Dominic pov
The next morning, I decided to take a different approach.
Ashen wanted to avoid me? Fine. Let's see how long he could stand it when I wasn't the one chasing.
The training grounds were already buzzing when I arrived, warriors engaged in sparring drills. My gaze flickered over the crowd, easily spotting Ashen near the back, stretching. His eyes were sharp, focused,but his shoulders were still tense.
Good. That meant last night was still lingering in his mind.
I smirked to myself and turned toward the nearest group, spotting Sienna,a skilled delta who had always been comfortable in my presence. She was strong, sharp-witted, and just flirty enough to get under Ashen's skin.
Perfect.
"Alpha," she greeted with a grin as I approached. "You here to spar?"
I chuckled, stepping into the ring with her. "Think you can keep up?"
She rolled her eyes but smiled, shifting into a fighting stance. "Try me."
I let her attack first, easily dodging her strike before countering. We fell into a smooth rhythm, exchanging blows with just enough force to make it look like I was giving her my full attention.
But my focus? It was on him.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Ashen freeze mid-stretch. His head tilted slightly, like he wasn't watching,but I knew better.
And when Sienna laughed at something I said, reaching out to playfully shove my shoulder?
His entire body locked up.
I smirked, knocking Sienna's legs out from under her and pinning her to the ground. She let out a frustrated huff, struggling beneath me. "You're impossible," she muttered.
I grinned down at her. "You'll have to do better than that."
Then, a sharp sound,someone slamming a training weapon onto the rack hard.
I turned just in time to catch Ashen storming off toward the edge of the field, his jaw clenched, muscles taut with tension.
Interesting.
I didn't hesitate. I murmured a quick "good fight" to Sienna before pushing to my feet and striding after him.
By the time I caught up, he was pacing near the treeline, his hands curled into fists.
"Something wrong, Wolfe?" I drawled.
He whirled, eyes blazing. "Do whatever the hell you want, Alpha. It's none of my business."
I arched a brow, stepping closer. "That so?"
He scoffed, turning away,but not before I caught the heat in his gaze.
I smirked. "You sure? Because from where I was standing, you looked real interested."
His jaw tightened. "Go back to your sparring."
"No." I stepped even closer, lowering my voice. "Not until you admit it."
He exhaled sharply, turning to face me fully. His eyes burned with something wild,anger, frustration, want.
I leaned in, just enough for my breath to graze his ear.
"You don't like seeing me with someone else, do you?"
His entire body tensed.
Silence stretched between us, thick, charged.
Then, before I could react, he grabbed the front of my shirt, yanking me closer.
"Shut up," he growled.
And then he kissed me.
Hard. Desperate. Like he was claiming me right back.
I barely had a second to react before Ashen's mouth was on mine fierce, consuming, reckless.
I felt the frustration in the way his fingers curled into my shirt, the barely contained fury behind every move. He kissed me like he was punishing me for making him feel this way. For making him want this.
And fuck, I wanted him to.
I growled low in my throat, one hand snapping to his waist, the other tangling in his hair as I yanked him even closer. If he thought he could take control, he was dead wrong.
He shuddered as I deepened the kiss, forcing him to feel me, to know he wasn't the only one losing control. His grip on my shirt tightened, his breath hitching as I pressed him back against the nearest tree, pinning him there with my body.
"You're a damn liar," I murmured against his lips, dragging my mouth down to his jaw, then his throat. "You say it doesn't matter, that you don't care but look at you."
His breath was ragged, his chest heaving against mine. But he didn't push me away.
I smirked, dragging my teeth against his pulse point. He jerked, his nails digging into my skin, a sharp exhale escaping his lips.
"Shut up," he rasped.
I chuckled darkly. "Make me."
His response was instant. He twisted, shoving me back with surprising force, and before I knew it, he was the one pressing me against the tree, his hands gripping my wrists, his gaze burning.
"This is insane," he said, but his voice was hoarse, his pupils blown wide.
I smirked, eyes locked on his lips. "Yeah? Then why aren't you stopping?"
His throat bobbed. His grip faltered just slightly.
I leaned in, letting my breath brush against his lips. "Admit it, Wolfe." My voice dropped lower, rougher. "You like this."
His entire body tensed.
Then without another word he shoved off me, breathing hard, raking a hand through his hair.
I watched as he turned away, fists clenching at his sides.
"You're an asshole," he muttered.
I grinned, stepping up behind him, voice laced with amusement. "And yet, you kissed me first."
He stiffened.
Then, with a sharp inhale, he stormed off this time without looking back.
I let him go.
For now.
But as I touched my lips, still tingling from his kiss, my smirk widened.
He could run all he wanted.
It was too damn late.
He was already mine.
I let Ashen go, but my smirk didn't fade.
He could run. He could fight. Hell, he could deny it until he was blue in the face.
But that kiss?
That desperate, reckless, claiming kiss?
It told me everything I needed to know.
I rolled my shoulders, exhaling slowly before turning back toward the training grounds. My pack was still sparring, oblivious to what had just happened in the woods. My Beta, however, was another story.
Ryker leaned casually against a wooden post, arms crossed over his chest, watching me with an infuriating smirk.
"Have fun?" he drawled.
I gave him a flat look. "Mind your damn business."
He snorted. "Hard not to when I see Alpha of the Blackridge Pack getting pinned against a tree by one pissed-off omega."
I didn't bother denying it. "If you're done talking, get back to training the new recruits."
Ryker's grin widened. "He kissed you first, didn't he?"
I shot him a warning glare.
He laughed. "Holy shit. He did, didn't he?"
I ignored him, shoving past, but his teasing followed me.
"Careful, Dom. Keep pushing him like that, and you might actually break that icy heart of his."
I smirked. "That's the plan."
Ashen avoided me the rest of the day. No surprise there.
But when night fell, I found myself heading back toward the lake.
Something told me he'd be there.
And sure enough there he was, standing at the edge of the water, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable as he stared out over the dark surface.
I took my time approaching, making just enough noise so he knew I was there.
He didn't turn around. Didn't acknowledge me.
But he also didn't leave.
I stepped up beside him, the air between us charged, heavy with everything that had happened earlier.
I broke the silence first.
"You can't ignore this forever, Wolfe."
He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Watch me."
I smirked. "We both know how that's gonna end."
This time, he did look at me his gaze sharp, guarded. But underneath it, I saw something else.
Something raw.
Something that told me, no matter how much he fought—
He was already losing.