The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 254

Liora’s POV

The closet was small and packed full of clothes. Thick furs, coats, suits—they pressed in on me from all sides, forcing me closer to Callum. So close I could feel his body heat emanating through his tuxedo and his heart beating from inside his chest.

I couldn’t move. Not just because of the close quarters, but something else.

The feeling of him against me was making something stir deep within me. My wolf. I could feel her stretching as if waking from a long rest, could sense her consciousness intertwining with mine for the first time in months.

“Really?” I thought. “Now, of all the times?”

I stared up at Callum, my lips parted. He was looking at me in that way again. The same way he’d looked at me under the stars when we had kissed.

It had been such a brief moment of bliss, to be looked at like that. No matter how much I tried to force the image out of my mind, I couldn’t. And now it was back.

Ambrose stepped into the bedroom. He paused in the doorway, looking around. “Hello?” he called out. The sound of his voice was like nails on a chalkboard now after what happened. “Is anyone here?”

Callum glanced at me and pressed his index finger to his lips. As if I was going to make a sound and risk us getting caught.

The air grew thicker as my cousin stepped further into the room. He came to stand at the foot of the bed and stared at the perfectly-made sheets as if searching for creases.

Callum shifted slightly beside me, pulling me deeper into the racks of clothes. I was nearly suffocated by the heavy coats and cloaks, but Callum gently held them aside with the back of his hand. I looked over to see his arm looped around my shoulders, and I quickly snapped my gaze away, cheeks flushing.

Ambrose continued to look around. He lingered by the bed for a long moment. Too long. Then he circled around it and was no longer in sight.

Suddenly, a sneeze began to tickle my nostrils. I pulled my head back and inhaled sharply. Callum, eyes widening, reached out and pinched my nose.

I whipped my head up to look at him. The sneeze burned at the back of my sinuses, making tears prick the corners of my eyes. But he didn’t let go. And soon, the sensation faded.

Ambrose seemed to move into the bathroom. I could hear his shoes clicking on the marble floor, and then the sink turned on.

I went to peek out, trying to see if we could make a run for it, but Callum grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

I looked up at him, finding steely eyes already looking at me in the darkness. My heart lurched as I felt that sensation again—my wolf waking from her slumber. Her scent permeated my skin, slowly at first, but then stronger.