Chapter 183
Lily POV
The soft chime of my phone notification pierced through the haze of contentment that had settled over us. Lazily, I reached for the device where it had fallen beside the blanket, expecting to see a message from Celeste or perhaps Emma checking on my whereabouts.
Instead, the time display made my blood run cold: 4:00 PM.
“Oh my God!” I screamed, the sound echoing across the peaceful lake and startling a flock of birds from nearby trees. “Kai, it’s four o’clock p>
I was supposed to have met the history lecturer at two o’clock sharp. We had been here for nearly six hours—six hours of stolen time that I hadn’t even noticed passing in the blissful bubble of being with my mate.
I quickly extricated myself from Kai’s arms, jumping to my feet in a panic. My clothes were scattered around the blanket where we had discarded them during our passionate afternoon, and I frantically began gathering them up.
“What’s wrong?” Kai asked, alarm evident in his voice as he sat up, his hair disheveled and his chest still bare.
“I was supposed to meet with the history professor at two PM,” I said, my voice high with anxiety as I struggled to put on my undies with shaking hands. “He’s going to think I’m completely irresponsible p>
My bra was twisted, and I fumbled with the clasp while trying to step into my panties at the same time. The silk fabric of my blouse had gotten tangled with my blazer, and in my frenzy to dress quickly, I nearly tripped over my own feet.
“Lily, calm down,” Kai said, rising to his feet and reaching for his own shirt. “It’s going to be alright. If you want, I can call the Faculty Dean and explain that there was a family emergency or p>
“No!” I interrupted sharply, finally managing to get my bra secured and reaching for my slacks. “You can’t do that p>
“Why not?” he asked, clearly confused by my vehement refusal.
I pulled on my pants, still fumbling with the zipper as I tried to explain. “Because the history lecturer already asked me what my relationship was with the Alpha—with you—to receive such preferential treatment. If you start making calls to the Faculty Dean, it’s just going to confirm his suspicions p>
Something dark flickered across Kai’s face at my words. “He asked you what?” His voice had taken on a dangerous edge that made me pause in my frantic dressing.
“It’s not important,” I said quickly, pulling my blouse over my head. “He was just curious about why I was getting special attention p>
“That question was completely improper,” Kai interrupted, his voice growing louder with anger. “He had no right to ask you about our relationship. It’s none of his damn business p>
I could see the fury building in his expression, the way his jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists at his sides. “Kai, please, it’s fine. I didn’t answer him anyway p>
“Fine?” He started pacing back and forth on the blanket, his movements were filled with agitation. “It’s not fine, Lily! What kind of professor interrogates his students about their personal lives? The man sounds like a perverted creep who gets off on prying into young women’s private affairs p>
“Kai, you’re overreacting p>
“I’m going to speak with the Faculty Dean,” he continued as if I hadn’t spoken, his voice getting progressively more heated. “This history man character needs to be reported for harassment. Better yet, I’ll speak with him directly. Make it clear that he needs to keep his inappropriate questions to himself or face the consequences p>
A chill ran down my spine as I watched him pace, his movements becoming more erratic with each passing second. This wasn’t normal anger—this was something else entirely. The fury radiating from him felt disproportionate to the situation, and there was something in his eyes that made my stomach clench with fear.
The curse. This had to be the curse taking effect.
I had only managed to put on my slacks and was reaching for my blouse when I realized the true danger of our situation. We had been together for hours, intimate and close, and now the curse was showing itself with a vengeance. Reminding us it was still here.
“Kai,” I said softly, moving toward him with carefully with my hands raised placatingly, “I need you to calm down p>
“Calm down?” he yelled, whirling to face me with eyes that had gone completely cold. The warmth and love that had been there moments before had been replaced by something icy and dangerous. “You want me to calm down while some perverted professor is harassing my mate p>
I swallowed hard, fear rising in my throat, but I forced myself to remain steady. “It’s me, Kai. Look at me. I’m here, I’m safe. Nothing happened p>
I reached out to touch his arm, hoping the physical contact might ground him, might bring him back to himself. But the moment my fingers made contact with his skin, he reacted with inhuman speed.
“Don’t touch me!” he snarled, shoving me away from him with such force that I lost my balance completely.
I hit the ground hard, my bare back scraping against rocks and pine needles. Pain shot through my shoulder where I’d landed awkwardly, but before I could even attempt to stand, Kai was on me.
He lifted me effortlessly, as he carried me toward a large pine tree at the edge of our clearing. The bark was rough as he slammed me against it, the impact driving the air from my lungs.
“Kai, please—” I gasped, but my words were cut off as his hand closed around my throat.
His grip tightened inexorably, cutting off my air supply. I clawed at his hand, trying to pry his fingers away, but his strength was overwhelming. The cold, empty look in his eyes terrified me more than the physical threat—it was as if he didn’t even recognize me.
Tears streamed down my face as I fought for breath, my vision starting to blur around the edges. With desperate determination, I cupped his face with both hands, trying to reach the man I loved beneath the curse’s influence.
“It’s me, Kai,” I whispered, my voice barely audible through his grip on my throat. “Baby, it’s me. I’m here. I love you p>
But nothing I said seemed to penetrate the cold fury that had taken hold of him. His grip remained steady, methodical, as if he were performing some necessary but unpleasant task.
My lungs burned with the need for oxygen, and panic began to set in as I realized I was losing consciousness. In desperation, I reached out with my mind, using the ability Celeste had described—the Moonwhisper gift that allowed me to access any wolf’s mindlink.
Kai, I projected with every ounce of strength I had left, it’s Lily. Come back to me.
The effect was immediate and startling. The coldness in his eyes flickered, confusion replacing the empty fury. His grip on my throat loosened slightly, allowing me to draw in a gasping breath.
I’m here, I continued through the mindlink, maintaining the connection with every bit of mental strength I possessed. Your mate is here. Come back to me.
Suddenly, his eyes cleared completely, the warmth and recognition came back. When he realized what he was doing—his hands around my throat, my feet barely touching the ground—he released me immediately and stumbled backward as if I’d burned him.
“Oh God,” he breathed, horror and self-disgust written across every line of his face. “Lily, what did I—what have I done p>
I collapsed to my knees, gasping and coughing as I tried to draw air into my burning lungs. My throat felt raw and bruised, and I could already feel the tender spots where his fingers had pressed too hard.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry. I tried to hurt you. I could have killed you p>
The devastation in his voice was almost worse than the physical attack had been. I could see him retreating into himself, the guilt and horror of what the curse had made him do threatening to destroy him.
“It wasn’t you,” I croaked, my voice hoarse from the damage to my throat. “It was the curse. You fought it off, Kai. You came back to me p>