6 Chapter 6

Panting heavily, I listen to the sound of my rapidly beating heart, clammy sweat covering even inch of my body. I felt weak, drained, agitated, dizzy, I felt ill for the first time in my life.

For once I pitied humans, how their frail bodies deal with sickness is beyond me.

"Go away." I breathe, weakly shifting myself further up the couch away from Kyle as he sits next to me.

"You need to eat." He argues, for the fourth time today.

"I can't." I deny, my stomach turning as the smell of the ham meets my nose. It's only a sandwich, and yet the mere sight of it is knocking me sick.

"Just try, a couple of bites, that's it." Kyle presses, moving closer to me.

Agitated, I feel my wolf rise faster than I could blink, I swing around to bare my canines at Kyle, eyes burning pitch black with anger. His eyes widen at the sight, having never seen me anything except calm, submissive.

"I said no." I seethe, my sweaty hands clenching into fists.

"Fine." Kyle growls, standing up and storming back to the kitchen. The moment he's gone I feel my temperature rise again.

With my clothes clinging to me like a second skin, I weakly rag the jog bottoms and t-shirt from my body, slapping a couple more cold wet flannels on my body. The flannels don't help much at this point, but it feels a little better on my skin.

Everything is silent for a long while, usually Id say it's too silent, but in my state of mind all I could think about was the growing pains in my abdomen, the boiling of my flesh, the sweat pouring from me.

Am I dying? Is this how it ends for me? Surely not, I'm not the best person in the world but I don't think I deserve to die by sickness, it would be shameful.

"Adrielle!" Kyles angry snap doesn't make me jump in shock, nor does it faze me in this moment.

"Go away." I breathe out, my eyes closed as I weakly push his hands away, feeling him trying to place something over me.

"Kage is here!" Kyle hisses, voice like ice, like I'm doing this on purpose.

His words don't bother me in the slightest. Just the thought of clothes or a blanket make me want to vomit.

"I'm melting, Kyle, I don't care about someone seeing my goddamn underwear right now!" I snap, eyes flashing coal black as I finally look at him.

Kyles narrowing eyes swim with fury, anger towards me. I didn't care, being beyond agitated, tired, sweaty, over heating and in pain, his opinion really isn't worth much.

"She's not sick." The deep velvety voice is like music to my entire body, almost instantly I felt a little calmer. Maybe it's just in my head? Yeah, definitely.

"You haven't even checked her." Kyle snaps, loathing the idea of Kage being anywhere near me, or seeing me.

"No need, I've seen this before." Kage responds calmly, without a single worry in the world. Wait, this is common then?

"What's wrong with her then?" Kyle growls at his brother, disliking that he even has to speak to him.

"She's in heat." Kage states, without a slither if doubt in his powerful voice.

"No, I'd of smelled it." Kyle says, his voice much quieter, as if he's shocked by the response he got. Heat? No, the only way I could be in heat is if I met my-

"You're not her mate." Kage sharply declares, voicing my thoughts.

Utter silence fills the room, Kyles brain ticks as he realises what Kage means, it's then that I click on. Kyle isn't my mate, he can't smell me, yet Kage does.

"No." Kyle breathes, almost inaudible.

My eyes were wide in shock, and I stare at Kyle completely dumbfound, practically horrified. Everyone knows what has to happen during heat, it's inevitable, and yet somehow I have to be with Kage, my boyfriends brother.

"No, I won't do it." I whisper firmly, taking Kyles hand despite the way my skin crawls as I do.

How do the gods expect me to hurt Kyle like that? It's completely unthinkable, I could never do that to him. If I don't, there's a high chance I can die. If I do, I'll loose Kyle, and quite frankly I don't want to be with Kage, I don't trust him.

"It's not a choice." Kyle gulps, looking at me as if I'd just ripped his heart out and stomped all over it on purpose. It hurt my feelings, I felt as if he was blaming me.

"It is, I know how heat works and I'm not doing it." I tell him, finality in my voice. I watch Kyles face carefully, worried that he's going to lash out or say something horrible to me.

"You'll die." Is all Kyle responds with.

Uncertain of what he's thinking in this moment, I only nod my head, telling him I understand.

"Problem solved." Kage speaks up, seemingly fine with my decision. I'm expected to mate him? What a joke.

Kyle only glares darkly at his brother, still in turmoil over the news. I didn't know what to say, there's nothing I could say to make this better, nothing I could do to comfort him except refuse to accept the truth.

My heavy eyelids begin to grow heavier, a common thing today. The heat of my body keeps knocking me out for hours at a time, multiple times a day.

"Get some rest, we'll figure this out when you wake up." Kyle murmurs, giving me a small forced smile as I fight the drowsiness.

"There's nothing to figure out...I've made my decision." I mumble, yawning slightly right as my eyes close for good, eyelids sore and heavy like led weights.

***

My eyes snap open, my heart pounding with fear, until I realise where I am. I'm safe, it was just a nightmare.

Relaxing slightly, I reach for a flannel in the bucket so I can wipe my face down. Except my hand touches thin air, causing me to open my eyes again.

Frowning, I stare at the edge of the bed, which is supposed to be a couch. Raising my eyes, I take in the room I'm in, recognising it to be one of the guest bedrooms in Kyles home.

Why am I in here?

"He doesn't want you to die."

My entire body lunges from the bed, partially in shock, partially fright but most of all, every atom in my body instantly boiled with a carnal want. It shocked me, I can't say this is something I've ever felt before.

"What?" I breathe, my voice unrecognisably soft, smooth, somehow alluring. Is that what seduction sounds like?

Kage flickers his eyes over my sweaty, most likely horrifying form, ice blue eyes darkening slightly as he watches me cross my ankles. The throbbing at my centre is very much distracting, and humiliating, the most polite thing I could do was cross my ankles. Somehow it only makes it worse.

"I can't say I would have done the same, if my girl was fated to another I would sooner her die." Kage states, without even an ounce of remorse.

It wasn't his confession that clouded my mind, it was the instant jealousy that struck through my chest. Here I am, trapped in a room with a dangerous Alpha who is suddenly my mate, fighting my body from its urges and still my first worry is that he might have a girlfriend?

"Then do me a favour and go." My voice is a mere whisper, strained with pain, I wasn't sure if it's because I'm in pain, or because the thought of Kage leaving right now hurts.

"I wish I could." He mutters, jaw clenched as if he's suddenly irked by something.

My chest aches, as if his words had stabbed me. I shouldn't be reacting like this, and yet I couldn't stop it. I was confused, and angry at Kyle for locking me in here. Did he not think of how painful this will be for me? Is he punishing me for being mates with Kage?

"Why are you crying?" Kage glances me over, checking for some kind of injury or show of pain, finding none.

Turning my head, I hurriedly wipe my tears away.

"Why do you care?" I retort snappily.

Standing from the bed on slightly wobbly legs, I head into the attached bathroom and lock the door behind me. Heading straight for the shower, I turn it on and step under the ice cold water, flinching at the slight pain it causes on my boiling skin. At the same time, I feel a little relief.

Sliding to the floor, I sit under the waterfall of water and soak in the absolute silence, left alone with my thoughts.

I couldn't believe Kyle would do this. Heat is practically impossible to deny, so by locking me in here with Kage, Kyle knows at some point I'll end up sleeping with Kage. He's forcing me to do something I don't want to, and the fact that Kage is his brother makes this so much more worse. I get that Kyle wants me to live, but once it's done he's always going to see me different, he'll never look at me the same. I'll be alive because I spread my legs for his brother, whom he loathes.

What the hell am I supposed to do?

For a while I stay under the water, until I feel less overwhelmed by my emotions. I don't bother stripping off my soaked underwear, instead I wrap a towel around my body. I don't bother escaping through a window, because there are none in this room. It was originally designed at a closet, but Kyle switched the rooms at the last minute and never had a window put in.

The moment my hand touches the door handle, my heart begins to race, my entire body tingling with anticipation, excitement, need. It frightened me, having never been so eager to be with a man before I wasn't sure how to act.

Gulping down the none existent saliva in attempt to ease my drying throat, I exit the bathroom. Immediately I feel eyes on me, drinking in the sight of my wet burning skin, it made my thighs tingle.

Eyes on the ground, I resume my previous position on the bed, remaining as close to the edge as I possibly can without falling off. Despite sleeping the past couple of days away, I couldn't shake the drowsiness, the aching of my limbs as if I've run a marathon.

Why does heat hurt so much?

"Aren't you wondering why I didn't tell you?" His deep, almost husky voice quickly ignited the flames within my body.

Clenching my thighs together, I bring my knees closer to my chest, gripping the towel as I send my mind elsewhere as distraction.

"No, I'm submissive and fragile, correct me if I'm wrong but I don't seem like your type." I retort, my voice suddenly bitter with anger.

I suppose deep down I do have questions, I have insecurities and anger bottled up. Revealing that to him will only serve to make me look pathetic, it's clear that he doesn't care. If he did, he would have mentioned being my mate the day we met.

"Boys have 'types', Adrielle. Believe it or not, it's rare that I enjoy the company of a woman, sexual or otherwise." Kage responds, in a perfectly calm, sophisticated manor that instantly irritates me, and somehow eases me.

I shouldn't care who he's been with, or who he chooses to share his bed with, and at the same time I felt like ripping the head off any wolf that had ever touched him. Get a grip, Adrielle!

"Are you one of those people who don't like sex?" I breathe, my teeth slightly gritted as I wrap my arm over my stomach, trying to ease the waves of pain shooting to my abdomen.

"Asexuality?" He asks, his tone seemingly curious, completely different to how he'd been the previous times we've met.

"Yeah." I whisper.

"No, sex is just better when there's a real connection." Kage says the words with indifference.

I wonder silently if he's ever had that, a real connection. Maybe he's had that with someone, maybe he doesn't want it again, what if someone hurt him? Shut up, brain!

"I guess." I say nonchalantly.

"We can skip the pleasantries, at some point you're going to give in, it might as well be now." He sighs.

In a flash I feel the towel being ripped from my body, almost knocking me off the bed as he yanks it from under me. Gasping, I quickly turn my back away from him, hiding myself quickly, although I don't think my hands cover much.

"No." I snap, quickly climbing off the bed when Kage moves closer, I couldn't trust myself to be any nearer to him than I am now.

"The sooner we do this, the safer it will be." Kage stares at me, his face utterly blank, uncaring of my decision.

"What do you mean?" I panic, jumping to conclusions in my head, habit.

"Right now you're in the beginning stages of heat, hence why you can fight it. Towards the end it will consume you, by then you'll be more prone to catch on pregnant." The large man gives a slight shrug, like either way he doesn't care for the outcome.

My throat closes up for a minute, my mind reeling. The fact that I'm now trapped in here with three possibly outcomes to this scenario, I was mid heart attack. I wanted to take the easy way out, but I knew I couldn't, hurting Kyle is inevitable now but I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I could've at least fought the heat, fought for him.

Reeling myself back into reality, I snatch the cover from the bed and wrap it around my body.

"I think I'll hold onto my dignity as long as I can." I declare, hiding my body from his view completely.

Sitting on the floor, I keep my eyes on the man to ensure he doesn't come close again. The tingling sensation dancing over my skin, tickling me like invisible hands, it gets stronger the nearer he is to me.

"Didn't realise you had any." Kage retorts in a perfectly calm tone, as if he didn't just say that.

Glaring, I dig my fingers into my skin, biting my tongue in attempt to tame down the anger rising inside of me. How dare he speak to me in such a way!?

"Aren't Alphas supposed to be intelligent?" I challenge bitterly, clicking my tongue.

His icy eyes flicker with glee, enjoying the rise of anger in my tone. It becomes clear that he thrives on my temper, even if he hasn't even seen it yet.

"Never underestimate the enemy, is that not the first rule to self-preservation?" I state, matter of factly, enjoying the wave of authority that washes over me like a old blanket.

Kage remains practically expressionless, his eyes the only window to his emotions I could see. Still, he seems rather amused than anything, as if my words mean nothing.

"Do you presume me ignorant enough to not see the strength inside you?" Kage asks me, his tone blunt, hinting curiosity.

My heart skips a slight beat, and for a brief moment I feel astounded. Never in my life has another person seen anything in me except what I wish to show them, including Kyle. When Kage named me submissive I naturally assumed he'd believe facade to as many, many others do.

"You left knowing I would come into heat, you knew Kyle would ask for your help because you're a Alpha. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that whatever he denied you, you're going to make sure you get in payment for this." I respond, gesturing between us, our situation.

Kage remains blank, like he feels absolutely nothing. That is until the corners of his mouth tilts upwards, his icy blue eyes flickering with brief wonder.

"You're good, but what I offered my brother is not what you might think." Kage says, his tone slightly patronising.