The Pull I Cannot Escape
1188 Words
I shouldn’t be here.
The forest feels different at night. Colder. Louder. Every c***k of a branch sounds like judgment.
Rejected.
Even thinking the word makes my chest ache.
I press my palm against the tree beside me, steadying myself. The bark digs into my skin, grounding me. I welcome the sting. It reminds me I’m still here. Still breathing. Still standing.
Kael’s face flashes in my mind. The way he didn’t even look sorry.
Like I was a mistake he corrected.
My wolf shifts restlessly beneath my skin, wounded and confused. We were supposed to have a mate. A future. A place.
Now I have nothing.
The air changes.
It’s subtle at first. A shift in pressure. A tightening in my lungs.
Then my heart begins to pound.
He’s here.
I don’t need to turn around to know it’s him.
The King Beast.
Even thinking his title makes my pulse flutter in a way that doesn’t feel like fear.
I swallow. “Are you going to keep watching me from the shadows?”
My voice sounds steadier than I feel.
Silence.
Then footsteps. Slow. Controlled.
I turn.
He steps into the moonlight like he belongs to it. Tall. Broad. Dark hair catching silver light. His amber eyes glow faintly, not fully wolf, not fully human.
My breath catches.
I hate that my body reacts like this.
“I am not hiding,” he says.
His voice is deep, calm. It wraps around me in a way that feels dangerous.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I reply. “This is pack territory.”
He tilts his head slightly. “You are alone.”
That’s not an answer.
“I prefer it,” I say.
A lie.
He takes a step closer.
I don’t realize I’m stepping back until the tree presses against my spine.
The space between us shrinks, and suddenly the air feels too thin.
“You are hurt,” he says quietly.
The words sting.
“I’m fine.”
“You are not.”
My throat tightens. I don’t want him seeing this. I don’t want anyone seeing this.
“I don’t belong to anyone anymore,” I say, the words slipping out before I can stop them.
His eyes darken—not with cruelty. Something else.
“Good.”
The word sends a strange spark through me.
Good?
He moves closer again. Close enough that I can see the faint edge of fangs when he speaks. Close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from his body.
My wolf surges forward.
Not in warning.
In recognition.
It terrifies me.
“You feel it,” he murmurs.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But I do.
There’s something pulling at me. Something deep and ancient. It doesn’t feel like the gentle bond I had with Kael.
This feels heavier.
Stronger.
Like gravity.
He lifts his hand slowly, giving me time to stop him.
I don’t.
His fingers brush the side of my jaw.
The contact is light.
But my entire body reacts.
Heat floods my veins. My breath stutters. My knees almost weaken.
I grab his wrist without thinking.
The moment my skin touches his, something inside me ignites.
It’s not soft.
It’s not sweet.
It’s consuming.
“Stop,” I whisper.
But I don’t let go.
His gaze drops to my lips.
“You are trembling,” he says.
“I’m cold.”
Another lie.
The truth is worse.
I’m drawn to him.
I should walk away. I should remember what happened. I should protect what’s left of my pride.
But my body isn’t listening to reason.
“Why me?” I ask quietly.
His thumb traces just beneath my chin, tilting my face up.
“You do not bow,” he says.
My heart skips.
No one has ever said that about me.
Kael wanted obedience. The pack wanted compliance.
This male—this dangerous, powerful male—looks at me like I am something rare.
“I was rejected,” I say, the words barely more than air. “I’m not exactly a prize.”
His hand tightens at my waist.
“Do not speak about yourself like that.”
The command isn’t harsh.
It’s protective.
My chest tightens painfully.
Why does that matter so much?
I search his face, trying to understand him. But he’s unreadable. Controlled. Intense.
“What are you?” I breathe.
His eyes hold mine.
“I am the one who will not let you feel unwanted again.”
The words slam into me.
My heart starts pounding so loudly I’m sure he can hear it.
“That’s not your responsibility,” I whisper.
“It is if I choose it.”
Choose.
The word settles deep inside me.
Kael didn’t choose me.
He discarded me.
But this… this feels different.
His forehead lowers until it nearly touches mine. I can feel his breath against my skin. Warm. Steady.
“If I kissed you,” he murmurs, “would you run?”
My stomach flips.
“Yes,” I say automatically.
But the word feels weak.
“Would you regret it?” he asks.
I can’t answer.
Because I already know the truth.
I wouldn’t.
And that realization scares me more than anything.
My hands are still on his chest now. I don’t even remember moving them there.
He’s solid beneath my palms. Warm. Real.
Alive.
“I don’t understand this,” I whisper.
“You do,” he replies softly. “You are simply afraid of it.”
He’s right.
I am afraid.
Afraid that I’ll give in too quickly. Afraid that I’ll be hurt again. Afraid that this intensity will burn me alive.
But I’m more afraid of walking away.
His hand slides into my hair, slow and deliberate. He gives me time to stop him.
I don’t.
“Say no,” he says quietly.
He’s giving me a choice.
That’s what undoes me.
Because he could take. He’s strong enough. Dominant enough.
But he isn’t.
He’s waiting.
My lips part.
I try to say it.
No.
I try to step back.
My body doesn’t move.
Instead, I lean forward.
Just slightly.
Enough.
His control snaps.
His lips brush mine.
The kiss is slow. Careful. Testing.
I gasp softly, but I don’t pull away.
It deepens gradually. His hand tightens at my waist, pulling me closer until there’s no space left between us.
My wolf howls in acceptance.
This feels wrong.
Too soon. Too intense.
But it also feels like something inside me is finally aligning.
When he pulls back, my breathing is uneven.
“This changes things,” I whisper.
“It was always going to,” he replies.
In the distance, a familiar howl pierces the night.
Kael.
My heart jumps—but not the way it used to.
I don’t feel longing.
I feel… distance.
The male in front of me doesn’t look toward the sound. He doesn’t seem threatened.
His focus remains entirely on me.
And for the first time since my rejection—
I don’t feel discarded.
I feel chosen.
And that makes walking away impossible.
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