Culpable

~Iris

I walked towards the closet to lock it, my fingers clumsy with the key, when the door suddenly flew open behind me.

Alice stepped inside and closed it with a soft click that somehow sounded louder than a slam. Her skirt was shorter than usual, ridiculously short, riding up just enough so that I could see the smooth expanse of her thighs as she moved.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

“I know you’ve been trying to avoid me, Iris,” he said, his voice low and firm, leaving no room for excuses.

“I’m sorry, I…” I began, searching my mind for something that didn’t sound like the lie it was.

“Have I been through things lately? Am I busy with classes? Has life not been the same?” She interrupted me, her eyes narrowed. “Isn’t that the crap you were about to throw at me? Do you think I’m stupid?”

The anger on her face made the guilt twist even more fiercely in my gut. I couldn't even look at her properly.

She came closer, tears already glistening. “Do you remember who started this between us? You did. You kissed me first. You pushed me onto that bed, spread my legs, and ate me out while holding a handkerchief over my mouth so I wouldn’t scream and wake the whole room. You begged me not to stop you. And now you just… walk away? Like it meant nothing?”

A tear slid down her cheek.

I felt my own eyes burning. I reached out without thinking, my thumb wiping away that tear before it fell. My hand lingered on her skin longer than it should have.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I never meant to hurt you.”

But even as I said it, the mark on my neck throbbed, a secret, hot reminder of the man who was waiting for me tonight.

And I hated myself for how much I still wanted to go with him.

But this was forbidden. I shouldn't do it, not only because I was a man, when I had spent my whole life swearing that men wouldn't do anything to me, but because the age difference was something I could never say out loud without people judging me.

And the worst part of all… he was Alice's father. My girlfriend's father.

God, I had to stop this.

Alice stood too close, tears glistening in her eyes, waiting for an answer that would fix everything.

My breath came in shaky gasps. “Alice, I…”

“No,” she interrupted, her voice breaking. “Don’t give me another excuse. I can feel you slipping away, Iris. I’m not blind.”

His hand moved up, his fingers brushing my cheek, then sliding to the side of my neck, dangerously close to where Duncan's mark was hidden beneath my hair. I shuddered.

She noticed when I almost screamed in pain. Of course she noticed.

“What aren’t you telling me?” she whispered, the pain becoming sharp.

I couldn't let him see it.

In one swift motion, I grabbed her wrist, pushed her back until she hit the closet door with a soft thud, and kissed her hard, desperately, pouring everything I had into that kiss.

My tongue slid against hers, tasting the salt of her tears, trying to drown the memory of another mouth on mine last night.

She moaned against me, her hands gripping my shirt, pulling me closer.

I broke the kiss just enough to speak against her lips.

“Get that fucking idea out of your head,” I said, my voice low and fierce. “I’m not going to leave you. I would never leave you.”

His eyes sought mine, hopeful and scared at the same time.

“Be home by 8:30 tonight,” I told her. “I’ll be there. I swear. I just… need to clear something up first. Alone.”

She nodded slowly, still breathing heavily, her lips swollen from the kiss.

I let go of her wrists, took a step back, and forced a smile I didn't feel.

“I love you,” I said. And I meant it.

But as I turned to leave the room, the mark on my neck burned hotter than ever, reminding me exactly where I was headed at 8 pm

And who was expecting me?

I waited until the clock struck 7:55, my stomach in knots, and then I slipped out of the dorm before security could start searching the classrooms for whoever was locked inside.

Outside, the night air was cool, but it did nothing to quell the heat beneath my skin. I hailed a taxi, slid into the back seat, and stared out the window as the academy lights faded behind me.

Tears stung my eyes. I held them back tightly.

“I won’t do it,” I whispered to myself, gripping the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. “I’ll go in there and tell him to his face that this is wrong. Forbidden. Sleeping with his daughter’s best friend isn’t normal. It can’t happen again.”

Easier said than done. I knew it the second the words left my mouth.

The taxi stopped in front of The Obsidian Grand, a black glass and marble tower, the kind of place that screamed power and money.

Guards in dark suits were waiting for me when I got off the stairs. They recognized me somehow—perhaps he had sent my photo—and escorted me through the private elevator without saying a word.

The doors opened directly into the penthouse suite.

And there he was.

The Alpha Duncan stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights shining behind him like a crown.

He had changed since that morning, his dark shirt unbuttoned at the neck, sleeves rolled up to show his tattooed forearms, his curly hair combed back in a way that made him look dangerously refined.

The silver on her temples caught the dim light, and her eyes, those penetrating golden eyes, locked onto me the second I walked in.

He didn't sit down until I did, waiting like a gentleman while my legs carried me to the plush sofa on a shuddering autopilot.

I sank.

He followed me, taking the chair opposite me.

All the careful speeches he had rehearsed in the taxi vanished.

I could only watch.

How on earth could a man over forty be so handsome? It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

And the mark on my neck throbbed as if it knew exactly who its owner was.

He leaned slightly forward, elbows on his knees, his voice low and firm.

“You came.”

Two words. That was all.

And they completely undid me.

His hand found my chin, his rough thumb wiping away the tears that had been shed without my permission.

He tilted my face upwards, forcing me to look into his eyes, golden, stormy, completely lost.

“I don’t know what you’re doing to me,” she said, her voice low and broken. “I feel like I need you to survive more than I need food. Like if I don’t touch you right now, I’m going to lose my fucking mind.” Her gaze dropped to my lips. “These lips… they tempt me every second I’m near you.”

He seemed as confused as I was, maybe even more so.

“And this…” Her fingers moved toward the silk scarf I had wrapped around my neck to hide the mark.

He pulled it away gently, revealing the fresh bite, still tender and swollen. “How are you, mate? Why did I complain to you?”

I swallowed hard. "Is that why you called me tonight?"

“Who are you?” he demanded, his voice sharpening. “That’s what I asked.”

Before I could answer, his hand lunged for my throat, this time without gentleness. He gripped me tightly, lifting me until my toes barely touched the ground.

“I’m just… a mere omega,” I managed to say, choked up, my breath scarce. “No roots. Nothing special.”

He pushed me against the wall, pinning me there, his fingers still wrapped around my neck. His body pressed close, heat emanating from him, but his eyes were wild with something darker than lust.

“You’re hurting me,” she gasped, tears now falling freely, her hands weakly scratching her wrist.

He didn't loosen his grip.

“An Alpha shouldn’t fall in love,” he growled, his face inches from mine. “He shouldn’t have an obsession. And if he does,” his grip tightened just enough to blur the edges of my vision, “it’s his responsibility to cut it off.”

His thumb grazed the mark he had left on me, almost tenderly, contradicting every word.

“Give me one reason,” he said, his voice cracking to the point of a growl, “why I should keep you alive.”

She couldn't speak. She could barely breathe.

But my body, treacherous as it was, leaned towards him anyway, the bond drawing me closer even as fear screamed at me to fight.

Because the truth was that I didn't have a reason.

And deep down, I wasn't sure I wanted him to let go of me.