How To Lose Your Billionaire Alpha Husband In 365 Days (Or Less)!-Chapter 57: Primal Need?

JASMINE’S POV

"Aiden?" I blinked, still half-dreaming. The hallway light behind him cast soft shadows across his face, making it hard to read his expression.

But I could feel it—something was off.

He didn’t speak.

Just stepped closer.

Close enough that the warmth of his body pressed into the chill of my doorway. His scent, embers, pine, and something sharper curled around me like smoke, wrapping around my lungs and tightening my breath.

I opened my mouth. "Aiden—"

Still nothing.

His gaze locked with mine, and I saw the shift happen right then. Not a blink. Not a change in expression. Just a pull, like gravity, sucking the air from the room.

His eyes darkened, glowing faintly with that molten gold I’d only seen flashes of before. But now it wasn’t a flicker. It was a firestorm barely contained.

I stepped back. "Aiden, what’s happening?"

He blinked slowly, his breathing unusually calm. It felt almost too deliberate, like he was trying to keep his emotions in check.

"I... I don’t know," he said, in a low, raw voice, like it had been dragged through gravel. "I was lying in bed, and then I caught it. Your scent. And it just... something snapped."

That was when I saw it.

His claws. Just peeking out. Not fully extended, but enough to catch the light.

And then I saw his eyes drop down my face, past my collarbone... to the mark on my neck.

The scar.

The one I didn’t talk about. The one I barely let myself think about.

I swallowed hard. "Aiden," I whispered, chest tightening. "Maybe you should just... go, and try to get some sleep."

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he took a slow step forward. Then another.

I backed into the edge of the desk behind me. My fingers gripped the wood, anchoring myself.

"You’re scaring me," I said. "Please, stop."

His face twisted, like he was in pain. "I’m trying," he growled, trembling slightly. "Gods, Jasmine, I’m trying. But it’s pulling at me. The tether... your scent... I can’t shut it out."

"You can," I said, voice rising. "You always have control."

"No," he snarled, and for a moment, I saw his fangs flash. "Not when it’s you."

He was shaking now, every part of him barely restrained.

The atmosphere in the room had become thick with tension. It didn’t feel like anger or aggression; it was a strong, intense need that was both frightening and oddly comforting because it felt so familiar.

"I need to mark you," he said finally. "Not because I want to—because it hurts not to."

Those words shattered everything inside me.

I spun on my heel, heart hammering, vision blurring from the sudden jolt of adrenaline.

But I didn’t get far.

His hand shot out, fingers wrapping around my wrist like iron.

"Aiden—let go!" I cried, twisting, yanking back, but his grip didn’t budge. Not right away.

His eyes were shining intensely, wild and wide. He was breathing heavily, as if he was forcing himself to stay composed.

"Don’t run," he growled.

That sent panic crashing over me. I twisted harder, finally managing to wrench free. The force of it threw me off balance, and I stumbled back—

—right into the foot of the bed.

Pain shot up my spine as I collided with the carved wood, but I barely noticed. My eyes were locked on Aiden as he stepped forward again.

No hesitation.

No words.

And the way he moved, it wasn’t like him. Not the guarded, careful Aiden I’d grown to trust. This was instinct. Hunger. Something older, darker, and barely contained.

The same fear I’d felt the night I discovered what he really was came crashing back.

I flinched as he took another step.

"Aiden, please—this isn’t you."

"I’m trying to stop," he said, voice breaking. But his body kept moving.

And then he was on me.

In a blur, he closed the distance, hands gripping my shoulders as he pushed me back onto the bed. I gasped, struggling, but he was stronger... so much stronger.

His weight pinned me down, caging me beneath him, his knee between my legs, his body shaking with the effort to control himself.

His claws had fully extended now, digging into the mattress beside my head instead of my skin, barely. His fangs were bared, longer than I’d ever seen them, gleaming under the dim light as he hovered inches above my neck.

"Your scent is so intoxicating," he whispered hoarsely. "It’s... calling to me."

I couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t move.

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, not from pain, but from the raw terror of not knowing what he’d do next.

He was trembling. Fighting it.

But not enough.

I twisted, legs kicking beneath him, and one knee found its mark.

Hard.

He grunted loudly, his entire body jerking back.

It wasn’t much. But it was enough.

I used the space, shoved at his chest, and scrambled out from under him. My foot caught the blanket, but I didn’t stop. I bolted.

Out the door... barefoot

I felt him reach out, felt the heat of his fingers graze my arm, but he let go. Didn’t chase me.

I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

I burst out of the room, heart racing, thoughts blurring into one. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Run.

I sprinted down the stairs two at a time, crashing through the front doors and into the storm-soaked night. The cold slapped me awake, wind clawing at my legs and arms, but I didn’t stop.

Luckily, the keys were on the front tyres of the car. I jumped into the car, slammed the door shut, and took a shaking breath.

Then I drove.

Rain hit the windshield in sheets, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t go back. Not tonight. Not with that look in his eyes.

My thoughts swirled like the storm around me. What had I missed? What had changed?

This wasn’t just about instinct. It was deeper. Something was happening to Aiden, and being with him right now didn’t seem wise.

So I drove to the only person I could think of in this mess.

Sophia.