12.. Perfect Timing.

CALEB.

I left the room with a heaviness in my chest I couldn't shake off, a sour weight pressing down on my ribs with every step I took. Regret bled into me slowly, stubbornly, like poison seeping into veins.

Why… Why was I feeling like this?

Nothing about this situation made sense.

We—Cypril, Cain, and I—wanted Amelia. We chose her, we agreed she was the one, even before the whole engagement.

And yet the bond inside me, ancient, stubborn, relentless, seemed to scream something entirely different. Every time Melissa looked broken, something twisted inside my ribcage. Every time her voice cracked, something in me cracked too.

I hated it.

I hated that the Moon Goddess had this much power over me. Over us. I really didn't want to feel this way.

I leaned against the door, as I stepped in and shut it behind me, dragging in deep breaths that didn’t seem to help at all. What made it worse was that I knew she was telling the truth back there.

I accused her intentionally, not because I believed it, but because I couldn't afford to appear soft. Not in front of my brothers.

Not in front of Amelia. Definitely not in front of Melissa.

Showing a weakness toward her would only raise questions, especially from Cypril, who already seemed dangerously on edge whenever she was close.

So I had swallowed the truth, twisted my tongue into lies, and thrown her to the wolves—us—just so no one saw how her trembling voice clawed at me from the inside.

I clenched my jaw and shut my eyes, fury and shame battling for dominance inside me. Because the real problem, the thing that disgusted me more than anything, was simple.

I wished I had been the one to kiss her.

Not Cypril.

Me.

I wanted to know what it felt like to taste her mouth, to press her against a wall, to feel her desperate breaths against my skin, like she had to cling to me just to stay upright. I wanted to know if her lips would tremble under mine… and whether mine would tremble too.

“Arrrrrrrrrrrghhhhh!” I let out a raw scream, slamming my fist into the wall so hard my knuckles stung. My voice echoed in the room, bouncing back at me like an accusation.

How could I have such vile, traitorous desires?

I was supposed to be loyal, utterly, completely to Amelia.To our chosen mate.

To the agreement we made as heirs, as brothers, as future rulers.

I dragged in another breath, but it scraped painfully down my throat.

The worst part?

When I allowed myself even half a second to imagine claiming Melissa, not sharing, not dividing, just me and her, my entire body responded instantly. Heat surged through me, unwelcome, relentless, making my muscles tense, as my breath hitched, and my lower body answered in a way that made my shame pulse hot behind my skin.

I was losing control.

And that was when Amelia walked in, her soft scent filled the room first, sweet and familiar, lavender with a hint of honey. Normally it brought comfort, reassurance, and clarity, saving me from welcoming the thought that urged me to look for Melissa.

But now, all it did was underline the guilt lodged in my chest.

“Perfect timing,” I muttered under my breath, wiping the conflict from my face in a split second.

I couldn’t let her see even a flicker of what truly stormed inside me. So I did the only thing I knew would silence both her questions and my thoughts, at least temporarily.

Before she could say a word, before she had the chance to read my expression or ask what was wrong, I strode forward and claimed her lips.

I kissed her with hunger, sharp, urgent, needy. As though if I kissed her hard enough, it would erase the image burned into my head. As though pouring myself into Amelia would drain away the taste I imagined from Melissa.

But the funny part, no, the horrifying part, hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest.

I wasn’t seeing Amelia, it wasn't her face, not her eyes, nor her lips pressed against me.

It was Melissa. Even with Amelia in my arms, my own mind betrayed me… dragging me back to the one girl I had just sworn to hate.

And that realization nearly destroyed me.

I looked down at my shorts and I commanded. “Take it off, Amelia.”

In a few seconds, she was naked before me. I didn’t have time to fully inspect her body because my attention was on a more important part of her.

She bent down slowly and pulled my shorts. A pearly liquid glistened at the top of my shaft, she stuck her forefinger out but retracted it before it met my dick.

“Can I touch it?”

“Yes, M..Amelia.”

She held my hand, and I helped her cup my balls and trace random patterns on my penis.

“Have fun, Amelia. Touch it. Play with it. It’s yours.”

And in an instant, her hand closed around my dick and I hissed. “Go at your own pace.”

She flicked her tongue over the crown of my shaft to taste my precum.

“It's salty...” She said and my face hardened. “....but I kind of like it.”

Her tongue swirled over my dick with more confidence and I bucked.

“That’s it. Continue.”

With her gaze locked on mine, she swallowed another inch of my length and my groans spurred.

“Go faster,” I breathed out. “Please.”

My fingers were in my scalp, trying to guide her movement. I opened my mouth to take in extra inches and my dick hit the back of her throat. She pushed me out to gulp the much needed air but I shoved my dick back into her mouth. Fisting her hair, I slammed into her mouth over and over again.

She tried to keep up with my pace. But I was too fast. Too intense. Tears ran down the corners of her face as I continued to fuck her mouth. I couldn't care more or less about her tears. I pushed my dick into my mouth again and she threw up all over my penis.

“Fuck!!!!" I screamed.