Chapter 11
POV: Amara
“No.”
Both of them looked at me.
I straightened slightly despite the exhaustion dragging at my body.
“I just started reorganizing the filtration systems,” I argued quickly. “And the stabilization flow still needs adjustments. If I leave now, I’ll have to restart half the process when I come back.”
Lyra opened her mouth.
I cut her off before she could answer.
“And the secondary cooling transition still isn’t optimized enough.”
Riven’s mouth twitched slightly.
The traitor was almost amused.
Lyra sighed dramatically. “You’re actively suffering and still talking about silver purification.”
“It’s important.”
“You’re impossible.”
“That’s not a no.”
Another silence stretched.
Then finally Lyra groaned softly like a woman accepting defeat.
“You already did more for Oak in a week than most specialists do in years.” Her expression softened. “So okay. Stay.”
Relief hit me embarrassingly hard.
But then Lyra’s gaze slid toward her brother again.
“If this is the only thing easing her pain…” She paused. “Then stay near her until the Moon Ball.”
Riven’s jaw flexed once.
“You’re asking a lot.”
“No,” Lyra corrected quietly. “I’m asking you to help someone who’s hurting.”
Silence.
Then finally—
Riven looked at me.
Not Lyra.
Me.
“I prefer my own bed,” he said evenly. “Come to my room after dinner.”
Every single thought in my brain immediately stopped functioning.
Lyra blinked.
I blinked.
Riven pushed away from the desk before either of us could answer.
Then he left the office.
Just like that.
The door shut behind him softly.
And suddenly the room felt much smaller.
Much quieter.
I stared at the door in complete disbelief.
Lyra slowly turned toward me.
“Oh, this is going to be a disaster.”
Heat flooded my face instantly.
“I—”
She pointed at me immediately.
“No.”
“What?”
“I know that look.”
“I don’t have a look.”
“You absolutely have a look.”
I groaned softly before dragging both hands down my face.
Lyra’s expression softened a little after a second.
“I know how you feel about him,” she said carefully.
My stomach tightened.
“But please,” she continued gently, “don’t let yourself fall too deep into this.”
The sincerity in her voice hurt.
Not because she was cruel.
Because she genuinely cared.
“He’s helping you because you’re suffering,” she said quietly. “But emotionally… Riven isn’t available, Amara.”
The words settled heavily inside my chest.
I nodded once anyway.
Because what else could I do?
Lyra stepped closer before nudging my shoulder lightly.
“Now go shower.”
I frowned slightly.
“You’re sweaty.”
“I trained.”
“You smell like combat and desperation.”
“That feels rude.”
“And if you’re sleeping beside the Alpha tonight,” she continued casually, “at least be clean about it.”
My jaw dropped.
“Lyra.”
She burst into laughter immediately.
“Oh my God, your face.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
Unfortunately—
She was right.
?The shower should have helped.
It didn’t.
Steam curled around me while overheated water slid down my skin, but nothing quieted the ache inside me anymore.
Desperate and frustrated, I finally tried touching myself again.
Just to see.
Just to test it.
My fingers brushed my skin lightly.
Nothing.
I touched my breasts slowly, experimentally.
Nothing.
No relief.
No spark.
No release.
Only frustration.
My breathing became uneven as I slid my hand lower.
Still nothing.
It felt wrong.
Like my own body had stopped responding to me completely.
The heat remained trapped beneath my skin with nowhere to go, tightening harder until my eyes burned in humiliation.
This was insane.
I actually felt numb to my own touch now.
Like my body refused to recognize anything except—
No.
I shut the thought down immediately.
By the time I stepped out of the shower, I felt emotionally wrecked.
And unfortunately—
Very aware that I was about to sleep in Riven Oak’s bed.
A dangerous amount of time passed while I stared at my clothes deciding what to wear.
Not because I cared.
Obviously.
I absolutely did not care.
Except apparently I did.
Because eventually I chose a soft dark dress that hugged my body just enough to make me feel pretty without looking ridiculous.
The second I entered the dining room later, I knew Lyra noticed immediately.
Her eyes narrowed across the table.
“I told you not to go there.”
I sat down carefully while avoiding looking directly at Riven.
“I just wanted to feel pretty tonight.”
The honesty slipped out before I could stop it.
Lyra’s expression softened instantly.
“Oh,” she murmured quietly.
I focused aggressively on my plate after that.
Dinner passed strangely.
Too aware.
Too tense.
Every accidental brush of Riven’s gaze against me made my pulse jump violently.
And somehow knowing where the night would end made everything worse.
Or better.
Honestly, I couldn’t tell anymore.
Joseph clearly sensed something strange happening between us because he kept glancing back and forth like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
Guinevere noticed too.
Of course she noticed.
She noticed everything.
But thankfully neither of them said a word.
When dinner finally ended, relief and nervousness crashed through me simultaneously.
Riven stood first.
Every conversation around the table seemed to quiet instinctively.
Then his eyes settled on me.
“Come on,” he said simply. “I’ll show you where.”
Heat surged instantly beneath my skin again.
Not painful yet.
Just sharp.
Aware.
I stood slowly.
And somehow it felt even more intimate when everyone else deliberately pretended not to look at us.
Joseph suddenly became deeply fascinated by his wine.
Guinevere stared aggressively at the wall.
Lyra pinched the bridge of her nose like she regretted every life decision that led to this moment.
Meanwhile my pulse hammered violently while I followed Riven from the dining room.
Toward his bedroom.
The walk to Riven’s room felt entirely too intimate.
The pack house changed the deeper we went into it.
The main halls downstairs had been grand and impressive, built for gatherings, politics, leadership. But here—higher inside House Oak—it became quieter. Warmer. Softer.
More him.
Dark wooden walls.
Low amber lighting.
Stone details carved with ancient wolf markings.
It smelled like cedar smoke, whiskey, winter air, and something distinctly male that wrapped around my senses until my pulse started climbing again.
Riven stopped before a massive wooden door.
Then he opened it.
And waited for me to walk in first.
The second I stepped inside, my breath caught.
The room was beautiful in a way that felt unfair.
Rustic and modern somehow fused together perfectly—dark furniture, stone walls, soft lamps glowing low against black iron fixtures. One side of the room opened into a sleek glass bathroom while the other held massive windows overlooking the forest below.
But none of that hit me as hard as his scent did.
It was everywhere.
On the sheets.
In the air.
Soaked into the room itself.
Warm.
Dangerous.
Comforting.
Mine.
The thought appeared so suddenly it almost startled me.
A soft breath escaped me before I could stop it.
Behind me, the door clicked shut.
I turned slowly.
Riven stood near the center of the room watching me too carefully.
Too intensely.
And despite everything he’d said downstairs, there was absolutely nothing cold about the way he was looking at me now.
Still—
He spoke carefully.
“Look, Amara…”
His voice sounded rougher than usual.
“I know what this could look like.”
I crossed my arms lightly over myself, waiting.
“I’m here to help you sleep,” he continued. “That’s all.”
The lie landed between us immediately.
“You’re valuable to my pack,” he said evenly. “You didn’t want to leave. This is temporary.”
His eyes dropped briefly to my dress.
Then back to my face.
Tension flexed visibly in his jaw.
“But don’t misread this.”
I stared at him for two full seconds.
Then the word slipped out before I could stop it.
“Bullshit.”
His brows lowered instantly.
“What?”
I stepped closer before fear could stop me.
“You can say whatever you want,” I whispered, “but I know you’re restraining yourself.”
His expression hardened immediately.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Amara—”
“You react to me the same way I react to you.”
That silence again.
Heavy.
Electric.
Dangerous.
He looked at me like he was trying to hold himself together through sheer force alone.
But I saw it now.
The tightness in his shoulders.
The way his hands flexed at his sides.
The way he kept avoiding looking at my mouth for too long.
And suddenly—
I wasn’t scared anymore.
Because I wasn’t imagining this.
I took another step forward.
Close enough to feel the heat rolling off his body.
His breathing changed instantly.
My heart slammed painfully against my ribs.
Slowly, carefully, I lifted my hand.
My fingertips brushed the sharp line of his jaw first.
Then lower.
Across the center of his chest.
Hard muscle tightened violently beneath my touch.
Riven shut his eyes.
Like even that tiny contact cost him something.
“You can deny it all you want,” I whispered softly, “but I’m not crazy.”
His eyes opened again immediately.
Blue.
God, those eyes.
Wild now.
Hungry.
And suddenly—
He snapped.
One hand wrapped around my waist fast enough to make me gasp.
The other buried itself beside my head against the wall behind me as he pulled me against his body.
Hard.
His forehead dropped against mine roughly.
His breathing uneven.
“You think I react to you?” he asked hoarsely.
The heat inside me exploded instantly at the contact.
Not pain anymore.
Never pain with him.
Just warmth.
Pleasure.
Relief crashing through my body so intensely my knees nearly buckled.
I nodded weakly.
His jaw clenched.
“Then tell me to stop.”
I opened my mouth.
But nothing came out.
Because I didn’t want him to stop.
Not even a little.
The second he realized that—
He kissed me.
Fierce.
Like he’d been starving for it.
Like restraint had finally shattered.
The sound I made was embarrassing and breathless and completely helpless as his mouth moved against mine.
Every ounce of pain inside me dissolved instantly.
Pleasure flooded through my body instead, hot enough to make my fingers shake as I grabbed his shirt.
His hand tightened at my waist almost possessively.
The other slid into my hair.
And God—
He kissed like a man losing control.
Deep.
Hungry.
Desperate.
Like he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to devour me or worship me.
I kissed him back just as hard.
My body arching instinctively against his.
Needing more.
Wanting closer.
His hands roamed over me with rough restraint, gripping my waist, my back, my hips like he physically couldn’t stop touching me now that he’d started.
And every place his hands touched sparked heat beneath my skin.
My entire body came alive for him.
Only him.
The realization should have terrified me.
Instead it made me dizzy.
Riven suddenly tore himself away with a rough curse.
Both of us breathing hard.
His forehead still resting against mine.
“This isn’t right,” he muttered roughly.
I stared up at him, still shaking from the kiss.
“There’s no way something this good can be wrong,” I whispered.
His eyes darkened instantly.
“It feels too right.”
That broke the last piece of control he had left.
I grabbed his shirt and kissed him again.
And this time—
He kissed me back like he was finally done pretending he didn’t want me too.