violent in their desperation and furniture becomes weapons or kindling."

They opened the heavy wooden door and his scent hit me like a physical force, making my knees buckle. 

Pine and whiskey flooded my senses so intensely, I had to grab the doorframe to stay upright while my wolf howled with joy.

"Go now," Ruth urged gently. "Before your scent drives every unmated male in the territory completely feral."

I stepped through the doorway on legs that felt like water and heard the door seal behind me with a sound of finality that should have been frightening, but all I could focus on was the figure standing on the far side of the chamber.

Dimitri looked like beautiful destruction barely contained in human form. His white shirt was torn like he'd been clawing at it and his pants hung low on his hips showing the sharp V of muscle that disappeared beneath the fabric. 

Dark shadows circled his eyes and his jaw was clenched so tight, I could see the muscle jumping while his hands flexed repeatedly at his sides.

When our eyes met, his flashed from gray to red and back again, a growl rumbling from his chest that made my already soaked panties flood with even more arousal. 

The air between us was electric with tension, need and barely controlled violence that promised such sweet devastation.

"Seraphina." He whispered, his whole body going rigid like he was physically holding himself back from crossing the room.