The day ended in chaos. The shoot dragged on for hours, and by the time they returned to the dorm, everyone was exhausted. Everyone except Kael.
He'd been simmering all day—boiling, burning—ever since the manager's warning, ever since Klan's voice whispering "Don't say that" like it was a crime to feel anything.
But tonight, the walls were closing in.
Kael paced his room, his jaw clenched so tight it ached. He could still see Klan's face from earlier—those gray-blue eyes wide with panic, the way his lips trembled when Kael got too close.
And the worst part? Kael didn't know if it was fear or something else that made Klan shake like that.
He couldn't take it anymore.
Before he knew it, he was out of his room, crossing the hall, his heart pounding like a drum. He didn't knock. He didn't think. He just opened the door.
Klan looked up from his bed, startled. He was sitting cross-legged, wearing a loose T-shirt and sweatpants, hair messy from showering. The room smelled faintly of soap and something soft—Klan's scent, sweet and dizzying.
"Kael—what—"
The door clicked shut behind him. Hard.
Kael stood there for a moment, chest heaving, his amber eyes locked on Klan like a predator who'd finally cornered what he'd been hunting.
"Why do you keep running from me?" Kael's voice was low, dangerous, but trembling with something raw.
Klan swallowed hard, his throat dry. "I'm not—"
"Yes, you are." Kael stepped closer, slow and deliberate, until the air between them crackled with heat. "You've been avoiding me since last night. Since the balcony. Since I told you the truth."
Klan's fingers tightened in his sheets. "Kael, please—"
"Please what?" Kael demanded, his voice harsh, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Please stop wanting you? Please stop thinking about you every damn second?"
Klan's breath hitched. "Kael—"
"I can't," Kael growled, his voice breaking as he reached out and grabbed Klan's wrist—not rough, but firm, grounding him in place. "I can't stop. And I'm done pretending I can."
Klan froze as Kael pulled him up from the bed, their bodies colliding, so close Klan could feel every inch of heat radiating off him.
"Kael…" Klan whispered, his heart pounding so loud it drowned out the world.
Kael's forehead pressed against his, his breath ragged, his hands gripping Klan's arms like he was afraid he might disappear. "Tell me to stop," Kael whispered, voice shaking. "Just say it, and I will."
Klan opened his mouth—then closed it. His pulse roared in his ears, his body trembling under Kael's touch, his mind screaming that this was wrong, dangerous—fatal.
But his lips wouldn't say the word.
Kael's eyes darkened. "You're not saying it."
Klan swallowed hard. "Because I… I don't want you to stop."
That was it. That was the breaking point.
Kael kissed him.
It wasn't gentle. It was desperate, raw, years of restraint snapping all at once. Klan gasped against his mouth, his hands gripping Kael's hoodie as the Alpha crushed him closer, their hearts slamming in sync.
The kiss deepened, hungry, teeth clashing, breaths mingling. Kael's hands slid to Klan's waist, pulling him flush against him, and Klan let out a soft, broken sound that drove Kael insane.
When they finally broke apart, panting, foreheads pressed together, Kael's voice was hoarse. "Say it again."
Klan blinked, dazed. "What…?"
"That you don't want me to stop."
Klan's lips trembled, but his voice came out steady this time. "I don't."
Kael groaned softly, burying his face against Klan's neck, breathing him in like he'd been starved. "You have no idea what you do to me."
Klan shivered, his fingers curling in Kael's hair, holding him there, because if Kael let go now, he might fall apart completely.
And for the first time since their debut, since the chaos began, the world outside didn't matter. There was no company, no fans, no rules.
Just them. Breaking every line they weren't supposed to cross.
And neither of them cared.