NOVEL WEB Chapter 273: Between Two Flames
Evaline:
The clock at the Council headquarters had just struck four when I finally wrapped up the day's reports. My pen scraped across the last sheet, the ink blotting a little at the end from my rushed hand, but I didn't care. My mind was already racing ahead, not with pack reports, patrol assignments, or Council updates, but with the one thing that had been looming over me since morning - Draven.
By the time I reached the Academy, the winter sun had already dipped low, painting the snow with an orange glow. My pulse quickened with every step I took toward my dormitory. I didn't even bother with tea or snacks, and went straight to the showers.
The hot water felt divine on my skin, melting the cold that had seeped into my bones from the walk back. I washed my hair carefully, massaging my scalp until the tension in my head loosened, then lingered under the spray longer than I should have, bracing myself for whatever 'punishment' Draven had in store for me.
When I finally stepped out, steam was clinging to my skin, and the sight of my flushed cheeks in the mirror made me smile nervously. I headed back to my dorm and locked myself in my room, preparing to get ready.
The cold outside had painted my cheeks pink already, so I skipped the blush I usually wore for such special meetings with my mates. I did my skincare, applied my favorite lip oil, and finished with body moisturizer.
Blow-drying my hair, I let the strands fall down freely. Draven liked it that way. Too much? Maybe. But my mates had a way of seeing through my efforts no matter how small they were.
Once I was satisfied with my reflection, I picked up my phone and sent a quick message to Oscar.
Finished getting ready.
His reply came almost instantly: Meet me outside the gates in 10.
I had just enough time. I tapped open the group chat with Rowan, Mallory, and Kyros, typing a short message: Heading out with my mates. Don't wait up.
Kyros was the first to reply, as usual, with a mischievous sticker of a wolf smirking.
Rowan's response was more thoughtful: Enjoy the evening.
But Mallory - oh, Mallory - her voice message had me pressing the phone against my ear in disbelief, my face heating so quickly I thought steam might rise again. I couldn't even listen to it twice.
No need to come back tonight. Just make sure the brothers are the ones crying out your name in pleasure.
"Mallory, you are impossible," I muttered under my breath, my ears burning.
Grabbing my coat from the closet near the door, I slipped it on, wrapped a scarf around my neck, and stepped out. Snowflakes swirled gently in the air, catching in my hair and lashes as I crossed the courtyard and headed toward the Academy gates.
The stationed warriors were standing stiff and unbothered by the cold. Outside, I spotted Oscar's car parked a little ways down the road.
I hurried across the path, my boots crunching on the snow, and slipped into the passenger seat.
"Hi," I greeted softly, brushing snowflakes from my hair.
His smile was warm enough to rival the car's heater. "Hey, little mate." His voice carried that lazy ease that always made my chest tighten. He reached over to fasten my seatbelt before pulling the car into motion, the tires crunching against the icy road.
We drove in silence for a while, the Academy vanishing behind us as he steered onto a narrow, snow-covered dirt road that twisted deeper into the forest. The woods here were quiet, undisturbed, their branches heavy with snow.
We were probably more than halfway to Draven's secret house, when Oscar slowed the car to a stop. My brow furrowed as I turned to him. "Why are we-"
Before I could finish, he unbuckled his belt, leaned across, and did the same for mine. His hands were firm but careful as he tugged me across the console, settling me on his lap with such ease it stole my breath.
"Oscar!" I gasped, my hands flying to his shoulders. "What are you doing?"
His smirk curved and his eyes gleamed like frost beneath moonlight. "Stealing some time with you before I hand you over to Draven." His words sent a shiver down my spine. "He doesn't get to keep you all to himself."
I barely had time to speak before his lips were on mine. The kiss was demanding, fierce, every stroke of his mouth against mine pulling me deeper. He sucked, teased, coaxed, until I was clutching his jacket for balance, my lungs burning for air.
When he finally let me breathe, it was only to trail his lips down my jaw, to my neck. His fingers sweeped my hair aside before tugging at the neckline of my sweater. His touch was everywhere - one moment holding me firmly, the next brushing so lightly it sent sparks skittering across my skin.
"Oscar…" My voice was a whisper, half-protest, half-plea.
He only chuckled against my throat, the sound vibrating through me. "You taste too sweet to stop."
I was lost in his warmth, in the sheer intensity of the moment, when the sharp sound of a phone vibrating cut through the haze. Oscar pulled backand fished his phone from his pocket.
"Draven," he said, his lips quirking as he showed me the caller ID. He pressed 'accept' and put it on speaker.
"Where are you?" Draven's deep voice filled the car, a hint of impatience in his tone. "You should have been here already."
Oscar's hand slid back into my hair, tilting my head so his lips brushed my ear. "Caught up," he answered smoothly, his free hand tracing down my spine. "We'll be there soon."
Caught up? My eyes widened as he kissed me again, deliberately messy, the sound of it impossible to miss through the line.
Draven was silent for a heartbeat. Then his voice lowered, dark and edged with something primal. "I can feel her, Oscar. Don't play games. I can sense her emotions rising through the bond, and if you don't bring her to me soon…" His words trailed off, heavy with promise.
Oscar's smirk deepened against my lips. "Relax, brother. I'm only warming her up for you."
My heart pounded at the exchange, my face burning hotter than the car's heater could ever manage. Between Oscar's touch and Draven's voice rumbling through the speaker, I felt caught... pulled tight between two flames, each consuming me in their own way.