CHAPTER 75: HIS BREATH ON HER SKIN

At the moment, the wind stilled.

And so did Aurelius.

She watched him closely with trembling eyes, waiting for any deep reaction.

Anything. He just stared at her.

"Theo...dora?" He repeated slowly, like his tongue had forgotten how to work. The name tasted different in his mouth.

Then, his eyes dragged over her. Like, he really stared at her like it was his first time seeing her because in a way, it kind of was. Everything he had ever assumed, analysed and argued about her burned into ash before his eyes.

And then, it really hit him.

He was staring at a girl. A woman.

"You’re...," His voice cracked sharply, "You’re a girl?" He sounded stupid, yes, but he didn’t know what else to say.

Theo swallowed again, "Yes, I’ve been hiding it since the day I got here,"

Silence settled between them again.

The wind picked up again, carrying her scent and wrapping it around his nose.

Pine, with a dash of jasmine. His whole body reacted like he had just been struck by lightning - his muscles tensed, his heart skipped, and his wolf paced restlessly inside of him.

For a moment, he looked furious with himself.

Then, he took a step closer to her. When he was too close and still approaching, she naturally backed away till her back softly hit a nearby rock.

"You...," His voice sounded rough, and the smug look was completely gone, "Do you even know what you’ve done? Of all places to go...,"

"This was the perfect place for me, Aurelius," She cut him off, "I had no other choice but to come here, or I would...," She clenched her teeth, "I would have been married to Cain by now. Tell me, if you were in my shoes, would you just sit there and allow yourself to be bound to the monster like him?"

Aurelius went still again, with something complicated behind his stare.

Then, recognition flared in his eyes.

"So that’s the reason why," He murmured, "You’re Darius’s daughter that ran away and hasn’t been found...yet,"

"I won’t ever be found," She stated.

"Wishful thinking, Redhead," He replied.

The tension between them thickened, and Aurelius leaned in till their breath mingled. He was close enough that the heat of him seeped into her skin.

His voice dropped even lower, even rougher, like something feral was ready to slip through, "I smelled you, you know - your real scent,"

She subconsciously pressed her back harder against the stone.

"And it drove my wolf insane. I thought I was losing my mind," He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

She stilled again.

His eyes swept her face slowly, lingering on her lips longer than they should have, and something inside him snapped.

Something instinctive.

Something primal.

"You fought off an entire pack of Second-years," he whispered, his hand bracing beside her head on the rock behind her, "You challenged them. Dominated them,"

"I’m not denying that. Plus, they didn’t give me a choice,"

"And You’re a damn Silver Wolf," he said, almost reverently, "And a female one at that. Do you understand how rare that is?"

"Yes," she whispered.

Aurelius shook his head, almost in disbelief, "No. I don’t think you do,"

Their eyes locked, and his voice dropped, barely audible, "Do you have any idea what you’ve put yourself in the middle of, Theodora?"

Her name in his mouth made her knees weaken.

Theo swallowed hard, "I’m trying to survive. That’s all."

Aurelius stared at her for a long moment, then he let out a long and deep exhale.

His next words caught her unexpectedly, "Why didn’t you tell me before?"

She stared at him with wide eyes. His eyes were soft and warm, but he looked pained.

"I...I...," She didn’t know what to say, "I didn’t think it was the right move to tell you,"

"You didn’t trust me,"

"Well yeah, I mean you’re you, and it didn’t feel right to tell you,"

"Then why are you trusting me now?"

"You gave me no other choice,"

"Wrong," He whispered, brushing a stray stand of hair from her hair so gently it hurt, "You chose me,"

She frowned, "I didn’t choose you,"

"You had another choice apart from the ones I gave you. With your strength, you could have managed to take me down and kill me right here, throw me over the cliff and this whole thing ends," He explained.

And then, his lips twitched into the most devastating curve, "But you didn’t, Redhead, so you chose me,"

Her breath caught, "So you brought me to this location on purpose?"

"Yes,"

"Does this mean...you’ll keep my secret?"

His eyes flickered mischievously, "Maybe. Maybe not,"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Maybe. Maybe not,"

"Do you always have to be annoying and full of yourself?"

He shrugged, "I’m an Alpha. Were you expecting hugs and flowers?"

She groaned, "I should have thrown you off the goddamn cliff,"

He let out a hearty laughter, "You’re too good a person to kill anyone like that,"

"Goody-two-shoes?" She murmured under her breath.

"Is that how you describe yourself?"

"No," She gritted, "It’s how a certain devil does,"

"What?"

"Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I just realised something. If you were able to pick up my scent, that means the other Second-years must have realised the same thing...Oh No! This is Terrible!"

"Yeah," He agreed, "You made a big mistake today, Redhead," Then he smiled, "But lucky for you, I’ve shoved your mess deep into the dirt,"

Her brows furrowed, her tongue darting out to lick her lips that had gone dry, "What do you mean by that?"

Aurelius’s eyes followed the movement, and hunger blazed in his gaze. Quickly, he pulled back before he would do something she would slap him for.

Aurelius cleared his throat and swallowed.

"It means, not only do you owe me one for keeping your secret, but you owe me another for cleaning your mess. You don’t have to worry about the Second-years, at all,"

She asked again, "What did you do?"

"Stop asking," He glared a little.

"Fine,"

There was another long silence, then he asked softly, "Am I the only one who knows your secret?"

She shook her head.

"Tell me - who else knows?"

She sighed, "Eric knows. Eric and Finn,"

"Eric, the one you beat up earlier today. And Finn... wasn’t that the one you saw kissing another guy the other day?"

"Huh?" She looked confused, "Kissing what guy?"

"At the abandoned side of the school. The day you were drunk,"

"I don’t remember anything," She confessed.

"Why don’t you...," He stopped himself, "Anyway, Eric’s the guy you like, and Finn’s the one he’s with,"

Dread filled her eyes, "How do you know that?"

"Have you seen the way you look at him?" Aurelius chuckled.

She groaned again.

"Is that all? Eric and Finn?"

She thought about Sylas for a moment, but she wasn’t sure. Does he...or does he not? "That’s all,"

"Fine," He murmured, "Three people knowing your secret is already too much. Don’t let that number rise," His eyes dipped to her lips again, then back up, "And don’t ever shift again, unless you’re prepared to start a war,"

Her heart thudded painfully, "I won’t,"

"You will," He corrected softly, "Trouble follows you like a damn shadow, Redhead," His jaw tensed, "And it’s about to start following me, too,"

"Does this mean you’re going to help me?" She asked again.

"Maybe," His finger brushed the underside of her jaw, "Maybe not, little Redhead,"