Shrieking in surprise, I quickly scamper backward, scrambling toward the pillows on the bed for safety.
I must look as messy as I’m feeling, because Elias drags his eyes over me and frowns when his gaze returns to my face.
It isn’t an angry frown, but one that appears almost concerned.
“Aurora…?”
I shake my head ardently, determined not to reveal what is happening right now. But remaining silent gives me a momentto gauge his reaction as he moves in closer and leans over as if he’s about to take a seat on the edge of the bed.
Is that…is that the kindness I once suspected in the alpha? Has that kindness emerged now in the face of the excruciating adversity of my heat?
I can’t accept it when I’m hauled back to the memory of his blunt rejection when I hastily admitted that I was in love with him. The pain I felt back then was worse than the infliction of this heat, and I refuse to accept this facade.
“Go away!” I yell out, hot sensations clawing my insides, and screaming when he takes a seat. I gather my knees to my chest and hug them for protection despite the wave of comfort washing over me when he’s closer.
“I’m not going away, Aurora,” he says in a measured tone. “Were you hurt tonight? Did the demon hurt you? Is that why you’re in pain?”
Disarmed by the sweetness in his voice, I stare at him through confused eyes, blinking in disbelief as my jaw drops slightly. The pain I’d been grappling with subsides enough to leave only a dull, tingling sensation between my thighs.
Weakened by the alpha’s sudden care, I have to actively remind myself that tonight was no accident. I encountered the demon because of Elias.
I wouldn’t have fled Girdwood if it weren’t for his rejection in the past.
And I would have been able to fully immerse myself in my mystic abilities against the demon if it weren’t for the distraction.
Nothing Elias says or does can work in his favor, and I will never open my heart to trusting him again, even if heappears to be a doting alpha who’s concerned about a pack member under his leadership.
It’s all a ruse, even if my body betrays me when the tingles rolling through my nerves pulse as if amplified by his presence. An intangible force stirs from within my being as if drawn toward him, my eyes flicking to the hand he has propped on the blanket.
My mind wanders to heinous thoughts of having his hands all over me—touching, caressing, groping my plump curves and administering pleasure.
No!
“Talk to me, Aurora,” he persists, his voice remaining low and considerate.
I shake my head profusely, wrestling with the reignition of the pain low in my belly.
“No!” I snap, both at him and at my body that refuses to comply with my need to be still. “I don’t wanna talk to you, Elias! Go away!”
Elias sighs irritably, taking a deep breath for composure as he remains unwilling to leave. He swoops in closer, the light gust of air carrying with it another intoxicating string of his masculine essence. I’m about to lose my mind, angry that he won’t leave me alone while fighting the desire to be closer.
“I am your alpha, Aurora,” he declares, sovereignly as he leans in. “I demand—”
He stops abruptly, his brows knitting as he meets my eyes with an accusing stare. His nose scrunches when he sniffs the air, a bestial rumble puffing out his chest. In the silence that follows, the feral sound erupts from deep within him, escaping his parted lips as his hazel eyes twinkle with recognition.
“You’re in heat…” he murmurs, his voice dropping a crucial octave lower to sound brute.
A shiver courses down my spine, my cheeks heating with more embarrassment. I want to crawl underneath something and hide away forever.
I can’t believe he figured this out, but it must be because my heat is too strong in his presence.
Tearing my gaze from his, I turn my face and shield it with a curtain of my gold tresses of hair.
“Go away…” I whimper this time, my voice squeamish as I plead with him.
“No,” he says firmly, and then does the unthinkable.
He touches my knee, and I’m struck by a lightning bolt of awareness that snaps my head back to him with a ruthless glare. With just one touch, he reignites the flames of my anger, adrenaline surging through me as I snap at him. “Elias!”
