Chapter 4 #3
I settle trembling fingers over the knob before I shoulder the door open. I stumble in with a heaving breath, and the moment my eyes settle on him, the pressure on my chest releases, freeing me from the torment that seemed to have possessed us both.
Already halfway to the door, Julian’s pale skin flushes as he sucks in a greedy lungful of air.
We pant across the room as the world comes together again.
I stare at him, unable to look away, and the second I have the strength to move again, I head straight for him.
He rushes forward too, and I don’t know why until my arms wrap around him, and then it all makes so much sense.
The second our skin touches, any second-guessing is vanquished as electricity sparks beneath, flooding fresh life into my weakened body. The pain leaves, and there’s only bone-deep pleasure. So much pleasure.
Holding Julian Heil should’ve felt like a death sentence, not a touch from grace.
His hands fist the ends of my shirt and tug me closer, deepening the intoxicating feeling that sinks beneath our entangled limbs as more of our skin brushes. I bury my nose in his neck, inhaling that fucking amazing scent, and he does the same as his hands drop to my hips to keep me to him.
“Are you alright?” I ask against his collarbone.
“I’m fine,” he pants, but I draw back to see for myself. Pushing his hair from his face, I search for any sign of lingering pain so I can take it away because I—
I frown as my thoughts falter, but then Julian’s blinking at me and I’m distracted for another reason. “What about you?”
“I’m good.” I swallow, holding that crystal-blue gaze that pulls me in like a promise. “I’m … good.”
“We heard a shout—”
The fever dream shatters as our fathers rush into the open doorway.
Julian and I immediately jump apart to face them, but it’s too late.
They stare blankly at us, their eyes wide and their mouths slack.
They look horrified, and the same terror soon runs rampant in me as I properly compute what just happened—what is still happening.
Because even though I’m well aware of how close I still am to Julian, I can’t find the strength to move away.
“It’s the bond,” Julian hastily explains. “He left the room, and I couldn’t breathe.”
When neither of our dads says a thing, he steps a little closer to me, teasing me with the brush of his fingers against mine and the warmth of his heavy breaths against my skin. Dear Goddess.
“This doesn’t happen to mates,” I say, clearing my throat when it doesn’t quite come out right. “Why is it happening to us?”
I look to my dad, but his lips remain sealed.
“… I don’t know,” Michael says, but his words are barely audible.
I risk a glance at Julian only to turn away when he slides those light blues onto me.
“You aren’t a usual pair of mates,” Michael continues when the silence stretches. “Maybe it has something to do with you being alphas, male, or both. This is all new, so …” He straightens, jaw tightening with resolve. “We should … test the limits.”
I stiffen, not liking the sound of that for shit. “What do you mean?”
“Well, first, try letting go of Julian.”
“Let go? We’re not—” My words die on my tongue when I look down at our interlocked fingers.
I blink at the damning evidence and then at a wide-eyed Julian who hurriedly tears his fingers from mine.
“You were saying?” Michael grinds out.
I meet his gaze and one thing becomes exceedingly clear. Michael doesn’t just blame me for all of this. He hates the fact that I’m the one mated to his son. I had never borne the brunt of his wrath, but I’ve witnessed it enough. Not necessarily ideal, but I’ve faced worse demons.
“Aiden,” Dad prompts, drawing my attention away. “Come towards me.”
I study him too, searching for any trace of malice from earlier, but all I find is curiosity and concern. Reluctantly, I make my way over to him until I’m standing at the door, leaving Julian alone inside, until his father joins him.
“Now, step outside,” he instructs. That feels worse than leaving Julian’s side, but I do it, keeping my eyes on him the entire time.
“Nothing?” Michael asks Julian.
“It’s manageable,” he answers, but he sounds tense.
“Maybe it’s when you’re out of his line of vision,” my dad suggests.
Max stirs restlessly, but I step away from the doorway until all I see are stacked bricks.
“A little worse,” I admit, “but not as bad as the first time.”
“I think we should try closing the door again,” Michael says from inside.
“What? No!” Julian shouts, making my blood boil as I step forward.
Dad presses a hand on my chest, trying to calm me, but it only makes me snarl.
“We have to see if it was a one-time thing,” he explains, snatching his hand away. “Don’t you want to know if this comes with the bond? If it’s permanent? If it is, it will make life exceedingly more challenging for both of you.”
I listen for a protest from Julian, a single sign of distress that I could use as an excuse to be with him again, but when none comes, I force myself to stop resisting.
With a sigh of relief, my dad gestures to the end of the hallway. “Go further away from the door this time.”
“It’ll be worse.” I don’t need a test to know that, but he just frowns.
“We need to check.”
So, this is his revenge. Make me endure the pain, or admit that I’m too scared to. I’d take pain any day.
I walk away until I’m as far from the room as I can handle right now, and the second I stop, he shuts the door without warning. It’s like free-falling back into hell.
That unforgettable pain erupts within my body again, but this time, it is so much worse. My brain gets put back into a blender, and so does my body. I need to get back to my mate because clearly, if I don’t, this agony will never stop.
I manage a single step before the door opens, and I immediately sink to my knees. The pain fades slowly, and then altogether as Julian rushes out of the room. When his frenzied gaze settles on me, he sprints towards me and crashes into my open arms without hesitation.
It’s soothing like warm water over my scalp, and I groan into his skin as his arms wrap around my neck, keeping me caged against him.
“We’re not doing that again!” Julian growls at our approaching fathers. Fuck knows how he has so much energy while I’m still struggling to get myself back in working order.
“Sorry, but now we know it only happens when there’s a physical barrier between you,” Michael says, his discomfort obvious.
“It’s a new bond with weaknesses that you should keep to yourselves,” my dad mutters, staring at me.
“We will,” Julian snaps with more venom than I’ve ever heard him use towards his father. Michael notices.
“We’ll leave you guys alone,” Dad says, taking a step back. “Try to get some rest and we’ll pick this up in the morning.”
Julian tracks their retreat as they leave us for the second time, only relaxing when they’re out of sight. It’s only a breath before that short-lived relief evaporates.
Stiff as a board, Julian blinks owlishly at me—then bristles like a startled cat.
“What did I do now?” I ask as I sit up with him still in my arms. He shifts in my lap as I do, and I try not to think about how good he feels there. How fucking badly I want to keep him there.
“Nothing. Nothing yet,” he says before he buries his nose back in my neck. He inhales deeply and groans as his fingers find their way into my hair. “This is so weird.”
“I know.” I pull him closer, my grip tightening on his hips.
“I still hate you,” he grumbles—because of course he does.
I chuckle against his skin, but don’t leave him hanging.
“I hate you too.”