The words hung in the still air, each striking like a hammer against the fragile beams of Elena's world. It was as if he'd plucked the thought straight from her head. He'd lifted her rawest, closest fears straight from her mind, as effortlessly as snapping a daisy off its stem. The orderly world she'd held onto for so long cracked apart, shards flying like glass in sunlight, and she found herself lost in a strange, menacing place where the impossible stood right in front of her. Vertigo hit her in a sudden rush, the room tilting as if the floor had slipped sideways. She felt laid open, as if someone had peeled back every layer of her soul, a vulnerability deeper than standing unclothed in the cold. He'd slipped into her thoughts, leaving the faint echo of his voice like a whisper in a quiet room. Its closeness felt like a grotesque violation, as if someone had breathed hot air against my ear without permission. She wanted to run, heart thudding like a fist on a door. She staggered back a step, then another, desperate to put distance between herself and the figure before her—a man in shape, but not in truth. Something ancient, powerful—and terrifying enough to chill the air around you. He stayed close, moving as she moved, like a shadow matching each backward step, unwilling to let the space between them widen. The cool, steady mask had vanished, leaving a raw intensity that burned like heat on bare skin. His golden eyes blazed with a possessive heat, as if they could pierce her skin and catch the quick thrum of her heart."Stay away from me," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"I can't," he replied, his voice a low, rough growl. "And you don't really want me to."
"I do!" she cried, her retreat cut short as she backed into the hard edge of his desk. "Stay away from me," she whispered, her voice shaking like a leaf in the wind."You're a monster. "I can't," he said, his voice dropping to a low, rough growl that rasped like gravel."And you don't really want me to."
"I do!" she burst out, stopping short when her back hit the sharp corner of his desk."What are you? She had nowhere left to run, her back pressed cold against the wall."You're a monster," she said, her voice sharp as breaking glass."You crawl into my head, shadow my every step, even pay to own my life—!" Her fear snapped, breaking into a hot, unshakable rage. It was all she had now—a single, worn blade, cool and heavy in her hand."Get out! "What are you, exactly?""What do you even want from me?" she cried, shoving hard at his chest, her palms stinging from the impact. It felt like shoving against cold, unyielding marble. He stayed perfectly still, not even the twitch of a finger. She struck him again—this time with her fists—each blow wild and pointless, like rain smacking against a locked window."Out. Now!"safeThe touch of skin against skin sparked like a live wire, warm and startling. White-hot energy surged up her arms like a lightning strike, leaving her frozen and speechless.safeSomething raw stirred—dark, hungry, like the growl of a beast in a cold cave. His eyes flicked down, lingering for a heartbeat on the curve of her mouth. Her breath caught, sharp as a pinprick in her chest. Everything shrank to the space between them—the heat radiating from his skin, the molten gold in his eyes, and the sharp, electric scent of a storm on the verge of breaking. And then his lips were on hers, warm and sudden. The kiss hit hard, nothing soft about it. It felt like a brutal taking, a sharp collision of wills.safeHe kissed her like a victor claiming spoils, cutting off her words and leaving the heat of his possession on her lips. Her thoughts roared in defiance, pushing back hard against the raw, choking arrogance of what he'd just done. But her body—warm, trembling—turned against her. His lips pressed to hers, and a sudden, treacherous heat flared in her chest—wild, searing, unlike anything she'd ever known. A strange, unshakable feeling of belonging swept through her like warm sunlight, and before she could think, she was kissing him back. Freed from his grip, her hands shot up and gripped his shoulders, fingers pressing into the fabric of his shirt. The anger still burned, but it was knotted now with a fierce, breath-stealing passion that struck his with equal force.safe"You feel it now, don't you?" he rasped, his voice rough. "The truth. They both gasped for air, chests lifting and dropping together like waves in a steady tide. Elena stared at him, lips hot and swollen, her thoughts tumbling like loose papers in a sudden gust—horror tangled with a rush of wild exhilaration."That," he said, his voice still laced with the raw edge of his passion, "is the other side of the bond between us. Her own reaction startled her—hot, fierce, and primal, like a spark catching dry leaves—and she hated how easily he'd drawn it out. You could see his grip slipping, like a thread pulled thin. His golden eyes blazed, and the wolf in him pressed so near she swore she caught the glint of fangs.