"Vincent! What do you think you’re doing?!" Leah snapped, stepping directly into his path.
Vincent didn’t even spare her a glance. He simply shifted to the side and continued forward, his eyes never leaving Bryce for even a second.
Every step he took carried the weight of a battle he was desperately trying to win against himself, but the pull toward his mate was becoming impossible to ignore.
"Vincent!" Leah called again, her voice rising with panic and anger. "I swear to the Moon Goddess, if you touch him, then understand that it is over between us. For good!"
The threat struck harder than she expected. Vincent’s steps faltered for the briefest moment.
A flicker of hesitation crossed his face, but it disappeared almost instantly, he continued moving forward as if the words had not been enough to stop him.
Leah’s expression hardened the instant she understood that her words had failed to stop him. Her eyes immediately flared with a golden glow, the shift revealing the wolf beneath her human composure as frustration and warning burned through her gaze.
She rushed toward Bryce before Vincent could reach him and shoved him away with all the strength she could summon.
Bryce’s body was thrown across the room. He hit the floor hard, a sharp groan escaping him as pain shot through his body. His already unstable breathing became even more uneven as he struggled to push himself up.
A furious growl tore from Vincent’s throat.
He turned toward Leah, his eyes immediately igniting with the same golden glow.
"What did you just do?" he asked, his voice dropping into a quiet, threatening tone that carried far more anger than a shout ever could.
Leah froze slightly under the intensity of his gaze.
"I asked you earlier not to touch him," Vincent continued, his anger cutting through every word. "So why did you do it anyway?"
"Wake up, Vincent!" Leah snapped back, refusing to back down despite the pressure radiating from him. "You’re not yourself right now! You need to reject him for the bond..."
"Leave."
The single word cut through her sentence. Vincent’s voice dropped, but the danger behind it only became stronger.
"Vincent..."
"I said, leave."
The force behind his command filled the room, carrying the unmistakable dominance of an Alpha.
The pressure of his pheromones surged outward, leaving no room for argument, no room for defiance. Leah, a Beta who could never challenge an Alpha’s command at full strength, found herself unable to fight against it.
Her hands tightened into fists, frustration and disbelief flashing across her face, but she eventually turned away without another word, crossed the spacious living room and walked out.
The door clicked shut behind Leah, leaving the room in complete silence. Vincent’s eyes immediately found Bryce, who was still sprawled on the floor, struggling to push himself upright.
One of his hands had reached behind his head, and when he drew it back into view, crimson streaked across his fingertips.
Vincent’s gaze locked onto the blood, something inside him snapped. The golden glow blazing in his eyes flared brighter, his expression tightening as every instinct inside him reacted to the sight.
He moved toward Bryce and lowered himself beside him, carefully lifting his head. His fingers brushed against the back of Bryce’s skull, searching for the source of the injury.
The wound was small, with no fracture or damage that threatened his life, but even after confirming that, Vincent found no reassurance in it.
His expression remained tense, unable to dismiss the sight of blood. He slowly straightened, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. His fingers moved quickly as he began dialing.
"If you’re a werewolf, which you obviously are, why the hell aren’t you healing already?" he muttered under his breath.
The words were quiet, almost as if he had not intended for Bryce to hear them, but Bryce did anyway.
His blurred eyes shifted toward Vincent, confusion cutting through the haze surrounding his mind.
"Wh... what do you mean?" he whispered. His voice was rough and weak, barely leaving his mouth.
Vincent didn’t answer. Instead, he continued looking through his phone, searching for the number he needed.
"What are you doing?" Bryce asked again, his voice even more strained than before.
"Calling the doctor."
The answer was simple, but before Vincent could finish what he was saying, Bryce suddenly reached out and snatched the phone from his hand.
With the little strength he had left, he threw it toward the nearest couch. The device landed safely, but the action caught Vincent completely off guard.
"I need you more than I need a doctor..." Bryce breathed. The words barely left his lips before they dissolved into heavier breaths.
For a moment, Vincent could only stare down at him. The words he had whispered fed the temptation clawing at what little self control he had left.
Even his wolf reacted just as fiercely, driven by the desperate invitation in Bryce’s voice, but another instinct fought against it just as stubbornly, dragging his attention back to the wound at the back of Bryce’s head.
Bryce wasn’t thinking clearly enough to even notice the injury, let alone understand that he needed treatment.
Clinging to that thought, Vincent forced himself to move. He straightened slowly, but before he could fully rise Bryce’s arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him down.
Their lips collided.
Bryce captured Vincent’s lips fully, kissing him with an intensity that bordered on desperation, as though he were trying to satisfy an ache that had consumed every part of him.
Whatever resistance Vincent had been clinging to finally gave way. He kissed Bryce back with the same overwhelming intensity, every last shred of restraint collapsing beneath the force of the desire that had been tearing him apart from the moment they met.