Chapter 44: Sparks Beneath the Surface

The clearing was quiet, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind and the steady beat of Serena’s heart. The golden light of dusk filtered through the canopy above, dappling her bare arms in amber and shadow as she stalked forward, needing distance—needing to breathe.

But footsteps followed. Firm. Heavy. Elias.

“Don’t,” she warned without turning, her voice tighter than she intended.

He didn’t answer right away. The tension between them was electric, taut as a bowstring pulled to its limit.

“I told you he wasn’t to be trusted,” Elias finally said, his voice like gravel, dark and restrained. “And still, you let him get into your head.”

She turned on him, her hair whipping behind her. “Because he’s part of my past, Elias. Whether I want him to be or not. I needed answers!”

“And did you get them?” he growled, stepping closer. “Did you get anything other than confusion and pain?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. “I don’t know,” she admitted quietly.

He stopped, just feet away, his body still tense. “You saw the way he looked at you. Like he still had a claim on you.”

“There is no claim,” she snapped. “Not anymore. You think I don’t know how twisted that bond was? I was just... I just needed to understand what he’s doing here, why now—”

“Why you,” Elias interrupted. “That’s what it comes down to, doesn’t it? Why you? Why now?”

Serena shook her head, the emotion crashing into her like a wave. “I don’t know why I’m the key to any of this. But he’s hiding something. I saw it in his eyes.”

Elias's jaw tightened, but he stepped closer, his golden eyes burning into hers. “Then let me remind you what truth feels like.”

She froze as his fingers brushed her cheek. It was a soft, reverent touch, like he was afraid she might break. But there was fire behind his control, the kind that had been building between them for too long.

“You’re not hers anymore,” Elias said. “Not Luka’s. Not anyone’s. But you’re mine—whether you’ve admitted it or not.”

Her breath caught. “You don’t own me.”

“I don’t want to own you,” he murmured, leaning closer. “I want to love you.”

The words crashed into her like thunder, and for a moment, the world held its breath.

“You’ve never said that,” she whispered.

“I never had to. You feel it every time I look at you. Every time I let you stay. Every time I fight beside you instead of running away like I should.”

Her throat tightened, her voice barely audible. “Then why now?”

“Because I can’t watch you destroy yourself trying to figure out the past when the present is right here—I’m right here.”

He took her face in his hands, and his lips found hers before she could speak. It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was hot, aching, and full of unspoken need. Serena responded instantly, hands gripping his shirt, pulling him into her as if she could melt into him.

Their bodies pressed together, heat rising between them like wildfire. Elias’s hand slipped to her waist, sliding beneath the hem of her tunic, fingertips grazing bare skin. Serena gasped into his mouth, her pulse roaring in her ears.

He pulled back just enough to look at her, his eyes hungry. “You drive me mad,” he rasped.

“You started it,” she breathed, tilting her face to kiss the corner of his jaw.

His lips found the curve of her neck, and her knees nearly buckled. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

She laughed shakily, pressing herself against him. “You’re not exactly subtle either, Alpha.”

He growled low in his throat at that, his hand sliding up her spine, grounding her, claiming her.

The air between them shifted. A slow burn became a full blaze, and their hands roamed like they’d waited years. Their hearts thundered in rhythm. Serena’s fingers tangled in his hair, tugging gently, and Elias groaned against her skin.

“I want you,” he whispered. “I’ve wanted you since the moment I found you half-dead in the snow, glaring at me like you could take me down with a look.”

Serena smiled against his mouth. “I probably could’ve.”

He kissed her again—harder, deeper—like he wanted to memorize every inch of her. Her body responded instinctively, molding to his touch, her mind blissfully blank except for him. Just Elias. The only place that felt like safety and danger all at once.

His hand found the edge of her thigh, drawing her leg up around his hip. She gasped as he pressed her back against a tree, holding her as if she weighed nothing.

“Say it,” he growled against her lips. “Say you want this too.”

“I want you,” she breathed, eyes blazing. “I’ve always wanted you.”

His mouth crushed hers, and for a moment, the world faded.

And then—

“Serena!”

The name cut through the forest like a blade. Elias stilled, his forehead pressed against hers, breathing hard. “Damn it.”

She groaned. “Of all the times—”

“Serena!” The voice came again—Kayden’s.

Elias gently lowered her, his hands lingering on her waist. His jaw clenched. “We’ll finish this later. You have my word.”

She nodded, still breathless, heart pounding. The fire between them hadn’t dimmed—it had only been paused.

As they ran back toward the others, Serena reached for her blades, but in her chest, the memory of Elias’s kiss burned brighter than ever.

This was far from over.