At the door, Axel hesitated.
His hand hovered near the handle, his pulse beating hard against his ribs. A thought gnawed at him... maybe he should wait until tomorrow.
After all, Ivan had just clashed with his father, and Chloe's silence was obviously eating at him.
It wasn't the best moment to strike. Walking into that storm with his dangerous plan felt reckless, almost suicidal.
But he told himself- hesitation carried its own poison. The longer he delayed, the more tangled the situation would become, the more Ivan's obsession with Chloe would tighten like a chain Axel couldn't break. If he waited, the window might close forever.
He drew in a slow breath, telling himself it didn't matter what mood Ivan was in. Anger, frustration, despair... it didn't matter. If Axel truly trusted himself that he would be able to seduce Ivan.., then he could cut through all of it.
He could bend Ivan's attention away from everything that was bothering him.
Seduction wasn't about timing. It was about control. And Axel intended to take it... tonight.
Against his better judgment, against the warning screaming in his head, he pushed the door open.
In that moment Ivan was standing in the room, raising his phone his ear.. And almost at that exact moment, Axel's own phone lit up and vibrated.
His heart jolted into his throat. Panic spiked through him as he scrambled to silence it, fumbling with the device. His fingers shook, but he managed to end the call quickly, praying Ivan hadn't connected the dots.
Ivan's grip on his own phone tightened, knuckles whitening. His eyes narrowed at the screen as if he could reach through it and drag the person out.
The sight cut into Axel. He's doing this to him. Something in him twisted with guilt. Quietly he slipped past Ivan toward the bathroom, pulling out his phone as he went.
Maybe he should calm Ivan down first. The thought burned in his mind as his thumb dragged heavily over the screen, sending the message before he could second-guess himself.
~I can't talk right now, but I haven't changed my mind. We'll still meet up.
The reply came almost instantly.
~Let's make it tonight. It's really important. Please.
Axel froze. Tonight? His pulse spiked, beating hard against his ribs.
Why would Ivan suddenly change his mind? Was it because of that clash with his father? Because the man was demanding he marry someone else?
The thought clawed at Axel. The idea of Ivan belonging to someone else gnawed at him until he could barely stand it.
He knew he needed to work on himself too, he needed to stop his feelings for Ivan before they hollowed him out. But how was he supposed to stop? Ivan had already gotten under his skin, and he knew exactly why, because he loved him.
The feelings had grown when they'd talked online, slow at first, then sharper, heavier, until it consumed him. But no matter how deep those feelings ran, he had no chance.
First off, Ivan wasn't his mate. That much was obvious. If he were, Ivan would at least glance his way, would feel something, even the faintest spark of pull. But Ivan didn't. He showed nothing.
And second, Ivan wasn't even attracted to men. That truth was carved deep, as brutal as a scar. His entire mind was wrapped around Chloe, a girl who didn't even exist, a fantasy that proved where his desires really lay.
So what the hell was Axel doing? He knew he was setting himself up to bleed. His plan might give him control, but it wouldn't protect him from his own feelings. No matter what he told himself, he would still want Ivan.
A darker thought crept in. What if my real mate shows up?
The idea struck hard. But then he thought... he wouldn't let anyone catch his scent, not his mate, not anyone.
The scent was the one element that made the mate pulls undeniable. Without it, mates found had a hard time to recognize each other.
His thoughts spiraled, circling until he almost forgot about Ivan's message. Three minutes had slipped by. Before he could type a reply, another message appeared on the screen.
~I'm literally begging you. It's not my thing.
Axel stared at the words, his throat tight. A sharp, bitter laugh came out of him. It wasn't funny, not at all, but it was the only release he had, the only sound that kept the pressure in his chest from crushing him.
What was he doing... to himself, to Ivan?
His thumbs moved, heavy, deliberate.
~I can't leave home until Sunday. It's the only day I can go without my parents making a scene. It's not that far, is it?
No reply came. Minutes stretched, he decided to put off the phone before stepping out, the last thing he needed was the screen betraying him at the wrong moment.
Ivan sat on the bed, still looking frustrated, though calmer than before.
His scent lingered faintly in the room, a trace that clung like a shadow, no longer suffocating but enough to keep Axel on edge.
Axel forced himself forward. He sat down on his own bed, keeping his voice low, careful, almost soothing. "I know I said I didn't want friends. I know I said I didn't want to talk to you again." His throat tightened, but he pushed the words out. "But if you need someone to talk to… you can use me. I'm a good listener. I've gone through plenty myself. I'm not perfect, but maybe we can help each other cope with all the shit that's try to drive us insane."
He realized he was rambling, the words tumbling out in uneven waves. Ivan didn't even look at him, didn't seem to hear him.
Axel's chest tightened. He needed another way. A sharper strike. He drew in a breath. "Okay, it doesn't matter if you're listening or not, but..."
But he couldn't finish his strike before his words got chocked in his throat when Ivan suddenly pulled his shirt over his head and rose from the bed and crossed to the wardrobe.
Axel's body froze. His wolf stirred instantly, a surge of heat rolling through him so sudden it left his skin burning.
He needed to look away, to force his gaze elsewhere, but he couldn't. His eyes clung helplessly to the sculpted lines of Ivan's chest, the solid weight of muscle carved into strength.
The smooth plane of his skin drew Axel's gaze lower, down the ridges of his abdomen, over the breadth of his shoulders.
The sight dragged at him, merciless. The need to touch, to feel, to claim.. that urge erupted inside him with such violence it nearly knocked him breathless.
And when Ivan's trousers came off Without a warning, this time Axel's stomach dropped.
His wolf tore loose inside him. Ivan stood there in nothing but white boxers, and the thin fabric did nothing to hide the heavy outline straining against it.
Axel's composure shattered. Heat spiked in his body, his pulse erratic. He wanted that body pressed against his, wanted it crushing him, wanted it now. The need rose so sharp it almost shook him apart.
The pills he took meant nothing. His heat broke through them like glass. Raw, uncontainable, flooding his veins.
Ivan's scent wrapped around him like a noose, rich and heavy, drowning every thought until nothing remained but hunger.
Axel stumbled to his feet, his legs carrying him on shaking steps toward the bathroom again.
He slammed the door, locked it, pressed his back against. His chest rose and fell too fast, breath dragging ragged from his lungs.
Cold water. He needed cold water. He twisted the shower handle, stepped beneath it, let it crash down on him until his skin went numb, until he could barely feel his own body.
But nothing numbed his mind.
Is he my mate? Or am I just unraveling because of that stupid online love!?
The question ripped through him, raw and vicious. If Ivan was his mate, why didn't he feel it? Did scent have to be there for the bond to ignite in him? Why wasn't there even a flicker of pull from Ivan's side? If Ivan wasn't feeling it, then maybe… maybe he wasn't his mate at all.
Then why? Why was Axel's wolf and body reacting this strongly?
The water pounded against him, beating his skin red, but nothing drowned out the storm inside him.
He had planned to seduce Ivan. To control this game. To twist him until Chloe was nothing.
But now? Now he was the one seduced. The one breaking. The one losing ground.
And he couldn't let that happen. He had to take control back. He had to.. before Ivan stripped it from him completely.