CHAPTER 137: DON’T HAVE TO PRETEND...

"Still think you’re not in heat?" a deep, familiar voice cut through the haze, and Emerald’s eyes flew open.

She bolted upright, her heart slamming into her throat. "Ares?"

He stood inside her balcony doors, framed by the shifting curtains, the night air curling around him like he owned the darkness.

Her voice came out louder than she meant, sharp with panic. "What the hell are you doing in here? Get out!"

He didn’t move. Instead, he took a slow step forward, his presence swallowing the room whole. "You sure you really want me to leave?"

Emerald froze, her chest rising and falling rapidly. The air around them felt charged, warm in a way that had nothing to do with her wolf.

Her mind screamed to push him back, to claw for distance. But her traitorous and ravenous wolf arched toward him, urging her closer, clawing at her control.

Her gaze caught on his broad shoulders, on the hard cut of his jaw, on the way his shirt clung to his chest like it was begging to be torn away. The thought made her fingers curl tight against the sheets, itching to rip it from him.

Ares made the first move. He slowly raised his hand and gently brushed the length of her bare arm.

She gasped, the sound torn from her throat.

His touch felt cold against her warm skin, sending a shiver through her as if he had reached something deeper than just her body. As his hand moved upward, it left goosebumps behind, both calming and exciting her at the same time.

Her eyes fluttered shut, a helpless whimper catching in her throat.

"Ares..."

"Your body’s betraying you," he murmured, voice low and certain. "I can feel every bit of it."

She parted her lips, ready to snap, to deny, but the words crumbled on her tongue.

All that came was another shiver, her body arching ever so slightly into his hand, her composure falling apart thread by thread under the sharp contrast of fire and frost.

He leaned down, breath ghosting over the shell of her ear, cool against her fevered skin. "Let me help you."

Her pulse faltered, her body locking tight even as heat coiled deeper inside her.

Her mind screamed in protest for her to resist, to push him away, but her body betrayed her, throbbing with need, every nerve straining towards him.

Her wolf whispered one word, again and again, until it drowned out everything else: "Say yes, Em... say yes."

Emerald swallowed hard, her voice breaking when she tried to speak. "You... what do you mean?"

His lips lightly brushed her jaw, not quite a kiss but more like a promise of what could happen if she gave in.

"I’m here," he whispered, "to give you what you’re already begging for."

She shivered, her mind reeling.

She wanted to tell him that she didn’t beg for anything, not even in her dreams. That he had no right to think he could give her anything.

But the words were gone, replaced by a rush of heat.

He shifted his attention to her other arm, dragging his thumb along the inside of her wrist, sending shivers racing through her.

It felt like ice and fire were chasing each other through her veins, the contrast between the two almost too much for her to take.

The sensations only grew stronger as his hand slipped higher, his thumb now tracing her collarbone.

Her breath hitched, her hands reaching up and gripping his wrist, not pushing him away but just holding on.

Ares stilled, his eyes lifting to meet hers.

For a moment, he looked almost uncertain, and it was an expression she wasn’t used to seeing on him.

But it only lasted a heartbeat, and then his mouth was on hers, his tongue slipping past her lips as if it belonged there.

Her body responded immediately, her wolf clawing its way to the surface. She kissed him back, her hand sliding up his arm, gripping his shoulder.

The taste of him flooded her senses, setting her ablaze, his touch melting the last of her resistance.

As he moved, she let him, letting him settle her onto her back as he loomed over her.

He broke the kiss and moved his lips down her neck, pausing just long enough to drag his tongue along her pulse, eliciting a shuddering gasp.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest, and the room spun. She couldn’t breathe.

His scent swirled around her, the cool and warmth of him mixing with her senses, creating something entirely new. It made her dizzy, her head swimming.

Ares trailed his lips along her collarbone, his hands exploring her curves, sending jolts of pleasure through her with every touch.

She let her head fall back, her breathing ragged.

Her own hands slid down his back, gripping the fabric of his shirt, wanting to rip it away.

As if reading her mind, Ares leaned back and stripped it off, revealing the smooth, sculpted lines of his chest and stomach, his pale skin practically glowing in the moonlight.

He didn’t give her a chance to admire him for long, though.

He dipped down and claimed her mouth in another searing kiss, and her nails dug into his skin as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

"You don’t have to pretend, you know."

He murmured the words against her lips, his hand moving lower. "It’s okay to let go, Em. I’ll be here. I promise."

She trembled, the last of her composure coming undone.

He shifted, his hips settling between her legs. She could feel him pressed against her through his clothes, and the thought of him sinking his hard rod into her wet tunnel nearly drove her wild.

His hand slid lower still, until he cupped her mound, the tips of his fingers teasing her clit.

She moaned, arching her hips into his touch, her whole body on fire.

His thumb slipped beneath her waistband and rubbed a slow, lazy circle, sending a jolt of pleasure through her.

"Please, Ares," she begged, her voice barely a whisper.

"Please what, Em?"

His thumb continued its lazy pace, and Emerald groaned in frustration, her hips bucking.

"Please," she panted, her hands digging into his shoulders. "Please, fuck me."