C19 Nineteen

Selena's POV

The walk from the lake to the priestess's territory was silent, but every nerve in my body screamed at me.

Every. Single. One.

Adrian walked a few feet away, his black shirt clinging to him like it had absorbed all the water from the lake, semi-transparent in places. My gaze kept sneaking down... and up... and back down again, and yes, I was mortified by how obvious it probably was.

What I would do right now to have that big cock of his between my thighs again without any barrier between us.

"Gods, focus, Selena," I muttered under my breath.

But my body had other ideas as heat pooled low in my stomach every time I felt him look over his shoulders at me.

Every accidental brush of his hand against mine set my skin on fire. I crossed my arms, attempting to hide my reaction, but it didn't stop the way my pulse spiked whenever my eyes drifted over his body.

"I swear," he muttered suddenly, breaking the silence, "if that lake's effect doesn't wear off soon, I'm going to.."

".. go insane?" I offered, smirking despite myself. "You, or me?"

He shot me a look that could cut diamonds. "Both. And you'd better not be enjoying this."

"Enjoying?" I echoed, feigning offense and anger. "Do I look like I'm enjoying a wolf-sized migraine?"

His lips twitched with something dangerous.. something between amusement and desire and I shivered.

"Keep talking. Keep thinking you can lie to yourself," he said, voice low, almost a growl. "We're... complicated. Dangerous... and I know you're enjoying this you creep."

I blinked. "Dangerous? You mean, like you're dangerous, or like... we're both dangerous to each other's hearts and hormones?"

His jaw tightened. "Both."

I bit back a grin and looked at the dark trees. "Great. Complicated, dangerous, and I'm fairly certain my body disagrees with what my brain is saying.. let's just get this rejection stuff over with.. I'm tired."

"You're not the only one," he said quietly, eyes darkening in a way that made my stomach clench and my thighs tighten involuntarily. Focus, Selena. Focus!

The priestess's territory finally came into view.. a clearing glowing faintly in silver light, mist rolling over the ground like liquid smoke.

The air hummed with power, and I could feel it prickling at the edge of my skin, setting me on high alert.

"Hey Adrian are you sure it wasn't the cake she gave us that's making us react this way?"

He turned and looked at me "why would she give the whole pack an edible aphrodisiac"

Before I could reply he cleared his throat.

"Stay close," Adrian muttered. "This place... it's powerful."

I swallowed, heart hammering for a mix of fear and something else I refused to name. "Got it. Close. Not too close. Maybe not even breathing near you. Is that safe?"

He smirked, but it was thin, dangerous. "Depends on whether you can actually follow instructions properly."

We stepped into the clearing, and there she was. The priestess. Floating above the ground like some ethereal spirit, with her silver hair cascading down, eyes like pale fire, and that staff in her hand that radiated authority and power. She didn't blink; she didn't breathe. She simply existed. And my pulse went haywire.

"You're late," she said, voice smooth and haunting. "And yet, I felt you arrive long before either of you reached my territory."

Adrian's brow furrowed. "I... what do you mean?"

"The pulse," she said, eyes flicking toward me. "A surge of energy that wasn't meant to be. It came... and vanished. Like a whisper of the wind, a truth exposed then denied."

My throat went dry. "A... pulse? Was it.. us or was it the rogue wolf you felt?"

She didn't answer directly. Instead, she turned to Adrian, the faintest smile playing on her lips. "Calm yourself, Alpha Holt. Not all answers come as you wish them to."

He clenched his fists, the tension radiating from him in waves. " You see the thing is I found out this woman over here is my mate and I couldn't reject her. Why?!"

Her pale eyes glimmered, amused in a way that made me flush. "Hmm. You're both wet.. You see the lake you encountered is ancient. A mate-bond amplification site, tied to previous Alpha bloodlines. It is not meant to be used lightly, and certainly not misused and not all can find it."

I could practically feel Adrian's face heating with rage. "Ancient bloodlines? That's... that's not an answer. I needed... I needed a solution, not a fairy tale! What's my business with the lake I already guessed it was some sort of amplifier.."

"I just want to know how to successfully reject this woman without my wolf being in the verge of death"

"The lake forces truths to the surface," she said softly. "Sexual truths, emotional truths. Only those with deep feelings especially bonded souls will feel its pull. You and your mate... your desires... your vulnerabilities... were amplified because it is real. Because she is real. Because the bond is real and not something that can be rejected and broken at sheer will."

Adrian's shoulders slumped, jaw tight. "So it's coming from... her."

"Yes," I hissed, nostrils flaring, "from me.. Great.. Just great.. Perfect even.. Can't you grasp words coming out from people other than yourself? Where did she say it was coming from me? You just like passing blames as you like."

His stormy grey eyes landed on me, and I could see it.. the frustration, the desire, the need to control it all and I wanted to sink into the ground, or heaven forbid, into his arms.

"Don't get all smug with," I spat, heat rising to my cheeks. "It's not like I asked for... this."

"You didn't ask for it, but you feel it and you know we need to break ot," he said, voice low, teasing, dangerous. "Because literally every fucking glance, every brush, every accidental touch... it's all coming from you too. Admit it."

I crossed my arms, trying to look indignant while secretly trembling under his gaze. " Just like how in the lake it was my fault? Do not.. do not speak of things my body did not consent to!"

"Consent," he repeated, smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Really? Because my body has been screaming at me since that lake. Screaming at me."

I had to turn my face, covering a blush that wouldn't quit. Issa groaned. "Yes. He feels it. Take him already! Let's be able to relax"

"Stop talking like that," I muttered, attempting to regain composure, but failing as he stepped closer, every movement radiating magnetic force.

The priestess's voice cut through the charged air, calm and deadly. "Careful, both of you. The lake's power is intoxicating, yes, but it is dangerous. It can reveal things before their time, force confessions, and draw out instincts best left controlled. Misused... it can destroy. And yet, neither of you can ignore it as it is a matter of both your wolves. That is the truth you must manage, your wolves recognize eachother and are not ready to seperate."

Adrian's jaw tightened further. "And if I can't manage it?"

Her smile was slow, knowing, cruelly amused. "Then... others will notice. And they will exploit it. You are not the only ones in the pack capable of seeing... and taking advantage of weaknesses."

My heart skipped a beat. "Weaknesses?" I echoed. "You mean... like.. like feelings, mate bonds... things that... that someone could.."

"Yes," she said softly, glancing between us. "Just because the culprit did not reveal themselves today does not mean you all are safe. You will need vigilance, restraint... and understanding of what binds you together."

Adrian clenched his fists, and I could see him struggling to reconcile the alpha control he usually had with the flood of emotions, lust, and bond energy that refused to be tamed.

"You're saying," he muttered, voice low, almost growling, "that someone here... in the pack... knows something's wrong. And could use it against us?"

"Yes.. whoever the rogue is he knows the pack isn't stable yet and he is using it to his full advantage by trying to distract you in the human world," the priestess said with a flat tone and a shadow of warning in her glowing eyes.

"The lake does not lie it only brought out your deepest desires. But you must also know that not all eyes are kind, not all hearts loyal. You must be wary of what is exposed and what is hidden."

I felt a shiver go down my spine, and yet... even with all the warnings, all the tension, all the danger... the heat between us refused to fade.

Every brush of his arm against mine, every shift of his wet shirt against his chest, every low growl from the wolf inside him made me want to melt into him right there.

He exhaled sharply, frustrated, pacing slightly, running a hand through his damp hair. "So... the lake... it's dangerous. Amplifying. And you're saying it's... me? Her? Our... heat? Our bond? That's why I.. why we.. "

"Yes," she said, faint smile curling, "it is why you cannot resist her. And why she cannot resist you. The bond is stronger than any Alpha's will... and it will manifest in truth, even if you try to deny it."

"Damn it!" he growled, running both hands over his face. "I wanted to be in control. I wanted to resist. I... I can't. How do we make it stop"

She moved closer to us. "Finish what you both started."

His head snapped up, eyes locking on mine, wild, desperate, confused. "No"

I bit my lip, heat rising. "Don't look at me like that.. You're the one who decided to go look for a magical lake and now see where your annoying inquisitive behavior has gotten us"

He swallowed hard, exhaling shakily, "Don't push it Sel"

The priestess's eyes flicked toward us, knowing, ominous. "And yet... some truths cannot be contained. The lake does not lie.."

I felt the weight of her words, the way the forest seemed to hold its breath.

I shivered, even as desire pooled low in my stomach. I wanted to scowl at Adrian, to argue, to resist, to maintain composure... but my body had other plans.

His hand brushed mine again, fingers lingering longer than necessary. I gasped, knees weak, heart racing, cheeks aflame.

"Selena," he muttered, voice rough, low. "We need to... go back"

The priestess's voice cut softly, warningly, like a whisper in the wind: "Luna Selena.. Be wary of what is revealed... for not all truths are safe, not every eye is kind and not every heart is loyal. Remember that."

I shivered at the words and at the heat in his gaze and realized, with a terrifying thrill, that this was only the beginning.

Because some truths... were never meant to be hidden.

And some desires... were impossible to resist.