The Offering

Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Offering

Eva’s POV

The ropes were gone.

At some point during the night—or was it morning, with that soft light sneaking through the narrow window?—someone had untied my wrists.

But I hadn’t moved.

Not that I couldn’t. I just… didn’t feel like it.

Everything felt off. Like I was stuck in a dream—one of those fairytales that sane girls wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. This wasn’t a story where the monster hid its claws or pretended to be nice. No, this was a tale where danger walked right into the room, all silver eyes and heat radiating off bare skin.

Kael.

His name floated through the air, with each syllable sharp yet soft, much like the man himself. He hadn’t actually touched me yet—not yet a single finger on my skin—but I could still feel the heat of his gaze. It was as if his eyes had fingers, tracing every part of me without ever laying a hand on me.

The room carried a scent of pine, smoke, and something else I couldn’t quite place—something spicy and warm that made me want to lean in, even as my brain screamed for me to run. Fear wasn’t there. Just a deeper tension, a longing that settled down below in my belly.

Then the door creaked open, making me jump upright.

He stood there, wearing loose black pants, barefoot, his long hair damp from a stream or bath I hadn’t seen,I wasn’t sure. His skin shone slightly, muscles defined in the morning rays. And those eyes… were like a silver fire. They felt like they were burning straight through me, as if he could read my thoughts.

“You didn’t run,” he said.

I swallowed hard. “Wasn’t exactly invited to.”

Kael stepped inside, shutting the door behind him with a calm that spoke loudly. He moved like a predator, knowing I wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe I couldn’t.

His gaze swept over me—my messy hair, ripped leggings, and the scar on my knee from that stupid root I tripped over in the woods.

His jaw tightened.

“I didn’t want them to bind you.”

“And yet… they did.”

“They were worried I’d lose control.”

My heart raced.

“Of what?”

He closed the distance between us, and every inch felt electric. Alive. Real.

“Myself.”

I could barely breathe.

Kael knelt down in front of me—not in submission, but with a fierce kind of intensity. He reached out, brushing his knuckles against the scrape on my knee. His touch was warm— way too warm. My breath caught.

“You shouldn’t be here, Eva.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Because it’s true.”

His gaze pierced into mine. “You’re human. Fragile. You don’t understand what this night means for people like me.”

“The Mating Moon.”

I said it softly, and I saw something shift in his expression. A flicker of restraint. Maybe even pain.

“You know the name, but not what it mean.”

He stood and walked slowly to the window. The muscles in his back moved like liquid steel. His voice dropped low, almost a growl.

“One night a year, when the moon glows red, the blood of our ancestors rises. Our instincts take over. The need to claim, to bind, to mate—it becomes everything.”

I stared at him, trembling, but not from fear.

“You mean sex?”

Kael turned to me, and his eyes had changed—now a molten gold, vibrant and intense.

“I mean soul-binding. Lust and power woven into something ancient. Irresistible.” He stepped closer. “It isn’t gentle. It isn’t sweet. It consumes. One wrong touch could ruin everything. And yet—” he paused, his eyes narrowing—“you’re still here.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. My skin felt tight. My chest was too full.

He was so close now. A breath away.

“I told them not to touch you,” Kael said, his voice a rough whisper. “Because if anyone but me left a mark on you tonight…”

He didn’t finish, and he didn’t need to.

My heartbeat thundered.

“And now?” I whispered.

“Now I can’t let you go.”

A pause hung in the air, crackling with tension.

“But I won’t take you. Not unless you ask me to.”

He stepped back.

In that moment, I realized I was in danger—not because he’d force anything, but because I wanted to ask.

I felt like I was on fire.

Not just with desire, but with curiosity. With need. My skin shivered, my breath caught in my throat, and something primal whispered beneath my thoughts.

Saying I should leave.

I should run out of this place, find a road, and forget this ever happened.

But I didn’t move.

Instead, I stood, slowly, as if guided by some invisible hand. Kael’s gaze dropped to my lips, then lower. My hands trembled as I stepped toward him. One step. Then another.

I pressed my palm against his chest.

The heat of him stunned me. Like a fire roaring just under skin. His hand came up, brushing lightly down my arm, and then he grabbed my wrist—not hard, but possessive. Grounding. Claiming.

“You don’t understand what you’re asking for,” he said, voice strained.

“Then show me.”

Something broke inside him.

His mouth was on mine.

It wasn’t gentle. It was deep and rough and hungry. Like he’d been starving and I was the first taste he’d had in years. His hands buried in my hair, tilting my head to the angle he wanted. His body pressed mine against the nearest wall, and I felt every inch of him—hard, hot, undeniable.

I gasped as his teeth grazed my lower lip. Not biting. Testing. A warning.

But I didn’t pull away.

My fingers slid up his back, nails dragging lightly down his spine. He groaned, a low, sound that made my thighs press together.

Kael pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against mine.

“Say the word,” he rasped. “Say no, and I’ll stop immediately .”

I stared up at him, breathless.

But I couldn’t say no.

I didn’t want to say no.

Instead, I kissed him. This time a little softer. A slow exploration. My hands moved lower, over the sharp lines of his hips, and he let out a sound through his teeth.

“You’re playing with fire,” he murmured.

“Then burn me.”

Kael growled, and in one swift motion, he lifted me into his arms. My legs wrapped around his waist instinctively. He carried me to a fur-covered cot in the corner, lowering me slowly, reverently, as if unsure whether to worship me or devour me right away.

“I’ll be careful,” he whispered against my skin.

“Don’t be,” I whispered back.

He kissed me again, slower this time, his lips moving down my throat. Every kiss left fire in its place. I arched into him, dizzy from the heat. His mouth brushed the hollow of my neck. His tongue flicked out. I moaned.

Kael’s hands slid beneath my shirt, pushing it up inch by inch, watching my skin like it held secrets. When his palm cupped my breast, I cried out softly, the contact was too much and was not enough.

He froze.

“Eva…” His voice cracked. “Tell me to stop.”

But I didn’t.

Instead, I lifted my arms and let him take my shirt away.

His breath caught. His gaze darkened.

“You’re perfect.”

I wasn’t. I was messy and wild and terrified. But in his eyes—in that moment—I was everything.

He kissed down my chest, slow and deliberate. When his mouth closed around one aching peak, I bucked beneath him. My hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, needing more.

Kael groaned against my skin, the sound vibrating through me.

I reached for the waistband of his pants, and he caught my wrist.

“I don’t want to rush,” he said, eyes glowing again. “If I take you now… there’s no undoing it.”

My voice was barely a breath. “Then don’t undo it.”

He stared at me like I was the only thing keeping him human.

And then…

He let go.

And nothing else mattered.