Chapter 6

~ELLIE~

When I woke up the next day, I immediately knew something was not right. Something felt wrong with my body, and as I rolled about on the bed, I couldn't place a finger on what it was. It was when I finally got out of bed that I figured it out.

A burning sensation enveloped my body from within. I clenched my thighs together, and I held in my breath.

"Fuck!" I cursed. My face flushed heavily as I realised the wetness that pooled in the midst of my legs. How was this happening? Why was I suddenly feeling horny for no reason? I tried to walk to the bathroom to cool off, but the sensation intensified.

 I covered my mouth to stiffen a scream, and I fell to the ground in a crouching position. The tingling in my loins was growing at the moment, and I knew that I would make a mess on the floor the longer I remained there.

'It burns!' Celine suddenly cried in my head. 'Do something!'

'You think I'm not aware of that?' I snapped, despite the overwhelming feeling of intense pain and pleasure. This made no sense at all. I had never felt something so gruelling in my life.

My eyes darted to my drawer, where my toys were kept. Since my last breakup five years ago, the little instruments have been my companions on the lonely, cold nights. But now, I doubt even they would be of any use. To my surprise, the intense heat I felt within was reduced.

'Celine, are you good?' I called out to my wolf.

'A bit,' she replied.

I nodded and stood up slowly. I paused for a few seconds on the spot, making sure the feeling wouldn't intensify. When it didn't, I strode towards the bathroom for my morning ritual.

I was in for a shock when I stepped out of the shower a few minutes later. The fire within my body was back, and so was the stirring in my loins. This time it was in double force.

"Oh, come on!" I gritted my teeth and leaned against the wall for support. "What kind of sick joke is this?"

For a while, I remained like that until the feeling vanished again for the second time. Taking a deep breath, I waited again. Nothing happened. I quickly changed into my work attire and made my way out of the living room before whoever was playing tricks with my body decided to change their mind.

Eric was by the table in the kitchen, reading a book, when I approached. He lifted his head from the pages.

"Morning, sis," he said.

He then paused and sniffed the air. He looked around the kitchen in confusion until his gaze settled on me. He scrunched up his nose in disgust.

"Really,sis?" He pinched his nose.

"What's wrong with you?" I scowled at him.

"That's a question you should ask yourself," he replied.

"What do you mean?"

"You're in heat, damn it!"

His statement hit me like a tonne of bricks. I flushed heavily and tried to utter a word, but nothing came out for a few seconds.

"That's not possible!" I finally found my voice. It made no sense. Didn't I need a mate for that to happen?

"Yet, here we are." Eric shook his head. "I don't know how you have to do it, but please find a solution before you destroy my lungs here."

He held his throat and faked a choking sound. I rolled my eyes at his silliness and quickly took a piece of toast from his place.

"I'm off to work," I said as I made my way out.

"See you," he called. "And seriously, do something about it. Maybe take a leaf from my book and hook up with a guy later."

"Dork!" I slammed the door shut.

          

#########

I thought it was going to be better when I arrived at the restaurant to start the day. It wasn't. How I was able to make it through the drive without having an accident was a miracle.

As much as I hated to admit it and as much as it still didn't make any sense to me, Eric was right. I was in heat. The fact that I could even allude to that term for myself was even more embarrassing. It felt like I was some kind of female dog who was just looking for any male dog to hop onto me and get it done. It was sickening. It was disgusting.

It didn't help that the fire within my body began to spread outside. The air conditioner was on in the restaurant as I served the customers their orders, but it was clear to even the blind that I was sweating profusely. Each time I wiped the sweat away with my handkerchief, it was right back on my face, like it never left. Celine had resumed her constant whining since I left the house, making my situation even worse.

 By the time it was noon, the number of customers had reduced, giving me a much-needed break, and I thanked the moon goddess for that. Right after questioning her about my current situation, What baffled me was that, despite my urges, no male in the restaurant caught my fancy. To be fair, there were some good-looking ones I had served earlier who had sent me subtle flirtatious glances and winks.

But that was just it. Their looks were where it ended. Eric's advice now seemed even more useless. How was I supposed to cure my urges if I couldn't even pick someone?

I went to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face, hoping it would at least cool me off. As the drops cascaded down my face, I stared at the mirror. My reflection stared right back at me. Dull and frightened grey eyes, worry lines across my forehead, and my mascara slightly smeared. I nearly looked as animalistic as the wolf within.

'Jax!' Celine suddenly barked.

I jolted at the spot and rubbed my forehead.

'What is it again, Celine?' I queried.

'It's Jax,' she said. 'I need him.'

'Celine, I really don't have time for your riddles right now,' I sighed. 'You've given me enough fuss since I got out of bed this morning. I understand your plight. Really, I do, because trust me when I say I'm going through ten times what you are. But you really have to help me out here by being plain with me. Who exactly is Jax?'

I expected an explanatory answer from her, but, to my annoyance, her response was, 'He is a wolf.'

'What?'

As usual for her, she was silent again.

'Wow, thanks a lot,' I snapped.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Daisy poked her head in.

"There you are," she said. "I was just looking for you. It seems like we are going to be very busy for the next hour. More customers have arrived, and their orders are off the roof."

I groaned aloud and balanced myself properly by the sink.

"Are you okay?" Daisy had a worried look on her face.

"Yeah." I forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm good. I'll be right there."

She gave a thumbs up and left. At that moment, I regretted the lie I told. I should have just come clean and told her I wasn't feeling okay. But, knowing Daisy, she would want further clarification. And there was no way I was going to tell her about my plight. Yes, we were both females, but the idea of relaying my sexual urges to her still felt weird to me.

I pulled away from the sink and made for the door when I felt a searing pain in my neck. It felt like a burn. Far worse than the one I felt inside my body. Holding in a scream, I clutched at my neck. Painful tears formed on my face as my legs buckled. I quickly rushed to the mirror and examined the spot where the pain was. My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open.

It was the mark from the bite Theo gave me yesterday. It glowed red against my slightly olive skin and began to pulse. At the same time, the tingling in my groin was back, and I even felt my nipples stiffen. Realisation washed through me. His words from the previous night echoed in my head. He said I was going to crave him. That explained why I couldn't find the solution to my urges. Theo himself was the cure. The torture I was going through was part of his plan all along. The son of a bitch didn't give me a love bite. He deliberately infected me.

 Despite the torture that I was going through, I felt a slight wave of fury grip at my heart. I couldn't believe he would stoop so low to that. I was even more concerned about why he did that than the fact that he could do that. I rested by the sink again.

There was hope, albeit one I was going to hate. He did say I would need him. As much as I hated it, I did need him. If he wasn't going to come to the restaurant, there was one other place I would meet him.

I glared at the mirror.

"Theo, I'm going to tear your head off if I see you."

That lie seemed comforting.