DON'T THINK

ERYX

Father is still staring at me in shock at what I just said. Kevin doesn't even bother to hide his anger, but he waits for Father to handle the situation.

"What exactly do you mean by no?" Father asks calmly.

"It's exactly what I said." I don't flinch.

Of course, I see the shock on his face. The son he knows might argue with him all he wants, but I've never looked him in the eye and openly disobeyed him like this.

Instead of arguing, he hides his anger behind a careful smile. He's very good at that whenever he doesn't want people to see how much something bothers him.

"I apologise on behalf of my son," he says to Kevin.

The old man lets out a small laugh. "Honestly, I'm not surprised. Kids these days tend to make a joke out of everything."

Fine. We're doing this the hard way. I've tried to keep my head down, just like Vesper advised. I've been doing exactly that since I got back. Apparently, that's not going to work.

I slowly rise to my feet. Father's eyes finally settle fully on me, confusion flashing across his face.

"Sit. Now." His voice is calm, but his Alpha authority leaves no room for argument.

I hold his gaze. "I think you've mistaken my silence for weakness, Father."

His jaw tightens.

"I did everything you asked because I wanted to. But this?" I shake my head. "This is where I draw the line." My eyes shift to Kevin. "You'll have to find someone else to marry your daughter, Alpha Kevin."

"Eryx Nightbane!"

I slowly turn my head toward him. "Yes, Theron Nightbane." I raise my voice for the first time.

Father is already on his feet, his eyes blazing.

"How dare you speak to your father like that, Eryx!" Kevin snaps from behind me.

I slowly turn to look at him. "And who exactly do you think you're speaking to, Alpha Kevin?" My voice drops. "I'm not some boy you can order around. Mind your words.”

Kevin goes quiet. Good. I've had enough of his nonsense. I turn back to Father, but I don't get the chance to say anything else.

His palm connects with my right cheek. My head snaps to the side from the impact.

I don't move. Magnus growls beneath my skin, furious and desperate to get out. I clench my fist at my side and force him back down.

Slowly, I run my tongue over my lower lip before turning my face back toward Father. He's looking at me the same way he used to whenever he hit me as a boy. Only this time, I'm not that boy anymore.

I slip both hands into my pockets and straighten. "I want to believe staying away from home for this long has messed with your head." His nostrils flare. "You've forgotten your manners."

He takes a step closer. "So let me make this simple. As your Alpha and your father, I am ordering you to announce your engagement to Aveline Hayes of Hollowfang during the mating ceremony." He pauses. "Do I make myself clear?"

I say nothing. I don't have to. Instead, a slow smile pulls at my lips. The kind that makes Father hesitate, because he knows I'm not backing down.

I lick my lip and hold his gaze. "We'll see about that, Father."

I don't give him another chance to respond. I turn and walk out, my leather shoes echoing against the tiled floor. This time, Father doesn't call me back, but I can feel his anger burning into my back all the way down the hall. And for the first time in my life, I don't care.

VELORA

After Rose finally lets me go, I return to my room and collapse onto my bed. For a while, I keep my eyes fixed on the ceiling. Then, like always, my thoughts drift to my mother.

Would things have been different if she were still here?

I roll onto my side, my fingers absently playing with the soft edge of my blanket as I wonder what really happened between her and Father. He never talks about her. Whenever I ask, he either lashes out or gives me that look. The kind that tells me there's something he's not saying.

Eventually, I get up and head into the bathroom. My fingers move to pull down my dress zip, and I let it fall to the floor before wrapping myself in a towel. It barely covers the excess curves of my body, but I don’t bother adjusting it.

The shower water hits my skin, washing away some of the heat and tension I'd been carrying all evening. My head still pounds at the base of my skull, and a low, feverish heat simmers under my skin, but the water begins to cool it. I close my eyes and let out a quiet breath.

For a few seconds, there's nothing else. Then Eryx's face flashes through my mind. I open my eyes immediately.

"No."

I shouldn't be thinking about him. He's Aveline's boyfriend. I remind myself of that fact again and again. But the more I try to push the thought away, the more clearly I see him standing in the library earlier. Those sharp grey eyes. That calm voice. The way he had looked at me like he was trying to solve a puzzle only he could see.

My heart starts beating faster. I bite the tip of my lower lip and lean my back against the cool tiled wall. "Eryx..." The name slips out before I can stop it.

My hand moves almost without permission. It rises and cups the full, heavy weight of my right breast, fingers sinking into the soft flesh. I squeeze gently at first, then harder, rolling my nipple between my thumb and index finger until it tightens into a stiff peak. A low, surprised sound escapes my throat. I’ve never done this while thinking of someone real before. The warm, forbidden sensation shoots straight down my spine to the aching spot between my legs.

“Eryx,” I whisper again, letting my imagination take over. I picture his large hand replacing mine, rough, grounding, and possessive as it kneads my breast, my thumb dragging slowly over the sensitive tip. In my mind, his other hand slides down the soft curve of my waist, over the full swell of my hip, then lower, spreading my thighs apart. I mirror the motion, fingers trailing down my stomach until they reach the intense heat between my legs.

I’m already wet. I love the feeling so much. I don't want to stop, so I part my folds with two fingers and find my clit, swollen and aching terribly. I rub slow, firm circles over it, exactly the way I imagine he would — deliberate, unhurried, watching my face the entire time. My hips twitch forward against my own hand. A soft whimper leaves my lips. “Oh… Eryx…”

I push my middle finger inside myself, then a second, stretching around the intrusion as I imagine it’s him. Thick. Demanding. Filling me while his mouth closes over my breast, teeth grazing the nipple he has already made sensitive. My free hand continues to squeeze and roll the soft flesh of my breast, harder now, almost roughly, chasing the sharp edge of pleasure.

My body starts to tremble around the tightness. Heat blooms low in my belly, warm and too intense. I thrust my fingers deeper, curling them, rubbing that spot that makes my knees threaten to buckle. The wet sound of my own arousal fills the small bathroom, mixed with the soft patter of the shower and my increasingly broken breaths. “Fuck… Eryx…” I feel the pain, but I don't stop.

The orgasm hits me suddenly. My walls clench hard around my fingers as pleasure rips through me in hot, pulsing waves. My back arches off the wall. A choked cry tears from my throat before I can stop it. My legs shake so badly I have to press my forearm against the tiles to stay upright. For several long seconds I only stand there, fingers still buried inside myself, chest heaving, water cascading over my flushed skin.

Then reality crashes back in. I groan quietly and yank my hand away, shaking my head hard. “What am I doing?”

I turn the water off and grab my towel with trembling hands, wrapping it tightly around my body as if I can hide what just happened from myself.

This is ridiculous. He’s my sister’s boyfriend. And I just stood in the shower fingering myself at the thought of him like some desperate, lovesick idiot.

I dry off quickly and step out of the bathroom, still flushed and unsteady.

The moment I enter my room, I freeze. Someone is standing beside my bed. Dark sunglasses on. Hands in the pockets.

My stomach drops, and my eyes widen.

“Fuck.” I don't try to think…. A scream tears out of me.