Chapter 158: ...only I could satisfy.
LAWRENCE.
I really didn’t know why Bernard wanted Theresa’s blood.
The question had been circling endlessly inside my head ever since everything began to unfold.
No matter how many possibilities I considered, none of them seemed to make complete sense.
Why her?
What was so special about her blood that Bernard was willing to go to such lengths?
The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. And then there was the masked man.
Who the hell was he?
Why was he hiding his identity?
What role did he play in all of this?
Every answer only seemed to lead to another question.
It was frustrating.
It felt as though I had been handed dozens of scattered puzzle pieces without being shown what the finished picture was supposed to look like.
None of the pieces seemed close enough to connect, and I was so sure that there was something much bigger happening behind the scenes.
"I have no idea, Theresa," I finally answered, lifting my eyes to meet hers.
The uncertainty in my voice was genuine. I wasn’t about to lie to her or pretend I understood something that I clearly didn’t.
"But I will find out soon," I declared firmly, as every word carried a silent promise.
One way or another...I would uncover the truth.
Theresa simply nodded her head, as she didn’t question me further. She simply accepted my answer.
As I continued looking at her, my breathing unconsciously slowed. I really couldn’t help swallowing hard.
Even now...even with everything weighing heavily on her shoulders, even while distress lingered in her beautiful eyes...she was absolutely captivating.
There was something about her that made it impossible to look away. Every movement seem to draw me closer to her, and in that moment all I wanted was her.
Damn it.
The thought hit me once again.
I had to share such a priceless gift with my brothers.
The realization stung more than I wanted to admit.
People often spoke about the Moon Goddess’s blessings as though they were the greatest gifts anyone could ever receive—but this didn’t feel like a gift, It felt like torture.
A constant reminder that no matter how deeply I loved her, I could never truly have her to myself.
The Moon Goddess must have made a mistake in creating a bond like this.
Still...no matter what it took...I would make her crave me more than the rest. I would make sure I became the one she longed for above everyone else.
A slow smile spread across my lips as that determination settled firmly inside my heart.
The thought filled me with quiet confidence, and without even realizing what I was doing, I leaned closer, and the distance between us disappeared.
Gently...I captured her lips in a soft, lingering kiss. The kiss was tender, unhurried. I savored every passing second before finally pulling away a few minutes later.
Resting my forehead gently against hers, I closed my eyes for a brief moment.
"I love you, Theresa," I whispered, my voice barely above a breath, as the words came straight from my heart. "I really do love you."
I moved my head away from hers, and I looked at her. For a long, agonizing moment, the world seemed to stop spinning. I searched her wide eyes, desperately trying to read her expression, but I couldn’t tell what was going on in her head. Her mind was a locked vault, leaving me stranded in the heavy silence of my own monumental declaration.
Suddenly feeling deeply embarrassed by the raw vulnerability of my sudden confession, I needed to escape. I immediately stepped back, stood up, and walked straight into the bathroom, closing the door behind me to cool off.
It wasn’t that I was shy about the fact that I had just promised to protect her pup—I meant every word of it. No, my embarrassment stemmed from a much darker, more primal truth. Even in the midst of that incredibly emotional confession, as she still wept in my arms, a shameful part of me had wanted nothing more than to pin her beneath me and claim her body.
Thankfully, she couldn’t read my thoughts, or I surely would have died right then and there from the sheer humiliation of my beast’s relentless desires.
I leaned over the sink, turned on the tap, and cupped my hands under the stream. I splashed the freezing water onto my face, desperate to douse the burning heat rising rapidly within my chest. I rubbed the water into my skin, but it did absolutely nothing to quell the fire in my veins or quiet the frantic beating of my heart.
I was so utterly lost in my own head, splashing more and more cold water onto my face, that I didn’t even hear the door click open. I hadn’t realized Theresa had entered the bathroom until I felt the sudden shift in the air.
I froze, water dripping from my chin, my eyes snapping open to find her standing right there in the small space with me.
"Do you need anything urgently?" I asked her, my voice a bit breathless the moment I regained my senses and found my tongue.
But Theresa didn’t say a single word.
Instead, she took a slow, deliberate step forward, her eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my breath catch in my throat. Before I could even process her movement, her hand went straight for my belt, her fingers instantly working at the leather.
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry as bone.
"Theresa, what are you...?" I started to ask, but my voice trailed off into nothingness.
Before I could finish the question, she lunged forward. Theresa claimed my lips with a wild, possessive hunger that took my breath away. It wasn’t gentle, and it wasn’t hesitant; she kissed me with a fierce, driving desperation, as if she were utterly possessed by a need that only I could satisfy.