Chapter 6: Another Hot Kiss

Valkyrie

I froze, torn between the undeniable pull of his presence and the sharp ache of everything we’d lost.

“What do you want, Alpha?” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Why act like you care now?”

His jaw tightened, his gaze dropping to where his hand held mine. “Because I do,” he said, the words raw and unguarded.

The air between us crackled with tension, the kind that begged to be broken.

He stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat radiating off him. His thumb brushed the inside of my wrist, a small, almost reverent touch that made my breath hitch.

“Tell me to stop,” he said, his voice a husky plea.

I opened my mouth, but no words came. My body betrayed me, leaning into him instead of away.

And then his lips were on mine—warm, insistent, and filled with a desperation that matched my own.

The kiss stole the air from my lungs, igniting a fire in my veins that I hadn’t felt in so long.

His hands moved to my waist, pulling me against him as if afraid I might disappear.

I should have pushed him away. I should have reminded him of all the reasons this was wrong. But I didn’t.

Instead, I kissed him back, pouring all my confusion, anger, and longing into that single, reckless act.

A low growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating against my skin as he deepened the kiss, his fingers tangling in my hair.

The world outside that moment ceased to exist.

The grand, imposing walls of the Alpha's quarters faded, leaving just the two of us, entangled in a tempest of emotions too powerful to resist.

His lips moved against mine with a fervor that sent a shiver coursing through my body.

Ragnor’s hands slid down my back, leaving trails of warmth that seared through the fabric of my uniform.

Every touch, every brush of his fingers against my skin, reminded me of what we’d had—and what we’d lost.

My hands found their way to his chest, the solid muscle beneath my trembling fingers grounding me and overwhelming me all at once.

His heart pounded against my palm, a rhythm that matched my own frantic pulse.

It was maddening, intoxicating, and utterly consuming.

“Valkyrie…” he murmured against my lips, his voice low and ragged, my name a prayer on his tongue.

I pulled back just enough to meet his eyes, my breath coming in short, uneven gasps.

His gaze was molten, filled with a longing that threatened to undo me completely. For a moment, I saw the man I once knew—the one who had played with me when we were kids and dreamed of happiness.

But that man was gone, replaced by the Alpha who now stood before me. The one who had cast me aside. The one who had broken me.

“This isn’t right,” I whispered, my voice trembling even as my fingers clung to him. “You said—”

“I know what I said,” he interrupted, his voice rough, almost pleading. “But nothing about us has ever been right. And yet…” He cupped my face in his hands, his thumb brushing my cheek with a gentleness that contradicted the storm in his eyes. “And yet I can’t let you go.”

His words sent a jolt of pain and desire through me, an electric current that left me breathless.

Before I could respond, his lips captured mine again, more forceful this time, as if trying to erase every doubt, every ounce of hesitation.

And I was lost.

Lost in the heat of his kiss, in the way his body pressed against mine, in the way he made me forget the world and all its cruel realities.

His hands roamed, sliding down my sides to grip my hips, pulling me flush against him. The heat between us was unbearable, a blazing fire threatening to consume everything in its path.

“Ragnor,” I gasped as his lips trailed down my jaw, leaving a path of fire in their wake. He nipped at the sensitive spot just below my ear, and a soft moan escaped me before I could stop it.

His chuckle was low, dark, and filled with a satisfaction that made my knees weak.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me, Valkyrie?” he murmured against my skin, his breath hot and tantalizing. “You drive me crazy.”

“You’re the one who—” My protest was cut short as his lips claimed mine again, silencing the words before they could fully form.

He pressed me back until my legs hit the edge of the bed, and we tumbled onto the soft mattress in a tangle of limbs.

Every kiss, every touch, was an unspoken apology, a desperate plea for something neither of us could name.

His hands roamed my body with a hunger that matched my own, his fingers finding the edges of my uniform and pulling it away, piece by piece.

I arched into him, my body betraying every shred of logic and restraint.

The feel of his skin against mine was electric—a connection beyond the physical, as if the bond we once shared was fighting to be reawakened.

“Ragnor…” His name spilled from my lips like a prayer, a plea for something I wasn’t sure I could ask for.

He responded with another kiss, his lips demanding and insistent, his hands mapping every curve of my body as if committing me to memory.

And then, just as the world threatened to fall away completely, a sharp knock echoed through the room.

“Alpha Ragnor!” Gamma Dwayne's voice was urgent, a stark reminder of the reality we’d both tried to escape.

Ragnor froze above me, his body tense, his breathing heavy. His stormy gray eyes locked onto mine, a mixture of frustration and longing swirling within them.

For a moment, he didn’t move, as if considering whether to ignore the interruption entirely.

“Ragnor,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “You have to go.”