Chapter Five: Secrets And Sin

Helena’s POV 

Liard’s hands were on me, hot, firm and possessive.

His fingers traced the curve of my waist, leaving a trail of heat that burned through the thin fabric of my coral nightdress. A low growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating against my skin as he pressed me back against something solid, immovable.

A tree? A wall? I didn’t know.

All I knew was him, Liard. My Alpha.

His lips hovered just above mine, his breath warm, his scent intoxicating. Woodsmoke and something undeniably strong and masculine.

My body betrayed me, arching into him. My fingers curled against his bare chest, feeling the ridges of his muscle beneath my palms. His skin was hotter than it should be, his presence too overwhelming, too consuming.

“You want this,” he murmured, his voice rough, edged with restraint.

I did.

Goddess help me, I did.

But—No.

This wasn’t right.

I opened my mouth to say something, to push him away, to deny what my body already knew…

But before I could speak, his lips crashed against mine.

A moan escaped me, swallowed by his mouth. The kiss was raw, desperate, devastating.

He tasted like heat, like sin, like something I could never have.

My fingers dug into his skin. He groaned, his hands tightening around my hips, pulling me closer, so close there was no space between us.

I was drowning in him.

Falling, losing.

And then… I woke up.

I shot upright on the bed, gasping. My skin was flushed, my breath ragged.

The sheets were tangled around my legs, my body aching in ways I refused to acknowledge.

The dream lingered, searing through me like a brand.

I pressed a trembling hand to my lips.

They still burned.

I cursed under my breath, throwing the covers off and standing too quickly. This had to stop.

I was not some young, foolish girl caught in the throes of a fated bond.

I was a healer. A mother. The Beta’s mother.

And yet, my body had already betrayed me.

I needed air.

I needed distance.

I needed to get away before I did something I could regret and never undo.

**********

Dawn crept over the horizon in soft shades of silver and blue as I made my way into Silverwood Forest.

I told myself I was here for herbs.

That I needed to restock the infirmary. That I needed something to keep my mind busy.

But deep inside, I knew the truth.

I was running.

Running from Liard.

Running from the truth I could no longer deny.

But Fate is Cruel

I heard him before I saw him.

The soft crunch of boots against the earth. The whisper of movement behind me.

A presence too strong, too familiar.

I turned sharply.

And there he was.

Liard.

Tall, broad-shouldered, effortlessly powerful. His dark hair was slightly tousled, like he had run his hands through it too many times. His storm-gray eyes locked onto mine, unreadable, unrelenting.

The forest fell into silence around us.

Even the wind dared not move.

My pulse jumped, racing.

"You shouldn't be here," I whispered, my voice barely steady.

Liard took a slow step forward. "And yet, here I am."

I swallowed hard, forcing my feet to stay planted. "Why are you following me?"

His gaze never wavered. "You know why."

I stepped back, but he followed.

The space between us disappeared, charged with something dangerous, something neither of us could fight much longer.

“Liard, please,” I whispered, hating the way my voice shook. “We cannot.”

His fingers brushed my wrist, igniting something deep inside me, something I had tried so hard to smother.

"Then tell me to stop," he said, his voice rough, edged with something that made my toes curl.

My lips parted, but no words came.

Because I couldn’t say it.

Not when I felt his warmth pressing into me.

Not when the bond was singing between us, undeniable and cruel.

And then his lips crashed against mine.

Immediately the world around me faded.

A sharp gasp tore from my throat, swallowed instantly as his mouth devoured mine.

Heat. Desire. Desperation.

His hands gripped my waist, pulling me flush against him. The scent of him, the sheer strength in his body, made me dizzy.

My fingers fisted in his shirt, holding on to the very thing I should have been pushing away.

I should stop.

I needed to stop.

But I couldn’t.

Because, for the first time in years, I felt alive.

But reality slammed back into me.

With a choked breath, I shoved him away, stumbling back like I had been burned.

"Stop," I gasped, my breath uneven.

Liard growled, his hands still half-reaching for me. "Then why does it feel like the only thing that’s right?"

My heart twisted.

The warmth of his lips still lingered, burning a memory onto my skin I couldn’t erase.

I took a step back, pressing my trembling fingers to my mouth as if I could wipe away the kiss. But nothing could undo it. Nothing could take back what had just happened.

My breath came in shallow gasps, my heart pounding so hard it hurt.

I had let him kiss me.

Worse, I had kissed him back.

And now… there was no pretending. No more lying to myself.

I kept stepping back, needing to put as much distance as possible between us. But Liard didn’t move. He just stood there, watching me, his breathing heavy, his hands still curled into fists like he was holding himself back.

I turned, gripping the bark of a tree for balance, my nails digging into the rough surface.

“This is wrong.”

The words barely left my lips before I hated them. Because they weren’t entirely true.

Liard’s low growl rumbled through the silence. "Then why do you want it?"

I squeezed my eyes shut. “I don’t.”

“Liar”. He growled at me

The bond thrummed in my veins, mocking me, pulling me toward him even as my mind screamed to run.

I forced myself to turn back, meeting his gaze.

His storm-gray eyes were darker than I’d ever seen them.

Fierce. Frustrated. Devouring.

“You can keep running,” he murmured, his voice rough and raw, edged with something I couldn’t name. “You can keep pretending. But we both know the truth.”

My throat tightened. “There is no truth, Liard. Just… a mistake.”

His jaw ticked.

“A mistake?” His voice was wickedly soft. “Is that what that was to you?”

I forced myself to nod, even as something inside me screamed at the lie.

I expected him to get angry. To lash out.

Instead, he just let out a bitter laugh.

A dark, humorless sound that sent a shiver down my spine.

He took a slow step forward, and I took another step back, but my shoes caught on a root, forcing me to stop.

Liard noticed.

His eyes locked onto mine, unrelenting.

“You can say it was a mistake,” he murmured. “You can even try to make yourself believe it.”

He took another step closer now. Too close to me.

“But when you dream of me tonight, when you wake up feeling this bond still burning through you…”

His fingers grazed my wrist, a featherlight touch that sent heat racing up my arm.

“…tell me, Helena.”

His voice was nothing but a whisper now.

“Will it still feel like a mistake then?”

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t move.

Because, damn him…

I already knew the answer.