45. Another Date

|| Lilac’s POV || As I lay down on my bed, my mind raced with thoughts of the day’s events. It was all too much to process. I closed my eyes, trying to calm the storm in my mind, but it was no use. Just as I was about to give up and get up, I felt a familiar presence in the room. “Alaric,” I whispered, sitting up abruptly. He was there, standing in the shadows, his presence both comforting and unsettling. Without thinking, I jumped off the bed and ran to him, wrapping my arms around him and inhaling his familiar scent of pine and earth. But something felt off. His body was tense, his arms stiff at his sides. “So, you still remember me?” His voice was harsh and low, sending a shiver down my spine. I pulled back, my heart pounding as I searched his face. “What do you mean?” I asked, my voice trembling. His hand pressed against my jaw, his grip firm but not painful, as he claimed my lips in a kiss that was demanding and possessive. It was unlike any kiss we had shared before... raw, inten