CHAPTER 286: GOING OUT

****************

Chapter 286

~Valerie’s POV~

I managed to pick myself up after Kai left and tried focusing all of my aura to mask this, but it was getting harder to control.

Thankfully, the rest of my classes weren’t as terrible. I did not wait for Isla or Emerald as I headed straight to their house.

And all through, I avoided them, staying locked up in my room.

A soft knock echoed through my room just as I tied the laces of my sneakers.

I blinked, recognising that scent... smoky cedarwood and something darker like a nightmare of waves, hotter still.

Ash.

My heart gave a traitorous thump.

When I opened the door, he wasn’t even facing me. Ash was pacing back and forth outside like a caged storm, arms folded, head tilted slightly up as though trying to smell something on the breeze.

His eyes flicked toward me the moment the door creaked open. Red, bright, glowing, and hungry.

"Ash?"

He stopped mid-step, exhaling. "Shit—sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you."

"You didn’t. I was..." I hesitated. "Getting ready to go for a run."

His gaze dropped down my body.

Only then did I remember I was dressed in all black—snug joggers, a zip-up hoodie that I hadn’t fully zipped, leaving my sports bra in view, sneakers already laced.

Not exactly sultry, but somehow the way he looked at me made me feel like I was wearing nothing at all.

"I just needed to see you," Ash said, stepping closer. "I couldn’t sleep."

I swallowed. "Because of...?"

He nodded once. "The bond. It’s louder than ever." His voice dropped lower. "It’s like it’s clawing at my skin. I kept thinking... if I could just smell you... feel you near me... maybe it’d settle."

I leaned slightly against the doorframe. "Ash..."

"I’m not here to cross any lines," he said quickly. "I just... can I hug you?"

My chest ached. Despite everything, I knew he meant it.

I nodded and stepped into him.

His arms wrapped around me immediately, pulling me in with a low breath like he was finally breathing after being underwater for too long.

His warmth surrounded me, bigger, hotter, more intense than I remembered. The Lycan heat, mate bond pull was all there.

And then something shifted.

His nose brushed the side of my neck, just a subtle drag of skin-on-skin that made my stomach clench.

Neither of us moved as he waited for me tos top him like the other time but I didn’t.

I should’ve pulled back.

I didn’t.

Instead, I tilted my chin, ever so slightly, and Ash’s lips found mine.

The kiss started softly, but like a match to dry leaves, it caught fast.

His mouth opened against mine, claiming me with a heat I hadn’t expected, deeply. He tasted like fire and midnight, like something primal and forbidden.

I kissed him back.

Gods help me—I kissed him back with all the tension I’d been bottling up since Kai earlier.

But then he pulled away—barely, breathing hard, blue eyes flickering with restrained chaos.

"I shouldn’t have done that," he murmured, voice wrecked.

My lips tingled and my heart thundered.

I forced a smile. "It doesn’t matter. You can." Something flickered in Ash’s eyes. "I am done running from my mates." He took a step forward, but I raised my palm to stop him. "But you should go."

He nodded, stepping back. But then his eyes flicked down to my outfit again, his brows furrowed. "You’re really going running? At this hour?"

I nodded slowly. "Helps me clear my head."

"Do you want me to come with—?"

"No." I cut in gently. "I need to do this alone."

Ash hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. Just... be careful, okay?"

"I will."

He took one last lingering glance at me—like he was memorizing something—before turning and walking away.

I closed the door and leaned back against it, exhaling hard.

My hand pressed to my chest, where my heart was pounding against my ribs like it wanted to break out and run after him.

"It’s just past eleven," I muttered to myself. "I need to leave before twelve..."

I grabbed the small pouch from beneath my bed and slung it over my shoulder, zipping my hoodie all the way up.

"Time to chase the girls..."

**************

The night air was cool against my skin as I crouched near the window, tugging the hoodie over my head until the edge shadowed my face.

It was quiet, eerily so. Most of the estate had gone still, the hallways dimmed, the heavy tension of day and bond finally settling into a breathless lull.

But I couldn’t stay. It was already fifteen minutes to midnight.

I needed to be gone.

My gaze flicked to the glass, to the faint moonlight spilling over the North wall far beyond.

And just as I placed one foot on the window ledge, the memory came rushing back.

***************

Earlier that evening, just after Ash had left and I’d returned to my room, I had opened the door, planning to walk straight out. I hadn’t expected to run into anyone, definitely not Axel.

But there he was. Leaning against the hallway wall like he’d been waiting.

His arms were crossed, his red hair catching the low light. His eyes locked onto mine the moment I stepped out, narrowed with silent suspicion.

"Where are you going?" His tone was low, calm, but I heard the edge under it.

I lifted my chin. "For a run."

"At this hour?" His gaze dropped to my hoodie, joggers, and sneakers, then back to my face. "Seriously, Val?"

"I need air. To clear my head."

"I get that." He stepped closer, not menacing but firm. "But running through the woods at almost midnight? Even we have limits, you know."

"There’s no curfew here, right?"

"No," he agreed. "But you’re not just anyone. You’re bonded to six alphas—do you really think we’re going to let you roam out there with your heat rising and every unstable wolf within five miles feeling it?"

I looked away, clenching my jaw. "I won’t go far."

He sighed, exasperated. "Hit the house gym instead. It’s empty this time of night. I’ll even wait with you."

"I don’t want to run in a cage."

The moment the words slipped out, his expression darkened slightly.

"Is that what this feels like to you?" he asked quietly.

"No... Axel, it’s not like that, but I just... Forget it."

"Valerie."

"No need to wake the others. I get it. Goodnight."

"Val..."

I didn’t answer. Just turned back toward my room and closed the door behind me.