C30 Thirty

Selena's POV

The kiss..

His Kiss completely shattered me.

There was no warning.

No gentle lead-in.

Just heat.. violent, consuming me like something ancient snapping awake inside my bones.

Adrian's mouth was firm against mine, desperate, unrestrained, and for one breathless moment I forgot where we were.

Forgot the bar.

Forgot the street.

Forgot every reason I had tried my best to keep myself distant and calm.

All I felt was him.

His hands gently framed my face, his rough palms were warm against my cold skin, his thumbs brushed my cheeks like he was grounding himself as much as he was grounding me.

I gasped into his mouth.

"Adrian.. mmhh"

He pulled back half an inch, forehead resting against mine, breath uneven. "Tell me to stop.. Tell me to stop and I will."

But I didn't.

Instead, I whispered as my thighs clenched tighter, "You're.. you're going to regret this."

His laugh was short and bitter. "I already do."

Then he kissed me again.

Slower this time.

Deeper.

My knees weakened, the pull roared so loud that it drowned out the world and I felt my panties soak.

Fuck.. I wanted more so I gripped his jacket, my fingers digged in like it was the only thing keeping me upright.

This wasn't tenderness.

This was collision.

This was heat..

When he finally broke away, we were both breathing like we'd just survived something catastrophic.

"Oh my the bond.. oh my," I whispered.

He searched my face, eyes dark, conflicted, burning. "That wasn't the bond."

I swallowed. "It didn't feel like it."

"That was a mistake," he said hoarsely.

The word landed heavy..

I stepped back, my heart racing, shock rushed in now that the heat had cracked open something dangerous.

"We shouldn't have done that."

"I know."

"You always say that."

"And you always come closer anyway."

I laughed softly, shaky. "That's not fair."

"Nothing about us is," he replied.

I turned toward my car, pressing my palm to the hood like I needed something solid.

"That man," I said quietly. "You didn't have to throw him."

"I did."

"He wasn't hurting me."

"He was about to," Adrian said flatly. "You just didn't feel it yet."

I looked at him. "You can't decide that for me."

"I can feel when something is wrong," he snapped. Then softer, "Especially when it involves you."

That nearly undid me.

"I was trying to forget," I admitted. "Everything. You, the pack, the lake.. All of it."

"And did you?" he asked.

"No."

His jaw tightened. "Then stop punishing yourself by getting drunk."

"I don't know how."

He stepped closer again, slower this time, like he was giving me room to retreat.

"Are you scared?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Of me?"

"I don't know."

His eyes softened, just slightly. "Good. That means you're not lying to yourself."

I folded my arms around my waist. "You shouldn't have followed me."

"I didn't plan to," he said. "I felt you and then the pull twisted like it was being strangled."

I closed my eyes. "I hate that you can feel me like that."

"I hate that I can't stop," he replied.

Silence stretched between us heavy with everything unsaid.

"People are going to talk," I murmured.

"That's their problem."

"This will make it worse."

"I don't care."

"I do," I said. "I have to."

He studied me for a long moment. "Is that why you keep running away from all your problems? Cause people will talk"

I didn't answer.

He exhaled slowly. "Come here."

I hesitated. "Adrian.."

"I'm not kissing you again," he said quietly. "I just want you to breathe till I make you..."

I stepped closer.

He didn't touch me at first.

Just stood there, close enough that I could feel his heat, his presence anchoring me.

"Earlier," he said, "in the locker room... when you stopped me."

"I know."

"You thought I didn't mean it."

I looked up at him. "Did you?"

"I don't know."

I searched his face, my heart hammering. "Then why does it feel like every time we get close, something pulls us apart?"

"Because something isn't right ," he said.

The words sent a chill down my spine.

"The lake," I whispered.

He nodded. "It's still working."

I swallowed hard. "I thought we were past it."

"You're not," he said gently. "Not yet."

"What are you saying?"

He lifted his hand, hesitating before brushing his thumb across my knuckles. "I'm saying there's a way to stop it."

My breath caught. "You told me it was dangerous."

"It is."

"And irreversible."

"Yes."

"Then why are you bringing it up now?"

"Because I can see it is hurting you which I am literally feeling," he said. "And because I'm done pretending distance will fix this."

My heart pounded. "What exactly are you asking me?"

His gaze locked onto mine, intense, unwavering. "I'm asking if you're ready to stop letting the lake decide how much we're allowed to feel. I want us to do what it wants so we can both be free"

The world seemed to tilt.

"That's not a small thing," I whispered.

"I know."

"It would change everything."

"I know."

I took a shaky breath. "And if it goes wrong?"

"Then I'll carry that with me forever."

Silence fell again.

I thought of the way the pull had screamed tonight. The way the alcohol hadn't dulled it.

The way his touch had calmed it just for a second.

"I'm tired," I said quietly. "I'm so tired of fighting something I don't understand."

His voice softened. "Then let me help you get rid of it."

I looked at him for who he was, he was not the Alpha, not my stepson.

Just Adrian.

The man who had caught me when I almost fell apart in the street.

"Adrian," I whispered, "if we do this.. "

My phone rang.

The sound sliced through the night like a blade.

Adrian frowned. "Don't answer it."

I didn't need to look to know who it was because the name lit up the screen anyway.

Raymond.

Adrian's jaw clenched as the phone kept ringing.

The moment shattered, tension rushing back in with brutal force.

"I should answer," I said weakly.

"Why?" Adrian asked sharply. "You don't owe him.. "

"He's staying in the pack," I interrupted. "He's my godson".

The phone rang again.

Longer this time.

Adrian stepped back, conflict flashing across his face. "If you answer that," he said quietly,

I looked between him and the screen, my chest tight.

"I didn't say yes for his party," I whispered.

"I know."

"I didn't say no either."

He nodded. "Then answer."

I swallowed and lifted the phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

Raymond's voice came smooth and familiar. "Hi.. I was starting to think you weren't going to pick up."

Adrian turned away with his hands fisting at his sides.