Chapter Thirty-two
Faelen’s POV
There was just no easy way to stop thinking about him.
No matter how hard I tried to push the thoughts away, Hunter’s face, his voice, even the way he moved kept creeping into my mind.
The more I resisted, the stronger the pull became.
When it was time to take the tea to him, I felt my heart race. I wanted to see him again, even though I told myself I shouldn’t.
I’d made myself rehearse what to say, how to act normal, but all of that dissolved as I approached his office door.
I knocked softly, unsure if he’d even hear it. I hoped in my mind he wouldn’t notice how much my hand was trembling.
“I said I don’t want to be disturbed,” Hunter’s deep voice called from inside, making my heart leap.
For a moment, I considered turning away. Maybe it was better if I stayed away. But I’d promised to bring him tea.
“You asked me to bring you tea, Alpha,” I said quietly from the hallway.
There was a long pause, then his voice softened slightly. “Come in.”
I pushed the door open, stepping inside. When my eyes landed on him, Hunter was buried in paperwork, files spread out across his desk and more in his hands.
His brow was furrowed in deep concentration, and when he glanced up, his eyes shifted quickly to his wristwatch, and I could see the faint surprise on his face.
He’d obviously lost track of time.
“Place it on the other table,” he said pointing with the paper in his hand. His voice was a little distant too, as his attention immediately returned to the files in front of him.
I nodded and walked over to the side table, but my thoughts were spinning, my heart beating too fast. The sight of him again… so handsomely lost and focused on his work.
The sight involuntarily brought back all the memories from last night’s dream, the way I’d felt his hands inside me, his lips trailing across my skin…
I quickly blinked hard, trying to stop myself from entertaining such thoughts. “Stop it, Faelen, you can’t think about him like that. Not here.” I whispered under my breath.
But the more I tried to ignore it, the more my hands trembled as I placed the tea down.
When I finally turned around, I nearly jumped. Hunter was standing right behind me, so close I could feel the heat of his body, his breath even brushing against my skin.
Wondering how he’d snuck up on me so fast without making a sound, I gasped and almost knocked over the tea in my startled state.
But when I looked up at Hunter… knowing how much he hated me knocking things off… there was no anger in his eyes. Instead, there was something else.
He just stared at me, his gaze deep and intense, and for a moment, I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. Like his eyes magically held me there.
All I could do was breathe, trapped in his presence, with his body just inches from mine.
Then, slowly, he raised a hand to my face, his fingers first brushing a strand of hair, then softly against my cheek.
My breath fastened at his contact, my skin tingling where he touched me. My mind screamed at me to pull away, to do something, but I couldn’t.
Instead, I found myself leaning into his hand, drawn to his warmth, to the softness of his touch.
We didn’t speak. We just stood there, gazing into each other’s eyes, the air between us thick with something I didn’t understand but just couldn’t resist.
His hand slid down from my cheek to my neck, his fingers tracing a path that made my skin burn with desire, I almost closed my eyes.
I wasn’t sure if I was breathing anymore, if I was even capable of anything at that moment. Hunter’s other hand then reached for me, wrapping gently around my waist.
Maybe I should have pushed him away, or told him to stop, but all I wanted was more. More of his touch, more of this closeness.
“Why…” His low voice whispered, as though he was talking more to himself than to me. “Why do you have this effect on me?”
I had no answer. All I knew was that I felt the same pull, the same uncontrollable force that made me want him, even when I knew I shouldn’t.
His hands were still on me, his warmth seeping into my skin, and for the first time in a long while, I felt like I didn’t want to fight it anymore. I didn’t want to resist him.
Before either of us could react, Hunter suddenly pulled away, his hands dropping from my waist as if he had been burned.
He turned his back to me and walked away so quickly that I barely had time to register what was happening.
For a moment, I stood there, frozen, watching him as he stood stiffly by his desk. My heart was pounding in my chest, my body still tingling from where his hands had been on me.
I didn’t know what to do, but my instincts urged me to move toward him, to close the distance again. But just as I took a step forward, his voice cut through the air.
“That will be all for now,” he said, his tone turning firm, but not harsh.
I stopped, my foot hanging in the air for a second before I pulled it back. His words in a way felt a little like disappointment, jolting me out of the haze I’d been in just moments ago.
Hunter’s closeness, his warmth, the way we seemed to be one for a brief moment… it all vanished in an instant, replaced by a suffocating tension that now hung between us.
I couldn’t understand it. Just a moment ago, it had felt like we were connected, as though we were both giving in to whatever pull there was between us.
I had felt it, hadn’t I? That spark, that undeniable bond, as though our minds and souls were about to blend into one.
But now… now he was shutting me out, his back turned against me, his posture hard and resisting.
Straightening my dress, I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to nod, even though he couldn’t see me. “Yes, Alpha,” I murmured, my voice barely audible.
I bowed slightly too, more out of habit than respect at that moment, then turned and walked toward the door. My legs felt heavy as I moved, every step taking more effort than it normally should.
When I finally emerged into the hallway, I gently closed the door behind me and quietly leaned against it, letting out a heavy sigh I hadn’t realized I had been holding in.
I stood there for a moment, trying to gather myself, my mind still spinning from what had just happened.
“What the hell was that?” I thought out loud… I couldn’t help it.
One second, I was sure we were about to fall into something neither of us could stop, and the next, he was pushing me away, dismissing me like I was nothing.
I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling my heart still racing beneath my fingers. Whatever this was between us, I knew it was dangerous.
But even knowing that, I couldn’t stop the ache that tugged in my chest, wanting to go back into that office and feel his touch again any way possible.
I pushed myself off the door and started walking down the hallway, my mind still trapped in the confusion of what had just happened.
I tried to focus on the sound of my footsteps, the feel of the air in my lungs, anything to calm myself.
What had I done to him? And more importantly, what had he done to me?
I walked out of the estate completely, feeling like I could barely breathe, the walls suffocating me after what had just happened in Hunter’s office.
The air outside felt better, the soft breeze brushing against my skin and feeling cool in my lungs, still, it did little to calm the storm inside me.
I wandered down the stone steps, trying to clear my head, though every thought seemed to circle back to Hunter of course… his powerful, yet soft touch, his eyes, the way it bored into my soul, awaking something deep within me.
I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what would happen next. If we’d just pretend nothing had happened?
Would he continue to act distant, even though we both knew there was something more? My mind was spinning.
Standing below the stone steps now, deep in thoughts, I barely noticed Caleb walking toward the training field until he was almost past me.
I glanced up, expecting him to stop, to say something like he usually did, but instead, he just shot me a glance.
His eyes lingered for a moment before he just looked away, continuing on his way as though I wasn’t even there.
I stood there surprised, watching him walk away, my stomach twisting. “What is wrong today?” I wondered.
Why didn’t Caleb stop? He’d always stopped to chat whenever he saw me, even if it was just for a moment, always had a kind word or a warm smile towards me.
But apparently not today.
Was it because of Hunter? My conscience pricked at me, reminding me of the illicit thoughts of Hunter I have been carrying with me for days.
Maybe Caleb had sensed something… worse, maybe he’d noticed the way I looked at Hunter. I bit my lip, the guilt tightening around my chest.
I couldn’t deny the pull I felt toward Hunter, just as he couldn’t deny the fact that he was affected by me as well.
But that didn’t make it feel any better, and now, seeing Caleb’s reaction… or the lack of it rather… made me question everything.
“How long before everyone else notices?”