"Not like this. Not after being claimed. Your body won't accept suppressants anymore, not fully. And the intensity..." He was close enough now that his scent wrapped around me. "It could kill you."
"You're lying," I accused, but my voice shook.
"You're a doctor. You know I'm not."
I did know. Had read the studies about claimed Omegas, about the biological changes that happened after a bond formed. But admitting that meant admitting everything else.
"I'll risk it," I said, reaching for the doorknob again.
His hand slammed against the door beside my head, caging me in. "No."
"You can't keep me here," I said, meeting his eyes.
"Watch me."
"Knox, move," I demanded.
"No."
"This is kidnapping," I pointed out.
"This is keeping you alive," he countered.
His scent was overwhelming this close, pine and smoke and pure Alpha dominance that made my knees weak. I could feel the heat starting to build again, sparked by his proximity.
"I hate you," I whispered, but my body was already responding, producing slick, preparing itself.
"No, you don't," he said softly.
"You've ruined everything," I accused.
"I've claimed what's mine," he corrected.
"I'm not yours!" I shoved at his chest, hard.
He didn't budge. Instead, he caught my wrists, pinning them against the door above my head with one hand. The position made me arch, bringing our bodies flush together.
"Say that again," he challenged, his free hand trailing down my side.
"I'm not..." The words died as his fingers found the claiming mark, pressing gently.
The sensation shot straight to my core, making me gasp. My body's response was immediate and humiliating, more slick coating my thighs.
"Your body knows better," he murmured against my ear. "It knows exactly who you belong to."
"Biology isn't ownership," I managed to say.
"No?" His thumb traced the mark again, and I whimpered. "Then why are you trembling? Why is your scent calling to me? Why are you producing so much slick I can smell it through your clothes?"
"Stop," I pleaded, but my hips were moving, seeking friction.
"You stop," he said. "Stop fighting this. Stop fighting us."
"There is no us," I insisted.
He laughed, dark and knowing. "Harper, there's been an us since the moment you walked into that training room. We were just too stubborn to admit it."
"Knox, please," I begged, not sure what I was asking for anymore.
