Kane’s POV:
The room was dimly lit, a soft glow casting shadows on Elena’s face as she slept. Peaceful. Content.
Like she didn’t just fucking shatter .
I clenched my fists, the anger simring under my skin. She looked so unbothered while I was out there losing my fucking mind.
Dean stood beside , arms crossed, observing like this was so kind of amusing experint.
She looked peaceful.
Like she wasn’t tearing apart from the inside out.
Like she wasn’t out there betraying .
My chest still burned from the phantom pain, the bond’s cruel way of telling she had given herself to soone else. It was a dull ache now, but when it first hit—sharp, brutal, consuming—I had nearly collapsed.
Now, standing here, looking at her, I wanted to shake her awake, to demand she tell what the fuck she was thinking.
Dean, standing beside , gave a low whistle. "Damn. She looks comfortable."
I growled. "Shut the fuck up."
He chuckled. "I’m just saying, she doesn’t look like soone who’s suffering. Seems like soone is taking real good care of her."
My wolf raged at that.
I clenched my fists, trying to breathe through it.
Dean crossed his arms, looking bored. "So? What’s the plan? We just gonna stand here and admire how well-fed she is?"
I fucking hated him.
But he was right.
I stepped closer, my presence alone enough to disrupt her dream world. A ripple went through the scene, like a disturbance in still water. She felt .
She stirred, her brow furrowing. Her breathing changed. Her body knew before her mind did.
Then, her eyes snapped open.
For a mont, she just stared at . Blinking. Processing.
Then she shot up, scrambling backward.
"K-Kane?" Her voice was groggy, laced with confusion and sothing else—guilt.
Good. She should feel guilty.
I took another step forward, towering over the bed, my gaze locked on hers. "You’ve been busy."
She swallowed hard. "What—"
"You think I wouldn’t feel it?" I growled, cutting her off. "That I wouldn’t know the second you let soone else touch you?"
She paled.
Her lips parted, and I had to fight back the urge to fucking lose it.
Because I knew.
I felt it.
Her lips on another.
The sharp, searing pain in my chest like a knife straight through the bond.
And now, here she was, staring at with those goddamn guilty eyes.
She shook her head. "It wasn’t—"
"Don’t." I snarled, fists clenching. "Don’t fucking lie to ."
Dean exhaled dramatically. "Well, this is fun."
"Shut up," we both snapped at him.
Elena turned back to , eyes flashing with defiance now. "You don’t get to do this," she said. "You don’t get to act like you care when you were the one who—"
"You let him touch you," I said, voice dangerously low. "While I’ve been tearing this fucking world apart trying to find you, you were—" I stopped, my breathing ragged.
I couldn’t even say it.
She swallowed hard, guilt flashing across her face again before she masked it with defiance.
"And you?" she shot back, voice sharper now. "You think you have a right to be mad? After everything you did to ?"
I moved faster than she could react, caging her in, gripping her chin.
She gasped.
I leaned in close, my voice a dark whisper against her skin.
"I have been tearing this fucking world apart trying to find you," I growled. "Losing my mind. And you? You’re out here kissing soone else."
She shivered. I could feel her pulse hamring beneath my grip.
For a mont, she looked... conflicted.
Then, just as quickly, she snapped out of it.
Her jaw tightened, eyes narrowing. "So what?" she bit out. "You did worse. You marked without my consent, rember? You let your darkness consu you. You scared away."
Her words hit like a gut punch.
She was right.
But fuck if that made this easier.
Dean clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Well, that went well. You done yet? Or do you need a mont to wallow in self-pity?"
I ignored him.
Instead, I turned back to Elena, my voice lower now, but just as sharp.
"Who is he?"
She hesitated.
I fucking knew it.
She knew exactly who I was talking about.
She ripped her chin from my grasp, eyes burning. "You don’t get to act like the victim, Kane. You’re the reason I ran in the first place."
I stiffened.
"You marked ," she went on, voice rising. "You forced this bond on . You tried to own . And now you’re pissed that I found soone who treats like a person instead of a fucking possession?"
I took another step forward. "Who. The fuck. Is he?"
Her lips pressed together.
That was enough of an answer.
My vision blurred red. My wolf howled in fury.
Dean sighed. "Welp. Guess we’re gonna have to hunt down another poor bastard."
Elena’s eyes widened. "Don’t you dare—"
"You don’t even know who the fuck he is," I growled.
She set her jaw. "Maybe not. But at least he doesn’t scare ."
That.
That cut deeper than anything else.
I stepped back, exhaling slowly, trying to rein in the storm inside .
A slow, sharp smirk curled on my lips. "Alright then."
Elena’s expression faltered. "What are you—"
"You think I won’t find him?" I interrupted smoothly. "You think I won’t rip him apart for touching what’s mine?"
Her breath hitched. "Don’t you dare—"
I smirked, but there was nothing amused about it. Only promise.
"Oh, I will."
"But first—before I go—" I murmured, voice dark and low, my gaze locked onto her lips. "I need to erase that stupid fucking kiss from your mouth."
Her eyes widened, realization flashing across them, but she didn’t move—or maybe she couldn’t.
I didn’t give her a chance to react.
I took her mouth.
Not gently. Not sweetly.
No.
This was punishnt.
I kissed her fervently, hungrily, possessively.
Erasing him.
Claiming her.
She gasped into my mouth, her hands coming up—to push away or pull closer, I didn’t know. Didn’t care.
I owned this kiss. I owned her.
And when I finally pulled away, her lips were swollen, her breathing uneven.
"You can pretend you don’t want this," I murmured, running my thumb over her lower lip, "but your body rembers , little wolf. Even in your dreams."
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, those golden eyes burning with defiance and sothing else. Sothing she’d never admit.
"Wake up," I ordered, stepping back.
And just like that—Dean ripped us away.
I jolted awake in my own body, breath ragged, heart still pounding.
And I knew.
Even though it wasn’t real—she would wake up feeling it.
Feeling .
And she’d know—Ace wasn’t the only one who could play mind gas.
DEAN POV:
As soon as I yanked us back, Kane whirled on , frustration etched deep into his face.
"Why the fuck did you pull us out so fast?" he growled.
I snorted. "Maybe because you were about to lose your shit again?"
He glared, fists clenched, but I wasn’t in the mood for his tantrums.
"You do realize you’re the reason she ran in the first place, right?" I said, crossing my arms. "And if you keep acting like a fucking deranged lunatic, you’re going to be the reason we never find her."
Kane’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t argue because he knew I was right.
With that, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving him to wallow in his pathetic, immature self.
I had bigger priorities.
I still had to visit my little wolf on my own—without Kane’s baggage.
I needed to remind her who she belonged to.
And more importantly, I needed to erase those two fucking bastards from her mind—especially Kane.
I stord into my room, trying to calm the raging frustration burning inside . I needed to see her again.
Six tis.
Six fucking tis.
And nothing.
Kane must have woken her up, the asshole. Now I had to fucking wait until she fell asleep again. Great. Just great.
So I waited. Past midnight.
When I finally tried again, I connected.
This ti, I changed the scenery. No longer the neutral space of her mind—I brought her into my world.
My room.
And I made sure she was dressed for the occasion.
A black silk nightgown, short, revealing, clinging to her curves in all the right places. Fuck, she was beautiful.
I perched myself on the bed beside her, just admiring her while she slept. God, I wanted to show her in every way possible that she was mine. That I was hers.
Her lashes fluttered, and then she woke.
The mont she saw , her body tensed, alarm flashing in her eyes.
I quickly reassured her. "It’s , Dean."
She frowned, looking down at herself, her hands skimming over the silk fabric. Busted.
I smiled, a little guilty. "You look beautiful in it."
Her frown deepened, but she didn’t fight it.
"Sorry for what Kane did," I murmured, threading my fingers through her hair. "He’s just overwheld."
She exhaled sharply, clearly not buying it, but I wasn’t here to talk about Kane.
My fingers traced the side of her face, slowly, deliberately. "I miss you."
To my surprise, she gave a soft smile.
"I tried to escape," she admitted.
I chuckled. "Yeah, I figured you would."
She shook her head. "It’s not a place... it’s an illusion."
That piqued my interest. My expression sharpened. "What do you an?"
She explained how she had run in circles, always ending up in the sa spot.
A fucking illusion.
That ant magic.
Ace was working with witches. No wonder we couldn’t find her.
I clenched my jaw, fury brewing, but I pushed it down. Right now, I just needed her.
I asked how she was faring, and we talked for a while. I could have stayed there forever, but I knew I had to leave soon.
So before I left, I looked at her, really looked at her.
And I asked, "Can I kiss you?"
She looked surprised—her lips parted slightly, her breath caught.
Then, shyly, she nodded.
Fuck, I thought she’d refuse. But I wasn’t about to question it.
I leaned in, capturing her lips, slow and deliberate at first, but the mont she responded, sothing ignited.
One second, I was kissing her—the next, she was beneath .
Her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling closer. My hands slid beneath the silk, fingers tracing the soft skin of her back as I pressed her against .
Fuck, she was wild.
And I was starving.
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