42 The unspoken heat
L o
I woke up the next morning , blinking groggily at the warm sunlight streaming in through my window .
I stretched , feeling a strange calmness settle over my body .
The overwhelming tension that had gripped me yesterday seemed to have cased , leaving me surprisingly … normal .
I no longer felt that feverish , consuming desire – I was still horny but I felt like I could control it .
As I made my way downstairs , I saw Nanny standing by the stove , staring at the pot on fire but she seemed to be absent – minded .
Her eyes were nk , and her brows were furrowed in a frown .
“ Nan ? ” I called out .
No reply .
“ Nanny ? ” I called out the second time , this time louder than the first one .
She snapped back to reality , shing me a smile not before I saw worry sh in her eyes .
She wiped her hands on the dish towel on the counter and came towards me .
“ Good morning , dear , ” she greeted softly , her eyes scanning me as though she was assessing my condition .
“ Are you feeling better ? You don’t seem like you’re still going through your heat .
” My body tensed under her scrutiny as I recalled what had happened yesterday with Xander .
True , my pheromones were everywhere in the room but I wasn’t doubling with asional shes of desire , or moaning at the slightest move of my body .
Did it have anything to do with .
Xander yesterday ? Quickly , I masked my unease with a faint smile .
“ I’m still going through it ! ” I murmured awkwardly .
“ It must have been the sleep .
I slept quite a lot yesterday .
”
Her gaze softened , though there was still a hint of worry in her expression .
“ That’s good , but your pheromones are still very active .
Be mindful of it , alright ? This heat seems different from your usual cycles .
Maybe it has something to do with your visit to Blue Ridge ? ” she gave me a suggestive look .
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1 shrugged , resisting the urge to say anything .
The truth was , I was terrified of saying too much because I was afraid that I might let it slip that Xander had been here the previous day .
I hadn’t told her about his visit and the mere thought of exining what had happened alone made my
heart race .
Quickly , I changed the subject .
“ Did youe to my roomst night ? ” I asked , trying to sound curious .
“ I thought I saw you at the edge of my bed with someone else .
I
She froze , giving me a scared look .
“ No … No dear , ” she shook her head severally .
“ I mean , I dide to your room but I was alone .
Why ? Did someone else visit you ? ”
“ No ! ” I shed her a strained smile , moving past her to the fridge for a bottle of water .
Did
Nanny know ? Could she possibly have figured out that Xander had been here ? My hear an
to pound in my chest but I forced myself to remain calm .
“ Perhaps , I was just half – asleep , ” I said .
WATH
42 The unspoken heat
quickly , waving my hand dismissively .
“ I must have been dreaming or something ”
Nanny studied me for a moment , as though she was trying to read something deeper in my expression , but eventually sighed .
She set the dish towel down and walked over to where I
stood .
“ L ,” she began , giving me a serious expression .
“ I need you to be careful .
I’ve seen Panthers around the cafétely and you know what that means .
I don’t know if they’vee from the pack , but it’s strange that they’re lurking near us .
We can’t take any risks .
”
I blinked in surprise wondering if it was Mr.
Dupree – Xander’s father that told her about the Panthers .
But before I could respond , Nanny reached out a ced a reassuring hand on my shoulder .
7
“ Promise me you’ll be careful , ” she said , her eyes searching mine .
“ I promise , ” I whispered with another strained smile .
“ Don’t worry , I’ll be at home all day .
”
She nodded and returned to the stove .
“ When are you going to tell me how you got injured ? ” she nced at me before returning to her cooking .
“ You know you can tell me anything right ? We agreed that there’ll be no secrets from us .
” t
* I’m
not trying to keep it a secret , Nan ,” I sighed “ I don’t think now is the right time to say anything .
But I promise that I will , soon .
”
An hour after Nanny left the house , I was pacing in the living room , wondering if I should just give Xander a call .
I was giddy with excitement and my heat was slowly increasing .
Seems whatever Xander had done yesterday was slowly dissipating .
My mind kept drifting back to yesterday and what had transpired between us .
The memory made my pulse quicken and my checks flush , but before I could dwell on it too long , the doorbell rang .
I opened the door , my breath catching when I saw Xander leaning by the door , a backpack slung casually across his shoulders .
He was not in his uniform and he looked a little more rxed than usual , his dark hair slightly tousled .
His eyes , intense and unreadable as always , softened when they met mine .
“ Hey , ” he greeted with a wink .
“ Hi ! ” I replied , fighting a blush , stepping aside to let him in .
“ Come on in
We went directly to my room today .
After he settled to the couch in the room , his gaze sought mine where I was on the bed .
“ How are you feeling ? ” he asked .
I exhaled slowly .
“ Better .
Much better than yesterday .
I managed to sleep through the night
–which is rare .
”
He nodded .
“ That’s good , but you’re not
I looked at him curiously .
“ What do you mean ? ”
w out of the woods yet .
”
He shifted in his seat , his gaze bing more intense .
“ The reason you’re still dealing with
42 The unspoken heat
these pheromones is because you’re not doing anything about it .
You’re supposed to be expelling that energy .
The more you do that , the less intense it will be with each cycle ”
I frowned , confusion washing over me .
“ Expelling it ? How ?”
“ You’re so innocent , L … much more innocent than the ones before you .
Come ! ” he stretched his hand to me “ I’ll teach you .
”