alpha

Her blood was liquid gold. The moment it hit the basin, the scent slammed into Prince Dexmon like a charging bull.  A primal urge to mate with her followed, obliterating any concern for timing, place, or consequence.  His heart thundered, caught somewhere between hunger and outright panic. His wolf surged.  Aegon: Mate her. Mate her again. Mark her. In that order.  Dexmon: Absolutely the fuck not.  It took every ounce of control he possessed to hold back.  Meanwhile, she stood there, calm, oblivious to him coming apart at the seams.  The Moon Goddess, it seemed, truly had a twisted sense of humor.   ✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦ [Synopsis] Mate. He knows it instantly. She has no idea. After a year in silver chains, Serena Silverveil's wolf is silent. She escaped Viremont with nothing — no pack, no title, no wolf. Just a sharp mind, a lethal wit, and a refusal to die. A stranger saves her life. She returns the favor without knowing he's the Crown Prince of Drakenfell. But Dexmon is betrothed to Princess Agnes — the daughter of the very tyrant who kept Serena collared. So he stays silent. Agnes will stop at nothing to keep him. Murder, poisonings, dark magic, abductions, and starting a literal war. She ensures everyone in Drakenfell believes Serena is a whore and illiterate. Serena enters the royal ball on another man's arm, wearing the boldest gown in Drakenfell. Dexmon's restraint snaps. But he's not the only one watching. Fin Shadowclaw, the youngest and most powerful Alpha King in Skardos also hears "Mate" when he sees Serena. He marks her. Dexmon's wolf shoves him off and marks over his mark. Two rival Alpha Kings. One mark. And a woman who already had her heart destroyed, now torn between them. Love triangles don't usually involve mass murder. ✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦ Content Warning: This novel contains dark themes, dubcon, abuse, smut, explicit scenes, and morally gray characters. Reader discretion advised.  Tags: love triangle, matebond, war, royal family, betrayal, shifter, queen, underestimated, alpha king, luna

Look, Daciana had a plan. A really good one. Step 1: infiltrate their fancy-ass academy. Step 2: Catch the Westmont brothers being the monsters everyone whispers about. Step 3: destroy everything they love, watch their empire burn, pay for Lily’s treatment, and never think about them again. Instead I’m currently wearing Rodrigo’s bite like a damn collar, Kruze is staring at me like he’s already knows how many ways he can ruin me, and Zarek keeps grinning like he knows exactly how wet I get.. I hate them. They poisoned my sister and ruined my family. I was supposed to be the one holding the knife. Now I’m their one-year personal toy-slash-assistant-slash-whatever-the-hell-they-want. One hacked portal, one stolen favor, one stack of cash I definitely didn’t earn honestly, and three alphas who think “no” is just foreplay. So yeah. Oops. I think I just became the little spy who begged to be owned. and no, I’m not sorry.

King Night Winter, the ruler of the Kingdom of Darkness, who knows no mercy and does not care about sacred bonds, finds himself invited to a party in the palace of the Kingdom of Light. He agrees to the invitation, driven by curiosity mixed with arrogance. There, he meets his predestined mate, a shock that shakes his entire being. Night Winter faces a decisive choice: Will he submit to fate and accept her, or will he suppress his new feelings and reject her with even greater cruelty, leading to a devastating internal conflict that threatens his throne and his life? "This story is an original work created by Syrine and is a product of the author's imagination." "Note: The original version of this novel is written in Arabic. This is the official English dubbed version."

One crazy night in Vegas. One blurry chapel. One marriage certificate neither of them remembers signing. Elara Kane wakes up married to Damian Voss — the same ruthless CEO who just bought out her company and left her jobless. He wants an annulment yesterday. She wants to strangle him. But two pink lines on a test stick change everything. Now the ice-cold billionaire has a wife he can’t divorce and a baby on the way he never asked for. What starts as a fake marriage to save face turns into something dangerous: Damian can’t keep his hands off her. Every night he claims her, fills her, whispers “mine” like it’s the only word he knows. Elara fights it — she swore she’d never need a man — but every time he’s deep inside her, every time he looks at her belly like it’s his whole world, her heart cracks a little more. Scandal hits hard. The press calls her a gold-digger. The board wants him to choose: empire or family. Old enemies smell blood. And Elara has to decide if the man who ruined her life is worth risking her heart — and her future — all over again. A steamy, addictive ride of accidental vows, surprise pregnancy, and a CEO who’ll burn his world down to keep what’s his.

A prophecy names one true moon. ----- Lyria has spent her entire life in the shadows — scorned, scarred, and invisible. The illegitimate daughter of a king who pretends she does not exist, she has learned to want nothing and expect less. But when fourteen alpha suitors arrive to compete for her sister's hand, five of the most powerful men in the kingdom cannot seem to stay away from the girl they were never meant to notice. Each one is powerful enough to shake kingdoms. Each one is drawn to her in ways that defy reason. But Lyria can only choose one, and the road to that choice will cost more than she ever imagined. And Jacinta will burn the kingdom down before she allows Lyria to take what she believes is hers.

To werewolves, humans are maggots. Aurora is a human trapped in a brutal pack, betrayed by her lover, sold into marriage with a man twice her age, and now accused of the ultimate sin: stealing the Moon Core, the relic that once chained the Wolf God Lycaon himself. The Lycans descend upon her. Four ruthless sons of Lycaon; the Scions of Sin. Greed. Pride. Lust. Wrath. Each brother is one of the Original Sins made flesh. Each will sacrifice anything to keep their father imprisoned forever. The Moon Core is their only weapon and now a fragile human has absorbed it. To them, Aurora is vermin. A thief. A disposable tool. But the Core is alive inside her, awakening powers she was never meant to wield. The brothers who swore to destroy her begin to crave her—body, soul, and every shattered piece in between. Now they face the impossible: kill the maggot who could end their race… or surrender to the woman destined to unravel their empire and them. •Morally grey MLs • Enemies to lovers • Dark reverse harem • possessive alphas • betrayal & revenge • Angst • Smut (the Moon Core isn’t the only thing pulsing inside her)

Once upon a time, Eclipse lived a quiet life—until the Moon Goddess bound her to Malric NorthSteed, Alpha Prince of the North. A man who was Cold, Ruthless and Ambitious beyond mercy. On the night she was rejected as his mate, Malric slaughtered her entire pack… and then crowned another woman his bride. Buried under the burning betrayal, Eclipse dies with her family, but five years later, she is reborn as Arrow—an assassin feared by wicked nobles and criminals alike; a ghost whispered through the underworld. Every life she takes is training that sharpens her resolve toward a single purpose: Kill Malric NorthSteed. Then burn his entire empire to the ground. But Malric is no longer just an Alpha Prince. He is now the Alpha King of the North—untouchable behind towering palace walls and absolute power. So to reach him, Eclipse must do the unthinkable. She enters the grand Bridal Selection, a ruthless competition of fifty women vying to become his next Luna Queen—each bride hiding secrets, ambitions, and bloodstained desires of their own. Disguised, surrounded by spies and trapped among obsessed rivals and lethal politics, Eclipse plays the role of the demure woman seeking Malric’s heart… while plotting to rip it from his chest. Yet as the competition turns deadly, a terrifying truth emerges. In this game of hearts and death, she is far from the only pawn on the board; Her family’s massacre was no simple act of cruelty; The bond she once shared with Malric NorthSteed had been anything but an accident; Not to mention that Malric has been playing this game long before she even drew her bow, Eclipse tows the line of danger while donning on a fake mask before him. Because if Malric discovers who she truly is— If he realizes she is the mate he once rejected— If the embers between them ignite into something dangerously real— Then Eclipse will face a fate far worse than death. For when he catches her, no arrow, no mask, no hatred will save her. Not from his vengeance. Not from his power. Not from the forbidden love that could destroy them both.

Rhea had it all: beauty, wealth, three fiercely protective brothers, and a life where her biggest heartbreak came from crying over fictional tragedies. But in one devastating twist, her world ended, and when she opened her eyes she was no longer the pampered heiress. She had become the rejected omega from the book she had dropped in rage, a wolfless, powerless girl, hated by all and left to wither until starvation finally claimed her. Now trapped in a body everyone despises, Rhea refuses to accept the same miserable fate. The pack may remember a coward, but she remembers every grueling taekwondo lesson her brothers forced her to endure, and she is not about to cower in silence. If she fails to rise above her circumstances, she risks not only her own life but also the chance to free others crushed beneath the same oppressive system. "This is the perfect time to make use of the taekwondo training my brothers forced upon me." Her so-called destiny remains tied to Alpha Ares, the man who rejected her, who turned a blind eye to her torment, and who believed every cruel lie whispered about her. He may be her fated mate, but she will be damned if she lets him decide her life again. As she fights her way through oppressors, Rhea must decide whether to trust Ares to finally use his head or knock the sense into him herself.

Tonight, Cecilia’s heart was ripped from her chest to break her bond with Arzhen. The Weretiger King’s son, the man she had been bonded to for seven years, had mercilessly taken her life. Who could blame him, really? Cecilia was just a fake Saintess, after all. When the real love of his life, the true Saintess Ruby Vaiva, emerged to reclaim her legitimate title, it was all over for Cecilia. Cast away by the very people she had saved through sheer will and intellect, all in favor of a divine cheat, she knew no one was coming to save her. But as her eyes grew heavy and the world began to fade, a notification suddenly popped into her mind. DING! [Capturable Love Interest detected! Would you like to roll for Five Star Love Interest, Oathran Alicei? You have 10 free rolls!] [Yes/No] Ah. So there was a man dying nearby, too… Wait... Oathran Alicei? The Dragon Lord?! [Warning! Five Stars Love Interest Exclusive Banner is about to expire! Roll?] [Yes/No] Alright, alright! Roll! *** [Let’s start! This is the Beast Gacha System, where you can get countless rewards and bond with any beast, as many as you like!] *** The Dragon Lord she swore to kill: “It wasn’t a prophecy, it was an oath. Your oath. To me.” He wanted to die by her hands. He must. “It was about dying at the hands of the one person I respected. The one person who promised to take the burden from me. You.” “And if I say you are a saintess, then you are.” *** The Alpha Werewolf, her uncle-in-law: “You think there’s a measurement for sin?” “If we are going to get you with child, it will be done properly. Ideally, in front of that precious nephew of mine. Let him have a front-row seat to his legacy being… superseded.” “God forbid a man finds creative motivation.” *** The Werelion Pride King who 'hated' her: “So what if it’s wrong? Be wrong, and live.” “Let me tell you one thing, Cecilia. If you die, even if it was the right thing to be… it’s still wrong.” “If you die, the world will be wrong.” “And a wrong world must perish.” *** Cover art by Nay U [17+ NSFW, Reverse Harem, BeastsXHuman, Revenge, System, Dragon, Werelion, Werewolf, 3 Male Leads] Existing smut chapters: Ch. 16, 26, 51, 52, 68, 69, 70, 72, 81, 82, 83, 104, 105, 106, 117, 118, 119, 121, 138, 139, 140, 184, 185, 187, 220, 231 & 246 (for now)

On the night her fated mate rejected her for the destined heroine, Violet didn’t cry or beg. She smiled. “Congratulations, Alpha. I hope she is worth our severed bond.” Everyone thought she was the weak and pitiful omega who couldn’t shift. No one knew she was the last heir of the ancient bloodline of wolves born of the Moon and Sun, hunted to extinction. Now after returning back in time, Violet wants nothing to do with mates or pack loyalty. But fate has other plans. Three Alphas want her. One for power. One for redemption. And one whose wolf howls her name in every dream.

The century-old war between witches and werewolves has finally ended. Peace reigns. Or so it seems. Because that peace came with a price. Something stirs in the shadows. Dark creatures now hunt wolf, witch, and human alike. The world needs a savior... one born of chaos and magic. Celeste Bloodoak was supposed to be that savior. Daughter of the North American Alpha King and his hybrid Luna Queen, she should’ve inherited greatness. But she didn’t. Wolfless. Nearly powerless. Scorned by her peers, rejected by the Alpha she loves and pitied by her own family, Celeste has always lived in her twin brother’s shadow. Until she meets him—a man forged in blood and darkness. A creature that shouldn’t exist. A vampire. And as if resisting that dangerous pull weren’t enough, Celeste’s world shatters during Bloodoak Academy’s Mating Ball... when she discovers she’s mated to four men. Not one. Not two. FOUR. Her arrogant Alpha ex. His calm, calculating Beta brother. A witch who wants nothing to do with her. And the mysterious vampire whose kiss tastes like sin. One girl. Four mates. And a bond that could save—or doom—the world. In this dance of blood, power, and forbidden desire, will Celeste rise as the prophesied heir… or fall to the darkness that calls her name? (TRIGGER WARNING: Mature content and dark themes ahead.) ~~~~~ 100 powerstones at the end of a week= 2 bonus chapters. 100 golden tickets at the end of a month= 3 bonus chapters.

[BL] To pay off his debt, Lim Garam decided to debut as an idol under the entertainment company that belongs to the loan shark he owes. But the contract he signed wasn't a business contract. It was a marriage contract with Song Sihyuk--- the Alpha among the Alphas, and a third-generation chaebol at that. Lim Garam is a Beta, so he never understood Song Sihyuk's obsession with him. But maybe he should have known the moment his contract husband asked him THAT question: “Do you want me to turn you into an Omega, Lim Garam?” *** #omegaverse #betaxalpha #omegaxalpha #sassybeta #suddenlyomega #redflagalpha #toxicrelationship #secretmarriage #showbiz #idol #chaebol #ceo

There are no women left in the werewolf world. At least, that's what the packs tell themselves. The world is ruled by wolves. And wolves have no queens. Female werewolves are extinct—erased by time, war, or something worse. No one dares to speak of them. No one remembers how they looked. No one *survived* them. Except her. Raised as a mistake. Hidden like a curse. She bound her chest in bloody cloth and learned to walk with a limp so they wouldn't see her hips. She spoke in growls and spit like the boys. She pissed in the dirt and pretended not to bleed. Her grandfather called her deformed. Said she was sick. A freak. Told her if the pack ever found out what she really was, they’d rip her to shreds. And she believed him. Until the night of her first shift—when her bones broke and reformed into something unmistakably *female*. Now, the secret she was told would kill her becomes the reason she's sold. Five alphas. Five monsters in human skin. Rulers of a vicious, dying pack. They've been waiting their entire lives for something like her. Something to fuck. Something to breed. Something to chain. Now exposed as the only living female werewolf, she is captured and sold like livestock—delivered to five ruthless alphas who rule by claw and blood. Five rivals who see her as salvation and property. A walking womb to breed a new generation. Their personal apocalypse in fragile flesh. But they made one mistake. They thought she was prey. But she is not fragile. She is fire. She is hunger. She is vengeance wrapped in curves and teeth. They want her on her knees. She’ll bring them to theirs. By the time their lust turns lethal and their unity rots into war, she’ll have made them hers—or burned them to the fucking ground. She’ll let them fight over her. She’ll let them touch, taste, even claim her. She’ll feed their obsession until it rots into madness. Then she’ll twist their lust into rage—and tear their precious pack apart from the inside. One kiss at a time. One betrayal at a time. One body at a time. She was born to be their ruin.

[MATURE BL OMEGAVERSE] Griffin Mafia, the strongest group among the other mafias in Dormania. A country famous for having 60% of its population belonging to the mafia. Their leader is known to be quite mysterious and intelligent, Alastair Vale. Not many people have ever seen the dominant Alpha. But they are certain that he is a terrified cold hearted man who will get whatever he wants. At the same time, Alastair finds himself drawn to an Omega he often sees standing near a bus stop not far from a university, Noel Ashford. The only Omega who doesn't seem afraid of him at all and instead appears bold enough to answer his every word. "You think I'm weak just because I'm an Omega? Let me tell you something, Mr. Vale..." "Feisty Omega." 'Fuck, he turns me on.' A smirk appeared on the Alpha's face every time the Omega defied his words. Although love eventually blossomed between the Alpha and the Omega, reality would never allow them to live peacefully behind the gunfire. "I won't let you see Vale again! You will never be allowed to leave this mansion for any reason, let alone to see him. Not now and not ever!" "He's not as bad as you think! He's just—" Regis, Noel's older brother, glared at him with a sharp gaze and a face flushed with anger. "ALASTAIR IS A MURDERER!"

#DarkRomance #PossessiveAlpha #FeistyOmega #RoyalCourt #SlowBurnBond #Mpreg #ABO #Yaoi #Collar #Dominant The Mad King of Saha stands seven-foot-three, ruling a sleek modern empire with a reputation for brilliance and madness. He lost one mate to his brother-in-arms and swore never again. Then a wedding, a poisoned glass… and Christopher Malek. A sharp-tongued stand-in server who thinks he saves a king but only blows his own cover: he’s a dominant omega, unmarked and unbonded. Will a mad king and a hidden omega bend toward each other… or will the court tear them apart before a bond can even form? Order of Books: [BL] Reborn as the Empire’s Most Desired Omega Caught by the Mad Alpha King

#PossessiveAlpha #SharpTonguedOmega #RoyalCourt #EnemiesToLovers #SlowBurn #ABO #Mpreg #EliteGuards #KnifeDuke #ScandalRomance #DepartmentOfSpite The Emperor’s bloodhound knows only how to hunt and he’s found a very interesting new prey. Gregoris Frasner doesn’t do polite conversation or slow dances. He doesn’t charm at banquets or linger for court gossip. He kills when ordered, tracks threats no one else can see, and sleeps better when his hands are stained with something real. His loyalty belongs to the Emperor and his Consort. Everything else is temporary. Until Rafael Rosenroth. Rafael was supposed to stay out of this. He’d spent years avoiding his mother’s arranged marriages, carefully balancing court expectations with just enough distance to be safe. But after one too many incidents, he was drafted into Gabriel’s infamous “Department of Spite,” where diplomacy is sharp, everything is weaponized, and affection is more dangerous than betrayal. But fate and Alexandra pushed him right into the depths of hell. What began as a joke turned into an obsessive alpha and an omega who wants nothing to do with him. Books order: Bound by the Mark of Lies (BL) Shadow Unit Scandal: The Commander’s Omega

“I want to do it. “   “What!? “I reply in panic as I begin to struggle against his hold, but he tightens his grip around me. I’m afraid of getting caught, but why is a part of me suddenly excited by this? By the way he’s holding…pulling me close… not letting go. Why do I like it even though I know getting caught could be disastrous? “H… hey, please. Not here… I… I … “I begin, but he cuts me off as he moves a leg between mine and begins to press against my bulge. “Your body tells another story… “He says as he runs his tongue over the marks he created on my neck last night and I shiver in his arms. I feel him smirk against my neck, and I curse myself for how easy it is for him to get a reaction out of me. “But… This is a public space… “I struggle to complete my sentence as he begins to massage my bulge with his thigh. “You’re all I care about right now. “He replies as he reaches for and starts undoing my belt, and I reach down to hold onto it in fear. “What are you saying? Your reputation… “I begin, and he finally pulls away from me. “It would be just fine. “He cuts me off, and I gulp. “Are you ashamed of me? “He suddenly questions, and my eyes widen. “Of course not! It’s just… “I begin, but he doesn’t let me finish. “You’re the one who wanted my attention. “ “Not like this! “   “This is how I want to give it. “He replies, and I stare at him with wide eyes. This is bad. If we're caught fucking here, it'll be chaos. and he doesn't seem to mind that. These brothers are insane!! ***** Five Alphas. One innocent Omega. And a heat no one’s ready for. ******* Known as a misfit with a weird feature(Red eyes), his whole life, everything hit rock bottom when his parents disowned and kicked him out of his home for being attracted to men. One accident later, he wakes up in another world, groggy, naked… and on display at a beastmen auction. They called him rare. Valuable. Breedable. Twenty thousand golden bars later, he’s sold... to not one, but five Alpha brothers. All beastmen. All dangerously possessive. Each one hotter...and crazier...than the last. They’re fighting over who gets to breed him first. And Elián? He’s never even kissed anyone before. Alpha Koda, the calmest of the five brothers, promises Elián will be safe. But nothing about this new world feels safe to Elián. Not the way the Alphas look at him. Not the way his body responds to them. And definitely not that word they keep calling him. Omega. Elián is a man. Men aren’t supposed to have babies. But somehow… every Alpha wants to breed him. Because Elián might just be the key to a generation of powerful beastmen. Now, five ruthless brothers are ready to give Elián everything he could ever want... Including unending love... If he’ll let one of them put a baby in him. How will he react to all this? Especially when he has no idea what it feels like to be loved.

“You incompetent god! I should’ve been the Alpha with big di*k, not some pitiful Omega!” — Cherion’s death was… not heroic. Winning the lottery only to die of a heart attack five minutes later was the definition of cosmic irony. But fate wasn’t done laughing at him yet. He woke up inside a tragic omegaverse novel he once read, right in the body of the pitiful omega doomed to be rejected, humiliated, and die alone. Still, he thought, “Fine. I’ll just avoid the main plot.” Except the main plot avoided him. But the script suddenly changed! Instead of being cast aside, Cherion was married off to Zarius, the empire’s greatest war hero… and the man destined to become the villain everyone feared. A cursed Alpha, praised as a savior but fated to die by the Crown Prince’s hand. Married to the future villain? Doomed. Married to a cursed Alpha? Double doomed. No, no doomed at all! He had a plan. A brilliant, flawless, absolutely desperate plan… but still a plan! “I said I’ll help you break your curse. In exchange, you let me go. Do we have a deal or not? Or are you too insecure to trust an Omega?” “Careful, little Omega. That sharp tongue of yours is daring me to test how it tastes.”

Seren never wanted to be noticed. As the daughter of the royal medicine woman, she learned early that survival meant keeping her head down and her mouth shut. The palace was no place for curiosity, especially not when the dying King's three sons prowled its halls like caged predators. Prince Aeron, cold and calculating, leads with ruthless precision. Prince Kael, the soldier, obeys instinct over law. Prince Theron, charming and dangerous, sees through every lie. They are identical in face but opposite in nature, and the kingdom holds its breath waiting to see which one will claim the throne. When Seren witnesses a royal execution she was never meant to see, she becomes a problem the triplets cannot afford. Too dangerous to release, too innocent to kill, she finds herself confined in their private wing as political tensions threaten to tear the kingdom apart. But something unexpected happens when the princes get too close. The ancient mating bond, which should only form between wolves, sparks to life between a human servant and three alpha heirs. Now Seren is caught in a bond that defies nature and law. The triplets claim she belongs to them, body and soul, but the kingdom will never accept a human as their mate. Princess Elowen schemes to destroy her. The council demands answers. Rival packs circle like sharks scenting blood. And somewhere in the palace shadows, a traitor works to ensure none of them survive long enough to take the throne. As bodies pile up and war looms on the horizon, Seren must choose between the safe life she always wanted and the three wolves who have marked her as theirs. But in a world where power is everything and humans are nothing, loving the future kings might be the most dangerous choice of all. The triplet alphas will burn the kingdom down before they let her go. And Seren is starting to realize she would let them.

Selene Jameson has always been the family stain, unwanted daughter, shadow to the golden children. The night her mother dies saving her life, Selene loses the only person who ever loved her. When Atlas D'Angelo, the boy she gave everything to, betrays her in the cruelest way possible, she vows never to beg for love again. But fate has darker plans. On the night Selene finally tastes freedom, fame, money, a future of her own her family sells her to a supernatural auction. She's thrust into a hidden world ruled by lycans who see humans as nothing more than commodity. Then he buys her. Mikhail Morozov, Wintercrest Alpha and High Alpha of the Onyx Concord. Feared across Nocturna, Lycan Realm. With a shattered past, a missing sister, and a throne built on blood and betrayal, the last thing he needs is a defiant human girl with a sharp tongue and darker humor than his sins. But Selene isn't human. She bears the Crescent, a mark of ancient power that could save the Nocturna or destroy it. When Kustav Volkov, a rival ruthless Alpha, is revealed to be Selene's father, he lays his claim on her. Mikhail offers Selene a choice: marry him in a blood-bound pact that grants her protection under lycan law. But this marriage of convenience will be anything but convenient. *** "And you smell good," I interrupted, words tumbling out before I could stop them. "Really good. Like winter but not the terrifying kind. The beautiful kind. With snow and—" I scrunched my nose, grasping for the description. "Those delicate frost patterns that appear on glass." Mikhail produced a sound deep in his chest that could've been a growl or a chuckle or something caught between. "Why are there two staircases?" I blurted suddenly, fixating on the duplicated grand stairway looming before us. "Is this intentional? Seems ridiculously excessive." "There's only one staircase, moya." "Are you certain? Because I'm definitely seeing two. Perhaps you require vision correction. Do lycans need glasses? That would be hilarious. Tiny spectacles perched on a massive terrifying wolf—" "Selene." His voice emerged strained, taut in a manner that penetrated even through my fog. "You need to stop talking." I peered up at him, hurt piercing through the pleasant haze. "Why? Am I irritating you? I'm sorry. I'll stay quiet." "No." The word escaped sharp, nearly anguished. "You're not irritating me. You're—" He severed the sentence, jaw clenching so viciously I witnessed the muscle twitch. "Just... rest." But I didn't want rest. I wanted to comprehend why his expression appeared like that—all rigid and ravenous and something else I couldn't identify. "Are you alright?" I asked, raising my hand toward his jaw. He intercepted my wrist before contact, his hold gentle yet unyielding. "Don't." "Why not?" "Because I'm barely maintaining control as it is, and if you touch me right now—" He halted abruptly, eyes compressing shut momentarily. "Just don't." That should've frightened me. The ferocity in his tone, the way his restraint appeared to unravel at the seams. But intoxicated-me simply smiled, inexplicably pleased. Then I caught the way his gaze dropped. Just for a fraction of a heartbeat. To my mouth. Heat bloomed through my chest, spreading like wildfire. "You want to kiss me," I breathed, the revelation making me giddy. His eyes snapped back to mine, glacial blue turned predatory. "Kissing," he said slowly, voice dropping an octave, "doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what I want to do to you." The air left my lungs. His grip on my wrist shifted, thumb finding my pulse point. Pressing there. Feeling the frantic rhythm he'd caused. "Kissing is gentle," he continued, leaning in just enough that his breath ghosted across my lips. Close enough to take. Close enough to claim. But he didn't. "Kissing is sweet. What I want?" His eyes dragged down my face, my throat, lower then back up with deliberate slowness. "There's nothing gentle about it."