I Dare You, Alpha!

Chapter 5: One Inch Away

Roxy’s POV

Knox watched me sit on the bench as if I had challenged him to a fight and stolen his favorite shirt. I crossed my legs and smiled sweetly.

“Your five minutes have started, Alpha. Say something worth my time.” “Do you always talk this much?” “Only when the company is handsome enough to distract me.”

His jaw tightened. This was going to be fun. “Are you flirting with me again?” “Again? You make it sound like a problem.” “It is a problem.”

“Then stop looking pleased whenever I do it.” “I am not pleased.” “Of course not. Your face always looks like that when you’re fighting a smile.”

Knox’s gaze dropped to my mouth before snapping back to my eyes. I caught it, and his expression hardened as if I had caught him stealing.

I blinked. “That is a bold confession for a man who claims I’m a problem.” He looked toward the training ground. I nearly applauded.

“Careful, Alpha. Keep that up and I’ll start thinking you’re human.” His eyes returned to mine. “And what if a man wants something he shouldn’t?”

My smile softened. There it was, the question neither of us wanted to ask plainly. “Then he should leave it alone,” I said. “Especially if he already belongs to someone else.”

Knox went still. Behind us, warriors struck practice targets and called out instructions, but the space between us suddenly felt quiet.

“I never said I belonged to Vanessa.” “No. You only look at her like she hung the moon, then look at me like you want to drag me into your arms.” I shrugged. “Mixed signals are exhausting.”

“I love her.” The words landed exactly where I expected them to. That didn’t make them hurt less. I kept my smile, though it took more effort this time.

“Then you should probably stop staring at my lips.” His eyes darkened. “You think this is easy for me?” “I think you’re used to getting what you want. Wanting me doesn’t give you permission to make me your mistake.”

For once, he had no sharp reply ready. He studied my face as though the right answer might be written somewhere in my expression.

“I’m trying to understand what this bond means,” he said. “Understand it without treating me like an experiment.” “That’s not what you are to me.” “Then what am I?”

His silence answered before he could. I stood and brushed dust from my jeans. “That’s what I thought.”

I turned back. He’d said my name quietly, without an order hidden inside it. Somehow, that was more dangerous than any growl. “What?” “Stay.”

I lifted a brow. “That sounded like an order.” That word from Knox Wilder deserved its own parade. I sat again, mostly because I wanted to see what he would do next.

“You have four minutes left,” I told him. “Make them count.” “Don’t get used to it.” “Too late. I’m already planning our wedding.”

Jace called from across the training ground. “Knox, should we keep training, or are we supposed to pretend not to watch you two?”

“We are training. Some of us are also witnessing history.” Jace turned away, grinning. I covered my mouth to hide my laugh, but Knox saw it.

“You enjoy provoking people,” he said. “Only when they make it so easy.” “I want to show you something.” “Is this where you demonstrate your impressive muscles and hope I swoon?”

“No. It’s where I teach you how to defend yourself.” I rose at once. “I already know how.”

He stepped onto the packed ground and raised his hands. I joined him, rolling my shoulders and settling into a stance I’d learned long before I crossed his territory.

“Shocking, isn’t it? Women can have hobbies besides admiring your face.” He reached for my wrist. I twisted free, stepped inside his guard, and tapped two fingers against his ribs before he could turn.

For a second, he looked genuinely surprised. I grinned at him. “That’s what happens when you underestimate a woman.”

This time, he caught my feint. I tried to pivot away, but my boot slipped in the loose dirt. His hand settled at my waist to steady me before I could fall.

The contact sent a bright rush through me. My palm landed against his chest, and beneath it, his heart beat far too hard for a man who claimed to have everything under control.

“Still teaching me?” I whispered. The words came out softer than I intended. His hand remained at my waist, warm and firm, while my fingers curled against his shirt.

Then I felt him. Not Knox’s hand or the steady beat beneath my palm, but something deeper: a presence meeting mine with startling certainty.

His wolf.

My wolf lowered her head. His answered. Their noses brushed.

“Did you feel that?” I whispered. For once, he sounded as shaken as I felt. Inside the bond, our wolves moved closer. Mine nudged his muzzle, bold and curious. His answered with a gentle press that sent warmth spilling through my chest.

My cheeks burned. “Your wolf is flirting with mine.” Knox’s mouth twitched. “Your wolf started it.” “Oh, so now you’re blaming me for your wolf’s behavior?”

“I’ve learned that blaming you is rarely useful.” “Look at you, learning.” Instead, I lifted my chin. “Are you going to kiss me, Knox, or are we going to pretend this is a lesson?”

His hand moved from my waist to my jaw, slowly enough for me to pull away. I didn’t. His thumb brushed my cheek, and my heart forgot every sensible thing I’d ever taught it.

“Roxy,” he murmured. “That’s my name. You seem to remember it whenever you stare at my mouth.”

His gaze flicked to my eyes. “If I kiss you, I won’t be able to pretend this means nothing.” “Then don’t pretend.”

He moved the last inch. I closed my eyes. The silence felt like falling. His forehead rested against mine, his breath uneven, his hand still cradling my face.

I opened my eyes. “Because you love Vanessa.” The answer hurt, but at least it was honest. I gently removed his hand from my cheek and stepped back before my heart could make a fool of me.

“Then don’t come this close unless you’re prepared to choose.” “Roxy, I never wanted to hurt you.” “Congratulations. You managed it anyway.”

I stopped without turning around. “You have one minute left, Alpha.”

I looked over my shoulder. His face held no smirk, no command, no easy excuse. Just a man caught between what he wanted and what he believed he owed someone else.

I gave him a small, painful smile. “I know. That’s the problem.”

Then I walked away, leaving him on the training ground with his hands empty and his wolf still reaching for mine.

The bond tugged once, aching with a longing that wasn’t mine alone. I kept walking. I wasn’t going to be his almost, not even if every part of me wanted to turn around.