Chapter 170 Too Far
Chapter 170 Too Far
TESSA
Weird. Why did he leave like that?
I stood there for a second, staring after Rowan, before I realized how stupid I must look. He hadn’t even given me a proper answer.
I really thought we could talk now.
I went back to the table, plastering on a small smile, but the feeling wouldn’t shake off. It stayed glued to my chest.
“What happened?” Arden asked the moment I sat down, eyes narrowing.
“Nothing,” I muttered. It was the truth. Nothing really happened.
Owen turned too, brows furrowed. I had only recently told him that Rowan was my mate, and I still wasn’t sure how he’d taken it. He’d stared at me for a full minute like I had grown another head, then changed the topic. Now, though, he wasn’t letting me off.
“He just left you?” he asked, clicking his tongue. “Unbelievable.”
I sighed and grabbed my glass of water, gulping half of it in one go. For some reason, my throat so dry, and my whole body felt warm. I set the glass down and fanned myself with my hand.
Arden tilted her head. “Are you alright? You look flushed.”
“It’s actually cold in here,” Owen added, giving me a suspicious look.
“It might be my dress,” I said quickly, tugging on the strapless neckline. “Wearing this was a mistake.”
“No!” Arden shook her head so fast it almost made me laugh. “You look so freaking good! Trust me.”
“Yeah,” Owen agreed, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. “You actually look amazing.”
I turned toward him, eyes narrowing. “You actually admit to that? Wow, you’re a brand new person.”
Arden let out a laugh, covering her mouth. Owen just rolled his eyes but didn’t take it back. And I sat there, trying to pretend everything was fine, trying to push down the way Rowan’s expression looked when I caught him earlier.
But I couldn’t.
I still couldn’t take my mind off him. No matter how much I tried to focus on the food in front of me, or Owen’s snide remarks, or even Arden’s laughter, my thoughts drifted back to Rowan.
My stomach twisted. Something wasn’t right about him. I could feel it deep in my bones.
Before I knew it, I stood up. “I’ll be right back,” I said to Arden and Owen, brushing past them.
I didn’t care if they followed me with their eyes or if they guessed where I was going. All I knew was that
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Chapter 170 Too Far
Rowan walked in the direction of the bathroom, and I needed to see him.
in File Crime
The hotel’s hallway stretched ahead of me. My heels clicked softly against the surface, each step echong louder than the last. My heart was beating too fast. My palms were sweaty, though the air conditioning made goosebumps prickle against my bare shoulders.
The men’s bathroom door was slightly ajar.
I hesitated. Maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe I should respect his space. But the pull was stronger than reason. The mate bond, maybe. Or maybe just me being stupid. Either way, my hand reached forward before my mind could argue.
I pushed the door open.
“Rowan?” I called softly, stepping inside.
The cool scent of the bathroom met me. Everything gleamed under the bright white lights. For a second, I thought maybe he wasn’t here at all, and I had imagined the whole thing.
However, I saw him slumped against the tiled wall near the sinks, head tilted back and eyes closed.
“Rowan!” I exclaimed, the word bursting out of me as I rushed forward. My heels clattered across the tiles as I dropped down to my knees beside him.
His white button–up was wrinkled now, the top buttons undone, and his breathing looked uneven. “Rowan?” I repeated, softer this time, my voice trembling as I reached for his arm. His skin was i
I knelt there, my hands hovering, unsure if I should‘ shake him awake or just sit by him. My heart hammered against my ribs, every instinct screaming that something was terribly wrong.
This felt like deja vu. It felt like the moment he found me at our house, just like this. But this time it wasn’t me who had fallen. It was him.
Was he in his rut?
The thought froze me in place. My pulse skipped as memories resurfaced of what I had read, what I had been told–about the way ruts affected Alphas like him.
And then I realized why I felt so strange. The heat was spreading through my body, the restless edge was in my veins, and my dress felt too hot against my skin. No wonder I couldn’t think straight all night. No wonder even a glass of cold water did nothing to help.
I was nearing my heat.
My lips parted in disbelief. The timing was cruel.
Before I could think too much about it, Rowan suddenly moved. His body wasn’t sluggish anymore–it was decisive and driven by instinct. He pushed himself up, crossed the distance, and stood in front of me before wrapping his arms around my body.
He was hugging me.
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Ifroze. My mind stuttered, my body stiffened, and all I could hear was the thunder of my own heartbeat.
Chapter 170 Too Far
What?
Rowan had never done this. But here he was, burying his face against my neck, his arms tight around me
I felt him deeply inhale, his chest expanding against mine as he breathed me in.
He was sniffing me.
I sucked in a breath, shivers racing down my spine as his nose brushed my skin. He lingered there, his voice more ragged and rougher than I had ever heard it.
“You smell so good.”
Heat surged through my body, pounding through my veins, and invading my thoughts until I couldn’t think of anything except the way his breath grazed my skin.
He bit my neck just lightly, but it was enough to make me gasp and my knees to weaken beneath me.
“Rowan-” I whispered, but the word was nothing more than a gasp, breaking apart before I could even form it properly.
Then, just as suddenly, he released me.
I staggered back a step, breathless. My hand instinctively went to the spot on my neck where I still felt ghost of his bite. My chest rose and fell rapidly.
I looked up at him, and he was staring down at me, his usually cold eyes soft and fierce all at once.
“Beautiful,” he muttered.
A small gasp escaped my lips when he once again crossed the distance between us. This time, his hands wrapped around my jaw, pulling me close, before placing his lips against mine.
He kissed me.
For the first time in my life, Rowan kissed me willingly.
And I couldn’t breathe.
The world spun and stopped all at once as his lips pressed against mine.
At that moment, I already knew.
I was too far to go.
back now.
