chapter 13
846 Words
Chapter 13 — The Forbidden Kiss
Ella tried to convince herself she was done thinking about him.
She clung to the lie as she paced her chambers, fingertips trembling against the cold glass, haunted by the ghost of Rylan’s grip firm, burning, unwilling to leave her skin.
Remember your place.
The words still burned.
She hated him for them.
She loathed how a single glance from him could unravel her. The bond throbbed beneath her ribs, a second heartbeat mocking her pride and anger, proof that fate cared for neither.
A knock sounded at her door.
Sharp. Decisive.
Her breath caught before she could stop it.
She opened the door to Rylan, shadows wrapped around him like armor. His jaw was set, eyes stormy with danger barely held in check.
“We need to talk,” he said.
Ella stepped aside without a word.
The door closed behind him with a soft click that echoed far too loudly in the silence.
“You don’t get to storm into my room whenever it suits you,” she said, folding her arms.
“I’m aware,” he replied. “That’s why I’m here instead of dragging you to the council chamber.”
She scoffed. “How considerate.”
Rylan drew a slow, measured breath. “Digging into council affairs, provoking the pack. what you’re doing is dangerous.”
“What I’m doing,” Ella shot back, “is refusing to be erased.”
He turned to her sharply. “You think I don’t see that?”
“Then why do you keep pushing me away?”
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Rylan went still.
The air grew dense, weighted with all the truths neither dared to speak.
“You don’t understand what you are to me,” he said quietly.
“Then explain it,” she whispered.
He laughed once, bitter and hollow. “If I do, I won’t be able to stop.”
His voice sent a shiver racing down her spine.
The bond surged.
The bond tugged at her chest, drawing her closer even as warnings screamed in her mind. She stepped forward. Then again.
Rylan noticed.
His pupils flared. His breathing deepened.
“Don’t,” he said, though his voice lacked conviction.
“Why?” she asked softly. “Because you’ll lose control?”
“Yes.”
The honesty stunned her.
Before fear could intervene, she reached for him, her fingers grazing his wrist. Electricity shot up her arm, white-hot and inescapable.
Rylan sucked in a sharp breath.
His hand came up, hovering near her face, trembling as if held back by sheer will.
“Ella,” he warned, voice rough. “This is a mistake.”
“Then why does it feel like the truth?” she murmured.
The bond snapped tight.
Rylan’s restraint shattered.
He yanked her close, one hand tangled in her hair, the other steadying her as his mouth claimed hers in a fierce collision.
The kiss was fire.
There was nothing gentle, nothing hesitant. Hunger, fury, and longing collided in a single desperate instant. Ella gasped, clutching his shirt as the world shrank to heat, breath, and the thunder of her heart.
She kissed him back with abandon, fiercely pouring every unspoken feeling into the press of her lips.
The bond flared brighter than ever before.
Rylan groaned against her mouth, his wolf roaring in triumph. For a heartbeat, there was nothing but them. No pack. No rules. No past.
Just want.
Just need.
He deepened the kiss, then froze.
Reality slammed back into place.
Rylan pulled away abruptly, stepping back as if struck.
“No,” he said hoarsely. “This can’t happen.”
Ella stared at him, breathless, lips tingling, heart racing. “You already let it.”
“I shouldn’t have,” he snapped, anger flaring not at her, but at himself. “This is exactly how it starts.”
“How does it start?” she demanded.
“Weakness,” he said. “Attachment. Betrayal.”
Her chest tightened. “I am not her.”
“I know,” he said, voice breaking just slightly. “That’s what scares me.”
Silence fell between them, thick with regret and unspoken desire.
Rylan dragged a hand through his hair. “This bond will ruin us if we give into it.”
Ella swallowed hard. “Or save us.”
He shook his head. “I won’t risk my pack. Or you.”
“By rejecting me?” she asked quietly.
“Yes,” he said. “By rejecting us.”
His words sliced through her.
Rylan turned toward the door. “This never happens again.”
Ella watched him go, the memory of his kiss still burning on her lips.
As the door clicked shut, she collapsed onto the bed, trembling fingers pressed to her mouth.
The bond pulsed once.
Slow.
Steady.
Unyielding.
He could deny it.
He could fear it.
But fate had already drawn a line neither of them could ever erase.
And deep within her, something ancient stirred watching, waiting.
- Writer
