Falling For The Demon Wolf-Chapter 40: Heart And Logic

ZAIN

I slammed the door shut behind me, fists clenched, breath ragged.

My back hit the hallway wall.

And I sank.

My legs folded under me like I’d been gutted, and I pressed the heels of my palms to my eyes, trying to block out the memory of her—flushed, trembling, begging me to mark her.

And I walked away.

Every instinct in me—every fucking cell—screamed that I should’ve claimed her right then and there. That I should’ve buried my teeth in her neck and made her mine, consequences be damned.

But my logic had won.

Barely.

And now she hated me for it.

Good.

She should.

Because I hated me too.

The hallway was dark, quiet—thick with the scent of blood and wolves and the echo of things unsaid. My body still ached with need, my mark burning like it had been seared into me with fire. I could feel her everywhere—on my skin, in my lungs, under my tongue.

I slammed my fist into the wall once. Twice.

Stone cracked beneath my knuckles, but I didn’t feel the pain.

Only the emptiness.

I was Alpha.

I was supposed to lead, to have discipline, to control myself.

But with her... I was losing the fight.

And that scared the hell out of me.

"Zain?"

I looked up, chest still heaving.

Cian stood at the end of the corridor, arms crossed, eyes unreadable.

"You look like shit," he said.

"Thanks."

He walked closer, slowly, the silence stretching like a blade between us. When he finally stopped in front of me, his gaze flicked to my bloodied knuckles.

"You didn’t mark her, did you?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Then why do you look like you did?"

Because I almost did.

Because I wanted to.

Because walking away from her felt worse than anything I’ve ever done—and I’ve buried brothers.

Cian crouched beside me, silent for a long moment.

"She’s not just waking up, Zain. She’s changing. That fire in her? It’s not just power. It’s heritage."

"I know," I whispered. "And I still want her."

He nodded slowly. "Then you have to let her want you for more than the bond."

"She did."

"She wanted the heat. Not the truth."

I bared my teeth. "You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t see it every time she looks at me like I’m both salvation and sin?"

"Then stop treating her like a game you can’t win. Because whether you like it or not, Zain—she’s already changing the rules."

I swallowed the growl in my throat. He was right. And I hated him for it.

"She told me not to touch her again," I said flatly.

Cian raised a brow. "And will you listen?"

I didn’t answer.

Because I already knew the truth.

I couldn’t stay away.

Even if it killed me.

The cold night air did little to cool the fire crawling under my skin.

I stood outside the barracks, shirtless, the sweat from earlier still clinging to me. The moon hung heavy overhead, full and swollen like a promise I couldn’t keep.

My heart hadn’t settled. My wolf still paced, furious, restless.

I’d walked away.

Left her trembling and furious. Eyes blazing with need and betrayal. My name had been on her lips—not as a plea this time, but as a curse.

Don’t you dare touch me again.

She’d meant it. And it should’ve settled something inside me.

But it didn’t.

It just made me want her more.

Not just her body—though every damn inch of her was burned into my memory—but her fire, her fury. The way she looked at me like she wanted to both run and stay. Like she was as addicted to this madness as I was.

I should’ve claimed her.

And yet...

If I had, I would’ve destroyed her.

Something inside her is growing, shifting—and not just the wolf. It’s ancient. Old magic. Wild. A force I’ve only ever seen once, long ago, on a battlefield where none of us left whole.

And it’s tied to me now.

The final night of the hunt begins soon.

They’re waiting for me. I can already hear the distant calls, the rumble of paws over the earth, the bloodlust rising with the moon.

I should be with them.

But all I can think about is her.

Lying in that bed.

Alone.

Vulnerable.

Burning.

"Alpha," Cian’s voice cut through the silence behind me, quieter this time, no judgment. Just... concern.

I didn’t turn.

"She’s still in her room," he said. "Didn’t come out. Inara’s been watching her."

"Good," I said, jaw tight.

"You’re not going to check on her?"

"I can’t check on her."

He was silent for a moment. Then: "You’ll have to face her eventually."

"I know."

"Tonight’s the last hunt."

"I know."

"Then what are you going to do?"

I finally turned to him. My eyes were glowing again, faint but fierce. "I’m going to finish this hunt. Lead my wolves. And then..."

"And then?" he prompted.

I exhaled sharply. "Then I’m going to fight for her. Whether she wants me or not."

Cian nodded once. "She’ll make you bleed for it."

I smirked bitterly. "She already has."

He gave a low chuckle, then looked toward the distant hills. "They’re gathering. It’s time."

I nodded, stripping the last of my clothes, the shift already pushing forward.

Bones cracked. Skin stretched.

And then I was fur.

Fangs.

Alpha.

The wild.

I threw my head back and howled—loud, deep, a sound that echoed across the valley.

And from somewhere deep in the compound, I felt her stir.

She heard it.

And something inside her answered.

The world blurred past in streaks of silver and shadow.

Branches tore at my sides as I raced through the woods, my paws pounding the earth in sync with the beat of a dozen others. The pack had fallen into formation, their howls rising in a deadly chorus as the final hunt began.

But I couldn’t feel it.

Not like I used to.

Not the thrill. Not the freedom. Not the bloodlust.

Because all I could feel was her.

Violet.

My fated mate.

The one I walked away from when everything in me screamed to claim her.

The one I’d nearly lost control with—again.

I veered off from the others, my wolf needing space, silence. The trees opened up to the ridge above the valley. I shifted back in a breathless rush, panting, chest rising and falling in ragged pulls.

The moon hung low and violent in the sky.

She’s back at the compound. Alone. Angry. Hurt.

And it’s my fault.

Every part of me wanted to tear down the walls and crawl back into that bed beside her—feel her skin under my hands, her fire curling around me like a storm.

But no.

If I’d stayed, I would’ve marked her.

I would’ve given in.

And what lived inside her... it’s not ready. She’s not ready.

I dug my fingers into the dirt, grounding myself. My vision pulsed—red at the edges. My wolf didn’t care about consequences. It only knew want.

She’d begged me with her body. And when I denied her, she’d cursed me with her voice.

Don’t you dare touch me again.

But she hadn’t left.

She wanted me just as much as I wanted her.

And that’s what would kill us both.

A sound behind me.

I didn’t turn—didn’t need to.

"Still sulking?" Cian muttered, shifting as he approached, tossing me a loose cloak. "Or are you just hiding from your own dick at this point?"

I grunted, pulling it around my shoulders.

Cian’s gaze narrowed. "You’re thinking about her."

"I always think about her."

"Then why the hell didn’t you mark her?"

I looked up at the moon, a muscle ticking in my jaw. "Because she’s not mine yet. Not all the way. She doesn’t know what she is. What I am to her."

"And if you wait too long, someone else might show her."

My body tensed at the thought—Roman, that pathetic human, down in a cell beneath my feet. Still breathing. Still staring at her like she was his.

My growl was low, dark, almost feral.

Cian smirked knowingly. "Yeah. That’s what I thought."

"He’ll never touch her again," I muttered, voice pure ice. "I’ll make sure of it."

"You should focus on what happens after the hunt. Because when the moon wanes, and her blood settles... she’s going to come for answers."

I met his eyes. "Then I’ll give them to her."

"And if she runs?"

"I’ll chase her."

Cian tilted his head, something almost amused in his expression. "And if she hates you?"

I exhaled slowly, thinking of her glare, her fury, the taste of her still on my lips.

"She already does," I said.

And I still can’t stay away.

"You not going to force her, are you?" Cian sounded concerned to my side.

it.

But the moment Cian opened his mouth again, I snapped.

"He’s in the dungeon."

Cian blinked. "What?"

"The human," I growled. "The one she was going to marry. Roman. He’s in my dungeon, breathing my air, after being caught on my land."

Cian’s eyes widened, then narrowed. "You’re serious?"

"I saw her face," I said, pacing now, dragging my hands through my hair. "She looked at him like... like he still mattered. Like he still had a place in her heart."

"And that’s why you pulled away," Cian guessed. "You think she still loves him?"

My laugh was hollow. "I think she’s confused. Torn between a man she thought she knew and the mate the moon gave her. And I—" I turned on him, voice a razor’s edge, "—I don’t want to be her second choice. I won’t be."

Cian raised a brow. "And yet you left her aching and furious in your bed while her ex-fiancé is rotting downstairs. Ballsy."

"He doesn’t get to have her," I snapped. "Not after what he did."

"What did he do?"

"He is not who he claim to be. O can smell it. The lies. He Lied to her. Broke her heart." My voice darkened, low and venomous. "And she still looked at him like he was some fucking ghost of the past she hadn’t buried."

Cian watched me for a long moment. "So bury him."

I didn’t respond. Not at first.

Because part of me wanted to.

To end him. To erase him from her world and make sure she never had to look at him again.

But that wouldn’t win her.

And it sure as hell wouldn’t make her trust me.

"She needs to see him for what he is," I muttered, fists clenched. "And I need to be there when she does."

Cian gave a slow nod. "And if she doesn’t?"

"I’ll make her."

His brow rose again.

"She’s mine," I said, the words laced with something dark and possessive. "The moon gave her to me, and I’ll fight the entire fucking world to keep her."

Cian exhaled through his nose. "Damn, man. You really are in deep."

I turned back toward the woods, where the wind still carried her scent.

"You don’t know the half of it," I murmured.