Chapter 54
Violet’s POV
I woke up drenched in sweat, my body burning, my skin hot
and sensitive. The heat radiated from within, a relentless fire
that made every breath feel like a knife cutting through my
chest.
But I knew it wasn’t a fever. My heat had come.
And it was worse than any fucking thing I had ever
experienced before. It was excruciating–pain beyond words.
I groaned on the bed, my throat dry and sore, the air itself
heavy and suffocating. I reached out to search for my mate. He
should be here for me now, to ease my pain, to tell me
everything will be find, and satisfy my need. It was what
matebond were for.
But he wasn’t here. He was nowhere to be found. And the ache
in my heart only made the heat worse. I had gone through my
heats before, but never like this. It was as if my entire body was
melting in hot lava.
Philip’s mate Olivia was by my side, her hand cool against my
forehead. I groaned, desperate for that fleeting coolness.
“Asher can feel your pain,” she said softly, trying to comfort me.
“He’ll come back, Violet. He will.”
Lies.
Tears fell from my eyes as the roar of pain washed me over. If
Asher wanted to be back, he would be back already. So that
was not happening.
It was everywhere, overwhelming me, drowning me. The tears
had soaked my pillow, and I felt a wave of helplessness. Olivia
and Julia had done everything they could to help me, but
nothing was working. The heat wouldn’t go away. It only got
worse, burning through me, leaving me gasping for air.
Shit. Was I dying? Was there no hope left for me? Despair was
even worse than pain. I wanted to scream, to cry, to beg for the
pain to end, but I couldn’t. My throat was too tight, my voice
lost in the haze of heat.
Just when I thought death would soon make my life easier, I
saw him.
Asher.
Chapter 54
He was here, standing at the edge of my vision, his face full of
concern. His eyes were wide, his mouth moving as if he were
saying something, but I couldn’t make out the words.
Everything felt like a blur, the edges of my world fading into
darkness. He reached out for me, dragging me forcefully out of
the darkness.
And I heard his voice, soft and full of regret.
“…I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I’m so, so sorry,
Violet. Everything will be okay now…I promise…”
It had been the only thing I wanted to hear since I was in heat.
But now I didn’t believe him. Not after everything. Not after all
the nights I’d spent alone, waiting for him to come back,
waiting for him to choose me but in vain.
The pain was too much, and the anger that had been simmering
inside me boiled over. I didn’t want his apologies.
I hate him now. I wanted him to leave.
“Get out!” I shouted, my voice cracking, my throat raw. “Get the
hell out of sight! I don’t fucking need you…I hate you!”
I could see the hurt flash across his face, the way his eyes
darkened with pain. But he didn’t leave. Instead, he pulled me into his arms, his hold gentle but firm, and whispered into my
ear:
“I’m not going anywhere…I’m staying right here, Violet.”
“I don’t want you…Leave! I should never let you be my mate…
You jerk…How could you!”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m here now. No matter what you say, no matter how much you hate me right now, I’m not leaving.”
I struggled against him. I wanted to hurt him, to make him feel
the pain I felt, the pain of being abandoned when I needed him
most.
But Asher just held me tighter, his arms around me, his
presence steady and unwavering. No matter how much I
pushed him away, no matter how much I yelled, he stayed. He
took it all, the anger, the hurt, the pain, without a word of
complaint.
“Why are you still pushing him away? You should have sex
with him. He is your cure and he is finally here!” My wolf started to beg me.
“No…No.” I murmured stubbornly.
L
“The heat that is tearing us apart. Don’t be silly Violet!”
She was right. Only sex would make this better. The primal part
of me craved his touch too, screaming for release.
But I couldn’t. I was resentful. He abandoned me before, so why
pretended that he cared about me now? He knew how much I
hated being left behind, to long for something I couldn’t have, to
suffer the emptiness. But he still brutally put me through all
that. So no, I didn’t want to have sex.
And I definitely didn’t want to risk getting pregnant–not like
this. I didn’t want to conceive my baby in hate.
“Why is it that every time I need someone, they leave me?” I
whispered, my voice barely audible, the tears streaming down
my face. “Why am I always the one who’s left behind?”
Someone held my hand. I struggled to bring my eyes into focus
and found that Asher had left the room. And Julia was by my
side now.
“Violet, you’re not alone. We are all here,” she said gently, her
hand resting on my arm.
I sobbed. I was a lot luckier than I was 5 years ago. At least my
brothers were here with me. But what about my mate?
taken
the hurt of being abandoned by your mother out on Asher. He
is not like your mother. He is here already. Don’t push him out
anymore, OK?”
Her words hit me. Maybe she was right. Maybe I had been
holding onto that hurt for too long, letting it shape me, letting it poison everything good in my life.
“You want me to get him for you? He won’t leave your bedroom door a single second. He is right outside.”
“…Yeah.”
Chapter 55
