~Vivianne~
I stand in the woods, in a large clearing. The golden dress that I'm wearing glitters under the moon. For a moment, I breathe easily, I feel safe.
For a moment, I believe I belong here.
But then, my body starts to shudder, bones snapping, skin tearing. I shift into a grey wolf, fur bristling, only to twist again into a giant darker wolf. And then I'm human once more, the dress gone, I'm naked.
I sense something wrong, something watching. From between the trees, a creature slithers forward. Its body ripples with too many eyes, all fixed on me.
I try to run, but the ground won't move beneath my feet. The creature grips my wrist. My scream tears through the clearing as its gaping mouth stretches toward me..
I jerk upright, gasping, the world shifting into harsh white light.
The sharp scent of antiseptic. The steady beep of machines. A man is holding my wrist, not a monster…just the pack doctor, his expression calm, his fingers pressed against my pulse.
"Where… where am I?" My voice cracks.
"Calm down, you're in the hospital," he says simply, as though that explains everything. His tone is not unkind. "How are you feeling now?"
"Uhhh…" My head throbs, thoughts tangled in the nightmare and reality. I lift a hand to my temple, wincing. "I've got… a bit of a headache."
"That's from the impact you had on your skull," he explains, his voice even. "But you'll be fine in no short time."
I press my palms against the sheets, trying to steady the dizziness as I search my mind for answers. What happened? How did I end up here? The only clear memory I have is speaking with Prince Cardan, his voice, his eyes, and then nothing. Did I faint? Or collapse? And who brought me here? Manager Zeb, maybe?
The doctor finishes his inspection, his tone calm as he lists his findings. "You have two fractured ribs and a few bruises scattered here and there. Nothing life-threatening. You've been given a few injections to help with your healing and manage the pain. But you must know, that nothing beats healing through your mate bond. None the less…"
He scribbles something on his clipboard. He setts a small cup of pills on the bedside table, before leaving.
As I swallow the pills, the door opens and a nurse steps in. "You have a visitor," she announces.
My chest tightens. It must be my mystery savior.
His scent hits me before I even see him.
Lucas.
Every hair on my body rises. My pulse stutters as the door clicks shut behind him. He steps inside quietly. His tall frame blocks the fluorescent light.
For a moment, neither of us speaks. His gaze lingers on me, tracing the bruises visible on my arms, the IV line in my hand, the bandages beneath the hospital gown.
His jaw tightens.
"How are you?" His voice is low with worry.
"I've seen worse days." My eyes narrow slightly. "Who told you I was here?"
He shifts, guilt flickering in his expression. "It's a long story." His hand drags across the back of his neck before he adds softly, "But… hey, I'm glad you're okay."
I nod once, the motion small but heavy. My throat feels tight. There's too much unsaid between us, too much hovering like smoke in the air.
"The doctor said you'll take a while to heal," Lucas murmurs, carefully holding out the glass of water while I swallow the bitter pills. "Your healing powers… they're weaker than they should be."
I let out a sharp laugh that tastes more like bitterness than humor. "He also said my true mate would help me heal faster." My words come out sarcastic, and his eyes flicker with guilt.
"Vivianne, this is beyond my control. I…"
"Can't leave Mirabelle?" I cut him off before he can twist himself into excuses. "Yeah, I get it." My chest tightens, but I force my voice steady. "I really do."
The room falls into a heavy silence, broken only by the soft hum of the machines and the faint footsteps outside the door. He shifts in his seat, restless, his fingers drumming against his thigh.
"I have to go," he says, already rising, as though my presence burns.
"No." The word escapes me before I can stop it. My hand shoots out, trembling, catching his wrist. "Please don't. I need you, Lucas." My eyes sting, tears pressing against the edges of my resolve. "To heal properly, of course. The doctor said I need my mate to recover faster."
He freezes, staring at me as if I've asked him to choose between air and fire. Sweat beads at his temple, and I can almost hear his wolf pacing inside him. Why does he look so afraid of her?
"Umm…" His voice breaks, and he clears his throat, retreating into that fragile shield of hesitation he always hides behind. "I'll be right back."
He leaves too quickly, like he's running from the weight of what we are.
The door closes, and the silence returns. My wolf lets out a low, mournful whine inside me, and I curl into myself. Maybe I shouldn't have done this. Maybe I shouldn't keep clawing at a bond that leaves me bleeding.
"I'm so sorry," I whisper to my wolf, tears spilling down my cheeks as the ache in my chest grows unbearable. "He's probably not coming back."
Suddenly, the steady beep of the cardiac monitor flattens into one long, piercing note. My body jerks, my breaths coming too fast, too shallow. My heart pumps faster, before I can understand what's happening, heat floods my veins like wildfire. My skin burns, my back arches off the bed, and a desperate whimper escapes me.
The nurse bursts into the room. "Oh my goddess!" she gasps. "Doctor! Doctor!"
The doctor rushes in, eyes narrowing as he takes in the scene. My legs tremble violently, my nails scrape against the sheets, and I can't stop the guttural sounds ripping from my throat.
Sweat drenches my temples, but underneath it all, an entirely different torment twists through me…my vagina throbs, pulsing in time with my racing heart, an unbearable ache that spreads lower and lower.
"She's having a tachycardia, her heart beat is abnormally high," the nurse says breathlessly, trying to keep me still.
"No, look closer," the doctor snaps. "She's in heat." His gaze hardens. "Get me moonvine extract and crushed wolfsbane root, it'll calm her only slightly, but she won't stabilize without her mate."
The nurse scrambles away, in a split second, the door slams open.
Lucas.
He came back.
His expression is frantic, fear warring in his eyes as he strides to my side.
"What's happening?" he demands, voice breaking. His hands hover, unsure whether to touch me. "Vivianne…goddess…are you okay?"
"It's her heat!" The nurse says.
Lucas hesitates, chest rising and falling hard, his jaw clenched tight as if he's fighting the urge to tear me open right now.
"She'll start convulsing any time soon if you don't go get her," the pack doctor says firmly, and that's all it takes.
With a savage growl, he comes at me. His lips crash against mine, kissing me like a starving hound. and I claw at his back, leaving red angry marks at his back.
He drags his mouth down to my neck, licking every bit of skin he finds. Impatiently, he rips my gown and takes my nipple into his mouth, sucking hard as shudders ripple through me, my body unraveling in fire.
My wolf howls wildly inside of me, helpless pleasure. His touch burns like wild fire.
Then he takes finger and pushes into me. My back arches, my breath shatters, and liquid heat spills out of me. I moan loudly and shamelessly as he drives into me again and again.
Then with a vicious growl he takes out his hardened member and pushes it into my throbbing vagina.
The way my body betrays me, clinging to him, drawing him deeper, desperate for more even as my heart trembles. He rails me through and through, until I climax.
My wolf howls in exultation as his cum floods me.
He collapses against me, panting, skin slick with sweat, chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. For one fragile heartbeat, I think this is real. That he chose me. That we belong.
But then he pulls away, reaches for his shirt.
"I sent Mirabelle home," he says, while buttoning his shirt.
I freeze. The words splinter. "She… she was here?"
"Yes." He doesn't even look at me. "She wanted to make sure I rejected you." A pause. "But I asked her to leave. I told her I'd spend the night here…with you."
Hot tears blur my vision. My chest caves in. "So… you still want to reject me? After this? After everything we just…" My voice is unsteady.
"I'm sorry, this shouldn't have happened. I should have controlled myself," he says. And I know he meant every word.
"No." The word tears from me. "Lucas, you don't have to do this. We just…Lucas, please…"
But he doesn't falter. Doesn't bend. His eyes are cold.
"I, Lucas Edward…reject you, Vivianne Ramirez, as my mate."