Chapter 80
JESSICA
“Jess no!”
My wolf jumped inside me but I pushed her deeper, rejecting that it was Riot all along. She wanted him. She wanted him to mark her right there but before she could do that, I quickly turned around and left for the woods.
I whimpered because of the immense heat that was circulating in my veins but I kept going. There’s no fucking way this is happening.
I slid down the tree, trembling. Slick heat pooled between my legs,
I choke on a gasp. “I—please, no, I can’t-”
My hands dig into the dirt, clawing at anything to ground me as another wave hits. It’s not supposed to be like this -not with him. My wolf howls, scratching beneath my skin, demanding I return to him.
“Shut up,” I whisper, tears streaming down my face. “Shut up, shut up!”
But the heat doesn’t listen. It crawls up my spine, making me arch against the rough bark. My shirt sticks to my sweat–slicked skin, and I hate how my nipples harden against the fabric.
1 hear footsteps approaching and panic surges through me.
“Jess!”
“Jessica!”
It’s Grayson.
I press my thighs together, mortified by how wet I am, how my body betrays me while my mind screams to run. When I look up, Grayson is there staring down at me.
“Please leave,” I beg, not wanting to recognize the hurt on his face,
Grayson kneels before me, and I can’t stop the whimper that escapes. His scent is all wrong and fuck me for being
sick with his touch.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” Grayson whispers, voice rough with emotion. “Your wolf chose Riot.”
I shake my head frantically, even as another wave of heat crashes through me, “No–I don’t want this. I don’t want
him.”
“Jess…” Grayson reaches for me, then stops himself. “Let me help you fight this.”
“You can’t,” I sob, my body shuddering as Riot’s pull grows stronger. “Nobody can.”
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Chapter 80
Grayson’s jaw tightens. “I won’t let him have you. Not like this.”
“It hurts,” I whimper, digging my nails into my palms until they bleed. “It hurts so much to fight it.”
“I know.” His voice breaks, and I see tears in his eyes. “But you’re stronger than your wolf. You’ve always been.”
Another wave hits and I cry out, arching my back. Grayson catches me before I collapse, and just his touch sends
electricity through my skin.
“Wrong,” I gasp, even as my body leans into him. “You’re wrong. It’s wrong.”
“Tell me what you need,” he whispers, holding me like I might shatter.
“Make it stop,” I beg, hating how my hips rock involuntarily. “Please make it stop.”
My wolf claws at my insides, demanding I break free from Grayson’s arms. She wants Riot. Only Riot. A sob tears
from my throat as Riot’s presence pulses inside my mind.
“It hurts,” I whimper, tears streaming down my face. “Grayson, it hurts so bad.”
His jaw tightens. “I’m taking you somewhere safe.”
“Where?” I ask, barely recognizing my own voice as he lifts me into his arms.
“Away from him,” Grayson snarls, carrying me through the darkness while I writhe against him, my body betraying me with every step.
“Please,” I whisper, not even sure what I’m begging for anymore. Relief? Riot? Death? “Please…”
Somewhere along the dark, Grayson kicks open a door and sets me on a bed.
I curled into myself, humiliation burning almost as hot as the fever. My wolf was howling, desperate and needy in a way that made me want to crawl out of my own skin.
He brought me into the cabin where we had to spend the night after a rogue attacked me. I wasn’t about to have Riot mark me as his. I squeeze my eyes and try to think of better ways to cool off but the heat is beyond me.
Another sob escaped from my throat and it’s not just me who is affected by it now.
Grayson stands at the foot of the bed, his knuckles white as he grips the wooden frame. I can see the war raging behind his eyes—the human part of him fighting for control while his wolf snaps and snarls, responding to my
heat.
Grayson stands by the door, his knuckles white as he grips the frame. I can see the battle raging in his eyes–his wolf pushing against his control. He inhales sharply, nostrils flaring.
“Your scent is everywhere,” he growls, taking a step back. “Jessica, I-”
“Riot,” I whisper, and Grayson’s face twists with something dark. “You told me you’re my mate!”
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Chapter 80
The look of betrayal on his face makes me sick with guilt, but my body throbs with need at just saying Riot’s name. I hate myself for it.
“Your wolf is confused,” Grayson says slowly as if he’s trying to convince himself too. “I’ll prove it to you.”
I should stop him, but part of me desperately wants him as he moves closer and moves on the side of the bed.
Oh, Moon Goddess. What game are you trying to play on us?
“No,” I whimpered.
“No?” Grayson grip my thigh, forcing them apart making me whimper in protest. Whatever he’s doing is making the heat go harder but it’s my wolf angrier.
Tears spring to my eyes as I feel myself responding. “Please, Grayson. I can’t-”
“You can,” he insists, one hand moving to grip my jaw, forcing me to look at him. “You’re confused. Tell me you got it wrong.”
My wolf is clawing inside me, fighting against this wrongness, but the heat coursing through my veins makes everything cloudy. I’m drowning in sensation.
“G–Grayson,” I stutter, the name feeling foreign on my tongue.
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Again.”
His hand slips between my legs, and I gasp, hating how wet I am, hating how my hips buck upward seeking more.
“This isn’t right,” I sob, even as my body trembles under his touch.
“Everything about this is right,” he whispers against my ear, his breath hot and demanding. “You’re mine.”
Every cell screams for relief, but my wolf is restless, agitated.
“I can feel it. Grayson,” I whisper, voice breaking. “My wolf knows. You’re not my mate. This is so fucking wrong.”
His hands freeze on my skin. I feel him go rigid against me, his breathing shallow and strained. It hurts me as much as he did but this isn’t right. I push against him with all my remaining strength and Grayson is too weak to fight for
- it.
“I can’t do this. She’s rejecting you.” Tears burn my eyes as I back away. “My wolf is literally tearing me apart from
the inside.”
Grayson’s face transforms–shock, disbelief, then a primal kind of agony that makes my stomach turn. I’ve never
seen someone break in real time before.
Because whatever this is, it’s not going to fix what’s happening to us. It’s just going to make it worse.
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