CHAPTER 168: Trigger
RHEA
By the next morning, I’m already outside, burning off my energy and all the pent–up aggression in the forest behind the
manor.
It feels good to run. It feels good to just be in my wolf’s form.
The air is cold. Trees blur past as I push harder, lungs expanding, paws crunching the wet dirt as I loop back toward the house. My breath comes out in soft white clouds as I skid to a halt in the clearing at the back of the manor. I’m panting hard, tongue hanging out the side of my muzzle. The muscles in my legs ache, but not as much as before.
No matter what I do, I don’t think I can outrun the feeling of unease that has been building inside of me. The darkness that has been festering inside of me.
I can’t loose control, I can’t become the only thing that I fear because then, all of this, will be for c.
I have to be better than this.
I shift back into my form and grab the robe that’s lying on the bench where I had kept it before. I slip it on, tie it around my waist, and make my way to the house.
It’s still early. The sky is only a faint shade of orange. I’m not even sure if Aron will be awake,
“That was fairly quick,” Marcella comments as I step in.
“Was it?” I ask and glance out at the sun. “Is Aron still asleep?”
“He’ll be down in a moment.”
I nod at her before she goes on her way to prepare breakfast. My eyes follow the stairs leading up before I find him.
Aron.
Standing at the top of the stairs, wearing a simple dark shirt, hair still slightly damp.
My fingers grip the wooden railing tightly, and I let my gaze trail from his face, down his neck and chest to where his shirt is unbuttoned, exposing the skin beneath.
His jaw tightens slightly before he makes his way downstairs, one foot after the other.
“Where did you go?” He asks me.
“Just outside,” I tell him quietly. “I needed to run, and I just felt-”
“You smell like it.” His nose crinkles slightly, and he takes a step closer.
“I’ll change-”
“No,” He cuts in and his fingers curl into fists as if he’s trying to hold himself back from something. “Just don’t. Take a few days off.”
I blink, confused. “Why?”
“Just–take some time. You don’t need to run.”
At first, I almost believe it’s because he’s maybe saying it to make it easier for him as he did loose his wolf, and he might never be able to shift into one again. But then, I realize it’s not that.
I can sense his emotions. I can feel his uneasiness and something else. Something like fear. He doesn’t want to see me in that form. Maybe he doesn’t like it.
“Aron, what are you not telling me?” I ask softly. “If it bothers you-”
“It doesn’t,” He cuts me off and takes a step closer, his eyes darkening slightly. “Just don’t. Everyone from a literal mile can be able to smell you if you keep on like this. Don’t go for another run, at least for some time. Okay?”
“Okay.” I nod.
With that, we part ways. I head upstairs to change and to take a shower that can get rid of my wolf’s scent. When we it’s far stronger than when we are in our human forms. Everyone can easily sense us from a distance.
I can feel the dirt and mud clinging to my feet, and I don’t even want to look at how bad I’ve made it. So I head to the bathroom, take a shower, and clean myself off.
Under the warm water, my muscles begin to loosen. The heat of the spray washes over my skin and sinks deep into my body. My head falls forward, and I take a moment to enjoy the feeling, the way the water rushes against me. But then, I feel something else.
My wolf. Stirring again as if taking her for a run didn’t satisfy her.
She wants more. More of everything. The run, the chase and even the hunt–which I’m not sure for what.
1/4
CHAPTER 168. Trigger
Am I losing it again?
I quickly wrap up the shower and wear my clothes before heading down to get something in. But I’m stopped on the way, by the sound coming from downstairs.
I recognise the voice. It’s someone from the pack.
Liam?
“-they won’t stop until someone has a word with them. They’ve camped right outside the border and won’t leave until they have what they want. The closest pack, Nighthowl, have given us a heads up about what is to happen next.”
I take a peek and spot Liam standing at the foot of the stairs, talking with Aron.
“And what is that?” Aron asks.
“They will attack if you don’t submit.” He pauses and then continues. “We can’t fight a war against the council. They will tear our pack to the ground and we won’t stand a chance.” I notice him take a deep breath, his voice lowering slightly as if trying not to let anyone hear him. “But if we can gather enough support from other packs, we can force them from entering and attacking us.”
“Who’s the Alpha of Nighthowl? Isn’t it someone the council arranged?”
“No, he’s no longer part of it. The wolves had an uprising against the council’s alpha and had him removed from the position. They have chosen an Alpha for themselves, for the time being.”
“Get him on call.”
“You’ll talk to him?”
“Who else?”
“I thought–Kovas, considering he is the acting alpha.”
“Yes, but he’s occupied with other important matters that require his immediate attention.”
Liam nods and then they both step into the study downstairs to make the call. At that point, I don’t hear much as their voices are now faded.
My wolf stirs again. This time, louder.
The darkness.
The anger.
The need.
The hunt.
It all builds inside me, wanting me to shift again and go. I can almost hear my wolf, her voice and the growls as she fights for dominance, for a release.
“Rhea?” Marcella calls out my name from below the stairs.
I snap out of my thoughts and look down at her.
“Come. The breakfast is ready.” She says, turning on her heel to head to the kitchen. I don’t wait for her to ask me again, so
I follow her inside and take a seat on one of the counters, where there’s already a plate full of food.
My eyes roam over the food, but then I’m still stuck with my wolf, with the constant struggle to fight her back.
“You don’t look so good.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I hold up a fork and nod at the food. “Just tired,” I mumble as I stab some eggs and shove them in my mouth.” Is Aron going to leave?” I ask, chewing.
“No, why would think that?”
“I heard him speaking to Liam. It’s tense out there.”
“He’ll stay here. Don’t worry about it. This is the safest place he can be.” Marcella assures me. I glance at her, then at my plate.
Aron steps out of the study an hour later, and from the corner of my eyes, I see him taking Liam to the front door and bidding him farewell before coming to where I’m seated.
My eyes trail over him, and that thing–whatever that feeling is–rises again. I can feel it.
“Everything okay?” I ask him.
“Yes,”
“I overheard-”
“Of course you did,” he chuckles lightly, “But everything is fine. The acting alpha of the Nighthowl has given his support in
CHAPTER 168 Trigger
fighting the council if it comes to it. They, along with our pack wolves, will defend if they choose to escalate tra
He sits to eat and Marcella steps out, leaving us alone.
“Do you think it’ll come to that?” I look at him.
“No, I don’t believe so. The council, once they realise that I still have the support of the packs, they’ll be less likely to
engage in any…”
His voice fades as I watch his eyes. His lips moving. His face. The set of his jaw. The low born in his scent that hits me now more than it should.
And just like that, it’s back.
That feeling. Low in my stomach. Twisting and pulling me from inside.
It’s not fear. It’s not anger or tension.
Need.
Aron snaps me out of my thoughts and asks, “You alright?”
“Yeah, I lie.
But I’m not.
Because I know this feeling now. I’ve felt it before, once, years ago. Right before my first heat.
My fingers curl around the edge of the table.
It can’t be.
A
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