Lahat ng Kabanata ng Primal Craving : Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Reality continues to ruin my life. — Bill Watterson CAMELLIA Of all the ways I thought he might reappear, I didn’t picture him looming above me with a hand over my mouth. “Stop moving,” he breathed, sharp and low, the words rattling through me like a threat. My pulse spiked and Panic surged hot in my veins, tightening every muscle. My body burned, my left hand felt heavier than usual and my stomach ached. It was all too much — the gifts, the creepy house, the sudden explosion . I hadn’t even screamed before he’d pulled me out of it. I was starting to think maybe he wasn’t the worst thing to happen to me, maybe there was something underneath all that arrogance and chaos but now I was pinned down, about to be raped by the same man I had almost felt grateful to. He’d saved me and now this. An ugly sob ripped through me, and I finally stopped moving, the tears falling from a place I hadn't let myself touch in years because this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I just wanted to g

How odd, I can have all this inside me and to you it's just words. —David Wallace, The pale king LUCIEN Pain erupted across my ribs as his fist crashed down again and again, relentless and unforgiving. The cold basement floor was pressed hard against my cheek, familiar and merciless. To the pack, this was just a private duel between father and son. Every blow hammered home the message I already knew: submission wasn’t weakness, It was the only way to stay standing. He yanked my hair hard, forcing my eyes to meet his cold stare. “Humiliating my beta for a mere human girl,” he spat. The weight of his foot pressed harder on my chest until the air whooshed out of me, my ribs screaming beneath him as I struggled to breathe. I was powerful enough to command respect in the pack but in moments like this, I felt utterly helpless. My father’s grip wasn’t just physical but a chokehold on my very will. “You will bond with Selene. And you will not destroy the pack I’ve worked so hard to bu

The hardest thing is to take less when you can take more. — Emma Goldman LUCIEN “Promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll understand.” I said the words quietly, fully aware she didn’t yet grasp the weight behind them. Promise me you won't forget what this feels like. The sight in front of me was pure temptation. Her cheeks were flushed from the waves of pleasure I’d given her, one breast slipped free from the dress, pink peaks hard and aching, begging for my touch. A slick heat pooled at my tip as I remembered how she’d teased her nipples slowly with teasing fingers that had set my blood blazing. The memory twisted inside me,making it impossible to pull away. My hand remained tight around her throat, the only thing keeping me from losing myself. I pulled my fingers slowly from her, eyes locked on hers, the tension between us a living thing. I couldn't pull away completely, but I couldn't go forward either. So I chose a middle ground, a torture of my own making. I breathe

The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose. – James Baldwin DARIUS Never really thought I’d end up trying street food at midnight in my nicest clothes. What started off as a fine restaurant owned by Alaric because he apparently judges new dishes based on precision plating ended up with us on the streets of L.A. because Camellia refused to sit anywhere that required her to pretend she was impressed. "I mean, can you believe that guy?" she asked, watching the neon lights flicker. I mean, yes it's Alaric. I looked at her, shoes dangling from one hand as she devoured the taco like it was the only thing that mattered. For a moment, I just watched, quietly in awe at how utterly alive she seemed. Then she leaned in, thumb brushing my mouth to wipe away a smear of sauce,so casual it could’ve meant nothing, but my chest tightened all the same. My wolf purred low and satisfied, and I had to remind myself to breathe, to not lean into her befor

I can resist everything except temptation. —Oscar wilde CAMELLIA I never seemed to catch a break. “You’re telling me,” I repeated, careful to mimic Lucien and his friends word for word, “that you just happened to be around when the fire started, wiped out more than half the building, and all the nearby hotels just happened to be fully booked?” I let the words hang, hoping they’d notice how ridiculous it sounded. “For the last time, yes,” Lucien said. Darius had already slipped out of the conversation, unusually silent. He and Lucien never agreed, so his quiet almost felt like consent and that made me uneasy. No way was I just going to follow him blindly; this whole setup was too convenient, too staged. Still, my options were laughably limited. Lily was the only person I even knew in this city, and it was far too late to knock on anyone else’s door. Every other plan was dead before it even started. “You’ll be safer with him,” Darius finally said. He stepped forward,