Chapter 6

Aeliana's POV

I wake up burning.

Not the feverish kind of burning that sends you reaching for aspirin and cool cloths. This is something else entirely. Something that starts deep in my core and spreads outward like liquid fire, pooling in places that make my breath catch and my thighs clench together.

What the hell?

The dream clings to me like a second skin... Caelan's hands mapping every curve of my body, his mouth trailing fire down my throat, the delicious weight of him pressing me into silk sheets while I whispered his name. Even now, fully awake, I can still feel the touch of his fingers, still taste the wild honey sweetness of his kiss.

My body aches with want. Real, physical need that makes my skin hypersensitive and my heart race. The silk nightgown feels like torture against my heated flesh, every thread a caress I don't want but can't escape.

Get it together, Aeliana.

But I can't. Every breath brings his scent... pine and leather and something darker, more primal. It's like he's everywhere, surrounding me, calling to me.

I press my thighs together, trying to ignore the throbbing ache. This is insane. I barely know him. Sure, he claims we were mates, that I lived here before the curse stole my memories, but that doesn't explain why my body is responding to him like it's been starved for years.

Years.

The thought sends another wave of heat through me, and I bite back a whimper. What if he's telling the truth? What if my body remembers what my mind can't?

The silk sheets are soaked with sweat. I kick them off and stumble to the window, hoping the cool night air will help. It doesn't. If anything, being on my feet makes the ache worse and makes me hyperaware of every sensation, every pulse of need that's building inside me like pressure in a boiler.

This isn't normal.

Even for someone who hasn't had sex for 2 years, I know this level of arousal isn't normal. This desperation, this all-consuming need, it feels supernatural. Otherworldly.

The door bursts open.

I spin around, and there's Caelan, looking like he's been running. His hair is disheveled, his chest is rising and falling rapidly, and his amber eyes are wide with something that looks like panic.

The moment he sees me, he stops dead.

"Fuck." The word is barely a whisper, but it carries the weight of absolute devastation.

His nostrils flare, and I watch his entire body go rigid. The way he's looking at me... screams danger and at the same time is so alluring; this makes my skin prickle with awareness.

"Don't," I whisper, backing against the window. "Don't look at me like that."

Because if he keeps looking at me like he wants to devour me, I'm going to do something incredibly stupid. Like cross this room and beg him to touch me.

"Aeliana." My name sounds like it's being torn from his throat. "I need you to listen to me very carefully."

The serious tone cuts through the haze of arousal clouding my brain. "What's wrong?"

"You're in heat." He says it bluntly, like ripping off a bandage. "This is the way of the bond mending itself. That's why you feel... the way you feel right now."

Heat.

The word confirms what was happening to me, but hearing it out loud makes it real. Makes the ache between my thighs and the desperate need clawing at my insides suddenly make sense.

"How long?" My voice comes out breathless.

"Three to five days. Maybe longer, I'm not sure." He's gripping the doorframe so hard I can hear the wood creaking. "Aeliana, I need you to understand that this isn't just physical attraction. The heat will make you want things, make you feel things that might not be entirely your choice."

"So what are you saying?" Heat flashes through me again, stronger this time, and I can't help the small sound that escapes my lips. "That nothing I'm feeling is real?"

"No." His voice is rough and strained. "But it's amplified. Intensified beyond what you can handle right now." He takes a shaky breath. "I won't take advantage of that. I won't touch you while you're not fully in control."

The noble bastard. Here I am, practically dying of need, and he's trying to protect my virtue.

"What if I want you to?" The words slip out before I can stop them.

His eyes flash gold, actually flash, like there's fire behind them. For a moment, I think he's going to break. Think he's going to cross the room and give us both what we're desperate for.

Instead, he closes his eyes and takes a step back.

"Elena," he calls out, his voice carrying down the hallway. "I need you. Now."

Caelan's POV

Control. Control. For fuck's sake, maintain control.

Her scent is driving me insane. Sweet and wild and so perfectly mine that every instinct I possess is screaming at me to claim her. Right here, right now, against that window with the light from the moon streaming over her skin.

But I can't. Won't.

She doesn't remember choosing me the first time. Doesn't remember the months we spent learning each other, building trust, and falling in love. All she knows is the fire burning through her veins and the supernatural pull of our incomplete bond.

That's not enough. Not for her first time back. Not for something that will bind us forever.

"Elena!" I call again, desperation bleeding into my voice.

Footsteps on the stairs, quick and light. My sister appears in the doorway, takes one look at Aeliana's flushed face and dilated pupils, and immediately understands.

"Heat," Elena says simply.

"Yes." I'm still gripping the doorframe, afraid to move closer. Afraid I'll lose what's left of my control. "She needs help. Cooling baths, supervision..."

"No." Aeliana's voice cuts through our planning like a blade. "I don't want some stranger taking care of me. I want..."

She stops herself, but we all know how that sentence was going to end.

She wants me.

"Aeliana," I say carefully, "you're not thinking clearly right now. The heat..."

"Don't you dare." Fire flashes in her eyes, and for a moment, I see the woman I fell in love with. Strong. Fierce. Absolutely magnificent when angry. "Don't you dare tell me what I'm thinking or feeling."

Elena clears her throat. "Maybe I should explain." She steps into the room, and I'm grateful for the buffer her presence provides. "Heat isn't just about mating, Aeliana. It's your wolf trying to complete bonds that were severed by the curse. Your body thinks it needs to mate to survive."

"So the feelings aren't real?" Aeliana's voice is small now, uncertain.

"They are real," Elena says gently. "But they're not necessarily a reflection of your current emotional state. Think of it like... supernatural PMS. Intense, overwhelming, but not the whole picture."

I watch understanding dawn on Aeliana's face, followed quickly by relief and something that might be disappointment.

"So what do I do?" she asks.

"Cold baths," Elena says practically. "Lots of them. Cooling herbs. Rest. And distance from any unmated males." She shoots me a meaningful look. "Especially certain alphas who smell like they haven't showered in days."

Guilty as charged.

"I'll take care of her," Elena continues, already moving toward Aeliana. "And you..." she points at me, "need to disappear from here."

Aeliana's POV

The thought of Caelan leaving makes something panic flutter in my chest, even though I know Elena's right. Having him this close while my body is screaming for his touch is torture for both of us.

"How long?" I ask, hating how small my voice sounds.

Caelan's amber eyes meet mine across the room. "As long as it takes. However long you need."

There's a promise in those words. Not just about the heat, but about everything. He'll wait. However long it takes for me to remember to choose him with a clear head rather than a body clouded by need.

"Okay," I whisper.

He nods once, sharp and final, then turns and strides from the room. I hear his footsteps echoing down the hallway, then the sound of the front door slamming shut.

Elena's hand touches my shoulder gently. "Come on. Let's get you cooled down."

As she leads me toward what I assume is a bathroom, I can't stop thinking about that Caelan. About how much I would love to have him with me, inside me.

I hope to get through this.