CHAPTER 113: SOOTHE

*~Hazel’s POV~*

It seems this shitty game is still ongoing. Cyrius thinks he can do whatever he wants? I’ll show him that two can play.

I turned to Robert. "What’s the next game?"

He scratched the back of his head, clearly unsure. "Urm... I don’t know. But if you’re uncomfortable with it, you can quit."

I nodded. That was probably the only reasonable thing anyone had said all night. Then Alexander’s voice cut in from behind.

"The next game is just a light dare between couples. One couple dares another to do something. Innocent fun."

Yeah, right. I saw where this was going. Robert looked at me again, concern in his eyes.

"This will get messy..."

I didn’t even respond. I turned straight to Alexander. "I need to go now. It’s late. My babies need to be put to bed."

He looked at me for a second, then nodded slowly when I mouthed Please. I was done. Done with this whole circus of a party.

I picked up my babies, trying to steady my breathing. I didn’t even make it far before I heard the crowd erupt behind me.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss!"

My steps paused. Wolves were howling and laughing, encouraging something. I didn’t want to turn back. I shouldn’t have. But I did.

There she was—Aaliyah. Her hands wrapped around Cyrius’s arm like she was born for it. Her giggle rang out like a damn bell. They were being dared to kiss. My stomach twisted.

I stood there. Frozen. Pathetic.

But I didn’t stop walking. Two maids followed me silently, helping me into the carriage. The drive back was quiet—except for the noise in my head.

Get him out of your mind, Hazel.

Why was I letting this get to me? After everything he did? After taking my babies without my consent? After kidnapping me? After nearly causing their death?

And yet here I am—burning with jealousy because he let another girl touch him?

I tapped my forehead with my fingers, like maybe a light slap would reset my brain.

Finally, we got back to the High House, and it was oddly quiet. Thank God. Peace. I carried my babies in my arms, heavy but safe, and made my way to my chamber.

Then I stopped.

The air was different. Thick. Heavy. Someone was inside.

No one—no wolf—should be in this space. Not uninvited. Not here.

But the aura was familiar. My body tensed as I opened the door slowly.

Dark...Too dark.

I stepped in, every nerve alert. I was ready to fight. I wasn’t the same girl anymore.

I dropped my babies gently onto the bed and reached for the nearest object. A mug. Good enough. Smashable.

The figure moved.

I spun around, mug raised. Then—

The curtain shifted. Light spilled in.

Cyrius.

Standing there like a shadow out of my nightmares. I lowered the mug slightly, but not fully. Not until I understood why the hell he was here.

He looked at the mug and raised an eyebrow. "You might wanna drop that."

I blinked. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He dared to look unbothered. "This is our room. Or have you forgotten?"

"Our room?" I scoffed. "You mean us? Is that still a thing, Cyrius? Us—after you stood in front of an entire pack and said I was just some random single mom you helped on your way?"

He opened his mouth like he wanted to explain, but I raised a hand.

"Please. You’ve done enough tonight. My head is spinning. I don’t even know if I want to scream, cry, or throw something. Just move out of this room, or better yet, I’ll go. I’ll sleep outside if I have to."

I bent to pick up my babies, ready to go anywhere else but here.

But before I could move, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

His voice was low and oddly soothing..

"The whole thing with Aaliyah... it was to make you realize what you feel for me."

I froze. My lips parted, breath catching in my throat.

"I’m not feeling anything!"

"Are you seriously not feeling anything?" he asked, his voice rising.

I yanked my hand away from him. "Yes, I’m not!"

"No, Hazel. You can’t lie to me." His eyes narrowed. "I saw the look on your face while I was kissing Aaliyah. I saw the way you froze when she touched me." He stepped closer. "Why are you doing this to me? You know how badly I want you. You know how deeply I feel for you. Why are you putting me through this torture?"

"I’m not putting you through anything." My voice was cold. "There’s nothing between us."

"There is something between us! You can pretend all you want, but it’s there, Hazel. You feel it too."

"What is there between us?" I demanded.

"This!" he said, frustration radiating from him. "This weird tension, this unbearable pull. We’re mates, for God’s sake, Hazel!"

He was practically growling now, but then he came even closer. His hand cupped my face gently, pulling me toward him. My breath caught. My eyes—traitorous eyes—couldn’t help but fix on his lips. Memories flooded me, memories of his mouth on mine, of how he made me feel when we—

"This is what’s between us," he whispered. "This tension. This atmosphere. We’re allowed to feel this. We’re mates. We should be together."

"No. Not you," I whispered, pushing him back with trembling hands. "You killed my babies. You kidnapped me. You’ve done horrible things to me. I can’t... I can’t just pretend none of that happened."

"I’ve done horrible things?" His eyes flared. "What about Cayden? You still let him come close!"

"I don’t let Cayden come close," I snapped. "Cayden has never been close to me."

"Really?" he sneered.

"Yes!" I shouted. "The only person who’s ever truly been close to me... is Caspian. He’s my only true mate. He’s the only one I will ever let touch me. The only one I’ll allow inside."

I pressed my fingers to my chest. "Here. In here. He’s the only one."