"W-what?" I sat up and stared at Tiffany dumbfoundedly. "That's not possible. It has been two years." I wiped the cold sweat on my forehead with my sleeve, then swung my legs over to the side of my bed and stood up. "I can't even shift or get my wolf to talk to me. How is it even possible that I can experience this heat thing if my wolf isn't even here?" I started pacing the room, suddenly even this huge arse room felt too small, too cramped that I could hardly breathe.
Tiffany moved into the room and closed the door behind her. She didn't approach me or made any move toward me which was smart. I didn't even know what I'd do at this point.
"We don't have that many hybrids in this world, Xyrra," she stated with a sigh. "Not many species mingle with different species. They usually stick to their own kind. I know this because many years ago, over two decades ago, I chose to be with my Chosen Mate who's a human, and I was frowned upon." She moved to the sofa a few feet away from her, then took a seat. "Love conquers all for some people but not all people. Some choose love over anything, some don't. Many don't. That's why, as I said, there are not that many hybrids around." She tilted her head, her wavy hair fell over one shoulder as she did so. Her brilliant eyes were studying me. "Have you been using a lot of magic for these last two years?"
"Yes." I used magic every single day, perhaps even every hour of the day while I'd been living with Deidre in the East as I'd been learning and honing my skill. "All the time."
"I'm not sure about this but I'm guessing that's what represses your wolf side."
"I've been using a lot of magic too around the time when I first shifted," I argued. "I even used it for a battle which takes more energy than usual." I moved my way closer to Tiffany but still kept a safe distance between us. In the end, I stopped by tall windows that led to a balcony and unlocked it so that the night air could come and dissipate this heat.
"But was it not your birthday?"
I took one step out of the balcony, then leaned on the jamb, the back of my head was resting on the top hinge. "Yes."
"Then you probably shifted because you're of age. Most wolves shift for the first time when they're eighteen." Tiffany gave me a small smile and shook her head. "I know I'm just eyeballing this. We can never know for sure unless we ask Dmitry."
At the last part of her sentence, I frowned. "Dmitry?"
"Yes, I'm guessing you're aware of his true identity." She grabbed a pillow and placed it on her lap. Her fingers were playing with the fabric. "What I meant earlier is that he must have information about hybrids back home. I visited his kingdom once upon a time and they've kept tons of records in their library."
I vaguely remembered that back when Tiffany and I had first met in the packhouse, she'd told me that Dmitry's cousin Trish was her Fated Mate's daughter. I should've been able to guess that given the relation, Tiffany would've known about Dmitry being a prince.
"Maybe." I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. "You said that I was in heat. Does that mean my wolf will soon return? Or is there anything that might trigger it?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she asked me a question, "Is this your first time experiencing this?"
"I don't even know what you mean by 'this'," I answered truthfully. My hand moved to unbutton the first button of my blouse. The night air did help but I was still feeling hot and bothered.
"A hot, burning rush of desire?" She shrugged. "I'm not really sure how to explain it since I've never experienced it myself, given that I'm wolf-less. But I heard it's a desire pooling in your body and you'll be agitated and restless until you find some sort of release."
That sounded like what I'd just experienced fifteen minutes ago. "I felt that," I admitted. "But I'm not sure that this is my first time feeling it. I—" I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I wasn't sure how I explained this to Tiffany without sounding like I was mad as a March hare.
At the awareness of my hand being touched, I reopened my eyes. Tiffany in her petite frame was shorter than me and I looked down to meet her silver eyes. They reminded me so much of Ryker that I felt my heart being squeezed. "Don't be afraid to tell me anything, Dear. I won't judge."
I shook my head, my breathing grew hard as emotion gripped me tightly. "This is gonna sound mad and I don't know whether it's just my mind playing tricks or if it's truly the heat that I'm experiencing." I tightened my hold on Tiffany's hand as I needed something that I could hold on to. "But I keep dreaming about Ryker. I can tell they were dreams, especially when I woke up and found myself in bed yet on other occasions, I could swear that they were real."
Then I proceeded on telling her about what had happened in the alley behind the cafe where I'd worked two years ago, and also during the graduation party at the hotel's loo. "It felt so real, Tiff. But there wasn't any evidence, anything concrete to prove that they were real. I feel like I'm going insane just thinking about whether they were or they weren't. I can't tell if it was my mind playing tricks on me or if it was truly him." I pointed at the window. "Like an hour ago or maybe more, I could swear I saw him standing there when I entered the room. But then I woke up on the bed. Alone." Recalling that Tiffany had been the one coming to my bedroom, my free hand touched her shoulder. "Did you come because you heard him? Is that why you came to my room? Did you see him before he left?"
"No." Tiffany shook her head. "I didn't hear or see him but I," she took a small pause and bit her bottom lip. She looked positively uncomfortable saying what she'd about to say. "I smelled it. I can still smell it even now."
I frowned. "Smell what?"
"You." She took a step back and my hand dropped to my side. "You, um, you were turned on, right?"
"What does that—" I wasn't a blusher but even at her remarks, my cheeks flushed. "Oh my gosh. You can smell it?!"
"I've been in the packhouse for my whole childhood before I married Cedric. During the heat, your body also exerted some sort of pheromones that would attract other wolves especially those without a mate." She gave me a warm smile as if telling me that it was normal and I shouldn't be embarrassed. Yet right now all I wanted was to have the ground cracked open and swallowed me whole. "Ah, I forgot to answer your questions. I'm not sure whether your wolf will return or not but you will experience heat every full moon. With the cycle of the phases of the Moon lasting approximately one month, and there being 12 months in a year, we typically have 12 full moons each year."
"So basically this happens every month? Like a period?" I shook my head, hating the thought of this already. "Will it stop at one point or is there a way to make it stop?" It was pure torture to be so sexually aroused only to be let down because Ryker wasn't here with me.
"It will stop once you're marked," answered Tiffany carefully. "Once a wolf marks you, you won't have any more heat from that moment onwards."
"Would any wolf do?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Yes," she drawled, her eyes narrowing infinitesimally. "But I don't think it's a good idea to just have a random wolf marked you because you'll be mated to him or her. And even though I've never been marked before, I still do believe that when it happens, it's because you want to be with someone and not because you want to get rid of the heat."
"Yes, of course. Sorry, I wasn't thinking of getting a random wolf to mark me or anything. I'm just trying to know about all of these."
Tiffany nodded. The small frown between her eyebrows slowly disappeared. "Well, it's late. You should get some rest." She patted my shoulder before turning around and heading towards the door.
"Tiff?" I called her just as she was about to leave.
With one hand resting on the door handle, she turned around. "Yes?"
I took a deep, calming breath before meeting her eyes. "Rather than wait until next month, I think we should do it tonight."
"Pardon?" Lines of frown re-emerged on her forehead as she regarded me with a confused look on her oval face.
Without any hesitation, I told her straight, "I'll have you see your brother now."
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Anyone's excited? Ryker's POV coming up real soon!!