Rejected and Pregnant: Claimed By The Dark Alpha Prince-Chapter 694: I need you near me

"Are you planning to tackle the dishes tonight?" Dominick asked, elegantly dabbing a linen napkin across his mouth. "Leave them for the morning; the cleaning lady will be here early enough to handle it."

"I think I’ll do just that," Jeniva agreed, her voice trailing off as she took a slow, contemplative sip of her wine. "I’m far too exhausted to stand at the sink tonight." Her gaze drifted toward the tall dining room window, where the snowflakes of the evening were beginning to dance against the glass.

"It’s snowing," she murmured, the reflection of the lamps in her eyes making them shimmer.

Dominick turned his head to follow her gaze. "Gridlock always sees a heavy accumulation this time of year," he noted.

"It does," Jeniva replied softly. "And this region is famous for the auroras, isn’t it? They say when the winter sky is perfectly clear, the lights dance right over the hills. I’ve lived here for a while, but the conditions haven’t been right yet. I’ve always wanted to see them, just once in my life."

"You may see them sooner than you think," Dominick stated, his eyes tracking the movement as she tipped the bottle to refill her glass.

"Don’t drink too much," he advised, his protective instincts surfacing.

Jeniva didn’t offer a verbal rebuttal; she simply rolled her eyes. Then, she stood abruptly, gathered the dishes, and carried them to the kitchen. After depositing them in the sink, she drained the rest of her glass in one go, set it on the countertop, and offered the Prince a curt, formal bow before turning on her heel.

"Why does she seem so upset?" Dominick murmured to the empty room. He followed her toward the guest wing to check on her, but finding her door ajar and the sound of the shower running, he decided against intruding. He pulled the door shut for her privacy and retreated upstairs to his own room.

Standing before the bathroom mirror to brush his teeth, he reflected on the conversation he had accidentally overheard earlier. He rinsed his mouth, the cool water a sharp contrast to his wandering thoughts.

"While some hearts are wounded by love, others still hunger for it," he whispered to his reflection, hanging his towel over a chair. "The Moon Goddess should grant her a better mate this time, one who values her."

As he sat on the edge of the bed, his world suddenly tilted. A violent surge of heat erupted in his marrow, which was the early signs of his rut.

"What the fuck?" Dominick hissed, his fingers clawing into the silk sheets. His senses went into overdrive, and suddenly, the air was saturated with a intoxicating scent of Jeniva’s pheromones. "No. Not now. Why her?"

His breathing turned ragged as he fought the sudden, overwhelming urge to hunt for the source of that scent. But he remained rooted to her place.

"I rejected her. There’s no matebond between us, then why am I feeling her scent?" Dominick mumbled. His wolf growled within him, his senses getting overwhelmed with Jeniva’s pheromones.

Dominick’s control was snapping, the rational part of his mind being drowned out by a primal, thundering roar in his mind. He abandoned the safety of his room, his feet moving on instinct as he pursued the scent that promised the only relief for the fire burning in his veins.

Inside her room, Jeniva stood by the window, the soft moonlight reflecting off the falling snow. When the sharp, frantic knock sounded against her door, she turned with a start.

Pulling the door open, she was met with a sight that made her heart hammer against her ribs. Dominick stood there, his chest heaving, his pupils blown wide and bleeding into a deep, predatory red.

"Your Highness, what happened?" she began, but the words died in her throat. Suddenly, the air grew thick and heavy, saturated with his overwhelming pheromones.

Her knees felt weak as the scent hit her. ’Why am I reacting like this?’ she panicked, her mind racing. The bond had been severed by his rejection, yet her body was responding to him with a pull.

"I am in rut," Dominick rasped, the deep growl sent shivers down her spine.

"What? How is that possible?" Jeniva gasped, stumbling backward to create space between them. Her hands flew to her chest as she felt her own pulse racing to match his. "Don’t you have suppressants? You must have something!"

Dominick shook his head slowly, his gaze locked onto the pulse point at her neck. He looked like a man possessed, fighting a war against his own nature. "I have nothing," he choked out, taking a heavy step into her room. "And your pheromones are too strong to ignore. And your wolf..."

"We rejected each other. How can this be possible?" Jeniva asked, her voice trembling as she looked at him with panic. "Your Highness, stay here. Just stay right here. I’ll go find a pharmacy and bring the pills for you."

She scrambled to grab her phone and wallet from the nightstand, her movements frantic as she tried to navigate the intoxicating atmosphere of the room. But as she tried to dart past him, his hand shot out, catching her wrist in a grip that was firm yet surprisingly desperate.

"Don’t leave. Don’t," Dominick urged. The moment his skin touched hers, a visible shudder ran through his frame, and his jagged breathing suddenly leveled out.

He moved closer, his second hand coming up to capture her other wrist, effectively anchoring her. The gap between them was so narrow that the air felt charged with static; they stood close enough to feel the frantic rhythm of each other’s hearts and the warmth of every exhaled breath.

"Your Highness, please... Your urge to mate will only intensify the longer I stay," she whispered, her logic warring with the heat spreading through her own limbs.

The words were cut short as Dominick released one of her wrists and pressed a single, trembling finger against her lips. "Stay quiet and stay still," he commanded softly, his voice a low vibration that seemed to settle deep in her bones. "I will not force myself on you. I promise. I just... I need you near me."