The Crown's Entrapment

The morning after was something that Clara didn't expect would be this hot and sticky. Granted, she fell asleep last night with Gilas huddling up with her in their shared blanket, but then she remembered the healer saying that they'd need an entire day's rest before their bodies were fully recovered.

And right now, she was feeling far too hot and bothered that she almost considered herself fully healed.

[Or maybe that's just because your mate is currently breathing on your bare neck.]

Clara held her breath as Sheba's remark put her attention solely on the sensations currently running through her body. As her wolf had said, she could feel Gilas's soft breaths hitting her bare skin, faint shocks of electricity coursing through her veins with each small sigh that her mate would make against her.

'I have to get out of this position,' she inwardly told herself.

Her eyes wide in both alarm and growing arousal, Clara shifted her body in such a way that she barely managed to free herself from Gilas's warm and inviting embrace. Sure, she could feel herself shaking her head in disappointment as she eventually extracted herself from the small corner of the bed that they'd been sharing, but at least she was back to being up and in control of her own body.

That was… until she felt it.

"W-What the…"

Clara felt herself swaying on her feet as a wave of nausea and arousal clashed within her body. She had been too slow with getting up, and she was now far too hot to ignore both by herself and by her mate. And sure enough…

"Clara?"

She had just managed to sit back down on the bed when Gilas awoke, a hint of worry staining his tone as he sat up to check on her.

"You look flushed," he worriedly intoned. "Are you alright?"

Clara opened her mouth to speak, but his sudden touch took her by surprise as she let out a small yelp of both pleasure and worry.

"C-Clara?" Gilas asked with apprehension.

'Damn it!' she inwardly cursed herself. 'What is wrong with me!?'

[Your body's reacting, is what's happening,] Sheba laughed, her wolf's anticipation apparent in her voice. [Come on. You already feel well enough. Maybe you can initiate the one thing you promised Gilas yesterday.]

Upon hearing her wolf's words, Clara blushed madly as she quickly turned her face away from the man slowly seeping into her thoughts. Sure enough, her traitorous mind began bombarding her with the memories of their short shared time of pleasure. His mouth made short work of her, and he never seemed to stop even though she was clearly already spent…

"Clara… Are you alright?"

Her eyes blinked back into reality as she heard Gilas's ever increasingly worried tone. She was sure that she had kept him waiting for an answer for long enough. She had to at least try and give him something to work with.

"I-I'm fine," she stammered, much to her own frustrations with trying to hide her annoyingly hot arousal. "Just… hot…"

"Hot?" Gilas asked, a look of knowing suddenly adorning his face as he replied. "Now that you mentioned it, it is getting rather warm here, isn't it."

"I-I should probably put out the fire then," she quickly replied.

Hastily standing up, Clara fought the urge to run and hide as she turned to the fireplace that they had used last night. Contrary to what she expected, however, the fire had clearly already gone out hours ago. Not even a smoldering ember remained in the fire pit, indicating that the heat she was feeling wasn't coming from the environment at all.

[That's coming from you, you hypocrite,] Sheba teased.

She couldn't help but grit her teeth ever so slightly even as the tension and heat within the room rose even higher than she could ever expect. As much as she tried to deny it, her wolf was right…

"O-Oh…" she absently replied, her shock no longer even registering in her head. "The fire has already gone out…"

"So it's not coming from the fire then," Gilas remarked, a smug look now adorning his face as he stood up. "Where's it coming from then?"

Clara bit her lower lip as her eyes couldn't help but glue themselves on Gilas's currently sweat-soaked form. His upper body had started to glisten from the heat, the morning sun shining on his slightly wet muscles as he moved to remove the shirt that he was wearing…

Oh… She didn't expect that to happen at all…

"There," he sighed in partial relief, his eyes clearly giving her a sultry look. "That's much better…"

'I agree…'

Those two words were left unsaid in Clara's throat as she stood dumbfounded at her mate. She was at a loss for words, and the feelings coursing through her body right now was practically screaming out the memories of that one fateful night they shared together.

[Just do it already!] Sheba screamed in excitement.

"So, Clara. It looks like the healer we just saw was wrong," Gilas chuckled as he moved closer to her. "We're pretty much recovered already, don't you agree?"

She could only nod as she gulped at Gilas's close proximity to her. If she moved barely an inch forward, she was sure that she would have an unwanted taste of his sweaty chest.

"R-Right…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Her mind was swimming with uncertainty as she weighed her options. On one hand, she was pretty sure that they still had to make their way back to the capital as soon as possible. But on the other, the burning within her had reached a point where it was just too fiery and blazing to not address. Gilas also clearly wanted something more to happen that morning, and she did promise to let him… do what he wanted to do to her…

[Yes! Yes!]

Against her better judgment, Clara bit her lip before looking up at Gilas and stating, "I-I think I know exactly what you want, Gilas… Just do it already…"