All Chapters of Don't Breathe Too Close: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

JORDAN“The meeting will be starting soon, young master.”That’s the first thing I hear this morning. No good morning. No polite knock. Just my assistant’s flat voice cutting through the haze of sleep like a knife.I sit up too fast. The room tilts for a second, my skin too warm, too tight.Damn it. Not now.Heat is creeping in. I can feel it, slow and sharp like a warning. It won’t be long before it hits full force.I grab a suppressant patch from the nightstand and press it to my neck, exhaling as the adhesive sticks. The familiar chill seeps into my skin, but it’s not enough. It never really is when heat is this close. But I don’t have time to fall apart.Today’s too important.I move on autopilot: shower, suit, clean lines, subtle intimidation. Nothing soft. Nothing that gives me away.Pretending to be an alpha is exhausting.Even though I am technically an alpha, I’ve never presented like one, not to my father, not to anyone. My body doesn’t give off the dominance he expects. My

JORDANThe elevator comes to a halt and opens, and I step out.He’s there.The same alpha from earlier.The one I’d told to back off before getting into the elevator.And now he’s here… waiting for me?My eyes widen as I find him there, leaning casually against the wall, as if he had all the time in the world, waiting for me to step out of the elevator.What the hell? How did he get here before me?I’d left him behind. I clearly remembered the doors sliding shut on his annoying smirk, his face still there as I pressed the button to go up. Yet here he is. Calm. Unbothered. Like this was some kind of game.My chest tightens, and I clench my jaw, forcing my face into a straight, unreadable expression. He doesn’t deserve to see even an inch of fear. Not from me. But inside, panic flutters in my chest like a trapped bird.Had he taken the stairs? Had he known which floor I’d get off on? Was he following me from the start?He pushes off the wall with that same oily confidence, taking a step

JORDANAlaric stiffens.I feel it—the shock, the tension radiating from him as my lips press against his. He’s caught off guard, just like I wanted. But I won't stop. Not yet.I deepen the kiss.If there’s even a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, I want to smother it. I push forward, desperate and burning, my hands curling into the front of his shirt like I’ll collapse without the anchor. He doesn’t respond at first… not really… but then I see it.Something flickers.Then slowly, his hand reaches up, sliding into my hair.He groans, deep and low.The sound sends shivers down my spine, heat pooling in my stomach. His grip tightens in my hair, and his other hand grabs my jaw, tilting my head as he kisses me back—harder, rougher, like he’s trying to swallow every bit of my rebellion and turn it into something else.My heart hammers.Then I blink.Reality slams into me like a brick wall.What the hell am I doing?I shove him away with all the strength I can muster, stumbling backward. Di