"He could run until the world ended, but I'd still be the shadow at his heels."
After a while, Elias stepped back abruptly, the space between us snapping tight like a bowstring pulled too far. "I don't want this," Elias said. His voice was low, trembling not with weakness, but with that infuriating cocktail of fear and defiance that made me want to both kiss him and throw him over my shoulder. The stubborn tilt of his chin was almost impressive. "This bond, you claim it's not what I want."
The words landed like a punch I had not braced for. My wolf bristled, snarling in the back of my mind as if Elias had just suggested we go vegetarian for life, and I had to force my voice into something calm. Civil and even indulgent.
"Then what do you want, little wolf?" I asked, stepping into the gravity between us. "Freedom? A world without rules? A kingdom without kings?"
His laugh was short and sharp; more blade than humor. "I want to decide who I belong to." His eyes gleamed as he added, "What kind of Alpha uses charm to bind an Omega? What trick are you playing?"
I arched a brow. "Charm? That is what you are calling it?" My voice dropped lower. "No trick, Elias. You are the one leaking pheromones like it is a spring festival, and you called me before I even saw you."
The flush that rose across his cheeks was glorious anger, embarrassment, and something warmer, all tangled together. His wolf stirred under his skin, and the sharp, citrusy edge of his scent sliced into the cool night air like a challenge. Before I could push him further, he bolted.
He ran. One second, he was glaring at me; the next, he was a blur darting into the trees.
"Oh, no, you don't," I muttered in glee and took off after him.
Branches whipped against my arms as the forest swallowed us. He moved fast, let us give credit where it was due, but he was not faster than me. Could not be, and every cell in my body knew where he was, the bond tugging me toward him like a compass needle that refused to waver.
"Little Wolf!" My voice cracked through the night, threaded with Alpha command and something far more dangerous, and he did not respond, and all I could sense was the faint crunch of leaves ahead. Stubborn, beautiful, infuriating little thing. And then I used my Alpha powers, and with one leap and I had him, tackling us both to the forest floor in a tangle of limbs, curses, and what I am sure was an elbow to my ribs.
"You wanted me to chase you," I grunted, pinning him beneath me. My hands wrapped around his wrists, not painfully, but firmly enough that his body knew the truth before his mouth could deny it. His golden eyes blazed up at me, wild and furious. "Why do you run?" I growled, letting the sound curl low in my throat.
"Because I'm not yours!" he snapped, twisting like he would rather lose a limb than admit otherwise.
His defiance should have irritated me, but instead, it sent a slow burn pooling low in my gut. Every word, every wriggle, every ounce of his resistance just made me want to see how far I could push before he broke. When his lips parted for a breath to spit more insults, I took it.
I kissed him, and the kiss was fire meeting fire, heat, teeth, and the raw, unapologetic claim of one wolf to another. My hands slid into his curls, tugging just enough to feel the sharp inhale against my mouth. His body fit against mine like it had been carved to do so, every inch of him a contradiction: rigid with defiance, burning with want. He tasted like citrus and challenge, like something I would chase through a hundred forests just to bite once. And gods help me, for one heartbeat, he kissed me back, like he wanted to burn me down, to taste and ruin me in equal measure.
The passion between them was like a dam straining against a flood, and I broke the kiss, though every instinct screamed to keep going. "Say you don't feel it," I challenged, my voice rough. "Look me in the eye and tell me this bond isn't real."
"I don't want this," he whispered, but the edge had dulled. "I won't be owned."
The words sliced deep, but I forced a slow exhale. "Then do not be. I am not asking for a prisoner, Elias." My voice softened, almost coaxing. "I want a partner to stand by me as I will stand by him. A mate. Worthy mate, Little Wolf."
"Don't call me that." There was a fracture in his voice, subtle but there, and I caught it like a wolf scented blood.
I brushed a stray curl from his face, my thumb lingering against his cheekbone. "Fine. But know this—" I leaned in until my lips hovered just over his, my voice a quiet promise. "You can fight me, run from me, bite me, but I'll still be here, every damn time."
Something in his gaze flickered softness, quickly smothered for a second, and then he shoved at my chest hard enough to make me rock back. He stood, brushing dirt from his clothes with enough aggression that I briefly considered apologizing to the forest floor.
"I need space, away from all this," he said, his tone clipped and sharp.
"Take all you want," I murmured, letting my gaze linger where it might make him squirm. "You'll still breathe me in."
The glare he shot at me could have melted steel. I counted it as a win and then he vanished into the shadows, swallowed by the trees. My wolf paced inside me, restless and hungry, but I did not follow. I made my way back toward the villa, the night air cooling the heat still coiled in my veins. Inside, the halls were still quiet. Somewhere in the east wing, Marcus's snores rumbled faintly, blissfully unaware that I had just had a forest-floor wrestling match with the most exasperating Omega alive.
I stripped and stepped under the shower, letting the hot water pound against my skin. Steam curled around me, but it could not wash away the taste of Elias from my mouth. Could not erase the memory of the way he had kissed me back before his walls slammed up again. By the time I collapsed into bed, my wolf had curled in quiet, dangerous contentment, replaying every second of the chase. A slow smile tugged at my lips in the dark. "Oh, Elias," I murmured, voice low enough for only the shadows to hear. "You're going to be worth every bit of trouble."
Sleep calmed me with one thought looping like a promise; I had let him run tonight, but tomorrow? All bets were off.
Alaric afterthoughts: Look, before you judge me for tackling an Omega in the forest, he started it. And by "started it," I mean he ran off smelling like temptation and bad decisions, and my wolf has zero self-control. Also, if anyone tells you forest-floor kissing isn't romantic, they've never tried it. (Disclaimer: leaves get everywhere. Everywhere.)