Chapter 24: Chapter 23

The feeling of foreign lips on mine froze me in my tracks, making me lose all thought of redressing.

Upon transforming, I had felt a presence, with the weight of a gaze upon me, and had turned around only to find hands grabbing my jaw and pulling me into an unexpected kiss. The first thing that hit me was the scent; it was slightly familiar and off-putting the dark memories that arose with it, but at the same time, it was uncontrollably attractive and sparked a fire in my core. I recognized the scent, but I had never imagined it could smell this good, nor had I ever experienced it in this way before. The masculine scent of iron and bay rum, with a hint of cinnamon, had always been associated with explosive pain and blooming bruises. Now, my body, against my will, reached for it achingly, the presence that had always terrorized me creating a coil of desire in my belly, one that curled my toes and made my skin quiver with longing.

The hands’ long fingers dove into my hair, around my ears, rough thumbs gripping my cheek tightly. The lips felt salty and hot, slippery and harsh all at once, fighting against my lips for dominance.

I already knew who it was, even without staring wide-eyed at the too-close face of Reily, my worn enemy and the perpetrator of my ongoing suffering in the pack. What the hell was going on? I felt like I had no control over my mind or body. I could never have imagined in a million years that Reily would kiss me. Where the hell did he come from anyway? It was as though he was under a spell that flipped him upside down and his intent to kill became something lustful and passionate. More importantly, why the hell was I not stopping him? I tried to pull out of his grasp, but could barely focus on anything except for his warmth radiating through his skin, the taste of his tongue in my mouth. Instead of fighting, my arms snaked around his neck, clinging to him desperately, like I was dying of poison and he was the antidote.

The kiss became something more, Reily’s lips working my jaw, almost as if he could absolutely devour me. His hands that had always beat me and threatened to take my life slid down my naked, shivering flesh, gripping into my sides as though I would escape. Our cores met as his embrace tightened, his hands shoving my body closer to his and wounding around my lower back. His squeezing arms left not even a centimeter of space between us, my breasts flush against his leather-clad chest. His other arm came up across my back, cradling the back of head and deepening the kiss further. I couldn’t help but arch my back, my body still mesmerized under the glamour of the intense feelings of passion and absolute, unadulterated need.

The small part of rationality screamed deep within my mind, trying to break through the strong grip this weird physical connection had on me. I could barely hear myself think, as Reily’s knee parted my legs, but I knew this was wrong in so many ways. A wave of fear rushed through me. I was scared to even consider what these overpowering feelings meant, what it meant that Reily of all people was suddenly on me like a….dog in heat. Oh no. It couldn’t be, please don’t let it be. It didn’t make sense for Reily to be my mate. Yet I couldn’t argue with the tug in my overheated core and the flooding of blood in my veins and the rocking waves of pleasure that flowed through me with every touch, with every grope, with every drag of his teeth against my lips. His hand hooked under my leg, lifting it up to curl around his hip, and he stood right at the crook between my legs, making a moan reluctantly slip out of me.

Horror shook me out of the heady feeling that overtook my brain. No, I couldn’t let this continue. It was too far, bond or not. Struggling to take back control over my mind, I called out to my wolf, Lycan, please, give me power over my body. I strained harder, my skin practically glued to Reily’s. Still kissing me, he hoisted my other leg until I straddled him, and he carried me forward until the rough bark of a tree dug into my back. I struggled to unwind my arms from his neck and managed to do so, only for them to slide down to his solid chest. One hand caught on his collar as though it wanted to tear it apart.

Reily was fumbling with his clothes, separating the kiss for the first time to pull off his jacket and shirt. I let in a huge breath like a fish out of water thrown back in. Please, stop me, wolf! I pled within me, the breath bringing clarity and interrupting the immense urge to throw myself onto Reily and take him.

Finally, I found the will strong enough to plant my hands against his bare chest and push him away. He stares at me with hooded, clouded eyes filled with liquid desire, his parted red lips panting slightly. I disentangled myself from him, keeping him away with my hands as I balanced on my own two legs.

Confused, he held my wrists. “What are you doing?” he asked as if in pain. He tried to pull me back in, but with a swipe of my hand, I slapped him. The sound ringing in the night, his face remained turned to the side in absolute shock.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I nearly yelled in disbelief, gasping. I ran to my clothes and nearly ripped them pulling them on roughly.

Reily stood in the same place, seeming to come back to earth with the distance I put between us. He stared at his hands, horror dawning in his expression. His unruly longish hair fell around his face as though wind had whipped it around. “No… it can’t be…” His unseeing gaze flickered up to me, a mixture of emotions whirling in it: fading desire, fear, the usual rage, and a weird vulnerability I’d never seen. It was clear he himself wasn’t in control of his actions, the power of the bond propelling him no matter his thoughts. Once he’d snapped out of it, he seemed as shaken by the act we’d almost done as I was. Still, it didn’t excuse it, and he should have tried as hard as I did to get it together.

He stepped forward towards me, a question in his eyes.

“No, get the hell away from me,” I shouted at him, my insides coming down from the passion and shaking from the fear at what had nearly sealed my fate. I whirled around and ran from the woods, never stopping until I reached the outskirts of the pack. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I couldn’t be home right now. I ran and ran and ran, entering the center of the pack where it was a bit crowded with pack members gathering after dinner, even though it was night.

“Oof!” My body slapped into something large and warm, and hands reached out to grasp my shoulders.

“Vera! Are you alright?” It was Clive, and right behind him stood Archer’s concerned face. “What’s wrong? You’re shaking.”

“Clive, I…” I looked up at him helplessly. Tears made my vision swim but I held them back. Gritting my teeth, I tried to figure out a way to tell him that his brother just tried to jump my bones. My mind was running a thousand miles an hour, jumping from detail to detail, memory to memory; Reily’s Reily’s murky brown eyes that looked drowned in a sea of fantasy, softer than I’d ever seen before. His dirty blonde hair tickling my arms, tangled in my fingers at the nape of his neck, the half-nauseating half-pleasurable feeling of completeness when the length of my body pinned between him and the tree.

Pressing my hands to my eyes and rubbing them, I willed the unwanted images away. This was the last thing I needed. I could handle a mean, horrid, violent Reily, but not a lust-filled, sensual, passion-addled Reily. Please let this be a hallucination.

Archer stepped forward, taking my arms and turning me to face him. His comforting gray eyes filled my vision. “Vera, I need you to calm down and tell me what’s wrong.”

I bit my lip. Then, took a deep breath and tried to explain. “I think….Reily just tried to….”

Clive jumped in. “Reily? What did he do now?” His blonde locks nearly reminded me off Reily, but Clive’s hair was lighter and buttery, and shorter, the wavy strands falling over his brow.

“He….kissed me,” I simplified, leaving out the details. In a whisper, I continued, “And although I wasn’t in my right mind, from what I understand, I think he’s my mate.”

“He did what?” Clive exploded, hands tensing into fists. “When? Did he force himself on you?”

“He seemed really out of it,” I said, distracted as I remembered the confusion on his face. Was he pretending or was he actually compelled to do those things that he never would otherwise? “It looked like the mate bond was controlling his actions.”

“Mate… no way,” Archer hissed. “How dare that son of a…” His hands tightened slightly around my upper arms.

“Watch it,” Clive shot. “I’m against Reily’s actions but those are my parents you’re about to curse.”

Archer ignored him. “He’s not fucking touching you and getting away with it. And after all he’s done? That asshole.” Archer pulled me in, circling his arms around me. “Are you okay? How far did he get?”

Snuggled into his warm, firm embrace, I mumbled, “Not far…” It was a lie but I didn’t want them to imagine me in the state I was it. It was humiliating and degrading and disgusting that I was reduced to such a simpering, eager vixen so quickly, at the hands of someone I strongly disliked, if not hated. I felt weak, at Reily mercy once more.

“Hell, touching her inappropriately was too far, much less kiss. I’m really going to deal with him this time,” Clive pounded a closed fist against an open palm, anger brewing in the lines of his forehead.

“The thing is,” I started, and Archer pulled back to see my face. “I didn’t completely want to stop it.” My voice was hollow, my eyes staring beyond Archer’s shoulders as I remembered the feelings igniting within me.

Archer and Clive didn’t know what to say. They stood, visibly shook at my admission.

“I couldn’t control myself,” I tried to explain, feeling ashamed. “My body was moving on its own. At that moment, even though deep down I wanted to stop, I still enjoyed it. I was responding to him and…” I choked, unable to finish.

“It’s okay, Vera. It’s not your fault,” Archer said soothingly. “Reily must have done something. This was way out of line and doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. Why didn’t Reily figure out the mate bond a few days ago?”

“I heard that it takes a while for wolves to seek out their true mate,” Clive said, brows furrowing. “Sometimes, their previous relationship up until then can make it hard for the bond to form, especially if a lot of negative feelings are involved.”

I look at him, struck with horrid anxiety. “What if…what if he really is my mate? What if I was meant to enjoy it?”

The thought made me sick.

“No way,” Archer growled. “Don’t think like that. That asshole is not your mate, and next time I see him I’m driving him to the ground for what he did.”

“I don’t buy any of this,” Clive steered me into the dining hall, the expansive room sparse. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to use it as an excuse to overpower you in a different way after you beat his ass at the training ground.”

While the two comforted me, I couldn’t help be remain lost. At first, I was sure that the sudden passion that overcame me was a twisted spell. If it was from the mate bond, how could I live with myself being Reily’s mate? He’s hated me for so long, and I couldn’t imagine being next to him without at least one of us slitting the other’s throat. Moreover, despite how good it felt, the intense make out session in the woods felt like a violation. My skin still tingled unpleasantly where he’d touched me.… Yet my mind wondered if this would be the end of Reily terrorizing me. Could the bond change his personal feelings towards me or would never be compatible?

“Listen, we’ll figure this all out later, after you get some food in you,” Clive said, sitting me down at an empty table. “I’m sure they still have some pie left too.” He walked away to grab me a plate.

Grateful, I chuckled a bit, sinking my head into the crook of my arms on the table. Archer sat beside me.

He muttered quietly, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, Archer. I’m fine now. Just a little confused, but I’ll be okay. Besides,” I turned my head toward him watching his dark, lush hair frame his model-like facial structure. His eyes were on me, as usual, hanging on my every word. “None of this will matter when we leave, right?”

An unreadable expression befell him face, but a smile wiped it away. His hand moved to land on my mine resting on the table, squeezing my fingers reassuringly. A shot of affection ran through me, filling me with warmth and settling my nerves. “Right. Although, I’m still going to kick his ass into next month before we go.”

A laugh trickled out of me, and I had to admit, I couldn’t wait to see it. When Archer no longer had to lay low to prove his trust, being a rogue previously, I would be thrilled to see him unleash his true powers on those who deserved it, especially Reily.