The girl hesitated briefly before nodding quickly. “I will fetch her.”
She slumped onto the stone bench beside the fountain, arms wrapped tightly around herself as she fought to cease her quivers. The cool stone did little to soothe the fire. Another pulse of heat coiled low, her body shaking under the strain.
Muffled voices drifted through the courtyard, the hurried shuffle of feet barely registering over the pounding in her ears.
A gentle hand settled on her shoulder, cool against her fevered skin. Reiya forced her heavy lids open, blinking up into Solmaz’s dark eyes.
“Oh, my dear.” The older woman’s voice was soft with understanding. She didn’t ask questions, didn’t demand explanations—only helped Reiya carefully to her feet.
“Come. Let’s get you somewhere more comfortable.”
Solmaz didn’t take her to the Omega baths but deeper into the sanctuary, down a quiet corridor lined with heavy doors. They entered a private chamber where soft lantern light cast a golden glow over the room. The scent of chamomile lingered in the air—soothing, but wholly ineffective against the fever roaring through her limbs.
A low, cushioned bed sat beneath a canopy of sheer drapes, silken sheets cool beneath Reiya’s palms as Solmaz guided her down. She curled onto her side, arms wrapped around her stomach as though the pose could hold her together.
“Is this the Heat?” she rasped, teeth chattering despite the unbearable warmth.
Solmaz smoothed damp curls from her forehead, her touch light, maternal. “From the look of it, it’s only the prelude to your true Heat—the Kindling.”
Reiya swallowed hard, her throat dry, her pulse erratic. “I’ve been taking”—a sharp gasp cut through her words as another wave hit, her nails digging into the sheets—“Heat suppression remedies. Is it not . . . supposed to stop the symptoms?”
Solmaz sighed, dipping a cloth into a bowl of water and wringing it dry. She pressed the cool rag against the back of Reiya’s neck.
“My dear, those teas are a temporary measure at best. The more you rely on them, the more your body resists. Eventually, they fail altogether.”
Reiya squeezed her eyes shut, tears spiking her lashes. That couldn’t be true. She had been careful, so careful.
The thought of losing control now, here, in the middle of Zohara sent a fresh wave of panic spiralling through her.
“Can I . . . just ride this out? This . . . Kindling?” The words came hoarse, barely above a whisper, tasting of desperation.
Solmaz’s touch softened, but there was no comfort in it. “You can try.” A pause. “But . . . even if this isn’t true Heat, the pain will still be considerable, and it will worsen. If you fight it, it will return with a vengeance—stronger, longer, more unforgiving.”
She hesitated, then spoke again, her tone gentler but no less firm.
“You have two choices, my girl. You can stay here and endure it alone, or call an Alpha you trust. Is there . . . anyone?”
Reiya’s breath shuddered as she pressed her forehead against the pillow. Instinct screamed at her, clawing at the edges of her control, demanding the presence of someone who could soothe the ache building in her bones.
Her lips barely moved around the words before she could second-guess them.
“Kai and Lark . . . at the caravanserai.”
Solmaz nodded, her hand a steady presence against Reiya’s back. “I’ll send a messenger to fetch them straightaway.”
Reiya lost all sense of time. Minutes, hours—she couldn’t tell anymore. The world narrowed to the hollow ache between her ribs, to the slow, merciless build of heat clawing through her. At first, the waves came and went, cruel in their false mercy. But soon, even that fled. Relief ceased to exist.
Only fire remained—slow, relentless, winding tighter with every pulse in her veins, until it felt like her very bones were kindling, burning from within.
Solmaz stayed by her side, perched on the edge of the bed, wiping her sweat-damp skin with a cool rag, murmuring soft reassurances. Reiya couldn’t comprehend them—couldn’t think past the relentless ache in her body. She curled tighter into herself, pressing her forehead to the silk cushions. Her skin was too hot, too sensitive, prickling with every shift of fabric. Between her thighs, a cruel, rhythmic pulse throbbed—demanding, unbearable.
It terrified her.
Because shewanted. Gods, she wanted them.
Kaelen, with his sunlit scent, his steady hands, his easy laughter that made her forget why she was running.
And Alarik—his quiet smoulder, solid strength wrapped in silence, so unshakable it felt like the world could collapse and he wouldn’t let her fall.