SCARLETT
The heat of Kael's chamber clung to my skin, a mixture of burning cedarwood and the faint musk of his wolf. I should have been afraid any sane woman would've been. Instead, every cell in my body hummed with an ache I couldn't ignore.
Kael leaned against the stone wall, his golden eyes flickering in the firelight as they dragged lazily over me. His lips twisted into a cruel smirk.
"You're reckless, Scarlett," he drawled, his voice low, dangerous. "Sneaking past my guards, thinking I wouldn't notice? Do you really believe you can play with three Alphas and come out unscathed?"
I crossed my arms, feigning defiance though my body trembled with need. "Maybe I like being noticed. Maybe I like watching powerful men lose control."
He growled, the sound vibrating through the room, primal and commanding. "Careful, little wolf. You're testing how far my patience stretches."
"Patience?" I tilted my head, smirking. "Funny. You don't look patient. You look hungry."
In a blur, he was in front of me, his hand clamped around my throat not choking, just reminding me of the strength I couldn't escape. His heat seeped into me, setting my blood on fire.
"You think I don't know what you're doing?" he whispered against my ear, his breath scorching. "You taunt me, tempt me, just to see which one of us—me, Darius, or Lucien will break first."
I licked my lips, refusing to look away. "Maybe I don't want to choose. Maybe I want all of you."
His grip tightened, and a dark chuckle rolled from his chest. "Greedy little mate!. Do you even understand the danger of those words?"
"Do you?" I shot back, voice husky. "Because you're the one who can't keep his hands off me."
The golden flare in his eyes told me I'd struck a nerve. With a snarl, Kael shoved me against the wall, caging me in with his massive frame. His mouth crashed against mine—rough, searing, claiming.
I gasped, my hands clutching his shoulders as heat pooled low in my belly. The kiss was war, fire and teeth, and I didn't want it to stop.
"Say it," he demanded, lips brushing mine. "Say you belong to me."
I laughed breathlessly. "Why would I give myself to just one Alpha when I can have three?"
Kael's growl shook me to my core. His hand slid down my waist, gripping my hip hard enough to bruise. "You'll regret those words when I mark you."
"You wouldn't dare," I whispered, though my voice betrayed me, trembling with anticipation.
His mouth curved into a dangerous smile. "Try me."
The door slammed open.
Darius stood there, storm-gray eyes blazing, his chest rising with fury. His voice was thundering.
"Kael. Step away from her."
Kael's lips brushed mine one last time, a deliberate taunt, before he released me. "Careful, brother," he said with mocking calm. "You might find she enjoys the fire too much to ever want your storm."
Darius's gaze snapped to mine, his jaw clenched, jealousy radiating off him. "Scarlett…" His voice dropped to a growl. "What the hell are you doing?"
I wiped my lips slowly, savoring the tension. "Playing with fire."
The silence that followed was thick with desire, rage, and the promise of something explosive yet to come.
Kael's grip on my hip tightened as though he could brand me with his touch alone. The wall was cold at my back, but his heat consumed me, searing through my thin dress, igniting a hunger that had been simmering since the first time his golden eyes dared to linger on me.
"Look at you," he murmured, his voice rough velvet. His thumb brushed my lower lip, smearing the faint trace of his kiss. "Breathing hard, trembling… yet still pretending you're in control."
I smirked, tilting my chin higher though my pulse thundered against his palm. "Maybe I am in control. Maybe you're the one losing yourself."
He snarled low, pressing his body flush against mine. "Do you feel how close I am to breaking, Scarlett? To mark you so deep no other Alpha will dare touch you?"
His words were a whip, sharp and delicious. My body arched instinctively toward him, betraying me. I whispered, lips brushing his jawline, "Then break."
That one word snapped something inside him. His mouth claimed mine, bruising and demanding, tongue pushing past my lips in a kiss that was all teeth and dominance. My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling, daring him for more.
He lifted me effortlessly, forcing my legs around his waist. My back slammed against the wall again, and a moan slipped from me before I could bite it back. His growl vibrated against my throat as he trailed kisses down my neck, lingering at the spot where my mate Mark would bloom if he dared.
"You taste like sin," he rasped, biting gently at my skin. "Like you were made to drive me mad."
I tugged his hair back, meeting his burning gaze. "And you like it."
His answering smirk was wicked, feral. "Too much."
He rolled his hips into me, and the friction tore another gasp from my lips. Heat pooled low in my belly, sharp and unbearable. I could feel his control fraying—his breathing ragged, his wolf clawing at the surface.
"Say it," he demanded again, breath hot against my skin. "Say you belong to me."
I bit down on his shoulder, hard enough to draw blood, savoring the growl that rumbled from him. "No," I panted. "I belong to no one."
His eyes flared gold, wolf close to the surface. "Defiant little mate. You'll beg before the night is over."
His lips crashed against mine again, hotter, rougher, like he wanted to devour me whole. His hand slid down my thigh, gripping, claiming, pulling me tighter against him. Every nerve in my body screamed yes, even as my mind whispered danger.
The door banged open.
"Kael!"
Darius's voice was a storm breaking the world apart. He stood framed in the doorway, gray eyes wild, fists clenched so hard his knuckles bled.
I froze, still caged against the wall, Kael's body pinning me, his hand gripping my thigh possessively.
Kael didn't move. His golden eyes locked with Darius's stormy ones, and his lips curved into a taunting, dangerous smirk.
"Looks like you're late, brother," Kael drawled. "She's already burning for me."
Darius stepped inside, the room crackling with his fury. His gaze seared into me, not Kael. "Scarlett…" His voice was low, ragged, torn between rage and desperation. "Did you let him mark you?"
My breath hitched, my pulse a wild drum.
Because Kael's teeth were still hovering just over my mark.
And I didn't stop him.