Chapter 5 Burn With Me

Scarlett didn't sleep.

She couldn't.

Even after they returned to the estate, even after Dominic secured every door, stationed guards, and held her through the worst of the tremors, the fire inside her refused to rest.

It wanted him.

It needed him.

Her body thrummed with desire-not soft, not romantic. Wild. She could feel the shift in her bones, in the sharpness of her thoughts, the heat of her blood. Like something ancient inside her had been uncaged.

And Dominic... he tried to resist.

But the bond tethered them, raw and pulsing. Every glance between them sparked. Every touch threatened to undo them.

He stood now at the foot of her bed, shirtless, sweat clinging to his chest, jaw locked tight. Like he was at war with himself. With her.

"You need to rest," he said, his voice low.

"You know I can't," she replied, eyes dark with hunger. "Not when you're standing there like that. Not when it hurts this much."

His gaze dropped to her trembling hands, the faint red glow beneath her skin pulsing like embers.

"The flame is rising," he murmured.

She stepped toward him slowly, deliberately, heat radiating from her in waves. "You said you wouldn't let me burn alone."

Dominic's hand clenched at his side. "If I touch you right now..."

"I want you to."

He caught her then-his mouth crashing into hers like a storm. There was no gentleness now. No teasing. Just raw, unrelenting need. He lifted her like she weighed nothing, slammed her back against the nearest wall, and devoured her.

Clothes tore. Breathes are tangled. Her heat wrapped around him like chains, and he didn't fight it anymore.

He let it take him.

The bond snapped like a whip.

When he entered her, it wasn't with caution. It was with dominance. Possession. Like he was claiming fire itself.

And the gods helped them. It was fire.

The moment they collided, the room lit-candles flaring, curtains shifting from a wind that didn't exist. The heat exploded from her, wild and golden, crawling across her skin like a flame that didn't burn.

He moved with her, inside her, dragging her moans from the deepest parts of her soul.

Scarlett arched, a scream escaping her lips as her body broke apart beneath him, fire surging from her core and out.

The wall behind her cracked.

Dominic held her tighter, snarling, his fangs at her throat.

Mine.

She felt it-heard it-in her bones.

When they finally collapsed into each other, the room was scorched. Sheets smoldered. A single lamp had shattered from the heat.

But she felt sated.

Calm.

Whole.

Wrapped in his arms, she looked up at him-his golden eyes now shadowed, conflicted.

He brushed a strand of damp hair from her cheek. "You changed," he said quietly. "You're not the same girl who walked into this pack."

"And you're not the same Alpha," she replied, fingers tracing the curve of his chest.

They might've kissed again.

But the knock shattered the silence.

A sharp, calculated knock.

Dominic growled, already moving.

He yanked the door open-naked, dangerous-and froze.

Scarlett pulled a sheet around her, stepping beside him.

A woman stood in the hall. Tall. Regal. With sharp green eyes that mirrored Dominic's perfectly.

She smiled coldly.

"Hello, son."

Dominic's jaw flexed. "Mother."

Scarlett's breath caught.

The woman's gaze slid towards her and narrowed.

"I see the rumors were true," she said. "You really did find the cursed blood."

Scarlett stiffened. "Who are you?"

The woman stepped inside without invitation, her voice like frost.

"The one who warned Dominic never to fall for a girl like you."

Dominic stepped between them. "You don't belong here."

That night, after Dominic finally drifted into sleep beside her-his arm tight around her waist, his breath warm against her neck-Scarlett slipped out of bed.

The fire had cooled... for now. But her thoughts were far from calm.

She moved like a ghost through the estate, wrapped in the scent of him. Every step away tugged at the bond like a fraying thread.

She wasn't running.

She just needed answers.

In the forest beyond the ward lines, a presence waited.

Scarlett stopped just short of the boundary. She didn't cross it.

Theron emerged from the shadows like a memory come to life-tall, cloaked in crimson, silver-blue eyes glowing beneath his hood.

But unlike before, Scarlett felt nothing.

No flutter in her chest. No pull. No bond.

Only warning.

She didn't move closer.

"You're curious," Theron said.

"I want the truth," she replied. Not games. Not riddles.

His gaze flicked to the bracelet Dominic had placed on her wrist to help contain the heat. "Then ask your Alpha. If he dares tell you what you really are."

Scarlett's jaw tightened. "If you know what I am, say it."

But Theron only smiled, dark and patient. "You're not ready. But you will be... soon."

A low growl rumbled behind her.

Dominic.

His presence surged into the clearing like a storm breaking.

He didn't ask questions.

He stepped in front of her, between her and Theron, possessive and furious, his wolf barely restrained. "You don't speak to her again."

Theron gave a mocking bow. "Then teach her the truth yourself, Alpha. Before I do."

And then he vanished into the trees.

Scarlett didn't speak.

Dominic turned to her, eyes wild with fear and anger. "You shouldn't have come out here alone."

"I wasn't alone," she whispered. "Not really."

He pulled her into his arms, his voice ragged against her hair. "Next time you want answers, you come to me. You're mine, Scarlett. Mine to protect."

And for the first time, Scarlett felt it-not just the bond.

But the truth.

Her heart belonged to one man only.

Even if the world tried to tear them apart.

Scarlett's pulse hammered in her veins, but it wasn't the bond this time. It wasn't the heat.

It was something deeper. Something far older.

The moment Dominic held her, the world outside vanished. All she could feel was him-his heartbeat against hers, his scent drowning her senses, the strength of his grip. But there was no comfort in it. Not tonight.

She pulled away, breaking the connection before he could pull her back.

"Scarlett, don't..." His voice cracked with something raw. "What happened? Why were you out there with him?"

Her throat tightened, but she refused to let him see her vulnerability. "Theron just didn't want me. He wants what's inside me."

Dominic's eyes darkened with barely contained fury. "He wants your blood. And I'll kill him before he touches you again."

Scarlett's breath caught. "You don't understand. My blood... it's not just Omega. It's more than that. It's a curse."

Dominic's gaze softened, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. "Cursed?"

She nodded. "That's what Evelyn meant when she said I'm the key, To set him free."

Dominic stepped closer, his eyes hard. "You're mine, Scarlett. And I will never let anyone take you from me."

She looked away. "But if I'm what Theron wants, then maybe I'm not the one who gets to decide."

"No," he snarled, his control slipping. "No, you don't get to say that." Not after everything. Not after I- he stopped, his fists clenching at his sides. "I won't let him use you. You're mine, Scarlett. You'll always be mine."

Her heart raced, a different kind of heat curling through her veins. It wasn't the bond. It was something that made her feel alive, made her feel as though she was standing on the edge of something powerful.

"I didn't ask for this," she said, her voice quiet but fierce. "I didn't ask to be a part of your world."

Dominic reached for her, but she stepped back. "But you are," he said, his voice low, dangerous. "And you're going to learn that the hard way."

Scarlett swallowed hard. She knew he wasn't just talking about the bond. He was talking about everything.

Her past. Her bloodline. The ancient fire that pulsed within her veins.

"I need to know the truth," she said, the words finally spilling out.

Dominic's jaw tightened. "It's not safe for you to know, not yet."

"I don't care. If I'm going to survive this, I need to know everything."

He met her gaze, the weight of his silence pressing down on her. For a moment, he seemed to weigh his words carefully, then exhaled slowly, like he had been holding his breath for too long.

"It's not just your bloodline. It's your power, Scarlett. You're not just any Omega. Your ancestors were Fireborn. They were the ones who controlled the flame. And somewhere in you... that power is waking up."