42 The unspoken heat

L o

I woke up the next morning , blinking groggily at the warm sunlight streaming in through my window .

I stretched , feeling a strange calmness settle over my body .

The overwhelming tension that had gripped me yesterday seemed to have cased , leaving me surprisingly … normal .

I no longer felt that feverish , consuming desire – I was still horny but I felt like I could control it .

As I made my way downstairs , I saw Nanny standing by the stove , staring at the pot on fire but she seemed to be absent – minded .

Her eyes were nk , and her brows were furrowed in a frown .

“ Nan ? ” I called out .

No reply .

“ Nanny ? ” I called out the second time , this time louder than the first one .

She snapped back to reality , shing me a smile not before I saw worry sh in her eyes .

She wiped her hands on the dish towel on the counter and came towards me .

“ Good morning , dear , ” she greeted softly , her eyes scanning me as though she was assessing my condition .

“ Are you feeling better ? You don’t seem like you’re still going through your heat .

” My body tensed under her scrutiny as I recalled what had happened yesterday with Xander .

True , my pheromones were everywhere in the room but I wasn’t doubling with asional shes of desire , or moaning at the slightest move of my body .

Did it have anything to do with .

Xander yesterday ? Quickly , I masked my unease with a faint smile .

“ I’m still going through it ! ” I murmured awkwardly .

“ It must have been the sleep .

I slept quite a lot yesterday .

”

Her gaze softened , though there was still a hint of worry in her expression .

“ That’s good , but your pheromones are still very active .

Be mindful of it , alright ? This heat seems different from your usual cycles .

Maybe it has something to do with your visit to Blue Ridge ? ” she gave me a suggestive look .

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1 shrugged , resisting the urge to say anything .

The truth was , I was terrified of saying too much because I was afraid that I might let it slip that Xander had been here the previous day .

I hadn’t told her about his visit and the mere thought of exining what had happened alone made my

heart race .

Quickly , I changed the subject .

“ Did youe to my roomst night ? ” I asked , trying to sound curious .

“ I thought I saw you at the edge of my bed with someone else .

I

She froze , giving me a scared look .

“ No … No dear , ” she shook her head severally .

“ I mean , I dide to your room but I was alone .

Why ? Did someone else visit you ? ”

“ No ! ” I shed her a strained smile , moving past her to the fridge for a bottle of water .

Did

Nanny know ? Could she possibly have figured out that Xander had been here ? My hear an

to pound in my chest but I forced myself to remain calm .

“ Perhaps , I was just half – asleep , ” I said .

WATH

42 The unspoken heat

quickly , waving my hand dismissively .

“ I must have been dreaming or something ”

Nanny studied me for a moment , as though she was trying to read something deeper in my expression , but eventually sighed .

She set the dish towel down and walked over to where I

stood .

“ L ,” she began , giving me a serious expression .

“ I need you to be careful .

I’ve seen Panthers around the cafétely and you know what that means .

I don’t know if they’vee from the pack , but it’s strange that they’re lurking near us .

We can’t take any risks .

”

I blinked in surprise wondering if it was Mr.

Dupree – Xander’s father that told her about the Panthers .

But before I could respond , Nanny reached out a ced a reassuring hand on my shoulder .

7

“ Promise me you’ll be careful , ” she said , her eyes searching mine .

“ I promise , ” I whispered with another strained smile .

“ Don’t worry , I’ll be at home all day .

”

She nodded and returned to the stove .

“ When are you going to tell me how you got injured ? ” she nced at me before returning to her cooking .

“ You know you can tell me anything right ? We agreed that there’ll be no secrets from us .

” t

* I’m

not trying to keep it a secret , Nan ,” I sighed “ I don’t think now is the right time to say anything .

But I promise that I will , soon .

”

An hour after Nanny left the house , I was pacing in the living room , wondering if I should just give Xander a call .

I was giddy with excitement and my heat was slowly increasing .

Seems whatever Xander had done yesterday was slowly dissipating .

My mind kept drifting back to yesterday and what had transpired between us .

The memory made my pulse quicken and my checks flush , but before I could dwell on it too long , the doorbell rang .

I opened the door , my breath catching when I saw Xander leaning by the door , a backpack slung casually across his shoulders .

He was not in his uniform and he looked a little more rxed than usual , his dark hair slightly tousled .

His eyes , intense and unreadable as always , softened when they met mine .

“ Hey , ” he greeted with a wink .

“ Hi ! ” I replied , fighting a blush , stepping aside to let him in .

“ Come on in

We went directly to my room today .

After he settled to the couch in the room , his gaze sought mine where I was on the bed .

“ How are you feeling ? ” he asked .

I exhaled slowly .

“ Better .

Much better than yesterday .

I managed to sleep through the night

–which is rare .

”

He nodded .

“ That’s good , but you’re not

I looked at him curiously .

“ What do you mean ? ”

w out of the woods yet .

”

He shifted in his seat , his gaze bing more intense .

“ The reason you’re still dealing with

42 The unspoken heat

these pheromones is because you’re not doing anything about it .

You’re supposed to be expelling that energy .

The more you do that , the less intense it will be with each cycle ”

I frowned , confusion washing over me .

“ Expelling it ? How ?”

“ You’re so innocent , L … much more innocent than the ones before you .

Come ! ” he stretched his hand to me “ I’ll teach you .

”