Ace’s POV
I led her to where dinner was already set, this ti opting for the outdoor parlor.
The moon poured its silver light over us, casting an almost ethereal glow across the table. The setting was perfect. Romantic, intimate—intentional.
But I chose not to bring up the three kisses she owed .
Not yet.
Even though, good lord, I was dying to finally kiss her.
I had been fantasizing about it for far too long.
The way her lips would feel against mine.
The way she would react—stiff at first, maybe, but then lting into .
Would she taste as intoxicating as I imagined?
Would she fight it?
Would she kiss back?
I was eager, but I wasn’t about to rush.
Instead, I let the mont stretch, talking about random things to keep the air light.
I asked her about her childhood.
She was skeptical at first, eyeing like I was trying to trick her into sothing. But after a while, she started to open up.
She told stories about how she would always sneak out of her house just to explore the woods, how she once befriended a wild fox and tried to keep it as a pet before her mother found out and released it.
How she would climb trees, race the wind, and do anything to feel free.
From the way her eyes lit up when she spoke, I could see it.
She was a free spirit—wild, untad.
How the hell had she ended up with a controlling, dominant freak like Kane?
The thought made my jaw tighten.
She was never ant for that life.
She was never ant to be soone’s submissive.
She was ant to be free.
And yet, here I was, keeping her locked up.
The irony wasn’t lost on .
Still, I couldn’t let her go.
I wouldn’t.
Not when I was beginning to realize that keeping her had nothing to do with my revenge anymore.
I wanted her for .
As we finished eating, the conversation lulled.
Her guard was down, her expression softer than usual.
I leaned back in my chair, watching her closely.
Now.
Now was the ti.
"You owe sothing," I reminded her smoothly.
She froze, then narrowed her eyes. "I knew you’d bring that up."
I smirked. "I’m a man of my word, little wolf."
She scoffed, crossing her arms. "Fine. Let’s get this over with."
I could have been cruel about it—grabbed her, forced it on her.
But I didn’t want just a kiss.
I wanted her to feel it.
So I stood up and moved towards her, slow and deliberate, like a predator stalking his prey.
She tensed but didn’t move away.
Good.
I tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at . Her lips were parted slightly, breath uneven.
I smirked. "Nervous?"
She scowled. "Just kiss already."
I chuckled but obeyed.
I leaned in—slowly, torturously.
Our lips brushed, the first contact sending a jolt through , and fuck—
She was warm.
Soft.
Her breath hitched, and I felt her stiffen for a mont before her body betrayed her, relaxing just slightly.
I deepened the kiss, just a little. Not enough to overwhelm her—just enough to taste her.
And fuck, did she taste good.
A hint of wine from dinner, the lingering scent of sothing sweet and wild—like the forest after rain.
When I pulled away, I saw the way her eyes fluttered open slowly, the dazed look she tried to mask behind irritation.
She felt it too.
I smirked. "That’s one."
Her face turned red. "I hate you."
I chuckled, stepping back. "Oh, little pet, we both know that’s a lie."
And I couldn’t wait for the next two.
Kane’s POV
The map in front of was a ss—covered in marks, circles, and crossed-out locations. Everywhere I had searched, everywhere I planned to search next.
It wasn’t enough.
It was never enough.
No matter how many places I tore through, how many people I interrogated, I still hadn’t found her.
Elena.
Where the fuck was she?
My fingers dug into the edges of the map, my claws threatening to tear through the paper. I’d gone through every possible location—rogue hideouts, underground trafficking rings, abandoned territories. Nothing.
Every ti I thought I had a lead, it turned into another dead end.
Soone was hiding her.
And whoever they were, I would tear them apart.
My jaw clenched as I slamd my fist onto the table. I hadn’t slept in days, barely eaten. My wolf was restless, feral. The bond between Elena and wasn’t gone, but it was weak, distant—like she was just out of reach.
Too far away.
Too fucking far.
I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to focus. I just needed to—
A sharp pain shot through my chest, sudden and violent.
I gasped, gripping the edge of the table as the pain twisted, burned. It was like claws were ripping through my ribcage, straight into my heart.
What the fuck—?!
I staggered back, my breath hitching. My wolf howled in agony inside , his rage and pain surging through my veins.
It wasn’t just any pain.
It was the bond.
Sothing had happened.
Elena.
The realization hit like a thunderclap, my heart slamming against my ribs.
She—She was with soone else.
I clenched my teeth, trying to force the pain down, but it was everywhere—a deep, soul-tearing agony that made my vision blur for a second.
My hands curled into fists.
I didn’t need to guess what had happened.
She kissed soone.
She fucking kissed soone.
A snarl tore from my throat, pure rage searing through .
I grabbed the nearest chair and hurled it across the room. It shattered against the wall, but it didn’t make feel any better.
My wolf was pacing, raging, losing control.
I had to find her.
Now.
Whoever the fuck had her—whoever had touched her, kissed her—
They were dead.
She was fucking around with soone else while I was losing my goddamn mind trying to find her.
The thought made my blood boil.
I had torn through packs, ripped through rogue hideouts, burned every goddamn bridge just to get a hint—one fucking clue—about where she was. And all this ti, while I was barely breathing, barely existing, she was kissing another man?
Mine.
My mate.
A guttural growl ripped through , my claws unsheathing on instinct. I could feel the heat of my rage in my veins, burning, consuming.
How fucking dare she?
My hands gripped the edge of the table so hard it cracked beneath my strength.
I was going insane.
Days of no sleep, no food, barely able to function without the bond guiding to her—and she was out there, betraying it.
I was a ss without her. I could barely think straight. And yet, she—
Who the fuck was he?
The bastard who dared to touch what was mine.
My breath was ragged, heavy. My wolf was seething, clawing at , demanding blood.
I grabbed the map, tore it in half.
I didn’t need a fucking map anymore.
The bond had burned—she had kissed him, which ant he was dead.
I would find her.
And whoever the fuck he was, he was about to learn what true hell looked like.
Kane’s POV:
Dean walked in to find clutching my chest, my breathing ragged, while the remains of a broken table lay scattered around . The sharp, searing pain that had struck monts ago was still echoing through my body—a bond pain. She had done sothing.
"Yeah, I felt it too," Dean said, chuckling bitterly as he leaned against the doorfra, arms crossed.
I shot him a glare, but he only smirked.
"Why don’t we pay her a visit?" he suggested casually.
That caught my attention. My rage cooled just enough for curiosity to creep in.
"How?" I demanded.
Dean shrugged. "You’ll have to enter my head first." He gave a knowing look. "Yeah, yeah, I know you hate it, but it’s the only way."
Fucking hell.
The idea of being inside Dean’s mind made my skin crawl. His head was a twisted, chaotic place, and I wanted no part of it. But right now, I didn’t have a choice. I needed to see her. I needed her to know that I felt it—that I knew exactly what she had done.
Dean walked through the steps, giving the rundown of how it would work, but honestly, I didn’t care about the details. I just wanted to get there.
The mont I connected with him, it was disorienting as hell. Being in Dean’s mind was like existing in two bodies at once. I could hear what he heard, see what he saw, feel what he felt—but at the sa ti, I was still .
"Alright, buckle up," Dean muttered.
I-we focused on one thought. Elena.
Everything around us shifted.
It felt like being sucked through a vortex, weightless and untethered, until suddenly—
We were there. Each in his own form like in real life
I found myself staring down at her.
Elena.
She was asleep, curled up peacefully like she didn’t have a single worry in the world. Like she hadn’t just shattered .
My gaze swept over her. She looked different from when I last saw her—softer. Plumper. She had been eating well.
She was safe. Comfortable. Content.
Dean exhaled beside . "She’s doing well. Guess he’s taking good care of her."
My jaw clenched. I didn’t want to hear that.
"This is her mind," Dean continued. "She’s asleep in real life, but since I’m bonded to her, we can slip in. To her, this will just feel like a dream."
A dream.
Good.
Because when she woke up, I wanted this to haunt her.
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