Seth is subbing the floors of the pack clinic when his fingers suddenly freeze; a sharp, fiery pain stabs through the side of his neck. He lets go of the mop and his hand flies to his neck, his knees buckling slightly. He leans against the wall to stay standing, his breathing hitches as he grips the side of his neck where the mate mark lies tightly. It burns.Today, it's not like acid; it's like a hot iron pressed to his skin from the inside out. Kieran is hurt.Seth's jaw clenches. He shuts his eyes, pressing down hard on the ache, trying to soothe it. But suddenly, the door bursts open, causing him to snap his eyes open, the smell of blood overwhelmingly flowing through his nostrils, a loud shout following. “Clear the way! Injured incoming!”Seth looks up, and his blank eyes instantly land on the person. It's Kieran. He's covered in dirt, blood running down his leg, and his eyes half closed, held by two warriors, dragging him inside with urgency.“Room three!” one of the nurses s
Kieran stands before the Elders in the council room, his fist clenched, his jaw locked as anger and exasperation build up inside of him.Even away from that freak, he still can't breathe. His skin feels so tight, his bones aches and his mind—his fucking mind—is still stuck on Seth. Every thought, every memory, every damn dream twisted with that boy’s face, scent and voice stays stuck in his head worse than glue. He hates it. He hates it so much that he feels like crawling out of his skin and peeling his skin off. He can't take it anymore. He can't continue living like this.The elders watch him, saying nothing, silence engulfing them till Kieran breaks it like ice.“I think it's time you helped me break the bond,” he says through clenched teeth, his sour and bitter pheromones wrapping him like a warm blanket, spreading through the counters of the room. “I don't care what you have to do. Whatever ritual or spell, I don't want to be tied to him even for a second.” He continues.“Does th
Kieran’s chest is heaving as he wakes up in the dark, his sheets are twisted around his legs, his skin is damp with sweat and there's a pulsing between his thighs that isn't fading.Again. Another dream. Another wet dream of him.Kieran groans in frustration and presses both hands into his face, dragging them down as if he can scrape the images from his mind.Seth—his lips, his eyes, his body, his voice—everything haunts him.“Fuck!” Kieran shouts into the darkness, his voice raw.He grabs his pillow, yanks it from his bed and slams his fist into it again and again, growling lowly in his throat like a frustrated beast.“This has to stop!” he hisses, throwing the pillow across the room and sitting on the edge of his bed, trembling. “This has to fucking stop!” he shouts but the heat in his stomach still lingers and no matter how loud he screams or how hard he hits the fucking pillow, the truth clings to him. It terrified him more than anything else in the world.He wants Seth but he wou
Kieran wakes up with a jolt on his bed, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He looks out the window, the sun is barely in the sky but his skin; it's burns. Sweat clings to his forehead and neck and his lower half…shit! His breath hitches as he snaps his head down.“Fuck.” He hisses in annoyance and yanks the blanket off, welcomed with an erection between his legs that throbs, it's insistent, hot and needy. No matter how much he shifts, it doesn't go away. He groans as he runs hand over his face, his thoughts already a chaotic mess.Lena. That's who he wants, that's who he should want, she's his mate, his Luna, his future not someone else. Kieran chants the words in his head like it's a prayer, over and over again till they stick, till his wolf and body believes it.He gets out of bed and goes to the bathroom, slamming the door shut a bit too loudly.He strips himself of his clothes and gets under the shower, turning it on and letting the water flow down his body.His hands slowly m
Castel bursts through the doors of the pack clinic with a bright smile on her face, nearly skipping with excitement.Her eyes scan the room until they land on Seth, wiping floors at the corner.“There you are!” she beams as she sprints towards him.Seth looks up, raising an eyebrow. “Me?”She grabs his wrist without asking and tugs him down the hallway.“Castel, I'm working. Where are we going?” he protests without resisting her pull; he finds that pointless.“Storage room,” she whispers dramatically. “We need to talk.”They slip into the small storage room; Castel shuts the door behind them and spins around to face him.“Okay,” she grins, eyes glimmering. “I want details. All of it.”Seth pins her with a blank stare. “Details of what?”“Oh, don’t play innocent,” she says, jabbing a finger against his chest. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. The trial. You and Kieran. Did you really touch him? Kiss him? Did he let you? Tell me about it. It's all over the pack and I want all th
The dining hall of the pack house is full of chatter and laughter. Long tables lined with trays of roasted meat, steamed vegetables, bread rolls, and bottles of wine.It's meant to be a celebration—Kieran has passed all his trials, and the pack is proud, or at least, they seem to be, because Kieran isn't proud of what he has done or what he has become, a laughingstock behind his back. Even if Seth hadn't said a word to anyone, rumors are still going to spread, and there's nothing he can do about them other than wait for all the nightmares to be over. Kieran sits at the center of the table, his shoulder stiff, his jaw tight, while his eyes are fixed on his untouched plate of food. He doesn't think he can digest anything. He can still feel the tingles of touch on every part of his body and the bite marks are oddly taking time to heal, causing him to wear a turtleneck shirt in the fucking heat.His fingers are locked together under the table, his knuckles turning pale from how tightly