Chapter 9 I Take
‘It must have been the mate bond,’ Althea continued, blaming the mate bond because of the weird sensations crawling all over her body.
And then there was the way he was possessive toward her. It should have terrified her. But it didn’t. Against her better judgment, she liked it.
The intensity in Gavriel’s eyes, the way he touched her like he owned her, and the way his presence consumed every corner of the room stirred something deep inside her. Something she didn’t know had been starved for so long.
The feeling of being desired. Wanted…
‘Yes... that’s probably it,’ she mused, heart pounding. Because that was something she never had, not in her old home, not within the walls of the Shadowthorn Pack. There, everything was a battlefield. Everyone was constantly at war for status, for power, for the fleeting attention of her father, Alpha Cain.
Althea had been born into that chaos, but not welcomed by it.
In a world where blood meant everything, she was treated like she had none that mattered.
She had lost count of how many times her life had been threatened in secret. Poison in her tea. Traps in the training yard. A loosened saddle, a sabotaged stair.
But she had always survived.
Thanks to the gift that set her apart, her ability to read minds. She had sensed every plot, every malicious thought before it could reach her. She played the game silently, carefully, stepping one move ahead.
Even so, most of her so-called kin saw her as a threat. They never hid the disdain in their eyes, the hatred beneath the smiles. She was the invisible thorn in their path, the unwanted reminder of Alpha Cain’s rare softness. Because, without even trying, he always cherished her. That was the part that burned them the most.
And now… here was a man more terrifying than all of them combined, claiming her in a way none of them ever could.
And what was worse? She didn’t feel small. She didn’t feel invisible.
For the first time in her life… she felt seen.
Gavriel kissed a path across her skin, slow, claiming, merciless.
“I’ll take your body,” he muttered, his voice sending shivers down her spine, “your breath, your cries, your fire. Until you forget what it means to resist me.”
‘Resist?’ She doubted she was resisting at this rate…
She arched beneath him, fury and heat colliding in her chest. She hated him for treating her like something he owned, and yet she wanted him. She was drowning in the contradiction that was Gavriel Kingsley.
“You’ll try,” she breathed, teeth clenched.
He smiled then, dark and primal.
“Oh, little wolf,” he murmured, lips brushing her ear, “I don’t try. I take.”
And with that, he kissed her again, harder, deeper, silencing any more words with a dominance that made her body ignite all over again.
Whatever war this was between them… it had only just begun.
His grip tightened at her waist, keeping her locked in place while his tongue claimed her, deep and possessive. Althea moaned against him before she could stop it. Her hands braced against his chest, but she didn’t push him away.
She kissed him back. Harder. Matching him.
She couldn’t read his mind, but she didn’t need to. His body said everything… desire, anger, confusion, and need all rolled into a single scorching touch.
“You should be trembling in fear,” Gavriel said between kisses, his teeth grazing her lower lip. “But instead, you're trembling because you want more.”
Althea gasped, but his hands had already moved, one trailing up her spine while the other dipped just enough to make her breath catch.
He rose suddenly, lifting her effortlessly in his arms. Water splashed as he stepped out of the bath, carrying her with him, her wet body pressed to his. The cold air of the tent hit her skin but did nothing to cool the heat burning between them.
He laid her down gently on the bed, hovering over her. His damp hair fell slightly across his brow, his chest gleaming with droplets. His eyes devoured her, pinning her beneath that feral stare.
“Touch me,” he commanded. “If you’re going to survive in my world, then learn how to handle the monster that fate tied you to.”
She reached out, her fingers brushing lightly against his chest. But the moment her hand moved lower, Gavriel's body tensed.
In one swift movement, he grabbed her wrist and pinned it above her head. The shift in him was immediate… feral, dominant, primal.
His body closed in on hers, his mouth brushing dangerously close to her ear. His breath was hot, ragged.
“You touch me like that,” he growled, voice hoarse, “and I won’t hold back.”
His other hand gripped her thigh, parting them with a deliberate force that sent shivers through her spine. She gasped, feeling the pressure of him pressing between her legs, the overwhelming heat of his presence anchoring her in place.
Her body trembled beneath him.
“Gavriel,” she whispered, but he silenced her with a look so fierce, so hungry, it stole the rest of her breath.
He leaned in, his lips grazing her jawline, then trailing down her throat as she arched beneath him.
“You’re mine,” he rasped. “Every inch of you… mine to devour.”
Her heart thundered in her chest, but she didn’t pull away.
She couldn’t. His grip on her wrist tightened, his gaze blazing down at her with a hunger she wasn’t sure she could withstand. Her heart thundered in her chest, each beat louder than the last.
And when he finally moved, slow, powerful, claiming, it wasn’t sweet. It wasn’t gentle.
Then, sharp pain.
Her body tensed as her eyes widened. A gasp escaped her lips, and instinctively, she pushed at his chest with her free hand. “Wait,” she whispered, the tremble in her voice betraying her.
Gavriel stilled immediately, his body rigid above hers. His gaze flickered, something dangerous simmering behind his eyes but there was also confusion… restraint.
“You’re a virgin,” he said flatly, the words more like a statement than a question.