Maelis POV

I stood by the foot of the bed, breathing hard, my body screaming in protest at the sudden separation from him. The sheer physical need was agonizing, but,

I forced myself to ignore the demanding heat between my legs, my mind screaming for detachment. He is the enemy. Let him tear himself apart.

But then, I couldn't help but think, did he just fight his rut for me? Why? That takes more than just will because rut is a state of uncontrollable desire, a biological command. So, seeing him stop was… deeply unsettling.

But then the real pain hit me. It wasn't the residual heat of the rut;...