Chapter 66

Justin POV

She finally fell asleep. Her body was jerking around when I entered the dwelling of the cave, her heat so palpable it sent waves over my Lycan. He wasn’t happy with my abrasive need to create distance between us.

Neither was her wolf.

It took so much out of her that at last she passed out. Randy wanted to be sure of her submission against her heat, so he tied her wrists in rope and looped it through the headboard of the bed.

Seeing her like that only fueled the need and desire that bubbled through my chest. I wanted her like that, to please her mercilessly while she was tied up and panting and begging.

Randy connected a fist into my cheek, knocking me unbalanced and pissing me off.

“What the fuck?!”

My Beta snarled. “You’re doing it again, dammit. Relax, Justin. You’re going to put each other back in heat.”

I shook my head and settled my nerves; for now. “I don’t know what happened out there it was just—we just took a break to swim—I wanted to calm her down after that terrible moment with her parents and—I don’t know what happened.”

“You two are stronger than ever,” Randy breathed. “Too strong.”

I swallowed with that claim. “I’ve never felt that vigorous, that needy, in my life, Randy. It doesn’t make sense.”

“We need the healer,” he huffed. He gave me a narrow look. “Can I trust you to behave if I leave for a minute?”

I nodded and watched him leave, standing nearly all the way across the cave away from my mate. She was whimpering in her dreams, uncomfortable with the ropes, and I just wanted to comfort her, to please here, to stick my cock so far up here—

I turned my back toward her, snarling at myself.

The bruises on her surface were enough to sate my hunger to have her more.

“Ju—Justin?”

I peered over her shoulder, meeting her eyes from across the room. They were tear-filled and discolored. I couldn’t understand why, though. She’s my mate, but something had changed. The same something that had made us so brutally horny.

“Please, come here,” she panted, laying on her back with he arms tied over her head. “Please.”

She pulled her knees apart, beautifully naked and undeniably wet.

My eyes staggered over the bite wounds and bruises. I pushed myself across the room and forced her legs closed, throwing a blanket over her body, all the way to her neck and shoulders. I trace my hand down the side of her throat, seeing the teeth marks I left there.

“No, Helen. We can’t do that anymore.”

“It—hurts—” she said through begging, desperate cries. “Dammit, Justin, please! My heat hurts!”

“I know it does, baby. I know,” I said through gritted teeth. “I just can’t hurt you anymore. Randy is bringing a healer back. She will help us get through this.”

She fought the ropes, the blanket over her body, writhing her hips off the mattress as she rode the waves of her heat in pure misery. I wanted to help her more than anything, I hated her heat pains, but I couldn’t stop if I were to start again.

I backed away as she struggled and fought nervous tears until the healer returned with Randy.

It was the woman from Fiery Cross.

She looked toward me with a sense of resentment, like this could be my fault, and it very well could have been. I just wanted my mate to get better. She had to get better.

She’s my Luna.

The healer leaned down next to Helen, pulling the blanket down her body so she could stroke her side. Randy helped turned my mate over and just like before when he picked her up, I felt a sting of ache in my chest.

I didn’t like anyone touching my mate, especially an unmated male, but I trusted Randy like a brother.

Like my true Beta.

“This wound I healed,” the woman said, pressing her palm into Helen’s spine. “I didn’t see it before, but it’s clear what happened.”

“What? Was this my fault?”

“No,” she said, thankfully. “It looks like the dagger he used to stab her was potent with a curse.”

“A curse?” Randy echoed. “What kind of curse?”

The healer took a long, silent pause to consider the information. She yanked her hand away suddenly and hissed. Holding her hand to the light, it was clearly bright red and almost blistered in a burn.

“It’s a mating spell, a lust curse, put on the dagger to induce the heat cycle,” the healer groaned.

“How is that possible?” I barked. I stood over my mate now and could smell her aroma again, so dangerously warm and tempting. I covered my face. “It’s so strong.”

“A wizard must have cursed the dagger that Scott used to stab her with. It hit her main nervous system in her spine, spreading toxins through her body in an instant.”

I rattled with anger. “That sly fucker,” I slandered him. “Why would he use a heat curse on my mate?”

“You remember what he said to threaten her,” Randy groaned. “He would only mate with her in heat. It was a tacky insult, but maybe he was hinting at the curse.”

“She was his mate before and he rejected her. Why would he want her back?”

The healer spoke up, her voice tangled in pain over the forced healing of her burned palm. “He couldn’t ascend to Alpha without a Luna,” the healer said. “As much as he thought Diana was stronger than Helen, he turned out to be wrong when she mated you.”

“He’s backtracking,” Randy said. “He probably had the knife, watching to cut here and send her into heat so he could mate with her.”

“That way I would have to reject her,” I mumbled. That thought hurt immensely.

“Justin,” Helen pained, fighting the ropes so hard her wrists began to bleed. The mere scent of her blood sent my Lycan into a frenzy. “Please, help me!”

The healer stood up, standing between me and my mate. Randy too her side, arms crossed over his broad, taut chest.

“If you partake again,” the healer groaned, “you will kill her. Your Lycan cannot withstand her heat, especially if it’s a never-ending heat cycle.”

I swallowed, aware of that but I wanted her to heal. I wanted her on my lap. I wanted—

Fuck my wants. She has to get through this with me in support. Fucking her would only make it worse and I needed her to get better. She is my Luna.

“How will she get passed this?”

“It will take a few days, maybe a week,” the healer pained. “She will just have to let it wear out of her blood. It won’t be easy, but you have to resist.”

I buried my face into my palm, hearing Helen struggle and fight to stay conscious when there was one thing that everyone knew would help the pain go away.

“What if I help her, and I don’t necessarily partake?” I breathed. “Would that be okay?”

She looked at me suspiciously. “Her heat is going to be ten-times stronger than ever before. If you get carried away and try to fully mate her, you will have to be ripped off of her.”

My face fell. “I just want her to not be in pain.”

“She will be better after this passes, Alpha. That’s the best I can problem.”

It’s not enough, but I have to accept it. The healer leaves but Randy still stands between me and Helen. I fight to stay put and to not pull into her side and relieve her over and over again.

I stayed back for her. It wasn’t easy.