Alpha's Dark Desires
Chapter 40: Too Wild

Chapter 40: Too Wild

Kane POV:

Watching Elena storm off, all fire and fury, was the most amusing thing I’d seen in weeks. There she went, marching down the hall, practically vibrating with anger, that fierce little scowl on her face making her look ready to take on the world. And all because I’d let her handle herself with Ashley. Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel a spark of pride—and maybe a little thrill at the sight.

"Hey," I called, letting a smirk tug at my lips, "as much as I like you wearing my clothes—and I do prefer you in them, especially around all the unmated wolves you’re so eager to impress—I think you might want some of your own."

I saw her falter, just a little, and my smirk grew wider. So, she hadn’t realized I’d overheard her muttered plan about "unmated wolves." Oh, this was going to be fun. I could practically feel her frustration seeping from her like heat from a flame, and it was delicious.

Without turning around, she huffed, "I would’ve worn my own clothes if you weren’t such a caveman and had let me pack them when I said goodbye to my parents."

Ah, so we were back to the blame game, were we? I picked up my pace to close the gap between us, rolling my eyes at her stubborn streak. Alright then, if that’s how she wanted to play it.

"Well," I said, feigning a sigh, "if you hadn’t been so hell-bent on running away from me, maybe I wouldn’t have had to act like a caveman." She was acting like I’d thrown her over my shoulder and dragged her here, kicking and screaming. Well, maybe there’d been a little of that... She had no idea the effect she had on me—or maybe she did and was just pretending not to know. Either way, she was a constant, maddening puzzle that I had every intention of solving.

"If you weren’t so stupid," she muttered under her breath, "you would’ve figured out by now that I don’t want to be here."

Stupid? She could call me a lot of things, but stupid

? That did it. She’d used that word one too many times. My wolf, Ash, didn’t take kindly to being insulted by our mate, and honestly, neither did I. That was it. I could take a lot of things, but "stupid" wasn’t one of them, and neither could my wolf, Ash. He was already growling in my head, demanding I do something about our feisty little mate. I could ignore her calling me stupid when she was sick, maybe even when she was storming away from me in some petty fit. But if she thought she could just keep walking away, throwing that word over her shoulder like I’d let it slide—she had another thing coming.

In a flash, I closed the distance, pressing her firmly against the wall, my front pressed up against her back. She gasped, her breath catching, and I leaned down to her ear.

"This is the second time you’ve called me stupid," I murmured, my voice low, dark, with just a hint of the danger that simmered beneath the surface. I leaned in, letting my breath graze her ear, feeling her shiver beneath me. "Me and my wolf... we don’t take kindly to that, little mate."

I felt her sharp intake of breath, her body instinctively arching against me. Even through her defiance, I could feel her pulse quickening under my grip, her skin heating up.

"Then stop acting like one," she managed, though her voice came out in a breathless whisper, betraying her resolve. Her lips parted, and for a brief, electrifying second, I forgot everything—who we were, where we were, what we were fighting about. All I knew was that I wanted her. I wanted her surrender, her fire, her everything.

I chuckled softly, letting my fingers trail down her sides. She was already unraveling, no matter how much she tried to resist. "Why are you so hell-bent on resisting me?" I asked, letting my lips brush her ear, enjoying the way her shiver ran right down her spine and into my chest. I heard her sharp intake of breath, felt her body arch instinctively toward me. She was fighting it, fighting me, but her body... her body was saying something else entirely.

"Because I hate you," she whispered, but her words didn’t carry the weight she wanted them to. Her breathing was too fast, her body too responsive. Every inch of her was betraying her.

I grinned, letting my fingers trace her curves, feeling her melt against me, her head tipping back almost unconsciously. "You say that," I murmured against her neck, my lips finding that sweet spot, the place where I’d one day mark her, "but your body seems to be saying something else."

She shifted, trying to push me away, but it was weak, half-hearted, and I knew she could feel it, too. I could practically hear the wheels turning in her head, the internal battle between her pride and her desire.

"Maybe my body just... isn’t very smart," she managed, her voice barely more than a moan.

She exhaled a shaky breath, her bravado faltering for just a moment as I nibbled at her neck, savoring the way her skin felt against my lips. Her hand clenched tighter, and I knew I had her right where I wanted her—teetering on the edge, fighting a battle she was destined to lose.

I laughed, letting my fingers brush along her jaw, turning her face slightly to meet my gaze. "Oh, I don’t know. I think it’s pretty smart... smart enough to know exactly what it wants."

I leaned closer, nipping lightly at her ear, hearing her gasp as my hands traced a slow path down her waist. Her scent was intoxicating, her skin warm under my hands. It took every ounce of my own self-control not to push her further, to demand she admit what we both knew was true.

"Why do you have to be so... so... infuriating?" she choked out, her voice caught between frustration and something else, something raw.

"Because it’s fun watching you fight it," I whispered, letting my lips skim over her shoulder, my hands caressing her sides in a way I knew drove her wild. "You’re so used to running, so hell-bent on resisting, you don’t even realize how close you are to giving in."

"I’m not... I’m not giving in," she said, though her voice was strained, her words faltering.

"Oh, really?" I let my lips hover just above her shoulder, close enough that she could feel my breath against her skin, warm and steady. "Then why aren’t you pushing me away?"

Silence. I watched as her resolve wavered, her hands still against my chest but not with any strength behind them. The fight in her was slipping, replaced by something far more honest, far more vulnerable.

"Say the word," I murmured, my tone softer now, almost gentle. "Tell me to stop, and I will."

I let my hands still, my mouth hovering near the sensitive skin at her neck, waiting. I wanted to give her that choice, to let her feel in control, even though every part of me ached to keep going, to claim her right here and now. But something told me that if she took the first step, if she let herself cross that line, there’d be no going back for either of us.

For a long moment, she just stood there, her breathing shallow, her body leaning into mine as if on instinct. I could feel the tension between us, the delicate balance of power as she struggled with herself.

Finally, she took a deep breath, her hands still pressed lightly against the wall. Her fingers curled slightly into my hair, not quite pushing me away but not pulling me closer, either. I waited, giving her the chance to make her choice.

But then, out of nowhere, I felt her tense, as if something had snapped back into place. Her eyes flashed, the vulnerability gone, replaced by that defiant fire I both loved and hated. She pushed against my chest, her strength catching me off guard as she managed to break free from my hold.

"Stop," she whispered, the word barely audible, but clear enough.

Her expression was fierce, her voice steady as she spat, "You don’t get to touch me with the same hands that touched... her." Her gaze was sharp, accusing, and I realized with a pang what she meant. Ashley. She was still in her head, that thorn I hadn’t managed to remove.

I exhaled slowly, stepping back, letting the heat between us dissipate as I released her from my hold. The last thing I wanted was to push her too far, to lose her trust before we even had a chance to build it. I respected her boundaries, even though every fiber of me screamed to ignore them.

Before I could respond, she spun on her heel, storming into the room she’d woken up in and slamming the door shut behind her. The sound echoed through the hallway, leaving me standing there, alone, her scent lingering in the air.

For a long moment, I stood there, caught somewhere between amusement and frustration. She was maddening, beautiful, and stubborn as hell. But she was mine, whether she admitted it or not. And one way or another, I was going to show her exactly what that meant.

And she clearly hate Ashley, this is going to be a problem.

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