Chapter 2

Valeria

"You are playing a very dangerous game," Ares rasped, taking a step forward, prompting me to take a step backward until my back hit the panelling of the door.

"Who says I am afraid?" I asked, taking in a deep breath when he placed his hands on either side of my head, trapping me. The heat radiating off him was suffocating, and for seconds he held my gaze, making my pulse go frantic and wild. I watched as his eyes dropped to my lips and lingered for a moment with a heavy hunger that made my knees weak. Instinctively, I leaned in, expecting and wanting contact. But then, his jaw flexed hard as he looked away and took a sharp step back.

"Get out," he said in a flat voice, drained off the warmth from seconds ago.

My brows shot up. "Are—"

"I will throw you out myself," he threatened. A small defiant smile touched my lips. I could see the subtle tremor and the twitching in his jaw. He was obviously fighting himself for control. With one last look at him, I turned and walked out, but the heavy throbbing ache between my thighs remained constant throughout the night, making sleep impossible.

The next morning, after barely getting any sleep, trying to push away his sexy image in the office, I was up very early. The moment he entered the dining area, the temperature inside the room immediately rose. As he took his seat opposite the table, I felt his gaze move across the table. It was just a fraction of a second, a stolen, burning glance that landed directly on my collarbone before ripping his eyes away. My breath hitched, the heat from last night coming into life, making it hard for me to swallow my food.

"Why are you always grumpy in the morning? Ares," my father remarked, sipping his juice.

"Father?" Ares echoed, unfolding his napkin smoothly. 

"You have not greeted us," Dad clarified.

Ares barely blinked. "I was with you during the morning run, so why greet you again?" he asked, taking a bite from the medium rare steak.

"You always assume Valeria," Dad said as a matter of fact, gesturing at me, but even then, Ares didn't acknowledge me, at least not loudly.

Every time I lifted my fork, I caught him glancing at me. He would look down at his tablet, pretend to read something, and then his silver eyes would snap up, tracking the movement of my throat, my lips, and my eyes.

"Val, are you okay?" My dad looked at me, his eyes fixed on the tight grip around the glass.

"Of course." I cleared my throat, forcing my fingers to relax. "Why?" I quickly asked.

He looked at me, then at Ares before speaking, "nothing." He shrugged. "Just asking."

Later that night, a severe thunderstorm broke outside, to the point that I couldn't sleep. So I left my room and padded down the hallway towards the second-floor landing.

I didn't expect anyone else to be awake, but as I rounded the corner near the east wing, I caught the silhouette of a person. I tried to stop, but the polished hardwood floor was slick. My bare feet skidded, and with a soft gasp, I crashed straight into a broad, solid chest. Hands massive and calloused shot out to catch me. They gripped me tightly around my waist, steadying me. Then, the thick, intoxicating musk of mint flooded my senses.

I craned my neck, trailing my eyes from the unbuttoned shirt to his throat, then his face. He looked entirely unraveled, his breathing shallow and jagged. Neither of us moved; he didn't push me away, and I didn't step back. His hands remained clamped around my waist, his thumbs pressing into my skin through the thin fabric of my nightdress, stirring a fire at the spot.

"Valeria," he rasped, the voice so low and gravelly that I felt it vibrate right against my chest. "Have you made it a habit to wander out of your room at night?"

I swallowed. "I couldn't sleep," I whispered, my heart violently slamming against my ribs as I looked up into his blown-wide, silver eyes.

"That," he said. "Or you are stalking me," he accused.

I pulled my head back, glaring at him. "Stalking you?" I repeated. "Says the person who spent all breakfast and dinner trying to burn a hole through me with his eyes."

"Do not flatter yourself," he scoffed.

"You think?" I tilted my head. "What you are fighting is clear, I mean..." I lowered my eyes to my waist. "You are still holding me."

His brow lifted quickly before he lowered it. "You know nothing about what I'm feeling," he hissed, his grip tightening on my waist, as he pulled me a fraction of an inch closer, his chest heaving against mine. "You are a human."

"And so?"

"You have no idea what it takes for me to look at you and not claim you," he answered.

"Then stop fighting it!" I pushed back, the frustration of years of being ignored boiling over. I placed my palms flat against his bare, feeling the wild drumbeat of his heart. "For years you've pretended I do not exist, like a nuisance you had to tolerate because our parents got married." I paused, looking at him. "If you hate me, tell me to my face! But I doubt that, given the way you were grunting my name." I paused, observing him. "Look at you now, looking at me like you want to consume me, but still telling me to get out!"

Ares let out a low, tortured growl, his face contorting into an expression I couldn't explain, almost as if he was in pain. "Because looking at you is consuming me!" he roared back, his voice echoing fiercely in the empty corridor.

"You think I stayed away from you because I hated you?" His voice dropped. "You have no idea why I've spent all these years doing everything I could to keep you away from me."

"Why? What excuse do you have then?" I asked.

"I am keeping my distance to keep you alive, you foolish girl!" The rage in his voice was palpable in the air, but beneath it, something made my core ache with a deeper, desperate burn.

"You don't get to decide that for me," I whispered as I held his gaze. "You don't have to act cold to keep me safe."

"I am an Alpha; deciding is what I do," he rasped, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down when his eyes dropped to my mouth again.

"Bu—" I never got to finish, because he backed me up on the wall with a sudden step, pinning my spine flush against the heavy oak door of a nearby room. He leaned in until the weight of his body trapped me completely.

"Run back to your room," he fiercely whispered. "Because if you stay here for one more second...I won't be able to stop myself."

I knew what he was warning me about; I knew that if I crossed this line, there would be no pretending afterward. I should have walked away and continued wandering in the hallways; instead, I looked into his eye and whispered in a breathless voice, "then don't stop."

The words had barely left my mouth before Ares let out a low, feral sound and hoisted me up. My legs hooked around his waist as his hand tangled violently in my hair, tilting my head back as his mouth crashed down onto mine. It wasn't a sweet, comforting kiss; no, it was a furious collision. His tongue invaded my mouth with a ruthless dominance that stole the breath straight from my lungs.

"Mmh," I whined, my fingers digging into the hard muscles of his shoulders as the heat intensified into an untamable wildfire. Without breaking the kiss, he began walking. When we broke apart to catch our breath, we were already in his chambers.

"Damn," he swore, lowering me onto his bed. Without wasting time, he came down over me, his massive frame pinning me completely. It was at that moment I realized that there was no going back.