“I’ll kill them,” I snap, feeling my eyes flash as they shift. I scan Revyn’s body, unable to help myself, and step closer to inspect him fully. “Where did they touch you? Here?” I grab his jaw and lift onto my tiptoes to sniff his beard, but the scent is lower.
Did they touch hischest?
“Sienna,” he rasps, his throat bobbing as he swallows. “Calm down.” But there’s a hint of a smile in his voice, and one glance at his face proves how much he’s enjoying this. Rosy cheeks, blown pupils, oversensitive muscles twitching in anticipation of my touch. He’s just as affected by the full moon as I am, except he no longer has any restraint when it comes to me.
I can’t be near him, or one of us will break. Any intimacy between us will force someone to heel to the other’s desires, and I have a feeling that if push comes to shove, I could lose everything in the blink of an eye. Not because he’ll force me into a mating bond, but because in the moment, I’ll want it. The bittersweet relief of knowing that he’s mine . . . at too steep a cost.
I may not want anyone else to claim him, but I can’t justify bonding with him myself.
Jerking back, I press my body flat against the wall and put as much distance between us as possible. Fleeing could trigger our innate wolf instincts and spell just as much disaster as staying here with him. “Talk.” My heart rate accelerates at the perceived threat to my longtime partner, and I force down another growl. “Now, Revyn!”
His smile turns into a grin. “I like seeing you all worked up over me. It’s nice.”
Hearing his voice soothes a fraction of the ache inside my chest, and I take as calm of a breath as I can, careful not to scent those bitches again. “You need to start talking, or I’m leaving.” I grip the windowsill hard enough that it creaks. “We can’t be this close to each other, Revyn.”
Not withoutbad decisionsscreaming at me to take him back.
Sensing that I’m serious, he drags a hand through his tousled hair, pulling the thickest streak of silver off his forehead. “It’s a full moon tomorrow.”
“I’m aware.”
He’s silent for a moment. “Don’t get mad about what I’m about to suggest.”
“Then don’t suggest something stupid.”
Ignoring my barb, he leans back against the table and taps the edge with his fingertips. The steady drum of his nails—sharper than when I last saw them—fills the space between us. “I think we should complete our mating bond.”
Every nerve inside my body ignites, and I grit my teeth against the urge to submit. “No.”
Revyn scowls, his eyes darkening to pitch black. “This isn’t a game, Sienna. The other shifters inside this academy are looking for mates. They’re going to come after you.”
I scoff. “Scared of a little competition?”
His mouth presses into a thin line. “They’re going tocome afteryou,” he emphasizes, repeating himself for my benefit. “This isn’t about competing for you. It’s about keeping you safe.”
I flinch. He doesn’t mean that they’re going to try and mate with me—he means that they’re going to try and kill me during tomorrow’s Mating Games.
“Students can’t kill each other,” I say, regurgitating the rule the professors love to say ad nauseam.
It’s Revyn’s turn to scoff. “You don’t truly believe that magic can overpower killing intent. Tell me that I taught you better than that.”
I purse my lips. He did.
“The professors say that the rules will hold.” Ancient magic pulses through the academy grounds, and if the rumors are true, Heartsflame’s very existence is tethered to that magic, including its rulebook. Breaking them won’t be easy.
“The professors can fuck themselves with their goddamn rules,” he snaps, the desk splintering in his hands. With a harsh growl, he unravels his death grip and holds his bleeding palms up. Wooden shards dig into his skin, the deepest cuts already dripping blood.
Cautiously, I step forward and pull one of his hands down to inspect. Once the debris is removed, he should heal perfectly. “I’ll be fine, Revyn,” I assure him, carefully plucking the wood from his hand. “I’m not a lost wolf anymore. You don’t have to worry about me.” I avoid the heat of his stare and focus on pulling out the splinters. “I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me over the years. I wouldn’t have survived without you.”
He swallows, the sound settling in my gut like a stone.
“You can’t break up with me,” he murmurs, the smallest of his wounds already healing. “You areeverythingto me, Sienna.”
I pick up his other hand and start the process over again. “That’s just it, Revyn. I can’t be your everything.” Once his other hand heals, I curl his fingers into a gentle fist. “You need another reason to live. I won’t always be here.”
He inhales sharply. “You arenotdying before me.”
Placing my hand on his chest, I feel the unsteady beat of his heart and search for his scent past the other women’s, eagerly drinking in the aroma of salted earth and summer sun that I fell in love with. I commit it to memory for the thousandth time,letting it sink into my chest and fill the space in my heart that still belongs to Revyn. “I will always love you,” I whisper, unable to look him in the eye. “But we both know that love isn’t enough. I want a pack. I want afamily.”
