CHAPTER 92: THE TRUTH ON THE TIP OF MY TONGUE...

Charis

I stared at him, not knowing how to explain the situation. I didn’t even know what I was doing.

"I swear, Slater, I don’t know what’s going on with Rhett and Kael. It seems I have no control over it."

"Your disguise is working well," He said grimly. "Both of them are falling for ’Eamon.’ They have no idea they’re competing for the same girl. What will happen when they discover your true identity?"

He took a step towards me, tilting my chin gently. "You need to make a choice, Charis. Before this jealousy and competition destroy the friendships we’ve all built, and before someone does something that can’t be taken back."

I sank onto his bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. Between the snow rogues targeting people who looked like me, the boys’ growing romantic competition, and my approaching heat cycle, I felt like I was walking through a minefield where every step could trigger an explosion.

"What choice can I make?" I asked quietly. "I can’t reveal my identity without destroying everything, and I can’t control how they feel about me."

"You can stop encouraging both of them," Slater said quietly. "Stop accepting Rhett’s public displays of affection. Stop letting Kael take care of you in ways that go beyond friendship. Draw some boundaries before this situation spirals completely out of control."

I knew he was right, but the thought of pushing away the two people who made me feel safe and cared for in this place felt almost impossible. Still, I could see the wisdom in his words, especially after witnessing Kael’s anger today.

"I never meant to—"

"I know," Slater nodded. "But if you’re not careful, one of them is going to get hurt."

I swallowed hard. "What about you?"

He smiled faintly. "I already got hurt, remember?"

I did, and somehow, I didn’t want to hurt him again. But I also didn’t know how to stop whatever this was from spiralling further. And part of me—a selfish part—didn’t want to.

"I’ll try," I said finally. "But with everything that’s happening—the attacks, the lockdown, my heat cycle starting tomorrow—I’m not sure how much control I have over any of this anymore."

"I can help you with your heat cycle," Slater murmured, nuzzling me gently. "I got protection."

My ears turned pink at his insinuation. I stiffened as he slipped his hand under my shirt, sighing with relish when he touched my covered chest. I swallowed hard, feeling slightly irritated by his display of intimacy.

But I told myself that I just had to relax and let the sensation take over me, but after a few seconds, the irritation didn’t stop.

I stood abruptly from the bed, feeling intensely irritated. Every nerve in my body felt hypersensitive, and his touch was overwhelming in ways I couldn’t describe.

He looked up at me, his brows creasing. "What’s wrong?"

"I just..." I exhaled. "Can you please not do anything? I’m so sensitive right now..." I began, but he cut me off.

"Or you wish it was someone else?" He said, rising to his feet with pain in his voice. "You like Kael, right? You enjoy everything he does to you, all the kissing..."

"We haven’t been kissing," I protested weakly.

"Really?" He scoffed, his expression growing bitter. "You think I don’t see the way he looks at you and how you get flustered whenever you’re with him."

I looked away, lowering my gaze in shame.

After a moment, he nodded with resignation.

"I’m a damn fool," he muttered. "For thinking we could go back to what we had, but I guess I was wrong. Now that Kael has your heart, someone like me doesn’t matter to you anymore."

"Slater..." I tried calling out to him, but he was already putting on his jacket and walking toward the door.

"Get some rest," he said quietly, slipping out without looking back.

***

The next day, when I woke up, every part of my body was pliant with want.

Heat coursed through me in waves, making even the simple act of getting out of bed feel like a challenge. I managed to stand, sighing deeply as another surge of warmth passed through my core.

On the table nearby was a breakfast tray, a bottle of water and a modest heat care kit—the kind designed to soothe Luna wolves in heat. There was a note clipped to the tray.

It read: Stay in. Don’t leave the room. Everything’s been handled. —S

I smiled faintly at the instruction, though my heart was still heavy from the disagreement we had last night.

I ate mechanically, trying to suppress the insistent heat pulsing through me. Then I curled up on the couch with a heating pad tucked under my abdomen, trying to breathe through the cramps.

Just as I was getting comfortable, there was a knock on the door followed by the sound of the keypad being typed.

Thinking it was Slater, I relaxed until the door opened and Rhett came into view, smiling brightly.

"Hey there," he waved cheerfully.

I jerked up with surprise, smiling back at him, and tried to rise to my feet, but just as I stood up, I suddenly realised I wasn’t wearing my compression band. My nipples were peeking out through Slater’s oversized hoodie.

Panic slammed into me, and instantly, I collapsed back onto the couch, yanking the blanket over my body.

Rhett walked toward me, setting the food basket he’d brought on the table. Then turned to look at me with an arched eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Uh, nothing," I mumbled, tightening my grip on the blanket. "I wasn’t expecting to see you."

"Slater said you were feeling a little blue today, so I came to keep your company." By this time, he had come to stand directly in front of me. "Hug?"

Shit!

I knew there was no way I could hug him without him noticing the noticeable differences in my body. The heat had caused my breasts to swell twice their normal size.

"I’m tired," I tried to feign tiredness. "Can we skip the hug right now?"

"Nope!" he shook his head. "C’mon," he held his arms out, "give me a hug."

Sighing, I half rose and lifted just my shoulders toward him before sitting back on the couch.

He frowned. "Come on, Eamon. That’s not even a hug."

"I’ll give you a proper one before you leave," I said quickly. "I’m just exhausted right now."

He sighed and dropped onto the space next to me, staring at me intently. "Have you spoken to Kael yet?"

"Nope," I shook my head quickly. "I would have called, but my phone is still in my bag back in the classroom, so..."

"Good for you," Rhett exhaled, leaning back against the couch. "He’s furious, and I expect some sort of revenge in the end, so you better watch your back."

"He doesn’t usually get angry?" I asked.

"Nope!" Rhett shook his head. "Yesterday, he was terrified. According to Slater, he’d never seen Kael panic the way he did when he thought it was you among the victims."

He paused, then asked, "Do you like him?"

The question caught me off guard. I smiled nervously and turned toward the table, pretending to be interested in the food he’d brought. "I’m starving. What did you bring?"

"Don’t change the topic, Eamon," He said, reaching out to grab my hand and drawing me closer to him. His eyes locked onto mine with an uncomfortable intensity.

I clutched the blanket with my free hand, trembling with want at his closeness. My body was already betraying me at his touch, responding in ways that if I didn’t put enough distance between us in the next few seconds, a lot of things could happen.

I was a vixen during my heat.

"What do you think?" I murmured.

"I think you like him." He replied. "You’re more relaxed when you’re with Kael than with me or your brother. You’re calmer, you let him touch you, and I think you trust him more."

"It’s difficult not to," I stuttered, trying to pull away, but Rhett’s hold tightened.

"Can you let me go?"

"Is it just me," Rhett muttered, leaning even closer, "or do you smell incredible right now? There’s this strange glow around you that’s making my wolf go absolutely bonkers. I want to..."

He didn’t finish the sentence before I slipped away from him, crossing quickly to the other side of the room.

"You need to leave, Rhett," I said quietly, holding the wrapped blanket around my body like armour.

"What?" Then he scoffed. "Why?"

"I just need space," I said shakily. "I feel...overwhelmed."

"I overwhelm you?" Rhett asked, rising to his feet with a frown on his face. "How?"

"It’s complicated," I sighed, taking another step backwards. "I just want to be alone."

Rhett stared at me for several long seconds before returning to pick up his phone on the couch.

Then he turned to me and asked quietly. "You don’t happen to be a girl who changed into a boy, do you?"

For a moment, I stopped breathing. My eyes widened in shock, and I felt the colour drain completely from my face. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t do anything but stare at him in terror.

"W-what are you talking about?" I stuttered, but my voice came out weak.

"I don’t know," Rhett shrugged, taking a step toward me. "You’re clearly in heat, and my wolf is reacting the way he would to a woman. Isn’t it also strange that there’s a heat care pack over there and you were holding a heating pad..." He pointed to the supplies on the other side of the room and the heating pad on the couch.

His eyes never left mine as he continued, "Eamon... is there something you want to tell me?"