....
"Okay, well, start with Lilly; we'll go anti-clockwise," Haze said, his voice dripping with malice.
Lilly smirked, her eyes gleaming with a kind of cruel delight. "Mmm, who should I go with first?" she purred, rubbing her hands together.
The circle waited in tense anticipation, the music from the other room muffled, distant.
"Jacob," she finally said, her lips curving into a grin. "I dare you to take two shots... and I double dare you to kiss Tess on the cheek."
Her voice was sweet, but the venom underneath it was unmistakable.
I felt every eye in the room shift toward me.
Across the circle, Slavy's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. The flicker of anger that crossed his face was impossible to miss.
Why did he care?
He was the one who had played me first. Maybe it was my turn to return the favor.
Jacob picked up the first glass, downed it, then the second. The liquor burned down his throat; I could see it in the way his jaw flexed. When he looked at me, there was hesitation in his eyes like he was asking for permission.
I nodded once, trying to keep my heartbeat steady.
He leaned forward, slow and careful, and brushed a quick kiss against my cheek. His breath smelled faintly of vodka and mint.
"I did the dare," Jacob said smoothly, turning to Lilly. "Now take the shots, honey."
Lilly downed them both, smirking as the others laughed and cheered.
"Okay, my turn," Jacob said, wiping his mouth, a sly grin stretching across his face. "Alpha, I dare you to kiss Paris on the lipsand I double dare you to make it last."
The room erupted with cheers and teasing whistles. Alpha grinned, pulling Paris in without hesitation. Their lips met in a heated kiss that made the air feel thick.
I could feel Slavy's eyes on me again hard, burning, dangerous.
"My turn," he growled finally, his voice low and edged with something that made the room go quiet. "Testimony."
My name sounded different in his mouth.
He leaned forward slightly, eyes locked on mine.
"I dare you to kiss Jacob on the cheek," he said, his tone deceptively calm. Then his mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "And I double dare you to take four shots."
The tension in the air was almost tangible.
Fine. Game on.
I picked up the glass. One, two, three, foureach shot burned, hot and sharp, sending a pulse of heat through me. I leaned toward Jacob and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
When I pulled back, I could feel Slavy's glare like a flame against my skin. His jaw was tight, his eyes darker than before.
"My turn," I said, my lips twitching into a slow grin that didn't quite reach my eyes. "I dare you to take four shots… and kiss Sky. For two whole minutes."
His brows lifted slightly. A dare. A challenge.
Without a word, he reached for the glasses, tossing each shot back with practiced ease. His gaze never left mine.
Then he turned to Sky.
The kiss wasn't gentle—it was deliberate, a performance. Her hands slid over his chest, his arm tightened around her waist.
I felt something twist in my chest jealousy, anger, something raw and sharp but I forced myself to look away. This was just a game. That's what I told myself, again and again.
But the look in his eyes when it ended told me otherwise.
There was no game for him.
As the night went on, the dares became darker. Crueler. Lines blurred between fun and something else something dangerous.
Every time I laughed, I could feel Slavy watching me, measuring every move, every word. Like he was waiting for me to cross some invisible line.
And I was getting close.
"Alright," Sky said suddenly, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "My turn."
Her eyes flicked toward me before turning to Haze. "I double dare you to kiss Testimony for five whole minutes."
The words hit like a gunshot.
The room fell silent for a heartbeat then chaos. Laughter, cheers, the sound of glasses hitting the table.
Haze's gaze found mine, steady and unreadable.
"You sure?" he asked quietly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "We don't have to."
I nodded. I didn't trust my voice.
A thrill of something wild surged through me fear, excitement, defiance.
A voice in my head whispered to run. To stop before things went too far.
But I didn't move.
Maybe I was tired of being the quiet one.
Maybe I wanted to feel something other than control for once.
Is that what my mother would have wanted?
As Haze leaned closer, the room faded. His hand brushed my cheek, his breath ghosted against my skin. My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
But before our lips could meet, Slavy moved.
His hand clamped down on my arm, pulling me back so fast the chair scraped against the floor.
"What the hell, man?" Haze shouted, pushing up to his feet.
Slavy didn't answer. His glare alone was enough to silence him. The room froze. No one dared to interfere.
The tension snapped like wire.
Slavy's grip tightened around my wrist as he pulled me toward the stairs. I tried to speak, but the words tangled in my throat.
"Slavy, let me—"
He didn't listen.
He dragged me upstairs, every step heavy with fury. The door slammed behind us with a sound that echoed like thunder.
"What was that?" His voice cut through the silence, low and cold.
I turned to face him, my pulse racing. "You kissed Sky! I don't see why you're mad!"
A slow, dangerous laugh slipped from his lips. "You really are reckless, aren't you?"
His voice dropped even lower, softer—but sharper, like a blade.
"You dared me to kiss her, and I did. You can't blame me for that," I said, forcing my voice not to shake.
He stepped closer, eyes blazing. "You think you can play games with me and get away with it?"
"I'm not playing games," I said, holding my ground even as fear coiled in my stomach. "I was just following the rules. Isn't that what we're all doing?"
Slavy's gaze darkened. "You're playing with fire, Testimony," he said slowly. "And fire burns."
He moved closer, until there was barely space between us. His voice dropped to a whisper, rough and dangerous.
"You're mine," he said. "And I don't like it when rules are broken."
"Mine?" I hissed. "What am I some kind of property to you?"
He didn't move, didn't blink. Just stared at me like he could see straight through me.
"You're not going anywhere," he said, the edge in his voice quiet but lethal.
I pushed him back, just enough to breathe. "As much as I… whatever this is, I can't stand here while you after you kissed someone else!"
My voice trembled, anger spilling out faster than I could contain it.
For a moment, something flickered in his eyes pain, maybe
but it vanished as quickly as it came.
"You really don't understand what kind of world you've stepped into," he said, voice low and heavy.
I could feel it then the danger around him wasn't just temper. It was power. Control. The kind of darkness that didn't need to shout to be feared.
And deep down, I knew one thing.
I was already too deep to walk away.