Chapter 100: Lines Drawn

Seraphine's POV

Felt my resistance cutting through the haze of lust and instinct that had consumed us both.

He froze. Body going rigid against mine. His canines were still against my skin, so close to completing the mark that would bind us forever.

Then he pulled back. Deliberately. Carefully.

His eyes locked onto mine, and what I saw there made my breath catch.

Gold blazed in their depths like twin suns. Wild and feral and absolutely furious. The black had been completely consumed, leaving nothing but that molten gold.

His face was flushed, jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping. His chest heaved with harsh breaths. Dark hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and river water.

A low growl rumbled from deep in his chest. Deep. Dangerous. The sound of a predator denied its kill.

"Why?" The word came out as a roar that shook the cottage walls. Raw. Savage. "Why are you fighting this?"

His hands were still on me, fingers digging into my shoulders hard enough to bruise. Not hurting, but demanding. Like if he let go I might disappear.

I tried to speak, but my throat was dry from screaming. My body was still trembling.

My chest heaved as I fought to catch my breath. Finally, I managed to lift my gaze to meet his, forcing myself to hold those furious golden eyes.

"Because..." I gasped out, my voice hoarse. "Because I can't accept a mate who's still intimate with another woman."

The words hung in the air between us, sharp as broken glass.

Recognition flashed across his face immediately. He knew exactly who I meant.

"Vespera." I said her name like a curse. "I've seen how she touches you. How you let her. How she hangs all over you like she owns you."

The memory flashed through my mind—Vespera's hands on his arm, her body pressed close, that possessive smile. The way he hadn't immediately pushed her away. All those times I'd had to watch it.

His jaw clenched tighter. But he didn't deny it.

"If you can't completely sever whatever relationship you have with her..." My breathing was still ragged, but my words were clear. "Then I will never mate with you. Never let you mark me. Never accept this bond."

Something shifted in his expression. The fury mixed with embarrassment, maybe guilt.

"I..." He started, his voice rough. "It's not my willing, it's—"

"Shut up." I cut him off sharply. "I don't want to listen to your excuses."

I managed to sit up slightly, no longer completely pinned against the door. The small distance I created between us felt monumental.

I met his eyes again, and this time I didn't look away.

"You'd better make a decision fast," I said, my voice low but steady. "Because I can't guarantee I won't fall in love with another man before you decide to give her up."

I saw his eyes widen slightly.

"Just like at the Moon Festival," I added, my voice dropping to something cold. "Remember that party, Kaelen? When I let that boy catch me? When I pressed myself against him? When everyone watched us dance?"

His entire body went rigid. The gold in his eyes flared brighter, hotter.

The memory was clearly vivid in his mind too—me in Soren's arms, deliberately intimate.

"You—" The word came out as a snarl. "How dare you?" His voice dropped to something dangerous. "How fucking dare you even suggest—"

"How dare I?" I pushed myself more upright. My voice rose, sharp and cutting. "You can have Vespera hanging all over you at every fucking opportunity, touching you, acting like she owns you, and I'm just supposed to smile and accept it—but I can't even suggest looking at another man?"

I laughed, but there was no humor in it.

"That's equality, Kaelen." I tilted my head. "You get to be intimate with other women? Then I get to do the same with other men. Fair's fair." I paused. "Just like the Moon Festival. And I can do it again. Anytime I want."

For a moment, he just stared at me. His face cycled through emotions too fast to track—fury giving way to shock, shock bleeding into something that looked almost like shame before fury slammed back.

His jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth grind together. His hands flexed on my shoulders before releasing.

He looked like he wanted to say something—wanted to roar, to argue. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.

But no words came out.

Because he knew I was right.

The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.

Then, with a sound that was half growl, half frustrated snarl, he released me completely. Stepped back so fast I nearly collapsed, catching myself against the door.

His eyes—still that burning, furious gold—swept over me one last time. Taking in my naked form slumped against the door, the marks he'd left on my skin, the bite on my neck that hadn't quite completed.

Then he spun on his heel and stormed toward the door.

He yanked it open so hard it slammed against the wall. Wood cracked. Didn't look back. Didn't say a word.

Just stalked out into the darkness.

The door slammed shut behind him with enough force to rattle the windows.

I slumped fully against the door then, my legs finally giving out completely. Slid down until I was sitting on the cold floor, still naked, still trembling.

But I'd won this round.

I'd drawn my line in the sand.

And he knew it.

After a moment, I forced myself to stand. My body protested every movement.

I stumbled to the window, peered out through the darkness toward the river.

And then I heard it.

The splash of water. Loud and violent.

Then came the roar.

It echoed across the garden, across the water, probably across half the territory. A sound of pure rage and frustration and sexual fury with nowhere to go.

The sound went on and on, raw and primal.

It should have frightened me.

Instead, a small, satisfied smile curved my lips.

Let him rage. Let him suffer in that cold water, trying desperately to douse the fire I'd lit in him.

Let him think about what I'd said. About Vespera. About the Moon Festival. About his choices.

Let him choose.

I moved away from the window, found my discarded clothes near the riverbank. The fabric was slightly damp, but I pulled them on anyway.

Another roar echoed from the river. Longer this time. More agonized.

My smile widened.

Good.

He needed to understand. Needed to know I wasn't some prize he could claim while keeping his options open. Wasn't some convenient mate he could mark while still allowing another woman's hands all over him.

I was done being second choice.

Done being the mate he kept at arm's length while letting others get close.

Done watching Vespera touch what was supposed to be mine.

If he wanted me—really wanted me—he'd have to prove it.

He'd have to choose.

And until he did?

He could rage all he wanted in that freezing river.