Chapter 9
The Pull I Can't Escape.
Caden's POV
Seraphina's fingers trailed down my chest, warm and practiced, meant to ignite something in me. But all it sparked was dread. "You're mine now. I can't wait for you to claim me as yours tonight
Her laugh was soft against my neck, her lips brushing my skin as she whispered those words. But all they felt was chains locking around my throat. My wolf stirred beneath my skin…not with hunger.
But with resistance. A low, growling protest that vibrated through my bones. Tonight was finally the night I had to consummate my bond with Seraphina. To officially seal everything with her as my mate.
I chose Seraphina as my Luna, my equal, my future. But when she kissed me, I felt nothing but cold. She pulled back, her smile fading just a little, reading the tension on my face.
"Caden?" Her voice was soft as silk, "What's wrong?" I swallowed hard, my heart pounding against my ribs for reasons I couldn't explain.
I….I can't," forcing out the words. "Let's do this another night, Seraphina. Confusion flickered across her face, quickly replaced by something else.
"What do you mean you can't?" She echoed, her voice dropping into a sultry purr. "We've waited for this night. You claimed me before the pack, Caren. Don't tell me you're holding back now."
She pulled herself against me, her thighs pressing with every hard inch of my body. "Stop thinking too much about this," she whispered, her lips brushing the corner of my mouth. "I want you to claim me tonight."
Her hands roamed lower, fingers sliding down to my trouser, her palms warm against my cock. I ducked in a sharp breath, but not from desire, even though I wish it were.
It felt wrong.
All of it.
"Let your wolf take over," she whispered, her voice thick with sexual hunger. "He wants this. He wants to make love to me. I'm all yours Caden."
But she was wrong. My wolf didn't want her, instead, it stirred underneath my skin, restless, growling….not with lust, but with rejection. A cold, sharp refusal that burned through my veins like ice. My hands closed around her wrists, firm but not cruel, stopping her from unbuttoning my trousers.
"Caden…" she spoke, her lips freezing against my throat, She pulled back, her eyes searching for mine, confusion evident across her face. "What's happening to you?"
I stared down at her, my heart pounding, body aching with a hunger that had nothing to do with her touch. My wolf stirred inside me, demanding to be released. But not for her.
For someone else.
A scent. A voice. A fire I couldn't deny.
Ava.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, stepping back, breaking the contact with her. Her hands fell away from me, and I immediately felt….free. Her expression twisted to something else, part anger, part hurt.
"Don't tell me you're refusing to make love to me all because of Ava?" She snapped, her voice sharp and shaking. "You think she can satisfy what's inside you?"
"This isn't about her.." I growled. This…this isn't just right." The words left my mouth before I could stop them. The growl rose in my chest even more. It was a warning. I stepped back, my breath ragged, my chest rising and falling with heavy gasps.
"No."
Her eyes darkened. "No?"
"I want to do this with you," I said, my voice hoarse. "But something's wrong. Let's leave it another night." Seraphina's smile vanished completely now, replaced by the anger she had been trying so long to hold in.
"It's all because of her!!" She yelled, her voice cutting through the silence. "You rejected that damn bitch. Why are you still thinking about her?"
I didn't answer.
Couldn't.
Seraphina's eyes narrowed, sharp as a knife. "She's nothing, Caden. A rejected bond. A broken girl you threw away. Don't let her poison what we are about to do tonight."
But the more she spoke, the more suffocating and wrong it became. I turned away, my pulse pounding in my ears. "I need air," I murmured.
"Don't you dare walk out that door without making love to me," she warned, her voice thick with power. "You must claim me tonight." But I was already gone.
I paced down the hall, every step faster, driven by a force I couldn't resist. Wild and restless clawing at my insides. I didn't know where I was going until I found myself there.
Ava's cabin.
Her light was still on.
I paused at the door, the war raging inside me reaching its climax. This was a mistake, I should get out of here. But my hand was already on the handle. I pushed the door open, and there she was.
Ava.
Seated on the couch, a book in her lap, firelight dancing across her skin. Her head snapped up, shock flashing across her face. "What the hell are you doing here, Caden?" Her voice was sharp.
I stood frozen in the doorway, my chest rising and falling like I'd just run miles. "I… I shouldn't be here," I whispered, but the words themselves felt empty. She stood up, her arms crossed tight over her chest, the hurt still blazing in her eyes.
"You're right. You shouldn't be here. Go back to your Luna." I flinched, the words cutting me deeper than I expected. But I didn't move. She stepped closer, anger radiating off her in waves.
"Leave, Caden. Don't you dare mess with my head again." But I couldn't. I couldn't walk away. Instead, I closed the space between us in a heartbeat, grabbing her waist, pulling her against me.
Her breath stopped, and her fists pressed against my chest. "Let me go," she hissed, but her voice was shaking. "I can't ....I can't let you go," I whispered.
Then my mouth crushed against hers. It wasn't soft or gentle. It was desperate. Raw. Her lips parted under mine, everything else shattering like a glass. Her hands gripped my shirt, pulling me closer, holding me in a storm I no longer wanted to escape from.
I deepened the kiss, my hands sliding to her thighs, feeling the soft gasp of her breath against my mouth, the warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips. She was fire, and I was already burning inside her.
This wasn't just what I wanted. It was what I needed to survive. The kind of need that destroys men like me. She pulled back, just enough to meet my gaze, her lips swollen, her breath rising and falling.
"I want you, Caden."
"I want all of you."