"Stone looked like he was in pain."
"He was. The need to be near you during the heat is biological. Instinctive. Fighting it hurts." Cole's jaw tightened. "I've been fighting it for weeks. I know how it feels."
He unlocked the front door.
Inside was larger than I'd expected, with a living room and kitchen visible through the open doorway. The space was sparse but comfortable. Private.
Safe.
"Stay here," Cole said. "I'll bring the others. James, Neal, Cal—whoever you need close when the heat peaks."
"What about Stone?"
Pain flickered across his face. "Stone's not stable enough. Not yet. Having him near you during the heat could push him over the edge."
"But he's my mate. He should be here."
"I know." Cole's voice was heavy. "We'll figure it out. But right now, we need to focus on getting you through this."
He guided me to the bedroom. I want you to start a bath, try to control your temperature.
The heat inside me was building regardless of external temperature, rising from some furnace buried deep in my core. I pressed my hand to my stomach and felt the warmth radiating outward.
"It's going to be okay," Cole said quietly. "Whatever happens, you won't face it alone."
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
I looked up at him. This man who had kept secrets, made mistakes, tried to protect me in all the wrong ways. His face was open now—no walls, no guards. Just fear and hope and something deeper that he'd been fighting for weeks.
"Hurry," I said. "Get the others."
"I know." He didn't move. "Lumi—"
"Don't." I held up a hand. "Whatever you're about to say, save it. My skin feels like it's on fire and I'm pretty sure I can hear colors."
Despite everything, his mouth twitched. "Hear colors?"
"Something like that."
He nodded. Stepped back. "I'll be quick. Twenty minutes at most."
He left.
I stood alone in the quiet room, breathing slowly, trying to center myself against the sensations flooding my system. The heat pulsed through me—stronger with each wave, building toward something I couldn't name.
I pressed my hands to my face.
This was happening. Really happening. The thing Cole had warned about, the change he had described, the biological imperative that had been erased from every record.
The heat.
It was building like a wave about to crest. Rising from somewhere deep and primal, demanding acknowledgment, demanding completion.
My pack was coming. My mates would be here soon.
Chapter sixteen
