BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 178: HEAT OF FUR AND FLAME

Chapter 178: HEAT OF FUR AND FLAME

{ "There is the heat of Love, the pulsing rush of Longing, the lover’s whisper, irresistible—magic to make the sanest man go mad."}

RITA’S POV

I felt it the moment the sun tipped past noon: the tightening in my gut, the slow, crawling burn low in my belly. The wind shifted, carrying with it the sharp, dry scent of pine, but it did nothing to mask what was coming.

Heat season and damn it. I was not ready for it here with her now. The path ahead twisted through old brush and jagged rocks, the trail up to Sagstone Mountain barely a suggestion in the wilderness. Commander Flora stalked ahead of me, tall and surefooted, her dark braid swinging like a battle flag down her back. The late sun cast her in gold and shadow, and the sight alone made my pulse spike in a way that had nothing to do with the incline.

I swallowed hard with the realization that this wasn’t just inconvenient. It was dangerous.

My kind—the Rogourau—didn’t go into heat quietly. Our shifter beast burned with it. We ached. We needed it. And right now, I couldn’t afford to need anything except distance and a cold creek to throw myself into.

"Pick up the pace, Rita. We’re losing daylight," Flora called over her shoulder, her voice crisp and commanding. Gods, even her voice made it worse.

I breathed steadily through my nose and muttered, "Yes, Commander." My tone was clipped, sharper than I meant it to be. She didn’t deserve that. Not when she had no idea what I was fighting off inside me.

She didn’t know that every footstep I took behind her was a battle against the urge to run to her, not with her, and I couldn’t tell her, not yet.

She’d think I was weak. Or worse, reckless. Heat season was when Rogourau wolves found their mates, yes. But it was also when judgment faltered. It made us volatile, vulnerable. And on a mission this sensitive, crossing neutral territories, delivering a peace token to the Sagstone Clan, we couldn’t afford any mistakes. Or distractions.

Especially not the kind that made me want to sink my teeth into my commanding officer’s neck and beg her to. I shook my head violently.

"Get a grip, Rita," I hissed under my breath, digging my nails into my palms.

I could feel it rising again, the fire curling under my skin, the primal need, the instinct that whispered Claim. Mate. Burn. Flora slowed, turning to glance at me. "You okay back there?"

I nodded too fast. "Fine. Just... altitude’s kicking my ass."

She studied me for a beat longer than necessary, her ice-blue eyes narrowing slightly. "You sure?"

But I managed a tight smile. "Positive."

She gave a faint grunt and turned away. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and looked up at the jagged silhouette of Sagstone Peak looming above us. If I could just make it through the next two days, I’d be in the clear. Two days. I could hold it in that long, or so I thought.

Night had settled over the forest like a thick blanket, moonlight filtering through the pine canopy in silver strands. Our campfire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows across the worn bark and mossy stones. The others were quiet, resting, sharpening blades, muttering in low tones. Flora sat on a log across from me, her arms folded, her eyes scanning the darkness like it might lunge at us.

Gods, she looked beautiful. Fierce. Unshaken. She always did, and I was falling apart. The heat pulsed inside me like a second heartbeat, coiling low in my abdomen, sending bursts of sharp, aching want through every inch of my body. My beast stirred just beneath the surface, claws scraping along my skin, whispering in a voice made of breath and hunger.

Take her. Claim her. She’s ours.

I stood up too fast. "I’m going to scout a bit ahead in the mountains. Need some air. I will be back after a while."

Flora’s eyes flicked to me. "Stay close to the camp. There’s been movement in the hills, and we suspect it’s some of the scouts from the Vampire army. If you encounter any danger, retreat and come back to the camp. Dont attack at all"

"Yeah," I muttered, already walking away, "noted."

The minute I was out of view, I broke into a light run, needing the cool wind on my face, needing space. I didn’t stop until I was halfway up the base of Sagstone Mountain, panting, sweating, my body overheated in a way that no cold breeze could fix. I dropped to my knees in the soft dirt behind a boulder and clenched my fists, trying not to dig my nails into the earth like I wanted to dig them into her shoulders.

"Get a grip," I growled, low and desperate, but the beast inside didn’t want to listen. It was pacing, furious, aching with need. The scent of the heatseason was thick on my skin now, I could smell it. If Flora caught that trail, she’d know. Would she understand? Would she push me away? Would she give in?

But it was too late. My mind betrayed me, painting images I couldn’t unsee, her fingers in my hair, her mouth against mine, her body pressed close and strong and willing— "No. No, no, no." I slammed my back against the boulder, biting my lower lip hard enough to taste blood.

I couldn’t let it win. Couldn’t let the beast take over, not here. Not now. Not when the mission mattered more than anything. And yet... part of me wanted to snap and go find Flora and press her against a tree and kiss her until I forgot what pain felt like.

I curled in on myself, forehead against my knees, body shaking with restraint.

"I can’t do this..." I whispered. "I want her too bad."

And worse? I was afraid not and more afraid that she would say yes. The heat wasn’t just a wave now, it was a storm. And I didn’t know how much longer I could hold it back.

It took more than thirty minutes for my body to stop shaking. For my breath to even out. For the fire beneath my skin to dull into a slow, aching simmer instead of a full-blown inferno. I splashed creek water over my face, dragging cold fingers down my neck, trying to force my beast back into the cage.

It didn’t want to go. It was still clawing at the bars, growling my mate’s name like a prayer.

Flora. Flora. Flora.

I clenched my jaw and turned away from the mountain’s slope, making my way back toward the flickering firelight of the camp below. My legs felt like they weren’t mine, too loose in the joints, too tight in the thighs, like every step rubbed against a part of me that was too raw. I stepped back into the clearing, trying to walk like I wasn’t falling apart from the inside out.

Flora was on her feet the second she saw me. Her eyes, those sharp glacier-cut eyes, locked onto mine, and I knew I’d failed.

She could smell it.

She narrowed her eyes, jaw tight, voice like a blade unsheathed. "What’s wrong with you?"

The words hit harder than they should’ve. Not gentle. Not soft. No room to hide. Just that piercing tone made every hair on my body stand on end, and not in a way I could handle right now. I blinked, trying to keep my face neutral, but my skin betrayed me. I could feel the flush across my cheeks, my chest. Heat leaking through the cracks.

"Nothing," I said too fast. Too sharp. My voice cracked on the second syllable, and I winced.

Flora took a step toward me. "That’s not nothing. You smell like lightning about to strike, and your aura’s flaring so hot I can feel it from here. Did someone follow you?" Her gaze darted toward the trees behind me. "Are we being hunted?"

"No. It’s not that," I muttered, looking away, the words clinging to my throat like brambles. "I just... needed air."

"Don’t lie to me, Rita." Her voice dropped, low and deadly quiet. "Not now. Not out here."

Gods, she was too close. I could feel her now, her scent of bay leaves, iron, and fire wrapping around me like a second skin. My wolf shuddered, pacing again, ears up, hungry.

"I’m not—" I swallowed. "It’s the heat season." There. I said it. Sort of.

Flora’s brow furrowed. "What about it?"

I hesitated, pulse slamming through my veins. My throat felt dry and full of splinters. I couldn’t look at her. "I’m in it," I whispered. "I am on heat, Flora. It’s the season of the heat for the Rogourau beast."

The silence cracked wide open between us, and for a long moment, she said nothing.

And then, quieter still: "You should’ve told me."

My breath hitched. My fists clenched.

"I was trying to handle it," I murmured. "I am handling it."

Flora’s gaze softened barely, but she didn’t move. She didn’t touch me. Didn’t cross that line.

"How the fuck are you handling it, as your mate, do you think your words are hypocritical?" She growled and by the gods, those words nearly undid me right there as we stood toe to toe.