Heart of a Beast

Chapter 31 | Crystal

The sensations within Crystal were so foreign, she shied away from everyone—especially Tiberius.

Every time she looked at him, her heart raced and warmth flooded her face.

Every time she touched him, sparks fired off and tingles danced across his skin.

His voice, a timbering tenor, played in her ears and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

He smelled good now! He smelled amazing and fresh with a hint of orange peel and soap from his shower that rose up her nose and made her mouth water.

And the way he kissed her...

He hadn't urged her to open her mouth yet, and already his kisses curled her toes and had her fingers, likewise, curling into the fabric of his clothes.

It drove her wild. It was enthralling and terrifying at the same time.

Did Tiberius endure this effect this whole time?

Even when they returned and he took the patio chair next to her, he gave her a bit of space to adjust rather than to engulf her and smother her in the overwhelming sensations the matebond inflicted.

They ate a late lunch before her father's friend, a barber in the pack, came over to cut Tiberius' hair and give him a proper shave.

She watched his wild fall to the ground in clumps and pieces and the clean-cut male from her dreams take form before her. His face was smooth and his hair short on the sides and a bit longer on top for her to run her fingers through. She loved him either way, but a part of her missed the beast.

"I can tell you don't like it," he whispered to her as the day wore on and the sun neared the horizon.

Heat rushed up to her face and she tried to hide behind a curtain of her hair.

"It'll grow back. I'll let it grow more naturally and keep it clean and trim for you."

She chewed on her bottom lip. "You don't have to. It's your hair."

"I don't care about my hair. I care about you."

All kinds of flustered emotions rose within her, along with a feverish heat that intensified as the sun dipped lower and lower.

Teresa left with the pups to put them to bed while Justin stayed with everyone still gathered in the backyard.

She knew why. With the curse broken, they were anticipating her shift. To be blessed by the moon like every first shift.

Their fleeting glances continuously cast toward her, checking on her. The hairs on her nape prickled every time.

Tiberius' touch on her arm or hand felt colder each time as her temperature continued to rise and sweat began to gather on her brow.

The clouds had parted over the course of the day and only a few thin wisps stretched across the sky inflamed in red and orange hues.

Tiberius stared up at it with a smile on his face, his eyes peeking at her from time to time as he'd brush his thumb across her knuckles.

Feeling hot, sticky, and gross, she excused herself to go to the bathroom and splash some cold water on her face.

She knew these were the early signs of her body preparing to shift. Excitement bubbled up within her, but also fear at the impending pain that she knew she would have to endure for several hours.

Gulping air into her lungs in slow and even breaths, she wiped her fevered face and changed into a long, loose shirt and nothing else. When she opened the door to exit the bathroom, she saw Tiberius standing there, leaning against the opposite wall, waiting for her.