19. Selene
Chapter 19
Selene
I awaken to Liam’s intense gaze, and his eyes locked onto mine as he holds his bleeding palm to my lips. The scent of his blood overwhelms me, igniting a primal hunger deep within my core.
I can’t resist the urge to feed, to drink from him until the thirst is quenched.
“Shh, you’re okay,” he murmurs, his voice soothing despite the chaos raging inside me. His hand cradles my head gently, but all I can focus on is the rush of blood filling my mouth, the sweet taste of his essence on my tongue.
I lose myself in the frenzy of feeding, my instincts driving me to consume more and more of his blood. Liam’s groans of pleasure only fuel my hunger, pushing me to take more than I should.
But then, his tone shifts, a note of command in his voice as he urges me to stop. “That’s enough,” he insists, as he wraps his hand in my hair, pulling me away from him.
“No,” I protest weakly, my body trembling with the need for more. I don’t understand how I ended up straddling him, how I lost control so completely. The thirst consumes me, clouding my thoughts and driving me to seek more of his blood.
But Liam is firm, tugging at my hair and forcing me to look into his molten eyes. The pressure at the base of my skull makes my center throb.
“I said that is enough, Selene,” he commands.
My eyes trail from his lips to his eyes to the way his heart is beating fast.
I can also feel him hardening between us, pressing against my center.
It would be so easy to rock back and forth… to let him relieve the pressure between my legs.
That thought is quickly replaced with hunger as my gaze trails back to the wound on his palm. I watch in awe as the wound begins to heal before my eyes, the flesh knitting itself back together as if by magic.
With a shaky breath, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, the taste of his blood still lingering on my lips. I scramble off him, the realization of what I’ve done hitting me like a ton of bricks.
I reach out to touch the wound on my neck but come back blank. Except for the smear of my blood, I am not injured. This makes no sense. I am pretty sure Derek, the wolf that was with Elias, bit me.
I distinctly remember the look of glee in the grey wolf’s eyes as he towered over me.
The way his eyes glittered as he sunk his death into my neck.
The excruciating pain after.
I was supposed to be dead. Wolf bites are fatal to us.
So, how am I still alive?
I turn to face Liam, who has now gotten his breathing under control. “You saved me.”
“It was nothing.”
“How? Your blood… I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice barely a breath as I try to steady myself. “I don’t know what came over me.”
I have never fed on a wolf before.
I have never fed on a supernatural being ever.
And yet!
How am I alive? Was the legend a lie?
“Wolf blood cures wolf bites,” he replies simply. I can see him trying to adjust his pants discreetly, but I am more concerned with everything that is going on rather than the fact that he is turned on.
I sit there, still reeling from the revelation Liam just dropped on me. “Wolf blood?” I repeat in barely a whisper. “How is that possible? Why doesn’t anyone know about this?”
Liam’s expression softens, sympathy in his eyes. “It’s not exactly common knowledge,” he explains. “It’s part of our lore, passed down through generations.”
I nod slowly, trying to process everything he’s telling me. So much about the supernatural world is still a mystery to me, and it’s overwhelming to think about all the things I don’t understand.
“Please tell me, Liam. Please make me understand.”
He runs his now completely healed hand through his hair. “In our world of supernatural beings, there’s this old story passed down through generations. It talks about how werewolves and vampires used to be connected way back in history. They had the same ancestors and stuff, but over time, they kinda went their separate ways.”
“Okay…”
“But here’s the interesting part: even though they’re different now, there’s still something special about their blood. See, werewolves have this amazing ability to heal really fast, and that power extends to their blood. So, when a vampire gets bitten by a werewolf, it’s pretty bad news. The werewolf’s bite is like poison to them, making them weak and sick. But if a vampire drinks werewolf blood, it’s like a miracle cure. The healing power in the werewolf blood cancels out the poison from the bite, making the vampire all better again.”
“You have always known this? This is common knowledge?” I can’t help but think of all the lives we could have saved if wolves had just agreed to give us the cure.
Then again, this would all end if wolves stopped attacking us all together.
Why would he tell me this? Why would he give me this information, knowing I could use it against him and his family?
“I told you what you wanted to know. Now, my turn. Who fucking attacked you?” Liam’s voice interrupts my thoughts, pulling me back to the present. I take a shaky breath, the memory of the attack still fresh in my mind.
“Elias, Derek, and Gavin,” I reply, trembling slightly. “They were from Mia’s pack. They... they came out of nowhere. I thought I had escaped them in the bar, but they followed me to the parking lot. They just…”
Liam’s hand reaches out, his touch feather-light as he traces a line along my neck. I shiver involuntarily at the sensation, but I force myself to stay calm.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his eyes searching mine for any sign of distress. I nod, swallowing hard to push down the fear threatening to overwhelm me.
“Yeah,” I manage to say, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod.
I like this tender version of him.
But then, everything changes. Liam’s demeanor shifts, his eyes turning cold and distant as he withdraws his hand.
“Why did you save me?” I blurt out, the question tumbling from my lips before I can stop it. Liam’s gaze flickers, a momentary flash of vulnerability before it’s replaced by a steely resolve.
“I won’t save you again,” he says, his voice firm and unwavering. My heart sinks at his words, confusion and hurt warring within me.
“What?”
“You heard me. What were you even doing in the bar? I thought you said you were innocent or were you just hunting for more victims?”
His accusation feels like a slap in the face. No matter how many times I tell him I am innocent, he continues to view me as a monster.
I scramble to my feet, my hands shaking as I reach for my bag. “Fine, you fucking asshole. I’ll leave.”
As I walk away, I can feel Liam’s gaze burning into my back. I can’t believe how quickly everything unraveled, and how the night took such a drastic turn.
I storm out of that alley, not caring if I bump into those wolves again. My mind’s a mess and I just need to get out of there.
I head back to the parking lot to get my car. The drive home is a blur, and when I finally get back, I’m fuming. I throw my purse against the wall, screaming out all my frustration.
In the bedroom, I grab a blood bag, desperate to quench this thirst, but as soon as the metallic taste hits my tongue, I gag. It’s awful, worse than I’ve ever tasted before. Panic starts to creep in—what if feeding on wolf blood has messed with me somehow? Why would those wolves keep something like that a secret, anyway?
And why would Liam tell me?
He is so confusing to me, it’s infuriating!
He must know that the wolves are keeping the cure a secret out of self-preservation, but then he told me?
Without fear that I could betray him?
Does he actually care in some twisted way?
Aargh! I collapse onto the bed, feeling drained and defeated.
Just then, I hear Annie come in. I force myself to stay still, pretending to be asleep. I can’t risk hurting her, not now. I’m too wound up, too stressed out to deal with humans right now.
My mind races with questions and doubts.
Why the fuck did Liam save me?
And then, why did he turn so cold, so quickly?
I can’t make sense of any of it. The events of tonight replay in my mind like a broken record, each moment more confusing than the last.
As Annie settles in, I try to push the thoughts away, but they’re like stubborn weeds, refusing to be ignored. I toss and turn, unable to find any peace in sleep.
The night feels endless, filled with restless thoughts and unspoken fears.
How am I supposed to function like this now?