CHAPTER 114: FORBIDDEN FEELINGS

Cyrius POV

My wolf growled low, a primal, guttural sound that vibrated through my chest the moment she pointed to her heart and uttered the words that shattered me:

"Caspian is the only one I will allow in."

Bullshit.

My fists clenched at my sides as the ache turned into fire. "You should allow me in," I snapped, voice cracked and desperate. "Why are you doing this to me, Hazel? Why are you so damn unfair?"

She didn’t answer, but she didn’t need to. Her silence felt like betrayal.

"They took everything from me," I snarled. "They took my throne. Now they’ve taken you. Why? Why do I always lose? Why are they always the ones who win?"

Her voice came out softer this time, barely a whisper. "No one is taking me away from you, Cyrius."

But I shook my head violently. "You don’t get it. I’m never yours," she added.

Wrong answer.

My voice rose, cracked with fury and pain. "You are literally my mate! You are literally the only woman who makes me feel like this. Who drives me mad! And now you’re pretending I don’t matter? That you feel nothing?"

I stepped forward, my energy barely restrained. "Fine. You don’t want to be around me? You don’t feel anything for me now? Then leave."

My voice dropped, rasped with something darker.

"Because if you don’t, Hazel... I swear to the goddess, I will grab you, and I will do naughty things to you. I’ll hold you in my arms and never let you go. I’ll kiss you until your lips are swollen, and then..."

I paused. My breathing was uneven now.

"I’ll f*ck you until you can’t walk straight. Until no man...no man..dares bat an eyelash at you..... I’ll take you apart piece by piece until no man dares breathe your way again. So now, please..." I dragged in a shaky breath.

"Leave, Hazel. Leave before I do those things to you."

I closed my eyes.

I needed her to go.

I needed her scent gone. Her presence. Her voice. Everything—just for one goddamn second so I could breathe.

But I still felt her. Her heartbeat—pounding l. The invisible pull between us growing magnetic and driving me crazy.

"HAZEL....." I growled again, eyes still shut. "I said leave."

She didn’t move. I opened my eyes.

Her face was flushed, beads of sweat glistening down her forehead. She clutched at her gown, trembling, as if trying to anchor herself to anything but me.

I stepped closer.

She stepped back.

I took another step.

She moved again, until her back hit the wall, trapping her between it and me. My hand braced against the wall beside her head, my body caging hers with barely an inch of space.

"Run, Hazel," I murmured, my breath brushing her skin. "Run, before I lose what little control I have left."

But instead, she looked up at me.

She didn’t run....She kissed me.

Her lips collided with mine in a rush of heat and desperation. Her hands trembled, but her mouth moved against mine like she was drowning—and I was the only thing keeping her above water.

It shattered me.

Her tongue pushed into my mouth, crashing against mine. I groaned, grabbing her waist, pulling her tight against my body. It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t tender. It was reckless and messy and raw.

But then—she broke the kiss.

Her breath hitched, and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "What am I doing?"

I didn’t move. My lips were still parted, chest heaving, pupils dilated.

She stepped back suddenly and shoved me away, her voice rising.

"We shouldn’t be doing this! Why are you doing this to me, Cyrius? Why?"

She cried out, and the sound stirred the babies in their cribs. Their soft whimpers turned into loud, distressed cries that echoed through the chamber.

Hazel staggered, pressing both palms to her temples. "Please, Cyrius," she whimpered. "Tell me why you’re making me feel this way. You’re not supposed to make me feel like this. I’m not supposed to..I can’t.."

Her voice cracked. "My heart shouldn’t be this heavy."

"Hazel," I stepped forward, voice softer now, "calm down—"

"No!" she snapped. "Don’t tell me to calm down!"

She clutched at her hair, fingers weaving into her curls, yanking with frustration. Her breathing was ragged. I reached for her again and pulled her close. She resisted, but didn’t pull away entirely.

"Hazel," I whispered into her ear, "there’s nothing wrong with this. This is completely normal."

"It’s not!" she cried. "Caspian and Cayden—"

"Shh."

I placed my hand gently but firmly over her lips.

"Don’t mention their names around me again. Not tonight. Not when it’s just us. Just you and me. Forget everything else."

My lips brushed her temple. I lowered my face to her neck, my voice a dangerous whisper.

"You know this is real."

Her scent hit me again. It was intoxicating and driving me crazy but beneath it... something vile I tensed.

The scent of that man. That thing she had partnered with tonight. His disgusting stench still clung to her skin like a curse. It turned my stomach.

"Let me wipe that ugly-ass scent off you," I growled into her skin.

Now take off your dress."

She nodded silently, her fingers reaching behind her back. With a slow, uncertain movement, she slid the zipper down. The dress loosened, then fell to the floor, pooling at her feet.

Beneath it, she wore a soft, delicate gown—one that clung to her curves just enough to leave nothing to the imagination. Her breasts were full, her nipples tight and visible through the thin fabric. My gaze dropped to the line of her panties, and I couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at my lips.

I looked up and locked eyes with her.

"You see? I’m not compelling you. You’re doing this on your own." My voice dropped as I stepped closer. "This is real. This is how you’re supposed to feel for me."

I leaned in, lips brushing her ear. "This is how it should be, wife."

She trembled.

Her eyes trailed down my body—and then they paused. They widened. She’d seen it.

The faint hickey Aaliyah had left on my collarbone.

Her entire expression changed in an instant. A twitch. A flare of something sharp in her eyes—jealousy, possession, pain, all tangled together.

I tilted my head and whispered, "You want to wipe her scent off me too, don’t you?"

Then I stepped back and undid the top button of my shirt, slowly. Deliberately.

"What if we cleansed each other?" I asked, my voice thick with need. "Take off my clothes, wife."