Jacob

I am too stunned by the fact that I've just punched Derek in the face to chase after Ana when she runs to the bathroom.

"Shit, sorry," I say as he holds his jaw in his hand. "I just wanted to get your wolf under control."

"Whatever." Derek isn't trying to listen to me. Instead, he looks at Medeia. "Are we leaving?"

"Don't you talk to me." Medeia stares me down angrily, as if all of this has been my fault. "You tell that little bitch that this isn't over. I'll get her back for what she's done."

I allow her rudeness instead of shutting her down this time. I understand that she's furious and I really don't have a moral foot to stand on right now. Medeia throws open the back door and rushes out, Derek following her like a dejected puppy.

It was because Derek was not in control of himself that I punched him. At least, that's what I'm telling myself now. Derek will understand that later, and apologize. I'm sure of it. I just need to give him space to breathe.

"Ana?" At the bathroom door, I knock twice and use as soothing a voice as I can. I know that it was her heat that has made her do all of this, but something in my mind tells me that she chose to fall into Derek's arms.

Perhaps it is the same part of me that still believes she was responsible for Gisele's death. Either way, I make a note in my head to make sure that no one has access to her while she is on heat.

"I don't know why it happened," Ana answers from the other side. "I'm not a whore."

"Yeah," I agree and open the door. She is sitting on the floor in the corner, as if she is hiding from me. "You're fine now, though."

"I hated watching Medeia with him," she admits. "I don't know what's worse."

"Well, I'm not going to invite them here again." I reach for her to help her to her feet. "I'll help you keep your heat under control, and we can sort all of that out once you're fully healed."

"Thanks." Ana pushes past me, and I get a whiff of her musk. It makes my wolf howl inside of me, desperate for her. I shove it down as quickly as I can. Derek already succumbed to his instincts, but I am not going to do the same thing.

Ana goes up to her bedroom, and I do not see her until I leave for the night shift on the border. During my patrol, the events at dinner and my concern over Ana constantly takes over my focus.

"Sir, you're not really listening to me, are you?" One guard asks in the middle of his report.

I brush him off. "Don't be ridiculous."

When I walk back to my house, I can't remember anything that anyone told me. He was right, I didn't listen. I'll have to clear my head somehow. An Alpha that isn't focused on his work is dangerous for the entire pack.

The light in Ana's room is on upstairs when I get back. Worried, I walk up, wondering if she's still upset about what happened earlier. I wonder whether Derek's touch helped her heat or made it worse.

Knowing that I can only find out one way, I knock on her door with a sigh. "Ana? Are you still awake?"

"Mm, hi." The door opens and she's standing on the other side, rubbing at her eyes. "Sorry, I… Guess I left the light on."

She doesn't look good at all. Her face is pale, and when I put my hand to her forehead, she is burning up.

"Can I come in?" I ask, and she stands aside to allow me to do so. The only thing that would help her heat subside, or at least relieve the symptoms, is touch. I know that, but I'm struggling even more than before to keep my wolf under control.

I sit down on her bed and pat the spot beside me. "Feeling better?"

I'm not sure what else to say. My brain is entirely focused on ignoring the rut and the feeling that I have to be with her right there and then. I feel guilty that I would ever even think that way with someone other than Gisele. Especially Ana.

I know that the ravine was an accident, but I can't help but blame her for it. If she wasn't there, Gisele would be with me now.

"No," Ana says honestly as she sits down beside me. Almost automatically, she leans against my shoulder. With her so close, the scent fills my nostrils and I have to ball my hands into fists to resist the temptation.

I don't push her away, knowing that even this slight touch will help her. Still, I can't keep it up for very long.

"Tell me when you feel better." I don't add that I want to know when the symptoms have been relieved so that I can leave immediately. The strength of her heat is so intense that I can feel every muscle in my body tighten, fighting with my mind to get to her.

Was this what Derek felt at dinner? Or was it even worse for him, considering that Ana is his mate?

Either way, I resolve that I will stand against it. Ana does not need to be ravaged, she needs to heal. I'm not sure how much I am helping. Perhaps I am only making things worse than ever.

"You can go if you need to." Ana whispers, pulling away from me and turning towards the wall. "I understand."

I get up and look over my shoulder. She refuses to meet my eyes with hers, but the color has slightly returned to her face. Maybe this will be enough to keep her here for one more night. Frustrated, I leave the room, hoping that she will be better tomorrow.

The days pass, and nothing improves. Each time that I return home, Ana is a mess, even worse than when I left. She remains pale and weak, the fever unbroken. Each day, there is a scattering of new bruises, all across her body, the sources of which I cannot find.

She's been in my house for a week now, and I am afraid that I will lose her. The feeling is strange. I convince myself that I am her Alpha, and as with all the wolves in my pack, it is my duty to protect her.

That is why I am so worried that she will die. There are no other reasons, nor do there need to be. I would do the same for anyone else. At least, all of this is what I tell myself as I make my way up to her room once again.

I find Ana lying on her bed, facing the window that looks out across Derek's yard. I pull the curtains closed.

"Are you up?" I ask, and watch her stretch her limbs. "Hungry, maybe?"

"No." Ana leans back against the wall and captures my gaze with hers. Even as pale as she is, as weak as she is, I can't help but find her beautiful.

Red hair cascades over her slim shoulders like water in a thirsty land. Despite how tired they are, her green-gray eyes still find some power in their stare. Her lips, subtly pulled just slightly apart, seem to radiate gravity in the moment.

"Can you sit with me?" Her voice is barely a whisper, but I oblige quickly, sitting down beside her so that we are facing one another.

Ana reaches out to place her hand on mine, and sighs with obvious relief at the connection between our skin. She's been craving this all day, that I know. Even if it was momentary, every touch that I extend to her helps keep the heat at bay.

"Do you think it will ever actually break?"

I want to tell her that it will, despite personally being convinced otherwise. In fact, judging by the strength of her scent and the wild, roaring wolf inside me, Ana's heat has reached its peak.

If it doesn't break now, she might not be able to last through it much longer, even if I hold her against me for hours or more.

I find myself staring at her more intently. I can sense every twitch in her fingers, hear every tight breath, see every strand of hair as it moves. There is something more than simply my primal wolf calling out to her now, and it is more and more difficult to fight against.

"I swear, I'll save you." I grit my teeth as I speak the words that I never got to say to Gisele. Ana looks up at me with surprise in her eyes, but she squeezes my hand in acknowledgment.

"I don't know how to thank you," she answers, sadness sitting shallow in her face. I want to say something more, to hold her in my arms and promise that I will do everything in my power.

But I don't say anything. Instead, I give in, leaning forward to kiss her. Ana doesn't pull away from me, or asks me what I think I'm doing. Instead, she allows my lips to first brush over hers, then to wrap them in an intense kiss.

My tongue asks for entry, and Ana grants it. My wolf howls its pleasure, urging me onward. I reach forward with one hand and tear at her nightgown, which comes away from smooth, soft skin without any complaints.

If Ana was weak earlier, she shows no sign of it now. She throws her arms around my neck, and I grunt as her scent and the feeling of her body under my fingers fills me completely.

I stand up, and lift her from the bed so that she can stand against me. I feel her heart beating roughly against mine. The kiss is making both of us breathless, but neither of us releases the other. I want her, and I want her now.

For a moment, I don't care about what I'm doing. All that I crave is her body, wrapped into mine like rope. I explore Ana's body, not quite willing to pull out of this daydream.

I can feel her shiver when goosebumps trail across her arms. I move back with a smile, and lean down to bite her in her neck.

Three neat bruises lie where I allow my teeth to scratch at her. Each time, Ana grasps onto my arms, her nails digging into my skin, only making my wolf even wilder.

Then, I hear that scream, when Gisele fell into the ravine. Suddenly, it reverberates in my mind, bouncing from one side of my brain to the other. It becomes overwhelming, to the point that my senses start to return.

I push Ana away, and she falls onto her bed, stunned.

"What the fuck are we doing?" I say, seeing that she's instantly hurt by my words. She turns the other way, covering herself with her hands.

Guilt and shame run through me in a river of emotion. Guilt for Gisele, shame for giving in to my wolf without thinking. I drag my fingers through my hair, knowing that I need to get out of here before my instincts take over again.

"I'm sorry, Ana, I…" I pause, but she still does not look at me. "I have to go."