LOGINRhea POVA long stretch of silence settled between us as we stood outside.Neither of us spoke first.I kept my gaze fixed on the moon, using it as an excuse not to look at him. Because if I did, I’d have to see that expression on his face again.And I didn’t think I could handle that.A sudden gust of wind brushed past, and I shivered, pulling in a slow breath. The cold seemed to snap something in him, because Kale cleared his throat, like he was finally about to speak.My body tensed immediately.“About what happened,” he started softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I wanted to…”“It’s not your fault,” I cut in quickly.I already knew what he was going to say.He was going to apologize.But it wasn’t his fault.I wasn’t in heat.Silence fell again, heavier this time, thick with everything we weren’t saying.“Then why did you push me away?” he asked, his voice cracking. “You pushed me away because I was about to cross a line. You ran from me because I scared you. I almost took
Rhea POV“What?!” I choked out, the word coming from pure shock.“You don’t have to pretend,” Chloe went on. “I know it’s you.”“What?!” This time it came out louder, my eyes widening even further.“You were acting weird yesterday. All flustered and everything. When Lily and I realized what was happening, we felt so bad. You have so much courage coming to work today. How did you even manage to survive yesterday?”She just kept going, completely oblivious to the way the color drained from my face. Or maybe she noticed and just assumed it was embarrassment.I couldn’t tell her I wasn’t in heat.I couldn’t tell her it was because her so-called Alpha had stuck a vibrator inside me.So now I really had to walk around hoping no one else recognized me.“Don’t worry,” she added, trying to reassure me. “I’m sure before next week, everyone will move on to the next gossip.”Everyone.The word alone made something twist in my chest, like the ground might actually open up and swallow me whole. And
Rhea POV After the shower, since I didn’t have any extra clothes, Dorian forced me into one of his oversized shirts. And when we got into bed, he kept his arm tightly wrapped around me, leaving me no room to move. Not that I was planning to. For the next thirty minutes, I just lay there, watching him quietly until he started to doze off. As he did, I found myself thinking about what he had said earlier… about not being able to fall asleep without me beside him. If that was really true, then how long had it been like that? Years? The thought made something in my chest tighten. Just staying up one night to watch over him when he was sick had drained me. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to go days without proper sleep. He was really strong. It didn’t take long for my eyelids to grow heavy, and I scooted closer to him, inhaling his scent as sleep slowly took over. I had only just closed my eyes when I heard a loud bang. I flinched, my eyes snapping open, only to fi
Rhea POVHearing Kale’s name, my entire body tensed.Kale.Of course, Kale. I knew I was missing something.Because of the long hours of torture, I had momentarily forgotten. But now the memories of what I had almost done with him slammed back into me, and my breathing came out shaky.I had almost slept with Kale.I had let Kale touch me.And I—No. I couldn’t make it obvious. Dorian was watching me too closely. He wasn’t stupid. He would sense something was wrong, and he would ask questions.What if he found out?Quickly, I took a deep breath and forced myself to act normal.“I can’t compare you two,” I said, saying what my normal self would have said. “You are… different.”“Different how?”“Kale is…” I struggled to find the right words, my mind still racing. “He’s handsome in a… softer way. Approachable. Like sunlight.”“And me?”I swallowed hard.“You’re more like a storm,” I said honestly. “You know how dangerous and intense they are. The kind of beautiful that makes you want to r
Rhea POV It didn’t take long for me to fall into the rhythm. My body remembered exactly how good he felt, and soon I was rolling my hips with more confidence, sliding up and down his cock in a steady pace that filled the quiet office with wet, obscene sounds. I got so used to it that even he couldn’t hold back anymore. Low, rough groans started slipping from his chest every time I sank down on him, and that sent a strange, dizzying sense of pride through me. Just watching his head fall back against the chair, his teeth clenched, the veins in his neck standing out… It made something shift inside me. For the first time all day, I felt like I had the upper hand. “Fuck… just like that,” he growled, but his hands stayed locked on the armrests like he was forcing himself not to touch me. But his hips still betrayed him. They twitched upward every time I took him deep, chasing more, even while he tried to stay in control. Seeing how hard he was holding back, something wicked sparked
Rhea POVI didn’t even know how long I had been sitting there, just impaled on his dick, but I was sure it had been more than ten minutes now.To make matters worse, he was working. Like actually working.He had his phone pressed to his ear, his voice calm as he spoke to someone about territory lines and shipment schedules like he didn’t have someone trembling on his dick.“Yes, push the eastern patrol back by two hours. I want eyes on the river crossing tonight.”His free hand rested on my lower back, his thumb moving in slow, absent circles over my skin. It was soothing… but at the same time, it just made everything worse.“Dorian…” I called softly, my voice barely steady because I couldn’t take it anymore.But he just pressed his thumb against my lips, cutting me off before I could say anything else.“Yes, and the shipment from the northern territories?” he continued into the phone, like I hadn’t even spoken. “I want it rerouted through the main checkpoint. No exceptions.”I sat th
Dorian POV“Say that again,” I said, my voice low, something in me reacting before I could even understand why.Instead of repeating what I clearly heard, she shook her head, refusing to look at me while blood from her wrist dripped onto the floor between us.“Rhea,” I said again, but just as I ste
Rhea POVI gasped as my eyes snapped open. My lungs clawed for air and my heartbeat felt like it was trying to punch its way out of my ribs.“It’s okay, it’s okay,” a voice said, suddenly holding me while my chest rose and fell too fast.My gaze darted around, taking in the sterile white walls and
Dorian POVDamian was speaking. I knew he was because his lips were moving and he kept laughing like a fool in between whatever he was saying, but none of it reached me.My gaze was fixed on Rhea, who had stopped scrubbing the floor and was now wiping down the shelves with slow, careful strokes. He
Dorian POVMy fists were clenched tightly in my pocket until I was back in my chamber and finally collapsed into the couch. What was I pissed about this time? I tried to regulate the storm swirling inside me, but my mind wouldn’t stop replaying what I had seen.Her. In his arms.The way she kissed







