Chapter 117 Love is a Dangerous thing

Chapter 117 Love is a Dangerous thing
Opal's POV
The air between them was still thick with heat, charged with the undeniable pull that had only grown since that earth-shattering kiss. Opal could still feel the lingering warmth of Kael's hands on her skin, the ghost of his lips pressing against hers, the way he had claimed her mouth like he couldn't get enough.
She wanted more.
And he knew it.
Instead of closing the distance between them again, Kael took a slow step back, his chest rising and falling as if forcing himself to remember how to breathe. His eyes burned as they locked onto hers, but his smirk was infuriatingly smug.
"I should head back to my pack," he murmured, his voice rough.
Opal blinked, her head still spinning. "What?"
Kael tilted his head, amused. "I have responsibilities, Opal."
She folded her arms, shifting her weight onto one hip. "And?"
His smirk deepened. "And I can't just disappear from my pack for days on end. Unlike you, I actually have wolves waiting for me to make decisions."
Opal scoffed. "Oh, please. You just don't want to deal with Ash if he finds out you spent the night in my bed."
Kael grinned. "That's an excellent point, actually."
She smacked his arm, rolling her eyes. "Coward."
His gaze darkened, the playful edge fading into something heavier. "I think we both know I'm the opposite of that."
The low rasp of his voice sent a shiver through her. He stepped closer again, his body towering over hers, his presence all-consuming. Her breath hitched, her stomach flipping wildly.
"Fine," she said, fighting to keep her tone casual. "Go home."
Kael smirked. "Come with me, then."
Opal paused.
Her breath hitched, but she masked it with a raised brow. "You want me to stay at your packhouse?"
Kael shrugged, playing it cool. "You were ready to let me sleep in your bed, but spending the night at mine is too much?"
Opal rolled her eyes, but her lips curled. "I just don't want your pack getting any ideas."
His smirk was slow. Dangerous. "And what ideas would those be?"
She stepped closer, just enough to tease. "That I'm yours."
Kael's breath hitched.
His fingers brushed against hers, the smallest touch, but it seared. "You are."
Her stomach tightened, her wolf pushing against her ribcage, but she forced herself to keep her voice light. "Mm. I haven't decided yet, remember?"
Kael exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. "Then come with me. Spend the night at my packhouse. No decisions. Just us."
Opal hesitated—but only for a second.
"…Fine."
___
Kael's Packhouse
The moment they arrived, the energy shifted.
Kael's packhouse was different from hers. Darker. The air heavier with authority. The wolves here were loyal to him, and Opal could feel their eyes lingering as she followed Kael through the hallways.
But Kael? He didn't bother explaining.
Didn't acknowledge their looks.
He just led her upstairs, his grip firm around her wrist, like she belonged there.
When they reached his room, Kael pushed the door open, guiding her inside. The space was him. Dim lighting. Clean, but lived-in.
And his scent was everywhere.
Opal swallowed as he shut the door behind them. The air between them crackled with something dangerous.
Kael's silver-blue eyes locked onto hers. "Nervous?"
She scoffed, lifting her chin. "Of you? Never."
Kael's smirk was slow, dangerous. He stepped closer, backing her toward the bed. "Then why are you holding your breath?"
She hadn't even realized she was.
She wasn't nervous.
She was anticipating.
Wanting.
Kael lifted a hand, brushing his knuckles down her arm, slow and deliberate. "Tell me to stop."
She didn't.
She wouldn't.
Instead, she tilted her head, meeting his gaze head-on. "I don't want you to stop."
Kael exhaled sharply, his control snapping.
Then—
His lips crashed into hers, hands gripping, pulling, claiming.
Opal melted into him, threading her fingers through his hair, dragging him closer until there was nothing between them.
His hands roamed, sliding down her back, gripping her hips, tracing the curve of her waist like he was memorizing her. His mouth was fire against hers, his tongue teasing, deepening the kiss until she was breathless, aching.
She gasped as his lips trailed lower, grazing the sensitive skin of her throat, nipping, soothing, teasing.
Her hands explored too, slipping under his shirt, feeling the heat of his skin, the hard muscle beneath her fingertips. Kael groaned, the sound rough and needy as he pressed her harder against him.
"Kael," she whispered, voice trembling, craving.
"I want to make you feel good," he growled, his fingers digging into her hips, sliding up her waist, tracing dangerously close to where she ached for him.
Opal gasped, heat pooling low in her stomach. His touch left fire in its wake, her body already betraying her resolve.
She arched into him, her breath shaky. "Kael…"
His smirk was wicked against her skin. "Say the word, and I'll show you exactly how much I can make you tremble."
Her body shuddered at the promise in his voice, the heat coiling tight inside her.
But—
She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to say it. "Not yet."
Kael stilled, but his thumb slowly stroked along the bare skin of her hip, teasing, coaxing.
She wasn't rejecting him—he knew that.
She could feel how much she wanted him. How easy it would be to give in.
But still, he lifted his head, meeting her gaze with something raw. "Are you sure?"
Opal swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I want to save myself. Until I know who I'm choosing."
Kael held her gaze for a long moment.
Then, slowly, his lips curved.
"Alright."
Opal exhaled in relief, but before she could step back, Kael smirked.
"There are other ways to make you feel good."
A blush seared across her cheeks, but her stomach flipped at the wicked promise in his voice.
She shoved his chest, ignoring the heat pooling between her legs. "You're impossible."
Kael caught her hand, grinning. "And you love it."
She did.
Gods help her, she did

Kael's POV
Kael had always been strong.
Unshakable.
Disciplined.
But none of that mattered when Opal touched him.
When her fingers brushed against his skin, it wasn't just heat—it was a firestorm that roared through his veins, leaving nothing but want and ruin in its wake. When her lips curled into a smirk, daring him closer, it wrecked him from the inside out, breaking down every wall, every ounce of control he had spent his life perfecting.
And when she kissed him?
It was absolute destruction.
A hunger he hadn't felt in years clawed at him—the kind that had once belonged to another. The last time he had felt this kind of consuming, soul-crushing need was when he still had his mate.
And now, Opal had awakened it again.
She had resurrected a part of him he thought had died. But with her, it was stronger. Wilder. More dangerous.
She had brought him back to life—and if she chose someone else, she would be the one to end him.
He was already ruined for her. Completely. Irrevocably.
And the worst part? She knew it.
She stood before him in his dimly lit room, her silver hair wild from his hands running through it, her lips kiss-swollen, her chest rising and falling as if she was struggling just as much as he was.
But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.
Kael needed more.
More of her touch. More of her taste. More of everything she had to give.
His silver-blue eyes locked onto hers, burning with unspoken worship and unrelenting need. "Tell me to stop."
She didn't.
She wouldn't.
Instead, she reached for him, pulling him back in.
That was all he needed.
Kael crashed into her, his mouth claiming hers like a man starved. He kissed her like she was the only thing keeping him breathing. And maybe she was.
His hands gripped her waist, dragging her closer, molding her body against his so she could feel exactly how much he needed her. How much he burned for her.
Opal moaned into his mouth, and the sound broke him.
His fingers tangled in her hair, tilting her head back as he devoured her, his tongue sweeping against hers in a dance that was pure fire.
He was drowning in her. Completely. Willingly.
She was soft and fierce, delicate and untamed, and Gods, he loved her.
He kissed her like he was trying to memorize her, like he was afraid she would vanish if he didn't hold onto her tightly enough.
And Opal?
She clung to him just as fiercely, her nails dragging down his back, her body pressing into his, molding against him as if she had always been meant to fit there.
Every sigh, every gasp, every shift of her hips sent a thrill racing through him, made him want to claim her in every way possible. Make her his. Forever.
His hands roamed, sliding under the hem of her shirt, tracing the delicate curve of her spine. Her skin was hot, silken, and when his palm pressed against the small of her back, a sharp, breathless moan slipped from her lips.
Kael felt her tremble—felt the way her body yielded to his touch, the way she ached for more but held herself back.
It was torture.
But Gods, he would endure it for her.
He tore his lips from hers, breathing hard, his forehead pressing against hers as he tried to ground himself.
Tried not to lose himself completely.
But he was already lost.
Their chests heaved in sync, the air between them thick with heat and need.
Slowly, he ran his nose along the column of her throat, breathing her in, savoring her.
She smelled like something he couldn't live without. Like home. Like fate.
He wanted to mark her, to claim her in a way that left no doubt in anyone's mind—she was his.
But she wasn't.
Not yet.
His lips brushed over her pulse point, lingering there, his grip tightening as he fought against the primal need roaring inside him. "I love you," he murmured against her skin. "I would do anything for you."
Opal shivered, her fingers still tangled in his hair, her body so pliant, so willing.
But still, she pulled back.
Not far. Just enough.
Her silver gaze was tortured, her lips kiss-swollen, her chest rising and falling in rapid breaths.
"Kael…" she whispered, aching, hesitant.
He could see it—the war inside her, the way she wanted to say yes, wanted to give in, but something held her back.
Then—
She kissed him again.
Slower this time.
Softer.
Like she was telling him everything she couldn't say out loud.
Kael felt himself break all over again.
He deepened the kiss, his hands sliding up, framing her face, worshiping her. He kissed her until she was breathless, until he was breathless. Until there was nothing left but her.
When they finally pulled away, Kael rested his forehead against hers, his hands still cupping her cheeks, his thumbs tracing lazy circles over her skin.
He needed her like he needed oxygen. Like he needed air, water, life.
And yet—
"Tell me what you want," he breathed, voice hoarse with restraint. "And I'll give it to you."
Opal swallowed, her fingers curling into his shirt, her resolve crumbling beneath the weight of their need.
Her eyes searched his, filled with so much longing, so much conflict.
And then—
She exhaled sharply, closing her eyes. "Not yet."
Kael's jaw clenched, his muscles tight with frustration. But he didn't push. He didn't argue.
Instead, he brushed his lips against her temple, his voice low and dangerous.
"Then I'll wait."
Opal shuddered.
Because he didn't just mean tonight.
He meant forever.
And if she chose someone else—it would destroy him.