Kane's POV

Either Delilah must be a virgin or she's incredibly weak to match my energy. Still, I kiss her. I kiss the hell out of her because I don't want her to die. Even if it means having sex with her, I will. She needs to be alive. I need to find out why she's immune to my powers, why the Ultima wants her dead, and what makes her so special.

I hold up her face to mine to avoid our mouths slipping from each other. She is barely able to hold up her head but I give her the support she needs and kiss her slowly. Softly. I don't stop. With my other hand, I trace down her shoulders and hold her hand. It's freaking cold, like ice.

I separate my lips from hers and look into her eyes. They trail down to my lips.

"More..." the soft voice of her wolf calls to me again.

I need to switch things up. I need to make her feel me as much as she can in this state. But how do you make love to an almost unconscious woman?

My eyes immediately move down to her legs. The previous night she woke up when I touched her. Maybe, just maybe, she will be more responsive if I roam my hands all over her active spots.

Her dress is low cut and a bit big so there's enough allowance for me to slide my hands underneath her skirt. My fingers softly draw lines over her thigh. I use my thumb to graze the lining of her panties and gently spread her legs apart.

Moving the silk fabric of her panties aside, I feel over her vulva and slightly deep my finger into her entrance. There's no response at all. I'm not a pro at these things but her walls are supposed to clench over my fingers or something.

She weakly watches me as I slowly enter her for the first time. If she keeps up like this then there's certainly going to be more. And I won't be stopping anytime soon.

I slide her panties down and slowly move my middle finger in and out of her. My thumb rubs over her clitoris, softly at first, then with more pressure. I go slowly and use my two hands. One continues to move in and out of her, and the second rubs her clit in circles.

Her leg twitches five minutes in and a look of hope lights up my face. I increase my pace, rubbing faster, stroking deeper. Her leg twitches again and a moan escapes her lips. This is the first sound she's making. I continue working on her, now, even faster than before and I feel her getting warm around my fingers. She moans, louder than before and shifts her head. Her hand presses into the bed and I feel her legs stiffen. Yet I continue. She's not there yet. I want her to be full of life.

A groan escapes her lips as I put two fingers in this time. She shoots her eyes open and another moan escapes her lips as her legs begin to shake on the bed. She draws her legs together. Quickly, I withdraw my fingers which are now covered with her liquid.

Her body stirs in bed and she continues to moan and whimper. People will hear the sound and begin to wonder what is happening. I reach up and cover her mouth with mine to reduce the sound of her moans.

This time, our kiss doesn't feel one-sided as she matches my energy. Our tongues play together and she turns to me, trying to connect our bodies. I withdraw from her and her breath comes out heavy with need.

Our eyes meet and we hold each other's gaze. Just the previous night, she panicked when I touched her dress. But today, I've gotten inside of her. I almost laugh at the thought.

Standing up erect, I continue looking at her. She watches me as if expecting more. What do I say to her in this moment? Does she really want more? No, I won't indulge her. I did this only to save her life.

"Try to stay warm," I tell her and leave the room, closing the door with a click.

I try not to think much about what happened. On reaching my room, I wash my hands and sit in my armchair to have a drink. Try to stay warm? Why on earth did I tell her that after our make-out session? Maybe it's because it wasn't a make-out session. I was only trying to save her life.

"Sure?" Alexander says within me.

"What do you mean? And where were you when everything was happening?" I asked him inwardly.

"I was letting you and Delilah have your moment. Next time, she and I will do our thing. You know, make things more rough... more beastly..."

I grimace at Alexander's words.

He laughs. "It took you a full seven minutes to get a single moan from her."

"She's a virgin! She was half-conscious! Weak! What did you expect?"

"Some more action. You need to handle strong women like that a little harder. You know what I mean..."

I close my eyes to try and get Alexander's words out of my head. Sadly, he's tied to my subconscious.

"Next time, I will handle things."

"There will be no next time!" I speak outwardly.

Alexander laughs. "Tell me you don't want to jiggle those breasts she keeps hidden underneath her clothes. You're not curious to explore her upper half too?"

"Alex!" I groan and he laughs.

"You call her a virgin, but I bet you're worse than her. Stop acting so tough and allow me to teach you some of my tricks. It comes from ancient knowledge, you know. Do it, and you'd have her vibrating while she screams out your name. Make use of that big co-"

"Shut up!" I shout, and my voice overpowers every other noise in the room.

Without waiting for a second more, I take the bottle of wine to my mouth and drink until I can't hear Alex anymore. Good riddance.

I climb up to my bed to sleep and images of my fingers digging in and out of Delilah fill my mind. Turning in my bed, I try to banish the thoughts but they only become worse. A strange feeling creeps over my body, and when I sleep, I have the naughtiest dream.

Delilah's POV

I wake up wanting more of his touch. This is what I've always longed for, this connection, this feeling, overwhelming, coursing through my body like an uncontrollable wave. Now all I can think of, is General Kane. I've lost all focus on everything else, including the sickness they say I have.

Nora trips over a metal container on the floor, and it draws my attention back to her and Dr Rogers in the room.

Just one night with him and now he's all I can think of. All my life, I thought I'd never meet my mate; I thought my wolf was gone. But she's here and he's here. It's like all my dreams came through in one single day.

The mate bond heightens my senses and I'm aware of General Kane more than ever. It's strange because I've never thought of him in such a manner. I never even dreamed I would be this close to him, this connected. It frightens me to some extent. I mean, this is General Kane we're talking about, the executioner. He is unflinchingly ruthless, and how he touched me yesterday, though sweet, had some underlying detachment in it. A crease forms on my forehead. Does he hate me? This would only mean trouble.

"Anything the matter, Delilah?" Nora asks, noticing my frown. She has been more caring lately. I've also gotten used to her.

I open my mouth to ask her about General Kane but end up shaking my head instead.

The doctor continues with my treatment. Throughout, I wait expectantly for General Kane but he doesn't show up. When Doctor Rogers and Nora leave, I walk over to the windows and look outside. General Kane is with a group of sentinels, training them under the afternoon sun.

He stands aside, watching and giving orders while someone else moves around the sentinels, correcting their moves and repositioning them.

Just recently all I felt for him was fear. Now I'm not only scared but curious. Of all persons the moon goddess could designate for me, it's the right-hand man of the Ultima? Why?

General Kane turns around and looks in the direction of my window. I'm not sure if he can see me right now, but his gaze causes heat to spread over my body. How can one hold so much power? His gaze always made me shrink in fear, but this time it's different. A feeling takes over my whole being. Want? Need? Curiosity? They attack me all at once.

I take a step back and he looks away. I do not see him again for the next few days. As much as I try, I can't help the curiosity that consumes me. Why was he staying away? Why did he not want to meet me? Was he rejecting me already?

On the third night of not getting any sign of General Kane, I start to become restless. I can't sleep. Why is he keeping away after awakening this fire in me?

I hold the bed sheet tightly over my chest as I stare into the darkness of the room. Memories of General Kane's touch fill my mind. I can still see him sitting there, filling me with a joy I've never felt in my life.

I want to feel more than his fingers inside of me. My whole body aches for his touch, what he could do to my soul if he made love to me. His touch brought me back to life. His kiss revived my wolf. He was my antidote, the relief to my pain. Yet, tears brim in my eyes when I think of him. This is what I get for having a War general as my mate. It's a sweetness mixed with pain. A blessing that slaps me right in the face.

Of course, he has rejected me. He won't want anything to do with me. I will weaken his powers. I will only be a liability to him. But I find it hard to stop thinking about him. I want him to touch me, to take me to his bed and complete what he started.

I need to get better so I can meet him. I'm frightened by his kind of personality. But I can't back down until I get him to quench this flame.

Thankfully, Doctor Rogers is skilful enough to get me on my feet in no time. Staying locked in this room is torture. For over a week, I haven't been out in the sun or enjoyed fresh air. Back at Silver Crest, I was at least allowed to roam free, not locked away.

Doctor Rogers said today is my last day of treatment. He walks into my room with Nora following behind. Their faces reveal the same blank expression they carry whenever they come around.

I sit up on my bed as Doctor Rogers approaches me. "Good morning, Delilah."

"Good morning, Doctor," I tell him and watch closely as he checks my vitals.

"Silver is completely cleared from your system and you are strong enough to leave this bed."

"And this room?" I ask with my eyebrows raised.

Doctor Rogers and Nora exchange knowing glances but don't answer my question.

"Don't tell me you want to keep me in here. For how long? I need to leave this place for my own sanity. It's even beginning to smell like a hospital." I complain. Still, no one replies. "Nora?"

She stops packing up the medical tools on the table and turns to me. "General Kane will decide when you will leave. For now, just wait for him."

Right. Wait for him. Like that's not what I've been doing for the past four days. I can't even protest. I can't tell the war general what to do. Even getting him to notice me as his mate has been hard enough.

I reflect on what happened four nights ago. Was he just using me to satisfy his guilty pleasures? Was he touching me because I was weak and couldn't fight against him? No, it can't be. Everything was just so confusing and my questions keep multiplying each day.

"I need to get out of here," I say, standing up from the bed.

"Delilah, please wait. The General will decide."

"Nora, I need to leave. He doesn't even want to see me. He doesn't care."

"Delilah!" Nora scolds, as I walk to the door.

"What?" I shout back at her. "Do I stay here forever?"

Nora is about to say something else when her phone rings. A frown dominates her face as she picks it up and places it on her ear.

"General?" she says, and my eyes light up. "Yes, Sir."

She drops the call and looks at me. "The general wants to see you in his study."

My heart drops in my chest. This is it.