Chapter 156: I will protect...
Lawrence.
The moment her lips brushed against the sensitive shell of my ear, a violent, electric tremor coursed straight down my spine. The warm whisper of her voice was like a match thrown into dry brushwood, igniting a fire that threatened to consume us both.
"You are all mine!"
Those five words echoed through the hollow chambers of my mind, reverberating with an intensity that shattered whatever fragile composure I had left.
I was losing control, rapidly slipping into the dark, primal depths of my instincts. And I wasn’t alone in my descent. Deep within me, my wolf clawed at the surface, thrashing against his chains, equally intoxicated by her scent and her sudden, fierce declaration. A dark, possessive urge flared to life; those words were a beautiful provocation, and I wanted so desperately to punish her mouth for uttering them.
Without another second of hesitation, my hands moved of their own accord. I wrapped my arms securely around her slender waist, eliminating the agonizing distance between us, and yanked her flush against my chest.
My palms traced a slow, burning path upward—sliding from the curve of her waist, dragging along the sensitive skin of her back—before pulling her even closer. I held her tight, letting the heat of our bodies fuse, until her head rested against mine and our frantic breaths mingled in the quiet space between us.
Unable to resist the pull for a moment longer, I leaned down and claimed her lips. There was no gentleness in it; it was the desperate, unyielding kiss of a hungry, possessive man staking his claim on what was rightfully his.
"You are mine, Theresa!" I growled against her mouth, the declaration torn from my throat in-between fierce, bruising kisses.
One of my hands slid up to cup her jaw, my thumb anchoring her face to mine, while my other hand maintained a crushing, unwavering grip on her waist to keep her anchored to me.
Instead of pulling away, she met my fury with her own. Theresa kissed me back with a wild, desperate intensity that left me breathless—an eagerness so raw and consuming it felt as though she had been starved of touch for years.
A dark, bitter thought flashed through my mind:
Had Alex really been that useless? Had he failed to satisfy even her most basic desires?
But the thought vanished as quickly as it came. It didn’t matter. That pathetic Chapter of her life was officially over.
She belonged to me now.
Driven by the triumph of that realization, I deepened the kiss, tasting her fully.
Inside my head, my wolf let out a rumbling growl of pure, unadulterated possession. He was fighting me for the reins, desperate to break through the surface.
We were entirely in sync; both man and beast wanted nothing more than to have her beneath us, breathless and screaming my name.
With a sharp intake of air, I reluctantly broke the contact of our lips. I trailed my fingers slowly down the delicate column of her neck, feeling her pulse racing wildly beneath my touch.
"Theresa!" I called out, my voice thick, low, and husky with desire. "Call my name!" I commanded.
The moment the command left my lips, the spell shattered. Theresa abruptly averted her gaze, refusing to look at me, and pressed her palms against my chest to push me away.
The sudden rejection was like a splash of ice water. She turned her back to me, walking with stiff, hurried steps toward the window, where she stood silently staring out into the space.
I stood frozen in the center of the room, immediately and utterly puzzled.
The whiplash of her sudden withdrawal left my mind spinning.
Did I do something wrong?
Had my tone been too harsh, or had the beast in me pushed her too far, too fast?
Desperate to mend the sudden, agonizing rift between us, I got up from the bed. I crossed the room quietly, closing the distance she had just put between us, and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind.
I pulled her back against my chest, seeking to reassure her, before leaning down to press a soft, lingering kiss against the warm skin of her neck.
"I’m so sorry if I said anything out of place!" I pleaded, the words rushing out of me in an immediate, desperate apology.
I hated the thought of being the source of her retreat.
Theresa didn’t respond. She remained completely still in my embrace, offering no word or sign of forgiveness. Left with no other choice but to coax a reaction from her, I continued to press my lips to her neck. I gently gathered her thick hair, draping it over her opposite shoulder to clear the way, and continued to trail soft, apologetic kisses along the sensitive curve of her shoulder and jaw.
"Tell me, Theresa," I murmured calmly against her skin, my voice laced with a gentle, patient sincerity. "How do I make this right? Tell me how to apologize."
"Lawrence..."
She finally spoke my name, but the sound of it cut straight through me. Her voice was entirely broken, cracked with a heavy, suffocating sorrow.
"My pup," she whispered, the words trembling with a raw, desperate maternal instinct. "I need to protect it!"
The confession struck me like a physical blow. I immediately stopped kissing her neck, the desire evaporating from my veins as a cold wave of reality washed over me. I gently but firmly gripped her shoulders and turned her around to face me.
When I looked at her, my heart wrenched—she was crying.
Heavy, silent tears were spilling down her cheeks.
In that painful moment, the truth was laid bare: her unborn pup was incredibly precious to her, more important than her own comfort, her own safety, or even us.
I took a slow, deep breath as my mind instantly became a chaotic, conflicted battleground. We were supposed to be against the existence of this child; everything about our pack, our laws, and our future screamed that this pup shouldn’t exist.
Yet, seeing her tears completely dismantled my resolve. I couldn’t bear to see her weep. Even knowing the danger, even knowing where we stood, she had bared her soul and trusted me with the truth of her fiercely guarded devotion to her child.
I swallowed hard, clearing the lump of hesitation in my throat. Without thinking of the consequences, the laws, or the war it might bring, I looked into her tear-filled eyes and declared firmly:
"I will protect your pup!" I paused. "Our pup!"