All Chapters of Claimed By The Predator: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Thorne’s POV Sleep was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Not when Ari lay pressed against me, soft and breakable, and not when every ghost of his flinch carved another promise into my bones. I didn’t sleep—couldn’t. My eyes stayed open in the dark, trained on the fragile rise and fall of his chest. He twitched in his dreams, little jerks of his limbs, his ears flicking even in unconsciousness. And each time, my fingers moved instinctively, tightening around him. Possession in its purest form. Mine. I traced him like a map only I was allowed to read. My thumb sketched lazy circles into the dip of his waist, my nails dragged faint lines up the length of his arm, stopping at the delicate curve of his shoulder. He shifted, a breath catching, and I smiled. That instinctive fear threaded into his veins was intoxicating. Every shiver, every startled twitch was a reminder that he knew—deep down—that predators like me were carved to consume prey like him. But I didn’t want to consume him. Not

Thorne’s POVThe moment his whisper left his lips—“You stayed”—something inside me snapped tight. Not tenderness. Not loyalty. A chain. A brand. He thought my staying was proof of comfort. He didn’t understand it was a sentence.I didn’t move. Couldn’t. His body was too soft against mine, too fragile to be trusted in the open. If I let the world touch him, it would ruin him before I had left enough of myself etched into his bones.Then he shifted, small and careful. “I… I should get ready for class.”The word burned. Class. Hallways. Eyes. Hands. Wolves with teeth and no restraint.My grip locked harder around him. “No.”He froze, pulse racing against my palm. Fear bloomed sweet in the air. Fear meant he knew what I could take. But then those trembling eyes lifted to mine, wide and pleading.“Thorne… please.”The word poisoned me. Please. I hated it. I craved it. Slowly, I let him slip free. He rose, smoothing his shirt with shaking hands, ears twitching so sharply they gave him away.

Thorne’s POVThe words hit harder than I expected.“I missed you.”Ari hadn’t even turned when he said it. It wasn’t calculated, wasn’t careful—it just spilled out of him like it couldn’t wait another breath. Fragile, soft, unguarded. The kind of honesty that could split a man open.And God, it split me.I moved before he could think better of it. My arms wrapped around him from behind, dragging him back into me with a force that left no room for hesitation. He was small in my hold, breakable in a way that should’ve made me careful. But the way he trembled against me only made my grip tighten.“Say it again,” I muttered into his hair. My voice was low, gravel roughened with hunger I didn’t bother to hide.Ari stiffened, then melted, like he couldn’t decide whether to run or stay. His ears twitched nervously, brushing my cheek. “I—I missed you,” he whispered again, softer, as if repeating it made it more dangerous.My chest rumbled with something between a growl and a laugh. I couldn’t

Thorne’s POVHe kissed me.The little rabbit actually kissed me.Not an accident. Not me forcing it out of him. He leaned in, trembling all the while, and pressed his lips to my skin like he chose it. Like he wanted it.For the first time in years, my brain blanked.Me—Thorne—who’d spilled blood without flinching, who’d torn grown men apart without a second thought—was undone by something as soft as Ari’s mouth brushing my cheek.Dangerous, I’d called him. I hadn’t lied.Because the danger wasn’t in what he could do to me physically—it was in how easily he slipped under my skin. How he made me want things I’d buried long ago.My arms tightened around him, instinctive, possessive. I felt his pulse fluttering fast beneath his skin, heard the way his breath hitched when I spoke. And still—he stayed.Did he know what that did to me? Did he understand what it meant, for a prey animal to walk into the predator’s den willingly? To seek me out?God, I could feel his cotton tail twitching agai

Thorne’s POVThe rabbit didn’t even realize what he’d done to me.That one whisper — maybe I don’t want to go anyway — slid under my skin like a blade and lodged there, impossible to pull out.Mine.I didn’t give him a choice after that. My tail stayed wound around his waist as I dragged us up, ignoring his sleepy protests, and steered him down the hall to my room. He stumbled along, ears twitching nervously, but he didn’t resist. Not once.Good.He perched on the edge of my bed like he didn’t know if he was allowed, hands twisting in his lap. Too small. Too breakable. My clothes would swallow him whole—“Shower,” I said. My voice came out low, rougher than I meant. “Use mine.”His eyes widened. “Y–yours?”“Obviously.” My gaze sharpened, daring him to argue. “Go on, little rabbit. I’ll wait.”He slipped past me hesitantly, vanishing into the bathroom. The sound of running water started a moment later. And I stood there, jaw clenched, nails digging into my palms.The thought of him in