The crackle of the fire was the only sound inside the dry stone cave.
While outside, the mountain snow winds shrieked against the granite rocks, burying Frost-Pike Pass under heavy feet of snow.
But inside, the small campfire threw a flickering orange light across the dark walls, creating a tight, warm circle in the middle of the freezing night.
Soren sat on a flat stone bench near the flames, his knees pulled up slightly toward his chest.
His bandaged hand rested in his lap, still tingling from where Kaelen had been rubbing his fingers moments before.
He watched the Alpha move quietly around the small camp, his mind spinning into a dangerous, chaotic spiral.
Kaelen had unstrapped his heavy iron chest plate, setting it against the rock wall beside his broadsword.
Remaining only a dark, thin tunic that clung to the broad span of his back and shoulders, Kaelen looked less like an untouchable ruler and far more like a dangerous, predator at rest.
*Don’t be an idiot,* Soren told himself, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists in his lap.
*He’s an Alpha.
A high-born, powerful ruler who probably has half the noble courts in the territory sighing over him.
You’re a hunted, rogue spell-cutter with a taboo mark on your soul.
He doesn’t care about you.
He cares about survival.
His wolf is just instinctual, and you’re the closest thing nearby.*
It was a sensible, rational thought and it was the only thought keeping Soren’s feet on the ground.
Yet, every time he looked at Kaelen’s sharp jawline in the firelight, his chest ached with a heavy, humiliating desire that made his mouth go dry.
Kaelen walked back toward the fire, carrying a wooden cup of hot water infused with pine needles.
He sat down on the narrow stone bench right beside Soren, their thighs and shoulders brushing instantly in the cramped space.
“Drink,” Kaelen said softly, his deep voice low and relaxed.
“It will clear the last of the frost from your chest.”
Soren took the cup, keeping his head down.
“Thank you.”
He took a slow sip, letting the bitter steam wash over his lips.
Beside him, Kaelen leaned back against the stone wall, stretching his long legs out toward the fire.
The sheer physical heat coming off the Alpha was thick and his pheromones, dominating and wrapping around Soren like a heavy blanket.
“You’re stiff as a board,” Kaelen murmured, turning his head to look at Soren.
In the dim light, his golden wolf eyes were soft, reflecting flames.
“The danger is outside for the night, Soren.
You can relax.”
“I am relaxed,” Soren lied, keeping his eyes fixed on the dark liquid in his cup.
“You’re lying,” Kaelen replied smoothly, a faint, teasing smirk touching the corner of his lips.
“Your heart is beating so fast I can hear it from here.”
Soren snapped his head up, his bright blue eyes flashing with sharp irritation.
“My heart is beating fast because we just leaped off a falling horse onto a cliff, Kaelen.
Not everyone has the luxury of being an unbothered, arrogant Alpha.”
Kaelen let out a low, quiet laugh—a sound so warm and rich that it sent a sudden, unwanted shiver straight down Soren’s spine.
“Is that what you think I am?” Kaelen asked, shifting his body on the bench to face Soren completely.
“An arrogant Alpha?”
“I think you are used to getting whatever you want,” Soren rasped out, his raspy voice dropping into a defensive whisper.
“I think you smile at people and they melt.
You play the charming protector because it comes easily to you.
But this…
this chain between us isn’t one of your games.
I am not one of your court admirers.”
The teasing smile faded from Kaelen’s face.
He stared at Soren for a long, quiet moment, his golden eyes darkening into something thick, heavy, and dangerous.
“You think I’m playing a game with you?” Kaelen asked, his deep voice dropping into a low, quiet rumble.
“Aren’t you?” Soren challenged, his chin lifting even as his pulse hammered against his ribs like a caged animal.
“You touch me, you drag me into your chest, you look at me like…
like I’m the only thing in this mountain.
But it’s just your wolf reacting to the bond.
It’s just proximity.
The moment this curse breaks, you’ll go back to your Citadel, and I’ll be just another rogue you used to survive.”
“Soren—”
“Don’t,” Soren whispered, turning his head away, trying desperately to re-erect the icy wall around his heart.
“Just…
Kaelen didn’t answer with words.
His unruly Alpha wolf, that had been pushed to the absolute edge by the sheer frustration and the overwhelming pull of the mate-bond, completely shattered Kaelen’s control.
Before Soren could react, Kaelen reached out.
His large hand set the wooden cup he held aside, and slowly turn, his fingers sliding firmly up the back of Soren’s neck, burying into the soft wavy blonde hair at the base of his skull.
“Kaelen, what—”
Kaelen pulled him in.
This time not for a hug and instead.
Their lips collided in a sudden, breathless crash that blew every single rational thought out of Soren’s head.
A sharp, shocked gasp tore from Soren’s throat, but Kaelen captured the sound entirely, deepening the kiss before Soren could even think to pull back.
It wasn’t a gentle, polite touch.
It was slow, gradual and utterly possessive.
Kaelen’s mouth was hot and demanding, tasting of pine, fire, and raw, undeniable hunger.
Soren’s mind screamed at him to fight it, to push the massive warrior off.
But the second the mate-bond flared between their touching lips, a wave of pure, liquid electricity rushed straight through Soren’s veins.
His body betrayed him completely.
Instead of pushing away, Soren’s hands flew up of their own accord, his bandaged fingers clutching tightly into the fabric of Kaelen’s dark tunic.
He opened his mouth to the kiss with a quiet, helpless whimper,
“Hmm” letting the Alpha take full control.
Every single nerve ending in Soren’s body flared to life.
Goodness!!
the feeling was so intense, so intoxicatingly hot, that it felt like his skin was melting, like he needed more.
Kaelen’s free arm wrapped tightly around Soren’s waist, lifting him slightly off the stone bench and dragging him flush against his wide, muscular chest.
Soren felt Kaelen’s heart pounding wildly—not steady, not calm, but frantic and desperate, matching his own.
Kaelen shifted, pushing Soren back gently against the fur bedrolls laid out near the fire.
He hovered over him, his mouth lingering on Soren’s lips, taking slow.., wet…, breathtaking kisses that stole every drop of air from Soren’s lungs.
“Oh God!
Kaelen…
Hmm” Soren breathed against his mouth, his head spinning out of control.
Kaelen didn’t answer.
It was not his fault he was all gone by now.
Lost into Soren’s lips.
His large, warm hand slid down from Soren’s waist, slipping slowly underneath the hem of Soren’s tunic.
The moment Kaelen’s bare palm touched the pale, soft sensitive skin of Soren’s bare waist, a jolt of pure fire shot straight up Soren’s spine.
The physical touch of skin-on-skin was so overwhelmingly good, so terrifyingly intimate, that it snapped Soren’s frozen sanity like a dry twig.
No.
Panic—sharp, cold, and blinding—flooded Soren’s mind.
*If I let him do this, I will never get myself back.* his brain warned.
And with a sudden, violent rush of panic, strained self control, Soren brought both of his hands up and slammed them directly into Kaelen’s broad chest, shoving the Alpha off him with every ounce of physical and magical strength he possessed.
“Get off me!” Soren yelled.
Kaelen was caught off guard.
He tumbled back onto the stone floor, his broad shoulders hitting the rock with a dull thud.
Silence slammed over the cave, suddenly.
Soren scrambled backward onto his hands and knees, his chest heaving violently, his hair messy, and his lips swollen and red from the kiss.
His skin felt like it was burning where Kaelen had touched him.
The second the physical contact broke, a deep, sickening wave of regret washed over Soren.
His entire body ached for Kaelen to pull him back, screaming at him for creating space between them.
But his rational mind forced him to stay upright.
Kaelen sat up slowly on the floor, breathing heavily.
His dark hair was fallen over his forehead and slightly messed up from Soren’s massages, and it even added more to his charm even at that moment while his golden wolf eyes wide and dilated as he stared at Soren in total shock.
“Soren…” Kaelen rasped out, his voice shaking.
“I…
I’m sorry.
My wolf—”
“You took advantage of me!” Soren spat out, his voice trembling with a terrifying mix of anger and sheer embarrassment.
He dragged the hem of his tunic down to cover his pale waist that Kaelen had held, while his hands shook so hard he could barely hold his own clothes.
“You sit there, listening to me tell you how low I feel, and you use your wolf as an excuse to put your hands on me!”
“That is not what happened!” Kaelen snapped, pushing himself up onto his knees, his own temper flaring at the accusation.
Look at me, Soren!
You think I planned that?
My wolf lost control because I can’t fucking stand hearing you talk like you mean nothing to me!”
“Don’t lie to me!” Soren shouted back, tears of frustration burning at the edges of his eyes.
“You think because I’m bound to you, I’m just going to lie down and let you touch me whenever your wolf gets restless?
I am a person, Kaelen!
I am not one of your playthings!”
Soren reached down, frantically pulling his leather bag over his shoulder, preparing to move as far away from the fire as the three-foot magic chain would allow.
Seeing Soren pull away in absolute distress was too much for Kaelen’s possessive wolf to bear.
“I said stop!” Kaelen growled.
In a flash of movement, Kaelen lunged forward.
He didn’t let Soren retreat.
He reached out, his large hand cupping the back of Soren’s head, tangling his fingers tightly into Soren’s blonde hair to keep him still, and dragged Soren’s face right back into his.
The second kiss was dominant, fierce, and completely overwhelming.
Kaelen captured Soren’s mouth again, suppressing Soren’s sharp gasp with a deep, wet, unyielding kiss that claimed every corner of his mouth.
He held Soren’s head firmly, forcing him to feel the raw, unfiltered intensity of his hunger.
It was a kiss designed to silence every argument, to drown every doubt in pure, unadulterated sensation.
Soren’s vision went white.
For three agonizing, glorious seconds, he completely surrendered.
Goodness he melted into the hold, his mouth opening to Kaelen’s, his senses swamped by the taste and heat of the Alpha dominating his breath.
Then, the sudden realization of how easily he was being broken terrified him beyond belief.
NO!
Soren gathered every shred of pride he had left.
He brought his right hand up and swung it with all his remaining strength.
CRACK!
The sharp, loud slap echoed off the cold cavern walls like a gunshot.
Kaelen’s head jerked to the side.
The kiss broke instantly.
Kaelen froze, suspended on his knees.
His left hand slowly let go of Soren’s hair, falling back to his side.
Immediately the faint, red imprint of Soren’s palm began to bloom across his sharp cheekbone.
Soren sat back, gasping for air, his chest heaving wildly as he clutched his trembling right hand to his ribs.
He glared at Kaelen, his blue eyes fierce, terrified, and swimming with unspilled tears.
“Don’t,” Soren whispered, his voice cracking with raw emotion.
“Don’t ever do that again.”
Kaelen stayed completely still for three long, deafening seconds, while the golden, wild glow in his eyes slowly faded, leaving behind a clear, deep expression of absolute horror and regret as he realized what he had done.
He had overstepped his boundaries.
He had let his primal wolf override the choice of the person he was desperate to protect.
Kaelen slowly raised both of his hands, stepping back on his knees to give Soren space.
“Soren…” Kaelen’s deep voice was barely a whisper, completely stripped of all arrogance, filled with genuine, painful remorse.
“I…
I am so sorry.
I lost my mind.
I swear to you…
I am sorry.”
Soren didn’t answer.
He couldn’t.
His throat was locked tight, his heart breaking under the weight of a hundred conflicting emotions—anger, embarrassment, fear, and a terrifying, agonizing love that he was still far too afraid to admit out loud.
Soren turned his body away, crawling to the far corner of the stone ledge, as far as the bond chain between their wrists would allow.
He then pulled his knees tightly to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself, and stared silently into the dark, cold corners of the cave.
Behind him, Kaelen sat alone in the dim firelight, his hand now grabbing his hair subconsciously when he replayed the scene over again, watching Soren with an aching, silent despair as the snow storm continued to roar outside.
(@_@)!
Kaelen completely lost control, but Soren slapping him and setting that boundary?!
THE DRAMA!
Both of them are hurting so bad right now—Soren is terrified of being used, and Kaelen is completely wrecked over scaring him.
How are they going to survive the rest of the night chained three feet apart after that?!
Drop your thoughts in the comments, add the book to your library, and drop a vote if you loved this chapter!
See you in Chapter 17!