Elliot's eyes locked on me, sharp and unyielding, and I could feel the primal warning radiating from him, like the low growl of an Alpha asserting territory. "Anastasia, I won't allow you to toy with Nigel's bond. If you don't care about him, then don't lie to him," he said, each word heavy with pack instinct, his slightly smoky breath brushing my face.
I turned my head away, instinctively recoiling from the intensity, and said firmly, "I'm not playing with his bond. We are friends."
His gaze didn't waver. "If you only want friendship, then stop stirring him," Elliot warned, each syllable laced with authority, dominance, and the quiet menace of a true Alpha protecting his pack.
"Why do you care?" I shot back, irritation flaring, my own pack instincts bristling. Why did he think he had a right to interfere in my bond with Nigel?
"I do care," he growled, the sound low, controlled, but filled with a dangerous edge that made my fur stand on end.
"It's my bond with him; why should it concern you?" I said, though the words sounded weaker than I wanted.
Elliot's teeth clenched. "You can play with other men's hearts, but not Nigel's," he said, his voice deadly calm, yet carrying that raw, territorial energy that made it impossible to argue with.
"When did you see me do that? Don't spout nonsense without proof." My tone was defensive, but even as I spoke, I felt the air thicken between us.
"Just now. I saw with my own eyes," he snapped, and the cold snort he let out was like a warning growl from deep in the forest. He wasn't blind, and his pack instincts never lied he had sensed the bond play between Nigel and me.
I froze. I hadn't realized how obvious it had seemed; Nigel and I had always just been close. Friends, nothing more. Yet to an Alpha like Elliot, even the slightest stir of pack energy was visible.
"Let go of me…" I whispered, suddenly aware of how close he'd cornered me, his dominance pressing in, his breath heavy with a scent that made my skin tingle.
"Only if you promise to keep your distance from him," Elliot said, his eyes sharp and unrelenting, radiating the control of a top Alpha protecting his territory.
I felt my stomach tighten, a mix of repulsion and defiance. I didn't want to yield, didn't want to give in to his warning. Instead, I squared my shoulders, raising my eyebrows stubbornly. "I don't need you interfering in my bond with him," I said, my voice firm, even as my heart thudded like a drum in my chest.
"Do you want to mate with him? To claim him for a lifetime?" Elliot asked, his eyes dark, dangerous, tracking my every movement like a predator assessing prey.
"Yes. I'll mate with him. What's wrong with that?" I sneered, trying to hide the flutter of nerves beneath my defiance. Marrying Nigel was fine too, wasn't it?
Elliot's eyes softened slightly not from warmth, but from exasperation. This stubborn, fiery face before him was unraveling his instincts in ways he didn't expect. He didn't know whether to dominate or restrain, and the confusion only made him more dangerous.
I met his gaze and felt a shiver ripple through me. My instincts screamed, warning me to be careful. One wrong move, one slip of his dominance, and the predator in him would claim what he wanted.
His eyes traveled over me slowly, from the line of my brows down to my striking eyes, across my nose, and finally lingering on my lips. His lips soft, tempting, a dangerous lure reminded him of past moments, of sensations and bonds that had left him craving more than mere restraint.
I held my breath, caught between defiance and the instinctual pull of the pack energy emanating from him. The Alpha's dominance pressed against me, and yet, beneath the threat, there was a dangerous, undeniable attraction one that warned me to stay guarded, but stirred something deep within my own instincts.
I barely had time to register the danger in his eyes before Elliot's gaze darkened, sharp and possessive, the kind of dominance only a true Alpha could radiate. My instincts screamed a warning, but before I could move, his long fingers pinched my chin, lifting it with firm authority, and his thin lips pressed over mine.
A jolt of heat shot through me, and for a second, my mind went completely blank. This wasn't a casual kiss it was a declaration, raw and primal, as if he were staking his claim on me with every ounce of his pack energy. My body shivered under the force of his dominance, my nerves electric and raw. The public smoking area offered no privacy, and the thought that anyone could walk in at any moment made my heart hammer even faster.
This man is completely insane.
I shoved at him with all my strength, but his grip on my waist and the pressure of his kiss absorbed every ounce of resistance I had. The harder I pushed, the more relentless he became, his tongue probing and claiming, his body pressing into mine with predatory intent. It was as if my defiance only fueled the beast in him.
Panic surged through me, my wolf instincts screaming for escape. His hands tightened, and I felt the raw, instinctive reaction of an Alpha awakening possessive, territorial, unstoppable. My mind snapped into survival mode. Without thinking, I clamped down, biting hard on the tip of his tongue.
He hissed sharply, releasing me as his eyes clouded with pain and fury. I didn't wait a second longer I tore myself away, stumbling back into the corridor, my pulse racing, the lingering metallic sweetness of his blood still on my lips. My hands trembled as I straightened myself, took a deep breath, and returned to the main dining area where Nigel sat, pretending as if nothing had happened. I grabbed my glass and drank deeply, desperately trying to steady myself.
He's a monster… a beast… a dangerous Alpha who doesn't understand restraint.
Nigel's eyes widened, concern flashing across his face. "Why is your face so red, Anastasia? Are you running a fever?"
I shook my head quickly, forcing a calmness I didn't feel. "I'm okay. I I still have work this afternoon, Nigel. I'll head back to the pack… I mean, company first." My appetite had vanished entirely, my senses still tingling from Elliot's sudden claim.
"So soon? Then I'll see you off," Nigel said immediately, rising to his feet. He called out to the waiter at the counter, "Send the bill to the Presgrave Group."
"Of course, Young Master Nigel," the manager replied, bowing slightly.
Not long after, Elliot returned, sliding back into his seat with his usual aura of cold dominance. He didn't look at me directly; his eyes, like dark pools, studied the now-empty table where I had been moments before. His presence alone radiated the quiet, dangerous energy of an Alpha whose instincts had been stirred.
"President Presgrave," Rey said cautiously, "Young Master Nigel and Miss Tillman have already paid and left."
"Mm," Elliot responded, his voice low and unreadable, but the tension in the room whispered of the storm brewing beneath the surface. I could feel it his Alpha instincts were still keyed on me, and somewhere deep inside, my own pack instincts shivered in warning.
The air between us was charged, unspoken, a clash of dominance and desire that neither of us could yet name. And I knew, without a doubt, that this was far from over.