Chapter Eleven: The Bond Strikes
1264 Words
Fernanda told herself she was just exploring.
That she wasn’t following him deeper into the house like some obedient little Omega being led into the Alpha’s den.
The lie was almost convincing—until she realized she’d lost track of where the front door even was.
They stepped into a room that looked like it had been carved out of the earth itself—stone walls, low lighting, and a massive fireplace roaring in the center. The heat from it was almost too much, but it was nothing compared to the heat coming from the man beside her.
Ace didn’t look at her at first. He just removed his jacket, draping it over the back of a chair, the movement slow and unhurried… deliberate.
Like he knew she was watching.
Like he wanted her to.
Her eyes betrayed her, tracing the solid line of his shoulders, the way his black shirt clung to the ridges of muscle.
When he finally turned, it was with that same half-smile—sharp, knowing. “You’re staring.”
She blinked. “I’m observing. There’s a difference.”
“Mm.” He took a step toward her. “Observing is safe.”
Another step.
“What you’re doing…” His gaze dragged over her, unapologetic. “…isn’t.”
Her back found the stone wall, cool against her spine. She hadn’t realized she’d been retreating until there was nowhere left to go.
Ace stopped in front of her, close enough that she could feel the whisper of his breath on her face. The gold in his eyes wasn’t faint anymore—it burned.
“Your heart’s racing,” he murmured.
“Maybe it’s the heat,” she whispered.
“No,” he said, and this time his voice dropped, a dangerous velvet. “It’s me.”
The air between them pulsed. Her instincts screamed to step away, but something deeper—older—kept her rooted.
Then it happened.
The shift was subtle at first—a spark in her chest, an almost imperceptible hum under her skin. But it grew fast, becoming a magnetic pull that yanked at every nerve, every breath.
The bond.
Her knees weakened. “No,” she breathed, shaking her head. “This isn’t—”
“It is.” His hand braced against the wall beside her, trapping her without touching. “You feel it, don’t you? That pull? That need?”
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Her scent spiked—she knew it by the way his jaw tightened, the way his nostrils flared.
“Ace—”
He leaned in, his lips brushing just close enough to ghost over hers without claiming them. “Say you don’t want me… and I’ll stop.”
She tried. She tried. But her voice betrayed her. “I can’t.”
Something in him snapped—his other hand slid to her hip, gripping just enough to make her gasp.
Every inch of her body burned. Her head tipped back against the wall, her eyes fluttering shut as his scent surrounded her, thick and intoxicating.
But just as quickly, he pulled away.
Her eyes snapped open.
His breathing was rough, controlled only by sheer will. “You have no idea how close I am to losing it,” he said, his voice like gravel.
Her own voice trembled. “Then don’t.”
That earned her a dangerous smile. “Careful, little Omega. You ask for the wrong thing… and you might just get it.”
Without another word, he left her standing there, heart hammering, body aching from the bond’s sudden flare.
And for the first time, Fernanda realized she wasn’t just in trouble.
She wanted to be.
Fernanda told herself she was just exploring.
That she wasn’t following him deeper into the house like some obedient little Omega being led into the Alpha’s den.
The lie almost held—until she realized she’d lost sight of the front door.
They stepped into a room that looked as if it had been carved out of the earth itself—stone walls, warm shadows, and a massive fireplace roaring with flames. The heat from it was almost suffocating, but it had nothing on the heat coming from the man beside her.
Ace didn’t speak at first. He peeled off his jacket, slow and casual, draping it over a chair. The move was nothing more than cloth leaving skin, but the deliberate pace made it feel… intimate. Possessive.
Her gaze slipped—traitorously—to the hard lines of his shoulders, the way the black shirt stretched across a chest that was clearly designed to ruin women’s composure.
“You’re staring,” he said, voice low and thick.
She cleared her throat. “I’m observing. There’s a difference.”
“Mm.” He stepped toward her. “Observing is safe.”
Another step.
“What you’re doing…” His gaze swept over her curves, lingering without shame. “…isn’t.”
She took an instinctive step back—straight into the cool bite of the stone wall.
He stopped in front of her, close enough that she could feel his body heat, smell the sharp edge of cedar and something darker, distinctly Alpha. His eyes had gone molten gold, no longer pretending to hide what he was.
“Your heart’s racing,” he murmured, his voice brushing over her skin like a dangerous promise.
“Maybe it’s the heat,” she whispered.
“No,” he said, tilting his head so their noses nearly touched. “It’s me.”
The air thickened, humming with something primal. Her body reacted before her mind caught up—knees softening, pulse thundering, a slick warmth coiling low in her belly.
Then the pull hit.
It started like a spark in her chest—then flared hot, running through her veins, tugging her toward him in a way that wasn’t logical, wasn’t human. The bond.
Her breath hitched. “No…”
“Yes.” His arm braced against the wall beside her head, caging her in. “You feel it, don’t you? That ache? That hunger?”
Her scent spiked—she knew because his nostrils flared, his jaw flexed, and his eyes darkened further.
“Ace—”
He leaned in until his mouth hovered a whisper from hers. “Say you don’t want me… and I’ll stop.”
She tried. She opened her mouth, but only a trembling whisper escaped. “I can’t.”
The sound he made was half-growl, half-moan, deep in his chest. His hand slid to her hip, fingers pressing into the curve there—firm, claiming.
Her head tipped back against the wall, lips parting as the bond roared through her like fire. Every nerve lit up under his nearness. Her body screamed for him to close the last fraction of space.
But instead, he dropped his mouth to her ear. His breath was hot, his words lethal. “You have no idea how close I am to taking you right here.”
Her thighs pressed together without thought. “Then don’t… make me wait.”
He chuckled—dark, dangerous. “Careful, little Omega. That’s not a request I’m good at refusing.”
His thumb brushed her hip in one last lingering touch before he stepped back, leaving her pressed to the wall, trembling and furious at how empty the air suddenly felt.
From the doorway, he glanced back at her with a look that said this wasn’t over.
It was just beginning.
And deep down, she knew she’d walk into whatever came next… willingly.
- Writer
