Orion’s POV
After the race ended, I didn’t even know how the rest unfolded as I grabbed Aurora’s hands out of the track zone. Suddenly I was feeling unnatural heat creeping in my veins; my body was heating up: something was brewing deep in my chest. My throat instantly went parched, feeling dry as I tried to swallow hard. My eyes rolled as a growl vibrated in my chest. I couldn’t comprehend what the hell was happening to my body.
Shifters rarely got sick ... Was I coming down with a fever? With how warm my body was getting.
No. My vision whitened for a moment—my eyes kept switching from their human state to the gold of my bear as I shook my head, fighting to keep my human rationality intact, but my gums were throbbing painfully. My canines ached, extending in my mouth with an animalistic urge to sink deep into soft flesh.
I paused in my steps at the predatory thought that crossed my mind as my nostrils flared, catching Aurora’s scent. It was more intoxicating than it had ever been—thick, sweet, and begging to be taken. I dropped her hand when we passed the arena gate, clutching my head to calm myself.
No. No, no, no! This couldn’t be happening. My rut couldn’t be starting now.
My jaw forced itself open, my canine protruding as I forcefully clamp my hand over my mouth to shut it. I couldn’t even look to see Aurora’s expression as she cautiously stepped closer to me in the dark.
“Stop!” I roared and came out with difficulty, and when I saw her flinch, I winced at that. Fuck! I cleared my throat. "Please don’t come over," I said softly as my bear was clawing frantically behind my back, roaring to break loose and violently claim our soulbond.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, desperate to cut off the intake of her sweetened pheromones. But the moment I parted my lips to breathe, the sweet, intoxicating taste of her scent settled on my tongue. It was delicious. A groan ripped from my throat as a rush of blood sent my cock rock-hard against my zipper.
Fuck! I cursed internally, my sanity wavering as I opened the mind link. ‘Rook!’ I called urgently.
‘Yes, Clan Leader,’ his voice responded instantly, snapping to attention.
‘Get Roland out here right now. Tell her to take Aurora home immediately. And both you and Liam get your asses out to the north gate. You need to restrain me to stop me from chasing her.’
There was a pause on the other end. ‘What’s happening, Orion?’ he asked gently; there were times he called me by my name. He was my friend before my second in command.
‘My rut is here.’
I severed the link, clenching my fists by my sides. My claws were semi-extended, piercing into my palms as blood seeped from the self-inflicted wounds. While my body tried to mend the flesh, my nails dug deeper to maintain the pain. I needed the pain to stay grounded.
Fuck. I had thought the exhilarating feeling that I felt earlier when Aurora jumped on my lap was just my possessive instincts. I should have recognized the signs. When that human racer had opened his pathetic mouth, I had gritted my teeth to keep from detaching his head from his shoulders. My beast had been waking up, and I had been too oblivious to see it.
“Orion, are you okay?” Aurora asked softly, her steps careful, and deeply worried as she hovered a few feet away.
“Please... don’t come any closer,” I gasped out, my voice strained and ragged. “I don’t know what I might do right now... and I won’t ever do anything to hurt you.”
“You won’t hurt me, Orion. I know you won’t,” she replied smoothly. I could hear the faint smile in her voice and the trust in it.
If desire weren’t completely corroding my brain cells right now, I would have chuckled. But fuck... her voice, her unwavering faith... this naive dawn of mine. She looked like a sweet, innocent bambi standing in front of a monster, too trusting.
While it was true that my human mind would never intentionally harm a hair on her head, I didn’t trust my beast for a single second during a rut. Animals are aggressive, violent, and dangerous when the instinct to claim their partner overrides their sanity. I would rather tear my own flesh apart than risk terrifying her.
Heavy footsteps thudded against the dirt as Roland ran out from the arena gates. She quickly yanked off her leather jacket, throwing it over Aurora’s head to mix her scent from trailing through the air, and began guiding her away.
“What’s happening, Roland?” Aurora’s panicked, muffled voice from beneath the jacket.
“I’ll explain later. Move,” Roland muttered in a harsh whisper, shoving Aurora toward the trucks.
I forced myself to look up, watching my soulbond—my beautiful dawn—being guided away from me. The moment my bear saw our souls running away, an earth-shaking roar of feral possessiveness ripped from my chest. My knees dropped into a predator’s stance, my muscles tensing to sprint after them. If I caught her tonight, the beast would claim its prize.
As I clutched my throbbing head, trying to fight my legs, Rook and Liam suddenly blindsided me from the shadows. Each of them grabbed one of my arms, throwing their weight into restraining me.
The invasion infuriated my bear; with an animalistic snarl, I twisted my torso and violently flung Liam away. The impact sent his body flying backward until his spine crashed hard against a tree while Rook scrambled, putting me in a chokehold as I thrashed against his grip.
“Let me go!” I roared, a non-human, guttural sound as my eyes tracked the distance, watching the truck’s headlights turn on as Roland drove Aurora away.
I raised my free arm, preparing to punch Rook across the skull to break his hold, when a sharp sting flared at the base of my neck.
I stiffened, my muscles locking up, turning my head with a vicious snarl. I saw Liam standing up from the ground, wincing and holding his back with one hand, while his other hand held a pneumatic sedative gun. The fucker had sneaked up behind me. Roland must have given it to him before they ran out.
I gritted my teeth, desperate to force my consciousness to stay open, but the synthetic downer flooded my bloodstream, making it impossible as knees buckled beneath me, hitting the ground.
“Have a small nap, brother,” Liam grunted heavily.
And that was the last thing I heard before the darkness dragged me under.
Aurora’s POV
The drive back to the house was tense and a blur as I kept twisting around in the passenger seat, looking back through the rear window continuously, my heart hammering against my ribs. What on earth was happening? We were perfectly fine, happy on the track just minutes ago, until Orion had suddenly started backing away from me.
The moment the truck slammed into park in front of the house, Roland killed the engine and turned to me, her expression dead serious. “I’m going to get you into the house, Aurora. And you are going to stay in your room. I mean never get out of that room tonight, do you hear me?”
I reached across the console, grabbing Roland’s arm, my eyes desperately searching her face for answers. “Roland, please. Just tell me what’s wrong.”
She let out an exhausted sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as she leaned against the steering wheel. “The sedative Liam hit him with is only going to buy us a little time, and it’s going to wear off very soon. He’s the clan leader—his superior biology processes drugs and toxins much faster than a normal bear shifter. I just hope to God the boys managed to drag him down to the basement and chain him down securely before he wakes up.”
I sat up straight, my breath catching in my throat. “Chain him? Chain him down?! What is going on, Roland? Explain it to me right now!” I demanded, panic laced in my voice.
Roland looked at me, her eyes softening as she gently guided me out of the truck and up the stairs to my bedroom. She sat me down on the edge of the mattress, taking my trembling hands in hers.
“The leader is in his rut,” Roland explained gently, her voice low. “A rut is a period of time when a shifter’s animalistic urges skyrocket. The rational, human part of their brain completely shuts down, and the biological need to claim their soulbond breeds at a dangerously high level.”
I swallowed hard, her words settling heavily in my stomach. “But... why didn’t he just tell me?”
Roland shrugged, running a frustrated hand through her styled hair. “Because he was terrified of hurting you, Aurora. During a rut, a male’s human reasoning is completely gone—only the raw, territorial instincts remain. He knew how vulnerable as a human you are, and he was afraid of his own strength. He left because he wanted to protect you from himself.”
I bit my nails nervously, staring at the floorboards. Suddenly, the thud of the front door opening downstairs echoed through the house as it was followed by a loud, “Ouch!” and the sound of something crashing against the floorboards. The boys were dragging him in.
Roland immediately turned toward my bedroom door. “Aurora, listen to me carefully,” Roland warned, her voice dropping into a solemn whisper. “I like you as a friend, and I want to keep you safe. But you must promise me right now: do not release him. No matter what you hear tonight, do not go down to that basement. Don’t do it.”
I stared at her, my fingers nervously fiddling with one another as the gravity of the situation sank in. I thought of Orion’s protective nature and how he had suffered just to keep me safe from his beast.
“I won’t,” I whispered softly.
Roland offered a relieved smile, patting my knee one last time before stepping out of the room. “Goodnight, Aurora.”
“Goodnight,” I replied, offering her a small, queasy smile as she closed the door, leaving me alone in the quiet dark.
***
What do you think will happen in the next Chapter? Will she go or stay inside
Lemme know