Adina blinked awake, her vision blurred, her mouth dry. Her body ached, throbbing in places she didn't even know could ache.

She winced when she tried to sit up, a sharp reminder shooting through her thighs as if they had been run through by a wild beast.

She stilled, and then it all came flooding back.

The spell. Thorne. His mouth. His hands. Her mouth. Her desperate, filthy mouth.

Her eyes flew wide open. Her face was on fire, red with shame, and her soul? Crawling out of her body.

She had been so shameless. Oh, goddess. How would she ever recover from this? She was begging for cock like a desperate cock whore.

She had never been so shameless, but last night… Last night she didn't just beg, she worshiped his cock like it was her last meal. Who even was she? What happened to dignity? To self-restraint?

No. Nope. She was never going to survive this.

Adina buried her face in her hands and groaned out loud.

She looked down at her body only to find that she was wearing a large shirt that clearly didn't belong to her. It was Thorne's, judging from his scent practically doused in this shirt.

She tugged the collar up to her nose and inhaled despite the scoldings she just gave herself. And immediately wanted to scream into a pillow.

Why did his shirt smell so good?

She looked down again, her cheeks heating even more when she spotted bruises peeking out from her thighs, she was scattered with hickeys and bite marks that looked scandalous. She loved it. Being covered in his marks. It pleased her wolf so much.

Adina groaned again, Goddess help me.

She stood up on weak legs, looking around. She had no idea where she was but could tell she wasn't in the palace. She knew that much. She was thirsty, so much so.

She hovered against the door for a bit, her mind tumbling with different thoughts. Could she step out? The need for water was greater, so she pulled the doorknob open.

She opened the door and stepped out, eyes squinted as she tried to get used to the light that filtered into the place.

The place was warm and cozy, wild herbs drying on strings across the beams, and a soft fireplace crackling on the far wall. She blinked a few times… this wasn't Thessara's place, right? It couldn't be, right?

Thorne wasn't fucking her brains out in Thessara's home, right?

She turned only to freeze, Thessara was right there.

Sitting comfortably at a table with a mortar in her hand, grinding herbs casually.

Adina blinked.

Thessara looked up, her gaze falling on Adina. She blinked and paused what she was doing.

Her brows lifted very slowly. Her gaze dragged down Adina's figure, from her tangled hair to the oversized shirt hanging off one shoulder… down to her bare legs.

And the very obvious, very aggressive hickeys decorating her thighs.

Adina followed her gaze… And died internally.

Thessara blinked once… Twice. And then shook her head in disbelief. "Gods above," she muttered. "Did you get mauled by a beast or fight a bear in that room?"

Adina gasped, her eyes going wide. She could already imagine how she looked. Like a shameless baboon, that's what. Thorne's shirt hanging loosely off her body and the full bouquet of hickeys decorating her neck, collarbone, and… thighs?

Heat flooded her cheeks. "I—I didn't realize—I thought this was—Oh my god—"

Thessara cackled. "You poor thing. You need more than water. Yes, perhaps or maybe…" she paused, her tongue poking her cheeks as she looked around her herb shelf. "Maybe I can cook up something to not make you look as…" her gaze flickered over Adina again. "This as you feel."

Adina squeezed her eyes shut. She prayed the grounds would open and swallow her whole.

As if on cue, the door opened and Thorne stepped into the house. His gaze landed on her, and she froze yet again. His gaze flickered over her, and a faint smirk came to rest on his lips.

He pulled off the coat he wore, dropping it and walked towards her.

Adina wasn't sure if she was breathing. Her mind was clouded even though it shouldn't be. He stopped right in front of her, his gaze heavy on her.

"How do you feel?" He asked, holding her chin up with two fingers, his tongue darted out to lick his lips, and Adina's gaze followed the motion.

"I—I feel—" she somehow couldn't get her brain to work and thus couldn't get any words out.

"Oh, stop torturing the poor girl." Thessara's voice broke the two out of the cloud they'd cascaded into.

"You've done enough damage already." Thessara hissed out, she wasn't even looking at them, she'd resumed her pounding of the herbs. But she could smell the tension even from where she was, and it wasn't pleasant.

Thorne didn't reply to her; instead, he released Adina, allowing her to get air into her lungs as he sat down, facing Thessara.

"So? Have you figured it out?" He asked, his eyes flicking to the herbs she was pounding.

Thessara nodded. "I have. It'll take some hours to be done fully." She replied, pausing slightly. "Have you found out who did it?" She asked.

Adina tensed up where she stood. She should go back into the room. She didn't want to listen anymore. The girl's words came flashing in her head again. She glanced at Thorne and shook her head internally.

She couldn't tell him what the girl had said. He wouldn't believe her anyway. He's known the general for much longer. How can she just accuse her without evidence? It didn't even make sense. (Without realizing she'd told him the truth)

Thorne's jaw clenched hard, his face hardening. "Yes." He replied.

Adina stiffened where she stood and immediately tried taking a step back into the room… She didn't get to, of course. Thorne's hand wrapped around her wrist tightly, pulling her down into his lap.

Adina landed in his lap with a soft, startled noise, her breath catching as Thorne's arm tightened around her waist.

"Who did it?" Thessara asked.

Adina's breath caught at this one… her body tensed as though she were afraid to hear what would come out of his mouth.

"Elara. She confessed."

Thessara stilled mid-pound. "Elara?" Eyes snapped to Thorne, wide. "As in the Elara?"

Thorne's jaw ticked, but his fingers rubbed against Adina's waist in circles as though he were trying to calm her. "She cast the spell. She sent the rogues."

Thessara exhaled slowly. "Knew that girl would lose her mind one day. She spent too much time with Jocelyn. That snake could poison anything she touched."

Thorne's mouth opened to respond, but then his head jerked slightly.

Adina looked at him, startled.

His eyes glazed over for a second, listening to a voice only he could hear.

"Alpha.." Caelum's voice came through the mindlink.

"What is it?"

There was a stiff silence, and then Caelum's voice came. "Lord Varrick has been found. He's dead."