Wolvenmark - The Forbidden Mate

Chapter 16 : Unspoken, Undeniable

Chapter 16 : Unspoken, Undeniable

Ruby's POV

I woke with a start, instantly aware of two things: one, this wasn’t my bed; two, this definitely wasn’t my apartment. The faint leather-and-cedar scent clinging to the air told me exactly where I was before I even opened my eyes.

The office. His office.

As my mind fought to shake off the fog of sleep, the memories came flooding back with the subtle cruelty of a tidal wave. Heat, whispers, the unspoken pull neither of us had tried hard enough to resist.

Oh. My. God.

My heart began a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I had just… with my boss. My boss.

A cocktail of emotions swirled through me—excitement that curled like fire in my stomach, disbelief that felt almost dizzying, and a sharp stab of nervousness that made my palms damp. But then reality landed with both feet, heavy and unyielding.

I was naked.

A panicked glance downward confirmed it, though a blanket—thick, soft, unmistakably his—had been draped over me. My fingers clutched the fabric as my mind spun. Where had this come from?

Slowly, carefully, I shifted on the sofa and let my gaze travel across the room. That’s when I saw him.

Alaric.

He was at the far end of the sofa, still in his shirt and slacks, his broad shoulders slouched as he slept. His head rested back against the cushions, dark lashes resting against his cheek. For someone who carried the weight of an empire, he looked… peaceful. Vulnerable, even. The steady rise and fall of his chest was the only sound besides the faint hum of the air conditioning.

The sight made my stomach flip, warm and unsettling. Had he covered me with the blanket?

My eyes darted around again. The office was spotless—papers stacked neatly, no evidence of our earlier chaos. My cheeks flamed. Did he tidy everything, or—God forbid—did he call the janitor in? If it was the latter, I might never recover. The idea of someone else walking in, seeing me sprawled out like that—oh no.

I sank deeper into the blanket, mortified.

Still, a smile tugged at my lips as flashes of earlier moments played in my mind. The way he’d touched me. The low rasp of his voice against my ear. The heat of his kiss. A shiver ran down my spine, equal parts thrill and embarrassment.

But then, like a sudden chill, a heavier thought seeped in.

What happens now?

The question lingered like smoke I couldn’t fan away. I glanced at the wall clock and almost choked. Two o’clock. I’d slept through lunch, through half the workday.

With careful, almost guilty movements, I gathered my clothes. Each rustle of fabric sounded deafening in the quiet. As I slipped into my pants and reached for my shirt, something else caught my attention—my body was clean. Thoroughly.

Alaric.

Gentleman. Sweet, thoughtful, impossibly confusing Alaric.

And yet… he was also my boss. The one man I should never have let cross this line with me.

I was fastening the last button when the sound of movement froze me in place. My head whipped toward him.

He was waking.

Alaric’s lids fluttered open slowly, like he was fighting the weight of sleep. He blinked, groggy, before his gaze found me. And then—there it was. That smile. Drowsy, unguarded, impossibly endearing. My knees nearly gave out.

He stretched lazily, a feline grace in the way his body unfurled. Then he stood, and the shift in his presence was immediate. The air seemed to bend toward him, heavy with authority, with something I couldn’t quite name. His eyes locked onto mine, and I couldn’t look away.

They weren’t just eyes—they were a storm, a promise, a warning all tangled together. And they pulled me in, stripping me of my composure with each second.

Before I realized it, he was standing in front of me. His hands—steady, unhurried—touched mine and moved them gently aside. My breath caught as he began fastening the last of my buttons himself, his fingers brushing against my skin with each precise motion.

I should have moved, should have said something, but I was frozen. Not in fear—no, it was something more dangerous. I was captivated.

Then, without warning, his hand lingered on my chest, and he leaned in.

The kiss came like lightning—swift, consuming, impossible to prepare for. My entire body trembled at the first touch of his lips, soft but searing, igniting every nerve at once.

I melted into him, every instinct demanding I answer his fire with my own. It wasn’t just a kiss—it was a claiming, a spark that set something inside me ablaze.

And for the first time since waking, I stopped questioning. I simply surrendered.

But even as I kissed him back, my mind raced wildly, tangled between fear and longing.

What if this changes everything? What if he wakes up tomorrow and decides it was a mistake? What if I get too attached—only to realize I was nothing more than a fleeting distraction?

The thoughts should’ve pulled me away, but instead they only made my lips tremble against his.

When we finally broke apart, our breaths collided, shallow and uneven, the air thick with everything unspoken. My chest rose and fell too quickly, and I couldn’t tell if I was breathless from the intensity of the kiss or from the pounding of my heart, each beat hammering against my ribs like it was trying to break free.

He didn’t give me a chance to overthink. His hand slid down my arm, firm and sure, pulling me closer until the back of my knees brushed against the sofa. He sat down in one smooth motion, guiding me effortlessly onto his lap as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

And then his mouth found mine again—urgent, demanding, consuming.

The kiss was nothing like the first tentative brush of lips. This one crashed into me like a storm, fast and powerful, a force that demanded surrender. Shivers shot down my spine as his lips moved with an intensity that left me dizzy. He kissed like he had something to prove, like he wanted to pour every ounce of restraint he’d been holding back straight into me.

I tried to keep up, I really did. I’d kissed before, but never like this—never with someone who seemed to burn straight through me, setting fire to nerves I didn’t even know existed. He was dominant, relentless, and overwhelming.

And yet—I loved it. God help me, I loved every second of it.

I didn’t think my body would betray me so easily, but it did. It leaned into him, melted under his touch, craved every rush of sensation he fed me.

Then I froze.

Heat pooled beneath me, solid and undeniable. My eyes flew open as realization struck, and for a moment, the entire room tilted with the weight of it.

Slowly, I pulled back, searching his face. He blinked, lips still parted, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and anticipation.

“You don’t plan on… doing it again, do you?” My voice was soft but edged with caution, my body still perched on his lap, motionless.

He stuttered at first, caught off guard. “I—I…” Then, as if some switch flipped, a crooked smile tugged at his mouth. His voice lowered, smooth and steady now. “No, don’t worry… that’s just a natural reaction, baby.”

My brows furrowed, suspicion flickering in my eyes, but he only grinned wider, mischief dancing across his features before he leaned in to claim my mouth once more.

The resistance inside me faltered. For a few more moments, we gave in—our lips molding, our hearts racing, our breaths tangling until I couldn’t tell where mine ended and his began.

Eventually, though, the storm had to calm. His lips softened against mine, the feverish urgency fading into something slower, deeper, sweeter. When he finally drew back, he lingered close, his breath warm against my skin.

“You’re so addicting,” he murmured, his voice rough, threaded with sincerity. “I don’t even want to stop.”

His arms stayed around me, strong but gentle, holding me in a cocoon of warmth. His hands rested low on my back, his fingertips tracing slow, absentminded circles that sent tiny sparks dancing across my skin.

“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered, my voice breaking on the truth of it.

He tilted his head back, a soft laugh rumbling from his chest. “You don’t have to say anything.”

I studied his face as his eyes fluttered shut, but I knew he wasn’t asleep—not yet. Even behind closed lids, his mind was awake, alive. I could feel it in the way his chest rose beneath me, steady but tense, in the way his lips parted like he wanted to speak but held back.

And for the first time, I realized—I wasn’t the only one afraid of how much this could change.

I wondered what was going through his head right now.

Silence stretched between us, comfortable and warm.

His body had calmed down, yet I could still feel him beneath me.

And somehow, that only made me feel even more drawn to him.

But my mind wouldn’t stop whispering…

What happens next?

"I love you," he had said so suddenly, so effortlessly, as if those three words weren’t capable of turning my entire world upside down.

His words hung in the air, wrapping around me like an invisible force, pulling me deeper into something I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

My heart hammered against my chest, my mind racing to process what just happened. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. It felt good hearing it from him—I’d be lying if I said otherwise—but at the same time, confusion gnawed at me.

What exactly did he mean by that?

I knew what 'I love you' meant. Of course, I did. But… oh my god. He just sent me into a frenzy with only three words.

"Why are you like that?" His voice snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts.

I blinked. "What did you say?" The words left my lips automatically, without a second thought.

He rolled his eyes. "You heard me."

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. "I mean… What do you mean by that? Why did you say that?"

His eyes softened, and he gestured around us before meeting my gaze again. "Look at us," he said, his voice steady but laced with meaning. His hand rose in a simple yet profound motion. "The kisses… the s*x…" His gaze burned into me. "What do you think that means?"

My breath hitched. I opened my mouth, but all that came out was, "I… uhhh… I don’t know…" I looked away, unable to meet his piercing stare.

His brows furrowed. "What do you mean you don’t know?" There was an edge to his voice now, like he was challenging me. "You’re smarter than that… you know what this is."

Yes, I did. "But why? How?"

"That… I don’t know, and If I do, it will remain a secret" he admitted meaningfully as if it had something in it, and then, to my surprise, a smile broke across his face—soft, genuine. "But what matters is that I love you, and I want you to be mine."

His hands cupped my face, his touch tender, grounding me. His eyes, usually sharp and unreadable, were now filled with sincerity, leaving no space for doubt.

I tried to speak. "But we're b---"

My lips parted, but before I could finish anything, he cut me off. "So what!?" His voice was firm but filled with raw emotion. "So what if we're both guys?"

I froze. My thoughts tangled together, but he wasn’t done yet.

"Are we not allowed to love and be loved?" His voice softened slightly, yet the intensity remained. "I haven’t felt this way in a really long time. And I know exactly what this is. This is love." He let out a shaky breath, his lips trembling slightly as he spoke. "And what can I do if I felt it for someone like you? Someone who just happens to be a guy like me?"

I stared at him, unable to speak.