Page 49 of The Onyx Covenant

A slow smile spreads across his face, transforming his features. Without the perpetual scowl, he’s devastatingly handsome.

“You have no idea what honesty between us would look like, Lyra.”

The way he says my name—like he’s tasting it—makes my stomach flip.

“Why don’t you enlighten me?”

It’s a challenge, one I immediately regret when he leans in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.

“Honesty would be me telling you that I dream about tasting every inch of your skin,” he murmurs, his voice so low that only I can hear. “That I want to bend you over this table, tear those pants down your legs, and fuck you until you forget there was ever a time you hated me.”

I jerk back, my face on fire, my pulse hammering in my throat. “Theron!”

His eyes are dark, predatory. “Honesty would be admitting that I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you in the woods.”

“Stop it,” I whisper, but there’s no conviction in my voice. My body is betraying me, responding to his words with a rush of heat and want.

“I can just imagine how wet you are right now for me,” he whispers in my ear, and my thighs clench involuntarily. “How much you want me to make good on every filthy promise.”

“You’re insane.” But am I any better? All I can think about is climbing into his lap right here, with everyone watching.

“I’m not the one with my pulse racing and my scent screaming that I want to be fucked.”

Gods, what is wrong with me? This is Theron Shadowmane—the enemy. Yet I can’t deny that the pull between us grows stronger now more than ever before.

“I need a minute,” I mutter, pushing away from the table. I need distance, need to clear my head.

Theron’s gaze follows me as I retreat, dark with promise. “Don’t go too far, priestess. The manacle won’t allow it.”

In the corridor outside, I lean against the cool stone wall, trying to calm my racing heart. What’s happening to me? To Theron?

Movement down the hallway catches my attention. In an alcove partially hidden by heavy curtains, two figures are locked in a passionate embrace. I’m about to look away when I recognize Orion’s distinctive strawberry-blond hair. He has Nadia from our pack pressed against the wall, his mouth devouring hers as her legs wrap around his waist.

My stomach drops. Poor Aria. The crush she’s been nursing is clearly not going to end well.

I duck into the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face and staring at my reflection. My eyes look strange—too bright, pupils too wide. I need to calm down and not lose my head.

When I return to the hall, the chaos has escalated. Someone has overturned a platter of food, and Nero is dancing on the table, howling at the ceiling while others cheer him on. Two wolves in partial shift chase each other around the far end of the hall, knocking over a side table with a tremendous crash.

I spot Aria at the far end of the room near the curtains, deep in conversation with Kieran. Their heads are bent close together, and his hand rests lightly on her waist in a gesture that’s definitely not casual.

I weave through the madness, approaching them. “Hey there.” I try for casual but sound strained.

Aria jumps slightly, but her smile is unrepentant. “You think only you can have fun with the enemy?” She wiggles her eyebrows, and I notice her pupils are as dilated as mine were when I checked in the bathroom mirror.

“You know I have no issues with that,” I say, glancing between them. “But be careful. Something weird is going on.”

“Weird how?” Kieran asks, his hand still on Aria’s waist, tugging her closer to him in a protective manner.

I gesture around at the deteriorating scene. “Look at everyone. It’s like they’ve lost their minds.”

“Or found them,” he suggests with a lazy grin. “Maybe we’re all finally being honest about what we want.”

“Since when is honesty such a disaster?” I ask, watching as Tavian and Zephyr’s argument devolves into a fistfight, silver goblets and plates crashing to the floor around them.

“Honesty has always been dangerous,” Aria says, surprisingly serious despite her flushed cheeks. “It’s why we hide behind pack loyalties and ancient feuds instead of admitting what we really feel.”

Kieran’s eyes linger on her face. “And what do you really feel, my Aria warrior?”

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