CHAPTER THREE

KNOX

Our eyes met, and the desire that I had convinced myself for the past five years that it wasn't there any more, suddenly surged in. Her mouth hung open, tears on the brim of rolling down her eyes.

She tried closing the door, but I was faster and used my powers to rush in before she was able to, shutting the door behind it. It let out a loud thud.

I stepped towards her, each step getting heavier with each stroke. It was just a little distance separating us, but it felt like we were unable to escape this wavering desire.

I almost reached her. Almost touched her. Almost did the things that I had been desperately holding back for the past five fucking years.

When her voice suddenly erupted.

“No!” She yelled, her voice echoing through the halls. “Don't cross that line. Don't you dare cross that fucking line.”

Her voice had so much anger. Hurt and despair.

Her face held such cold disdain, that ripped my heart up each time I looked into her eyes. We said nothing, just let the silence fill in the empty space, empty words. Wires we wished we could say to one another.

I walked towards her again, but her voice came in louder. “I told you to take a fucking step back, Knox. Don't you even try to dare me right now,” she threatened, her voice low but filled with anger.

I could tell that she was holding back from being loud. Like, she was scared of something.

But she turned me on. She had always been humble and simple, with none of this shown in her character, but this side of her fascinated me. I knew I brought out this side. All the pain and hurt I had caused her.

She broke the silence. “What are you doing here?” She asked, folding her arms together, pushing her breasts up.

I cursed under my breath. “I came back for you,” I responded, unable to stop the smirk formed on my lips.

She huffed. “You're five years too late, Mister. I would appreciate it if you hop on your bike and get the hell out here, back to where you came from. Where someone else would be willing to buy those lies of yours.”

Her voice was harsh, but I took no offense in it. I was letting her spill all of her anger and I didn't want her to hold back. I deserved it. All of it and more. And I had seen it coming.

I shook my head desperately. “You're coming back with me, Riley,” I stated, closing the distance between us.

She tried pulling her arms away from mine, but my grip tightened around her. No matter how hard she tried, she wasn't going to escape me. We've wasted five years, but I wasn't going to let any more time get wasted ever again.

She struggled, trying to get out of my grip. “Let go of me, you lunatic. This is abuse. Don't touch me, traitor!”

Her words were sharp and angry. But that didn't hold me back. I kept pushing her backwards, until her back hit the cold hard wall. Our faces were inches away from each other, and lips almost touching.

Our lips were so close I could already taste her, vanilla and paint and that little bit of anger that always drove me crazy. Her back was pressed hard against the wall, my hands pinning her wrists up by her shoulders, and she was breathing fast, chest going up and down like she just ran a mile.

 I was about to say something stupid like “I never stopped loving you” when she jerked her head to the side to yell at me again.

And that’s when I saw it. The mark.

My bite mark on her neck was glowing soft silver, like moonlight trapped under her skin. It was faint, yeah, but it was there. Bright and alive and pulsing like it had been waiting for me the whole damn time. It was never supposed to do that. The second I rejected her it should’ve turned black and vanished. That’s how it works. Everybody knows that.

But it didn’t.

It never broke.

My knees actually went weak. Like full-on almost dropped me to the floor right there in her hallway. My grip on her wrists loosened and I had to catch myself on the wall so I didn’t fall like a complete idiot.

All the air left my lungs in one go. Five years. Five years I thought I’d killed the bond. Five years I told myself she was free and happy and better off. Five years of drinking and fighting and hating myself… and the bond was still here. She’d been carrying my mark this whole time. Feeling me. Hurting because of me.

I couldn’t even talk. My throat closed up.

Riley felt me freeze and she turned her head back real slow. Her eyes were huge and wet and angry. She saw me staring at the mark and her face just… crumpled for a second. Then she shoved at my chest hard.

“Get off me,” she hissed, voice cracking.

I didn’t move. Couldn’t. I was still staring at that glow like it was the only light I’d seen in years.

Then the door at the end of the hall banged open so loud it made us both jump.

“Mama!! Big dog outside smells like Daddy!!” a tiny boy voice yelled, super excited.

“He’s all wet and he’s staring!” a little girl squealed, both of them running straight to the big window in the living room.

Riley went stiff in my arms. Her face went white. I let go of her like I’d been burned and turned around slow.

Two kids. Maybe four years old. One with messy black hair like mine, one with red curls like hers. Both of them pressed their little faces to the glass, noses squished, eyes glowing that silver-gold color that only happens with Alpha blood.

My blood.

They were staring right at me like they’d been waiting their whole lives.

“Mama he’s really big!!” the boy said, waving.

The girl blew me a kiss. “Hi, are you our daddy?”

My heart stopped. Like actually stopped beating for a second.

Riley made this choked sound behind me and tried to run past, but I caught her waist on instinct. “Riley… are those—”

“Don’t,” she whispered, voice shaking so bad. “Don’t you dare.”

But I couldn’t stop staring. My legs felt like jelly. My kids. My actual kids. Calling me Daddy without even knowing my name. I knew right then I wasn’t leaving this building without them.

Ever.