As I rode on Isaiah’s back, we passed by other bodies of the mercenaries that were left behind at the manor. There was no sight of Lady Marie or any of her followers. I suppose it was a good surprise for them to return to rotting corpses littered around.

　　I looked down at Isaiah, staring at the back of his head and his pointy ears that twitched from the slightest sound. It was hard for us to converse, since he was still in his wolf form. He seemed to understand me fine whereas the only way for him to talk to me was through the occasional grumble and nods.

　　But from the looks of it, he came here alone, and he fought all these mercenaries, alone. My heart started to ache although I was not sure if it was due to the heat-induced drug still in my system or if I was truly grateful that he came here to rescue me.

　　I lowered my body, particularly laying on his back while my hands went to wrap around his neck to hold me steady. He was so large that I could not even fully wrap my arms around him. I was exhausted, trying my hardest to ignore the burning ache in my core due to the drug but then I started to wonder how Isaiah was maintaining his composure when I was emitting my omega pheromones.

　　I wanted to ask him, but I had hardly any energy to hold onto him even properly. Isaiah walked through the forest, his movements were light and gentle to the point where I did not feel as though I was riding a wolf right now. I wanted to sleep now that I had Isaiah by my side. I wanted to finally rest knowing that I was free from the confines of that dark room, but I could not as my body was not allowing me to do so.

　　Everything was burning, everything was hurting and before I knew it, my grip around Isaiah loosened, and I found myself falling off him. I landed onto the forest ground directly on my shoulder, the pain from the impact was hardly anything compared to the effects of the drug in my system. I stared up at the gloomy sky, barely visible only through the gaps of the surrounding trees canopy.

　　Isaiah appeared in my sight, gently nudging my cheek with his nose. A low growl could be heard, and I want to assume that it was him asking me if I was okay.

　　“It hurts…” I muttered. “…help me, Isaiah.” I said before I could fully think about what I was even saying to him. I turned my head to the side, to properly look at him. with much effort, I managed to raise my hand and stroke his snout. I tried to steady my breathing, wondering if I could calm myself then maybe the effects of the drug would slowly wear off. I closed my eyes, only to open them when the familiar warmth Isaiah’s wolf body was emitting suddenly disappeared.

　　Isaiah had transformed back into his human form, completely naked and looking down at me with an expression that I could only consider to be a mixture of concern and arousal. He was breathing heavily, pupils dilated. It would seem that my scent was affecting him, but he was controlling himself.

　　“Hello…” I smiled.

　　He reached his hand out to me but froze before he could touch me. “Cordelia…I…” he started but immediately bit his bottom lip to stop him from talking.

　　“What’s wrong…? Why do you look so sad?”

　　“If only, if only I was quicker. T-Then you… these scums! They—!”

　　“Isaiah.” I called out, causing him to stop talking. “Thank you for coming for me.”

　　“Cordelia…”

　　“Please, help me. Please get rid of the feeling of their hands on my body. Get rid of this induced heat of mine, please…”

　　“I…” I could see the hesitation on his face, and I do not blame him. He had just seen me get assaulted and here I was asking him to help me. I wanted to retract my words, tell him that he doesn’t need to do anything that he doesn’t want too. I could get through this, I thought, I have done it before after all, but Isaiah carried me up from the ground and sat me down against a tree nearby.

　　He slowly started to unbutton the coat I wore which I had taken from the manor, his fingers as gentle as I remembered. He leaned forward and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down until our lips met. I kissed him, my thoughts only filled with his scent, with the memories of our first time together just to get rid of everything that happened prior to this. I wanted him to make me forget, I wanted to melt in his embrace, I wanted him, and I knew for certain that it was not my heat talking, no, I wanted him.

　　“Isaiah,” I called out to him desperately when my lips parted. I could hear the tremble of my voice, and the blurring of my vision. “I’m sorry…sorry for making you do this now.”

　　“Be quiet, Cordelia. Do not apologise over this, please.” He said, his own voice trembled as he leaned forward to seal my lips with his kisses. I could feel his hands pushing the tattered skirt of my dress up. His large and warm hand touched me there, causing me to let out a startled gasp. He pulled away, afraid that he had hurt me.

　　“Don’t stop, please…”

　　“…I understand.” He said, slowly entering a finger inside to spread me open to receive his length. I clutched onto him, desperately wanting his warmth to engulf me whole, not wanting to be parted away from him even for a second. “Cordelia,” he huffed, his face nuzzling between my neck as he inhaled my scent, the very scent that would drive any alpha insane and yet, Isaiah still managed to be gentle with me.

　　I told myself to remember this, to remember his patience, his gentleness. My heart felt incredibly full to the point of aching. He kissed my neck, over and over again before pulling out his fingers and slowly spread my legs wider so he could settle between them. He pulled away from me to look down at me, as though he was waiting for permission.

　　“I want you, Isaiah.” I sighed. I could not see our lower half due to the skirt of my dress, but I could feel it, I could feel his hard and hot length pressed against my entrance. He rubbed the tip onto my slit, before guiding it to enter me. I swallowed down a moan, feeling his spread me open was delirious.

　　He let out low grunts, and when he was fully inside of him all I wanted was for him to just stay like this, stay until my body only remembers him and nothing else. “Cordelia,” he called out my name, almost like a plea. He started moving, slowly thrusting his hips forward while I tightened my grip around his neck.

　　“Kiss me, please.” I begged and he did, without hesitation. His tongue slipped inside my mouth, hungrily and messily kissing me as though he had been deprived of my taste for the longest time.

　　I thought that once I had him inside me, the pain would have subsided and it did for the knot in my core, now only desperate for sweet release but strangely, my chest continued to ache, heart pounding against my ribcage as though it wanted to escape from my body. I am not afraid of him, no, I am not afraid of Isaiah. I wanted him to do this, I wanted to be embraced by him and yet, what was this aching sensation?

　　Tears ran down my already tear-stained cheeks and Isaiah must have noticed as I felt him tense before breaking our kiss apart. “Does it hurt?” he whispered roughly.

　　“It does…” I admitted.

　　Isaiah was about to pull out of me, but I quickly wrapped my legs around his waist. “H-Hey?

　　“Continue, please.”

　　“But you are hurting.”

　　“Not that…” I sobbed, not sure how to tell him that what was hurting was my heart, nothing else, nothing more. “Please don’t stop. Please, Isaiah.”

　　“…fuck! Cordelia!” he grumbled, burying himself deeper inside me as he shoved his face between my neck. He rutted into me at an unnatural pace and soon the feeling in my chest was overshadowed by my arousal.

　　Normally I would be afraid that he was going to bite my neck and mark me since he was so close to my neck but now, I did not mind. If Isaiah wanted to mark me, to make me his, I would not mind at all. He emptied himself inside of me and my release was close behind. We held each other for prolonged time, unable to separate from each other’s warmth and I felt almost whole at that moment. Was this love, I wondered.