Novel & Cerita Holding Back

“Why are you holding back?” I asked, my tone unwavering even though my heart quaked under my flesh. Aiden’s eyes met mine, piercing and cold, yet there was an underlying emotion concealed within—something he struggled to control. "I'm not holding back," “I simply… don’t want to.” "You don’t want to what?" I pushed forward, moving closer, my heartbeat accelerating as the tension grew stronger between us. "This," he replied, shaking his head, his face lacking any feelings. "This—whatever you think is happening. It's a contract, Artemis. Keep that in mind."

I whined, hoping he really would. With a deep groan, he muttered, “I am barely holding myself back…” Of course he is. I could actually feel him holding back. Like letting himself hang on to that tiny little bit of thread that is slowly, slowly, snapping. “Then… don’t.” I whispered. He shudders and curses under his breath. “You do not know what you’re wishing for, omega.”

That earned a pause. The man near the table stopped moving. “Because pressure shows the truth.” “And?” I asked. “And you’re holding something back,” he said. I exhaled slowly. “I’m holding onto what I need to walk out when this is over.” The calm one nodded. “That’s reasonable.” The man with the glass didn’t agree. “That means she’s already halfway gone.” The man near the wall said nothing, but his attention sharpened. “We’re not starting yet,” the calm one said.

What I should be able to do. A flicker of something sharp and ugly curled low in my stomach. Embarrassment. Frustration. Something dangerously close to guilt. Aaron moved ahead like none of it affected him—like this pace was intentional, like this was how it was always meant to be. But I wasn't stupid. I knew what a pack like this was capable of. I'd seen it in my own. I was holding them back. Holding him back. The thought hurt. My gaze flicked to Aaron's back, broad shoulders cutting through the mist like he owned the forest itself, like nothing in it could touch him. And here I was. Slowing him down.

No holding back. This was a fight.

I swallow hard. “I am trying.” “Try harder.” Pain spikes through my chest as I force the connection inward, pushing against it, trying to compress it, to close it from my side. The line flickers. Narrows slightly. Then snaps wider again. I cry out, dropping to one knee. The force is too much. Too strong. The figure watches closely. “You are still holding back,” it says. “I am not,” I gasp. “You are,” it insists. “You fear what closing it will cost.”

An older man with a scar on his chin stood in the center with a confident stance. Our own legion stopped, analyzing the scene before us. We were fewer in number now but still many and would not be taken down or forced to yield our assault. "We calmly ask you to drop your weapons and return to your cells." The older gentleman spoke with a gruffness about him. "Or what?" Hope spit towards him with a menacing glare though there seemed to be something else that glinted in her eyes. She pointed at the man defiantly as if she was the one telling him what to do instead. The man raised his brow in a slight arch as a hint of a smile made its way to his crusted lips.

Well things are about to get interesting guys 😁😁😁 Watch out

I know this time off will take a long time because now my body and mood are not stable, I am afraid that if I continue to work, I will be exhausted and faint. The manager quickly nodded and replied, "Okay, think about it, come back to work when you're well" I nodded and left the bar. On the way home, I stopped by a drugstore to buy birth control pills, for fear of having an unexpected event. Go to the convenience store, buy some food to cook for grandma. I also drank a carton of milk and then took the medicine.

The particular quality his voice had when he was fully present and not managing himself for anyone. She had heard it and had felt the feeling and had almost said the word and had said two weeks instead. She sat with that. Not with regret. That was not the right word. Just with the particular awareness of a woman who understood that the things you held back because the timing was not right could run out of time on their own and there was nothing clever about that, nothing strategic, nothing that made the holding back worth anything at all. She should have said it. She was going to say it.