Chapter 7

Kian needed to cool down. He never got this worked up before. He enjoyed sex when he had it back in the day with Mia. He never attempted wild sex with her. She didn't seem the type that could handle that side of him. Ever since he decided to walk this path, he had abstained from sex, deeming it unnecessary.

And it was... until it just got complicated.

He didn't understand how how his Beta could elicit such a feverish response. When she mentioned pleasure, sex, and relief, he wanted it all with her. The moment those words that seemed foreign in association to her came out of her mouth, it was like something snapped painfully in place. He wanted to tease it out of her until she couldn't take it. He wanted to ravage her. He wanted to fuck her like his life depended on it like it was his mission to have her screaming out his name in heat, clawing up his back as she broke beautifully to his demands of her. Instead of a sterile laboratory setting where their genetics would mix, he wanted to personally breed her in every sinful position imaginable. Stripped bare of clothes and reservations, he wanted to break open that tough exterior she built she magnificently and crumble her fortress by bringing out that uninhibited side of her that he knew she didn't show to anyone.

He didn't understand it, because she wasn't his fated mate so why did she bring out that type of intense reaction out of him? He tried swimming laps in the pool and going out for a late night run that seemed like it lasted for hours to get her out of his head, but nothing worked. He wanted nothing more than his feisty Beta under him as she tried desperately to hold back her pleasure, but he wouldn't let her. He wanted to drive into her until her body knew who it belonged to.

He stood under the icy shower spray with his still impossibly hard dick in his hand, trying to erase the feverish thoughts in his mind. The endless possibilities were suffocating him and he couldn't think straight. He slammed his other fist against the wall and chased after his high until he finally tensed, breaking into pieces. His seed shot out in powerful spurts against the shower wall as he envisioned Raina pleading for him to breed her.

Fuck. What the fuck? This was not good. How did a shewolf he's worked so closely with for years now get so deep under his skin like this? Why now? Why not before? He shakily finished up his frigid cold shower, toweled off, and got dressed with the universal kit of blank shirt and sweats that were left for the Deltas after training. At least, for now, he was somewhat satisfied, enough that his dick finally remained flaccid in his sweatpants for now.

As he walked out of the bathroom and through the empty training grounds, he heard voices echoing faintly in the hallway. He recognized Sebastian and Viktor, the head of surveillance, talking to each other at the end of the hallway. He raised an eyebrow as he approached them. His steps alerted them that they weren't alone and they both looked up.

"Why are you up?" he asked Sebastian.

His beta glanced over at him. "I went out for a run," he told him honestly. "On the way back, Viktor pulled me aside to show me something." He tilted and jerked his head to the room. "You're going to want to see this."

Kian glanced over at Viktor then back to Sebastian before he nodded his head. His exhaustion and fatigue had finally settled into his bones, but his mind was still racing and it would be a little while before he truly fell asleep. He walked inside the surveillance department and Viktor led them into his office. Sebastian shut the door behind them.

Viktor immediately went to his computer and quickly started swiping the mouse on the mouse pad. The large screen mounted on the opposite wall powered up and an image of Raina and Sterling in a hallway leading to one of the ground floor bathrooms popped up. He frowned, realizing that it had been from today. They had the same clothes on they had for the meeting with the Elder Council.

"Play it," Sebastian assured Viktor.

Viktor nodded, tapping on the mouse and the video started to play. At first, Kian wasn't sure what he was meant to tune into, but as the conversation between the sisters continued, his heart thundered into his chest at what was being revealed. His heart ached then exploded with unimaginable pain. By the end of the video, he felt like he had been holding his breath in the entire time and swallowing down shards of glass.

It all made sense now. It made sense why his reaction to her was so fucking intense and why he trusted her without hesitation. It made sense why he naturally was drawn to her. His soul knew. He realized bits and pieces of himself knew the truth.

"Raina is my fated mate," he finally breathed out the truth aloud.

And she had suffered years of pain and trauma when he had been with Mia, judging by what Sterling revealed in her breakdown. He squeezed his eyes shut and raked a hand through his hair. Not only that, she had heard the conversation between him and Sebastian when they had sparred clearly out of context. Sebastian had been baiting him, forcing him to realize certain truths. He had almost killed his own Beta for speaking so crudely about her, even though he knew it was just to goad him to admit what he had been denying. If she had only stayed longer, she would've heard the full truth.

Now she thought he wouldn't want her as a woman. He thought about the conversation at the training grounds with her. You don't have to force yourself to be with me like that... At the time, he had thought it was odd, considering he wasn't being forced. He let it slide not realizing the weight behind it. He shouldn't have and now he made a monumental mistake.

Fuck. She actually thought he offered that out of duty and obligation not because he actually wanted her. That the only reason he'd give her pleasure or touch her was because he was forced to accommodate her.

"Kian," Sebastian whispered, forcing Kian out of his thoughts. "How do you want us to proceed?"

Kian glanced over his Beta. "We still go as planned. She agreed to the procedure and to become my Luna," he said, shaking his head at his own ignorance. "I need time to figure out how I'm going to convince her that this isn't out of obligation."

"Why don't you just tell her you know?" Sebastian suggested, crossing his arms over his chest.

"She kept this a secret for years," Kian reminded. His chest burned at the thought of how much he hurt her without realizing it. "She felt it every time I was with Mia. I've damaged her and hurt her for years. She has built up years of irrational insecurities." He swallowed. Icy fear ran down his spine. "I'm afraid she's going to run or try to do something equally stupid like try to reject me for my own benefit. She's not going to believe I genuinely want her by my side."

Realization dawned in Sebastian's eyes at his words. "She did say she was going to accept your rejection," he said, now understanding why it wasn't that simple anymore. "She expected you to reject her if she told you the truth."

"Exactly," Kian told him.

Sebastian smirked. "I always knew there was something between you two."

It stilled burned that she put herself through all this hell. Why hadn't she told him? Why didn't she tell him that she was his fated mate?

Because of Mia he realized.

At the time, he had been madly in love with her. He modeled their relationship after his parents then he saw their relationship deteriorate when Deidre showed up and shattered the illusion of chosen mates. It was a painful hard lesson he needed to learn to understand the importance and joy of fated mates.

He wouldn't have understood how important Raina was either. She had risen up the ranks, just so she could... Dread sunk into the pit of his stomach like a rock thrown into the ocean. Why had she worked so hard to become his Beta?

His heart shattered when the only painful answer rocked him, because she wanted to get as close as possible, thinking she couldn't have him like that. So she fought to be his best warrior and his female Beta so she could be seen deserving of him in the only own way she thought she could.

Trying to keep his emotions in check, Kian turned to Viktor, who was standing behind his computer. "Thank you for showing me this."

Viktor nodded, a small smile forming. "She'll make a wonderful Luna."

Kian glanced over at the screen, eyeing the image of Raina and Sterling embracing. He knew instantly that he needed Sterling to be on board with this. Sterling could help them and he had a feeling she would want to especially when he told her that he had no attention of rejecting Raina.

Raina would get her happy ending. He would make sure of it.