Ch. 18: Starlight

                                    

                                          

Kaia
Shivers wracked Nero's body as the air thickened. 
All I could do was stare.
"Please tell me that I'm wrong," I urged.  
Nero groaned as sweat gathered on his temples. He attempted to smile, but it fell flat as he winced, gritting his teeth and tensing. 
"It'll go away," he grumbled with a heavy breath. 
"Not unless you do something about it."
Nero chuckled, but it sounded like it hurt.
"I can handle this. This wave of heat will disappear in a minute. Just give me a few seconds to steady my breathing," he huffed, closing his eyes and drawing in a long inhale. "It's just my wolf... he's being difficult." 
I tapped my boot and took note of the time on my watch. 
After a minute passed, Nero's condition didn't improve. 
He must have had the sense at this moment that he might need help. "Kaia, I need you to get away from me within five minutes."
"What? No. You need help."
Nero's gaze shuttered and his breaths became heavier. "Kaia. Listen to me. I need you to go far away from me now. I've already linked Emmanuel and Kaine to get me."
"I can help too—"
"Emmanuel and Kaine will chain me in a room that I've set up for this. My wolf will take control soon, and I won't be able to tame him in this altered state. You need to leave. He'll be looking for you, and your wolf..."
"...will tempt him," I finished. 
My wolf pulsed with offense. I'm not some loose hussy.
But you do like to play around and tease his wolf. I directed the thought at her. 
My wolf huffed in response but didn't say anything more. 
We both knew I was right. 
"Go now, Kaia."
Despite his urgent tone, I didn't go. 
My feet were rooted in the same spot and I refused to move. 
I didn't want to leave. 
Nero's brows wrinkled with confusion as I lingered. "What are you doing, Kaia?"
"You won't do anything to me," I said. "Tell me the safe place where we both can go. I know that your scent will change, and it will raise alarm within the pack."
It would affect the other shifters in the pack if he remained close by. 
"Kaia." 
"Tell me where to take you. Now." 
Nero didn't speak for several beats as his gaze locked on mine.
I raised a brow. "Well?"
Displeasure leaked into his expression, but he relented. "The basement of the pack house. There's a safe room in there for situations like this. It's set up so that no one outside the room can detect me inside with their senses alone." 
"Then let's go." 
***
Nero bulldozed into the basement before I even had the door fully opened. 
I briefly took in the room. 
It was bigger than I expected.
And it was mostly empty, aside from the sterile looking toilet in the corner, inches away from a porcelain tub. There was a small window, the size of a shoe box, that did nothing but beckon in the scent of grass.