Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

SEREN

A guttural howl rips from Theron’s throat, his body convulsing as the beast fights to emerge. Claws erupt, canines lengthen, and his eyes turn wild as man and beast war within him.

Taking a shaky breath, I focus on staying calm. A hulking wolf-man stands before me, Titan’s eyes welling with unshed tears. The image is painful, but he is part of the betrayal.

His arms grasp my shoulders. “No, Seren,” he rasps, his face contorted. “I never betrayed you. Believe me. I’ve always been...” His voice is raspy as his chest heaves. His furred hand morphs into a massive paw, reaching for mine with a desperate plea in his dark eyes.

“Only yours,” he whispers.

For a moment, I forget everything. The urge to comfort him is strong as memories of what we had flood my mind, stirring something deep within me. But Theron’s words linger. I hesitate as he pulls me close, his touch gentle, warmth radiating from him. Logic surrenders as I find myself wrapped in his arms, his frantic kisses showering my face in silent reassurance. The sensation is electric, pulling me toward him, even as a part of me wants to fight it.

“Fucking wallpaper.”

“No,” I snarl, pushing him back with all my might.

I need to leave. This charade has to end. Blackwood Estate was never my home. Theron was never mine.

I expect him to push, fight, and control, but Titan immediately moves away. He drops to his knees, baring his throat in a gesture of complete surrender.

This behavior is confusing. My head throbs. But one thing is certain—I can’t stay here any longer. I turn away from him. I need to pack and leave before I lose myself again.

“Please don’t leave me alone.”

The plea stops me cold, cutting through my defenses. Any anger, resentment, or hurt I was feeling a second ago is forgotten. I turn around and pull him into my arms. We stay like that for a few moments, the warmth of his body seeping into mine. My mind screams at me to pull away, but this is what I’ve always wanted: him, loving me, unrestricted.

He pulls away, his eyes burning with barely contained desire. Then, his lips are on mine—desperate, passionate, making me forget everything else.

A strangled moan escapes me as our tongues meet. The taste of coffee and something smoky lingers on his breath, bittersweet.A distant awareness registers him lifting me off the ground, but I’m lost in his kiss. Sparks light up every inch of my skin. Suddenly, my back touches a soft surface, and I know I’m on my bed.

The words “only yours” echo in my mind as frantic fingers work to remove my clothes. His fingers trace a path up my arm, sending shivers down my spine. I hear fabric rip, but then soft lips are on my neck, sucking the tender skin. My eyelids flutter closed, overwhelmed by the intensity of the sensation. My body melts in his arms, my core wet and throbbing.

“Touch me, my Seren.”

The whispered plea sends goosebumps prickling all over my skin. My hands trace his back and circle his butt. He whimpers before lowering himself, trailing kisses to my core. My heart stops.

I look down to find a more human-looking face, breathing in deeply with his nose pressed to my slick slit. We’ve never done this before. I instantly try to cup myself with my palms in fear and shame, but he pushes them away with a murmured “Relax.”.

“Mm, lilacs,” he moans, throwing his head back.

I blink, trying to identify the voice. It sounds more like Theron than Titan, but then his mouth is on me and all coherent thought shatters.

He gives me a long, slow lick of his tongue, from the top of the slit to the bottom, before he focuses on the center. I keep trying to push his head away, gasping with each lick, but he latches his mouth on the bundle of nerves nestled in my core, and an extremely loud and shameless moan tears out of me.

“Ahh!”

Alternating between licking and sucking, he slowly increases the pace. I feel something strong building inside me. My hips rise in anticipation. I grip his hair hard, holding him in place as my body starts tightening, waiting .

I don’t hold back my sounds of pleasure, which only spur him on harder.

Just as I’m teetering on the brink of an orgasm, he pushes a finger inside me, switching the rhythm, taking me away from the peak. I yell in frustration.

“What the hell!”

But he quickly adds another finger and picks up speed, hitting a place inside of me that has me gasping. Suddenly I feel a strong urge to pee.

“Titan, move.”

The sense of urgency increases every second.

“Move, Titan, please,” I plead, my breath getting caught in my throat, but that only makes him pick up speed.

He does take his mouth away from my core for a moment to whisper, “It’s alright, let it go, my love. Just let it go.” His voice is calm, but the intensity of feeling in his tone is hard to describe.

I let go of his hair and grab hold of the sheet with both hands, my back arching. And suddenly he curls his fingers inside in a “come here” motion. With the slightest scrape of his nails, my vision goes white, my body convulsing as liquid gushes out of me.

A strangled cry of pleasure escapes my throat.Everything else fades as I ride a strong wave of pleasure.

His fingers continue to scissor in and out of me, drawing out the pleasure until my body goes limp.

It’s a while before I open my eyes. Releasing the sheets, I focus on my ragged breaths, feeling weightless .

Titan leans back, his eyes holding mine for a long moment. His irises flicker between blue and black. Then, he dips down and kisses both my cheeks at the exact place where they dimple. Theron calls them his prize.

“You okay?”

The endorphins light up my body, and as his warm breath hits my face, I feel even deeper love for him. Wrapping my arms around him, I hide my face in his chest, breathing in the delicious scent of pine mingled with a hint of musk.

His chest isn’t as hairy as it was before, and I’m not sure if it’s Titan or Theron. But right now, I don’t care.

Lowering my hand, I trace his sculpted abs, reaching the taut plane of his stomach, exploring. His chest rumbles. I feel him shiver and smile, loving the effect I have on him.

Sufficiently encouraged, my fingers dip lower, brushing against the heat radiating from his erection. He jolts as I graze the sensitive ridge.

His fingers immediately clamp over mine, repeating the action.

“This. I love this.”

I don’t know who initiates the kiss this time, but our lips don’t break contact, not even when we roll over in bed and I’m on top of him. We giggle through the kiss, feeling like kids again, until I’m back beneath him. Black eyes shine with excitement as they hold my gaze, a wide grin on his lips.

He slowly rubs the tip against my entrance, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. My heart hammers in my chest. Titan’s hand reaches for mine, his fingers reassuring. Unlike the rough possessiveness of Theron’s touch, Titan’s is gentle, exploring .

“We’ll go slow,” he murmurs, his voice husky with something raw and vulnerable. “It’s...my first time too.”

He saved himself for me.

My eyes well up with a surprising rush of emotion. He kisses both my eyelids before moving to my lips, distracting me from the nervous flutter in my stomach. A shiver ripples through me as he enters.

A new sensation floods me—a tight pressure, a slight discomfort that intensifies the farther he pushes in, but feels different from anything I’ve known.

Titan’s kisses rain down on my shoulder, his voice a soothing murmur. He slows his movements, his focus entirely on me. The discomfort gradually lessens, replaced by a warmth that spreads through me as we move together, learning each other’s bodies and focusing on our pleasure.

I don’t know when I drift off to sleep, but I remember tender kisses being placed all over my body as a strong arm circles my waist, holding me close. I’m the little spoon to his big spoon, but we still have a hard conversation ahead of us. But the horrible things I heard earlier can wait.

A distant knock sounds like someone tapping on my head repeatedly, piercing through the fog of sleep.

“Seren, are you there?”

Panic jolts me awake.

Ella.

Damnit! My door is unlocked.

Before I can scramble up, strong arms haul me right back in, a warm hand gently clamping over my mouth. A jolt of surprise shoots through me as I see the furrowed brows above intense blue eyes. Theron.

“Ella, not now,” he sighs, more to himself than me. His voice lacks the usual playful teasing, replaced with a weary exasperation.

His arms tighten around me, a possessive hold that ignites a flicker of fear, quickly overshadowed by a strange yearning for this unexpected closeness. It’s so different from Titan’s gentle touch, yet familiar.

“I haven’t had you nearly enough,” he mutters, his voice a low rumble against my cheek. “And here she comes, interrupting us already.”

My body still feels pleasantly relaxed from Titan’s embrace, but Theron being here instead of Titan sends a wave of disappointment crashing over me. His murmured “Beautiful” feels empty, more like a cruel lie than a compliment, a taunt meant to hurt me.

“Fucking wallpaper.”

The warmth of his touch turns icy. He lowers himself, his hand lingering on my breast before he takes it in his mouth. The air feels thick and suffocating.

“Have you seen her?No curves. No looks. No personality.”

Tears prick my eyes, but I clench my jaw. I can’t let him see how much his words affect me.

He suddenly lets go of my breast with a startled gasp, as if burned. His head snaps back, eyes widening almost comically before scrambling to meet mine. His mouth opens soundlessly for a moment before a strangled whisper escapes his lips .

“I’m sorry, my Seren-hen,” he whispers, brushing his thumb across my cheek. “I’m not sure which part you overheard but trust me, I didn’t mean any of it.”

I shake my head and shove his shoulders back. “Get off me.”

“No. You can’t leave me,” he pleads, his voice rough with emotion. His fingers brush away a stray tear that escapes my eye. “I know I was a dick. I got pissed off seeing Luke show concern for my girl. Who is he to you? No one. He has no right to ask questions about you.”

“You still shouldn’t have talked about me like that,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. The memory of his hurtful words hangs heavy in the air.

He cups my face, his gaze searching mine. “I know,” he grits out, his jaw clenched tight. “But I didn’t mean anything by it. You know how I’ve always felt about you,” he says, kissing my cheeks and my nose.

His words spark a flicker of warmth in my chest. Could this be real?

He leans in, his lips capturing mine in a hungry kiss. It's passionate and possessive, a stark contrast to the tender sweetness I shared with Titan. My body responds instinctively, but there’s a nervous energy inside me now. I don’t think I can take more heartbreak.

“Seren,” he whispers between kisses, his voice a husky caress. “You belong by my side. We can build a future together.”

His promises wash over me, each word a brushstroke painting a picture of a life together, but I’m not sure he means it.

I try once again to pull back, but a flicker of panic crosses his face. “Seren, wait,” he pleads, his voice cracking. “Don’t you get it? I can’t lose you.”

Soon, his touch deepens, sending a jolt of confusion through me. It’s gentler this time, but the sudden sweetness feels forced.

We ride the waves of pleasure together, but while the intensity fades, he stays inside me, kissing, coaxing, murmuring sweet words. But the word “love” never crosses his lips.

If he did love me, he would’ve said it. He would’ve stopped everything, apologized for each horrible word, and explained how things would change in the future. Instead, all I get are displays of his possessiveness.

Theron has never taken me seriously. The realization hits me with a brutal clarity. His current actions are simply him trying to control the situation on his terms so I don’t leave.

Nothing will ever change between us.

As he starts moving inside me again, I decide this will be the last time he touches me.

Tears well up in my eyes again, but this time, they’re for my shattered hopes and the future I naively envisioned with him.