Falling For The Demon Wolf-Chapter 43: Soft Brush

ZAIN

The metal door slammed shut behind me with a hollow bang, but I could still hear her—Jade—screaming through the stone. Pleading. Cursing. Crying.

I exhaled, fists clenched at my sides.

I should’ve snapped her neck the moment I saw her in that damn clearing. Should’ve ignored the resemblance to Violet—the same fire in her eyes, the same reckless edge in her voice. But no. I hesitated.

Because of her.

Violet.

I could still feel her on my skin. The ghost of her touch. The scent of her arousal burned into my senses like wildfire. I’d almost lost control again—almost taken her. Claimed her.

And now this? Her little sister trespassing onto my land like a lamb in a den of wolves?

What the hell was the universe playing at?

Cian met me at the top of the stairs, brows raised in question. He looked past me, toward the dungeon door.

"You going to tell me why I just heard screaming?" he asked.

"She’s Violet’s sister," I bit out, brushing past him.

Cian didn’t move, just followed me with that unshakeable calm of his. "And that explains why she’s chained up like a prisoner?"

I stopped short, jaw tight.

"She snuck into my land, during a hunt. With that wolf-dog of hers trailing behind her like she owned the place. What did you expect me to do—give her a warm meal and a tour?"

Cian folded his arms, studying me. "And what about Violet?"

My teeth ground together.

"What about her?"

"She’s going to find out eventually," he said flatly. "And when she does, she won’t like what you’ve done."

"I didn’t kill her sister," I snapped. "That’s already more mercy than anyone else would’ve shown."

Cian raised a brow but said nothing.

The silence sat heavy between us.

I dragged a hand through my hair and paced down the hall toward my room, fury boiling just beneath the surface. Fury I didn’t know how to release. At Jade. At Violet. At myself.

I slammed my door shut behind me, breathing hard.

I needed air.

I needed distance.

But instead... I could still smell her. Violet. Her scent lingered in my bed, on my sheets. Sweet. Wild. Addictive.

And for a second, I hated how badly I wanted her.

I should’ve marked her.

I should’ve never touched her.

Now, her sister was in my dungeon, her ex-fiancé rotting in the next cell, and every nerve in my body burned like it was set on fire.

I leaned against the wall, head back, eyes closed.

I couldn’t keep her here.

Not without breaking everything I swore I stood for.

But I also couldn’t let her go.

Not yet.

Not when the full moon hadn’t passed.

Not when her body—her power—was still waking up.

Not when she might not survive it alone.

And gods help me... not when I wanted her this damn badly. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Fuck it.

Grabbing my shirt, I pulled it over my head, and stormed down the hallway.

Following the family scent that had come to own me this pasted few months.

I stood outside her door for a long time. Long enough for the guards to stop watching me, long enough for even the house to grow quiet, the scent of blood and smoke from the last night of the hunt fading into the silence.

But her scent? It was still here. Strong. Potent.

She was inside. Sleeping, I guessed. Or trying to. After what happened earlier, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was wide awake and pissed.

I didn’t care.

My hand wrapped around the doorknob, tight. I hesitated... once.

Then I turned it and slipped in.

Moonlight spilled through the sheer curtain, painting the room silver. Her figure was barely visible beneath the blanket, curled toward the window. Her breathing was soft but uneven, like she was restless even in sleep.

I didn’t say anything.

Didn’t make a sound as I walked across the room.

I kicked off my boots. Pulled off my shirt. And slid into her bed.

The second my body met the heat of hers, she stirred—tense and unsure.

But I didn’t touch her.

Not yet.

I just laid there, on my side, breathing her in. Letting the fire settle under my skin. Trying to contain the war inside me—between logic and instinct, between what I knew I should do and what I wanted to do.

She shifted, her back brushing against my chest, and I swear my whole body locked up.

I couldn’t help it.

My hand slipped around her waist.

She gasped quietly—but didn’t pull away.

Her body melted into mine like it had been waiting for this exact touch, like we were two halves finally aligned.

"I can’t stay away from you," I whispered against the back of her neck.

Still, she didn’t say anything.

Maybe she was asleep.

Maybe she just didn’t want to give me the satisfaction of a response.

Didn’t matter.

Because even in the quiet, in the dark, in the mess of everything going wrong—this moment felt right.

And for now, that was enough.

I pulled her closer. Let her scent lull the beast inside me. And for the first time in nights... I closed my eyes.

I hadn’t meant to fall asleep.

But her warmth—gods, her warmth—it crawled beneath my skin and soothed the chaos inside me. The sharp edges of rage dulled. The hunger quieted.

I buried my face in her hair, breathing her in like a dying man would air. Sweet, maddening, forbidden. My arm was still wrapped around her, fingers curled possessively over her hip.

And she was still asleep.

At least, I thought she was.

Until her body shifted, pressing back into me. Deliberate. Slow.

My jaw clenched.

I didn’t move. Couldn’t.

She shifted again, the curve of her ass brushing against me—against the part of me that had been painfully hard since the second I laid beside her.

I bit back a groan, tightening my grip on her hip.

"Violet..." I warned lowly.

She let out the softest hum.

My eyes snapped open.

She was awake.

She knew exactly what she was doing.

I dragged my hand up slowly, tracing the line of her waist, my fingers brushing just beneath the hem of her shirt. Her skin was fire. Smooth, soft, and searing.

"What are you doing?" I asked, voice rough, half-growl.

"You came to my bed," she whispered, the edge in her voice teasing. "I assumed you wanted to share it."

"Don’t test me," I said, my lips brushing her ear. "I’m not in the mood for games."

"Then why are you trembling?" she murmured.

Because I’m barely holding on.

My fingers slid higher, caressing the underside of her ribs before stopping just below her breast. I felt her breath catch. Heard it.

My lips brushed the back of her neck. "You drive me insane," I growled.

"Then stop pretending you don’t want me."

I flipped her over in one sharp motion.

Her back hit the mattress with a gasp, eyes wide and glinting in the dark. My body hovered over hers, muscles tight with restraint. Her legs parted slightly—just enough for me to slide between them, my weight pressing her into the bed.

"I want you," I said, voice hoarse. "I’ve always wanted you."

Her lips parted. Her chest rose fast. Her fingers curled into the sheets.

I leaned down, our noses almost touching. "But if I start—" I dragged my knuckles down her bare thigh, slow and torturous, "—I won’t stop. I won’t want to stop."

"Then don’t," she whispered.

And gods help me, I nearly lost it.

Let’s claim her, make her purr, she is more than ready.

My wolf brushed against my mind.

No she’d hate me if she comes to her senses later, right now she’s just in heat.

"And this is the perfect time to mark her."

But I didn’t.

As much as it was killin me and ripping me apart.

Not yet.

Because no matter how much I wanted her—how hard I ached for her—I wasn’t going to take her in the heat of confusion, not while she was still sorting through a thousand tangled thoughts, not while Roman’s ghost still lingered in the back of her mind.

My wolf raged. My body screamed.

Zain! Don’t do this again, she is going to hate us.

Maybe that’s for the better.

I couldn’t imagine a world where Violet hated me, but for now maybe that hatred might just be what I need.

So I pulled away.

Slowly. Painfully.

And rolled off her.

She sat up fast, eyes burning. "Zain? What the hell are you doing?"

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. I stared at the ceiling, jaw clenched.

"No, no please don’t do this again. I need you."

Her trembling voice broke something in me but I still didn’t lean back into the bed.

"Don’t you dare touch me again," she snapped, venom in her voice.

I turned my head toward her, gaze locked. "Trust me, I won’t and it’s for the better."

She yanked the blanket off her body, slid out of bed, and stormed toward the door.

Her bare legs flashed in the moonlight, her fury hot and sharp in the air.

I watched her go.

But gods... my soul stayed with her