HAPTER 171: Aftermath
CHAPTER 171: Aftermath
ARON
I wake with a pounding headache and a taste of copper on my tongue. 1 sit up, pushing the sheet off my chest as my hand comes up to my head. Rhea’s scent is everywhere, on the sheets, on my skin, inside my lungs, but she’s not beside me. The room is empty, though there’s enough evidence of what happened last night.
What he did.
It hits me at once, all the memories.
“Fuck,” I mutter, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.
It was one thing I wanted to avoid, to not let it happen but I’m not sure how it came to it. How I let him rise. But now that he has, it’ll only become more harder to keep him at bay, and buried.
Because he’s alive. My wolf is alive and breathing and he knows exactly who he wants.
Her. Rhea.
I shower quickly, trying to wash away the evidence of last night, even when it won’t go. I marked her, again. I’m not even sure how it was possible, but I did.
I’m pulling on clothes when there’s a knock at my door. Not Rhea’s knock.
“Come in,” I call, yanking a shirt over my head.
Kovas enters and his face instantly goes pale as he takes in the rumpled sheets, the scent of sex in the air and the very clear fact that my wolf is fucking alive.
“You’re kidding me?”
I close the last button and turn to him, “Where’s she?”
“She went on a run. Left an hour ago.” Kovas says and stares, “Did you do what I think you did?”
“Which part?” I question him and reach for my watch. He doesn’t reply and remains still before I glance at him and answer, ” Yes.”
“And?”
“And he marked her.”
Kovas‘ eyebrows shot up. “He what? Fuck, Aron.”
“I know,” I run a hand through my damp hair. “I couldn’t stop, and she was just everywhere. He couldn’t help himself from wanting to rise to the surface. He was already there, clawing, and I couldn’t hold him back any longer once she was there.” His face twists with concern as I try to explain to him something I had no hold over.
For the most part, I wasn’t even fucking there last night. It was all Kael and his feral, animalistic needs that made me do things that I shouldn’t have.
“Can you control him?” Kovas questions.
“For now,” I close my eyes, feeling the push and pull inside me. He’s completely in there. “I can. I don’t know about later.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.” He mutters, running his fingers through his hair.
“Neither can I.”
“How did he-”
“He was always alive. That poison didn’t work. It only suppressed him and made him seem as if he wasn’t alive. The council failed.”
“The council isn’t going to make this any easier,” Kovas reminds me, of everything. “Your wolf and Rhea’s existence. We barely got them off our backs. And they only left because they knew there was nothing in here to fight for, that your wolf was still dead, and there’s no way you can ever be in power again.” He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose.
“Let them. I can handle it.”
Far better than before, considering I do have my strength back, something I’ve really missed.
“It’s not just you they’ll be after.”
“They won’t touch her,” I state firmly before walking across the room. “I’ll kill anyone who tries.”
We’ll kill them, Kael’s voice whispers in my mind. Tear them apart.
Kovas must see something change in my face, because he takes a step back. “Aron?”
I force myself to breathe, to push Kael back down. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about.”
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CHAPTER 171: Aftermath
“Yeah, you said the same thing before he went on a spiral and tore a whole pack.”
“It’ll be different this time.”
“Will it?” Kovas questions me and crosses his arms over his chest.
“I’ll make it different. Don’t worry about it. For as long as I’m sane and have some sense, I’ll make sure not to let him out. He won’t take control if I’m handling it well.”
“Handling what?”
“Everything.”
I step out of the room and walk across the hall. Kovas follows me, silent until we reach downstairs. It’s almost like he’s looking through me to find the beast, to see if there’s anything in my face, or expression, or behaviour that has changed. “Relax, Kovas. Nothing is happening.” I assure him before looking around. “Now, where I’m going to try and release some of the built–up energy by shifting.”
I doubt it’s going to be easy, considering I’m doing it after a very long time.
“I’ll join you. We need to talk, and I can keep you in check,”
I agree before we step outside, under the barely visible sun. I take a deep inhale, and breathe in all the scents that are lingering around. All of them, including hers,
This is going to be interesting.
My wolf rises to the surface, pushing, and pulling, wanting to shift. And I let him. He takes over and the ache is far worse than before. He comes through, and it takes a second to adjust. To feel everything in his body.
He’s bigger than before. I can tell.
Kael shifts his weight on the front legs, sniffing the air and looks up, towards the house. Rhea’s scent is everywhere.
He lets out a low growl, wanting to be closer to her. To hunt her, to chase her.
But she’s not here right now. She’s wandering off somewhere in the forest, and I take it upon myself to find her. “You look different.” Kovas says it through the link.
“I feel different.” I say and start toward the forest trail.
He follows me and we move along together through the trees.
“You don’t smell any different. Same as before.”
“Doubt that’ll change. He didn’t die.”
“But you were able to mark Rhea? How was that possible?” Kovas questions and I hear him take a leap over something, landing behind me.
“I’m not really sure about that. I was certain that once the bond was broken, I could not claim her again.”
“Perhaps it’s because she’s in a different–body.” He hesitates while saying that. “So, the rules are different.”
I don’t know what to think of that. I can only guess that’s why I was able to. But I’m still uncertain of the consequences it’ll
have.
“How long ago did she leave for the run?” I ask Kovas.
“About two hours ago. I came to wake you up when I found her leaving.” His response reaches me.
“That’s a bit too long, isn’t it?”
“A little, yes? Are you concerned?”
We pause and I turn to glance back at him, “I’m not sure. I think she can handle her self way better, but these grounds aren‘ t really the safest.”
“Well, can you smell her? Her scent?”
“I can,” I respond as her scent hits me again. “Somewhere on the east side, near the lake. I believe so.”
We both head off in the same direction, toward the lake. It isn’t too far, but it’s far enough from the house and she shouldn have wandered off so far.
I had already told her not to.
As we get close enough, her scent starts to disappear. Go even further. I pick up my pace and leap over a large rock before I keep going.
“What’s wrong?” Kovas‘ voice comes to me. “Is she alright?”
“She’s moving.”
We keep on moving through the forest and trees until her scent is strong enough that I can sense she’s nearby. There’s a
CHAPTER 171: Aftermath
clearing, and there’s a trail of blood.
“It’s blood.”
“She’s hurt?”
“Rhea!” I growl, and move forward.
