I couldn’t believe he had found me so quickly, and I worried about Selene and about the other old alphas at the bar. They wouldn’t have known where I’d gone, but someone desperate and callous enough to sell their soul might be willing to hurt Magiks along the way to collect his prize.
It didn’t matter in the moment, though. All I needed to do was escape. He’d come from the direction of the road, which meant he’d probably seen my car, and I had to assume he had made it unusable in some way, like I’d done to his Hellfire on the way out of the bar.
My flight needed to be on foot, but I’d never been very fast.
You’re going to get caught, whispered the pessimistic voice in my head.You were a fool to ever think you’d be able to get away from him.
Which him?I argued back, snapping a charm to silence my footsteps as I sneaked out the window.
You know…
I had just made it to the trees when I heard him roar, a mix of frustration and…
Desire.
The sound reverberated through the air, shaking birds from the trees and alighting every nerve in my body, a primal call impossible resist.
He was an alpha in a rut. And I was his mate-blessed omega, running away from him, which only encouraged his need to chase. To hunt. To fuck.
And the throbbing between my legs was my body making itself ready for him.
I was toast.
Branches scraped against my skin, and I abandoned all hope of furtiveness, bolting as fast as my weakened legs could carry me, my heart feeling like it might explode out of my chest.
Don’t you want him to catch you? I bet he feels so good.
Shut up!I growled back, ignoring the slick pooling in my underwear.
This was not good. He could probably scent me from a mile away now.
I saw a small creek ahead of me, the water low and exposing a few stones close enough together I could easily jump to.
I was halfway across when a deep growl halted my progress, nipples hardening as I turned to look at the source.
Ronan.
He was magnificent. Fire in his golden eyes, black claws extended from the tips of his fingers. His chest heaved as he watched me, seeing my face without my glamour for the first time.
A part of me hoped but also worried he’d be disappointed by the real me, but instead he looked even more enthusiastic, a grin showcasing his sharp, canine teeth.
A sight that should have scared me after years with Victor only felt right, like they were the fangs I’d been waiting for.
Hecara, what would it feel like to have those buried in my skin, to wear his claiming bite—
Dammit, Sage! Run!
I couldn’t just give up. I couldn’t go back to Victor, I couldn’t—
I’d just landed on the other side when he slammed into me, bringing us both down and maneuvering the fall so he’d take the brunt of the impact.
Even in his craze, he wasn’t trying to hurt me, the instinct to protect me front and center. An instinct Victor had never shown.
But the instinct to fuck was also strong, and he flipped us over immediately, his nose digging into my neck to find the source of my perfume. One still altered by the charm, but not enough for him to deny the connection.
“Mine,” he snarled, and I closed my eyes, whimpering to the sensation of his body over mine. It felt so right, like this was how it was supposed to be.
I could feel how hard he was, thrusting against me already, his hands hungry for flesh as they tried to remove my clothes.
