Confronted
1879 Words
She was on top of him, straddling him on the couch. They were half-clothed, his hands gripping her hips, lifting her.
Darius's fury surged. A plan was already forging in his mind—one that ended with this man in shreds.
Then—she froze.
Her head snapped up. Violet eyes wide.
She smelled him.
Darius saw it—the moment of recognition. The bond flared to life. And then she moved.
She leapt off the man, yanking down her skirt.
But it wasn’t need in her eyes. It was panic. She muttered something to the human, grabbed her shirt.
She was going to bolt.
But Darius was already at the apartment door, arriving just as she yanked it open. She skidded to a halt, breath heaving, eyes blazing with fear and fury.
Darius blocked the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, towering above her. “Going somewhere, little one?”
He inhaled deeply, scenting her. “You’re not human. You’re—what are you?” He couldn’t get a read. That was unusual.
Her chin lifted. “Excuse me? I am human. Now leave.”
His voice dropped, rough and primal. “You were about to run from me.”
She scoffed. “Run? Please. I was leaving. Big difference.”
He tilted his head, golden eyes glinting. “You sure? Because your heart’s pounding like you’re thinking about jumping out that window.”
She squared her shoulders, arms crossed tight. “Maybe that’s just because a giant stalker is standing in my doorway, sniffing me like I’m a damn buffet.”
His smirk was wicked. “You are a damn buffet. And you smell—” he leaned in, inhaling slowly, “—f*****g delicious.”
Her breath hitched.
Then she snapped, “You’re disgusting,” and made a futile attempt to shut the door.
He didn’t flinch, just stopped it with a calm, cynical smile. “You’re my mate.”
She flinched like he’d struck her.
“No,” she said quickly. “No, I’m not.”
“Oh, yes. You are.”
“Listen, whoever-you-are, I don’t know what kind of weird game you’re playing, but I want no part of it. I have a life. A normal one. One that doesn’t include bossy wolves showing up and ruining it.” She jabbed a finger into his chest, but her eyes looked like they were pleading.
Darius barely registered her jab. He was too focused on her eyes. His thoughts clouded, her scent curling around him like a drug. The heat vibrating between them was unmistakable.
He leaned down, voice a low rumble. “Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but fate doesn’t give a damn about your plans. And I’m not a wolf.” His grin widened. “But since you assumed I was, that answers my question about you. You’re mine, little she-wolf.”
Her scowl deepened. “I don’t give a damn about fate.”
Darius grinned, slow and knowing. “That so? Then why do you smell just as affected as I do?”
Her cheeks flushed.
Busted.
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Then spun and tried to run.
He moved faster.
In a blink, he was behind her, arms braced on either side of the wall, caging her in. Her back brushed his chest. He flipped her around to face him.
Heat.
It crackled between them, electric and overwhelming.
“You’re not going anywhere, mate,” he whispered.
Her breath came in a soft, shuddering exhale, but she still tilted her chin defiantly. “I don’t belong to you.”
Darius chuckled darkly, voice low. “Keep telling yourself that, little wolf.”
Because no matter how much she denied it, her body told him the truth.
She felt it.
Just like he did.
And he wasn’t going to let her go.
Not now. Not ever.
Darius leaned in, his towering frame caging her against the wall. Heat radiated from him, his breath brushing over her lips. Her heart pounded—not from fear, but from something far more dangerous.
His golden eyes burned into hers, intense and all-consuming. For one impossible second, she stopped resisting. She couldn’t deny the mate bond anymore.
Amelia’s voice was breathless in her mind. *Trust him.* It came through stronger than ever, sending a shiver down her spine. Seraphina could actually hear her words. Amelia was breaking through the fog, and with it came a swirl of need and lust.
Darius’s lips tilted into a slow curl as he lowered his head.
She leaned in—but just as their lips were about to touch—
“Seraphina?”
The moment shattered.
Seraphina flinched back, heart lurching as Ethan rounded the corner, fully dressed now. His brows furrowed, his gaze darting between them. “What the f**k is going on?”
He squared his shoulders, clearly trying to look brave. But compared to Darius, he looked like prey in the presence of a predator.
Darius’s expression turned to ice, the fire in his eyes vanishing. “Who the hell is this?”
Ethan stepped forward. “I could ask you the same thing.”
Seraphina ducked under Darius’s arm, quickly moving between them before the tension could ignite. “Ethan—”
He reached for her, protective and shaking. “Is he bothering you?”
A low growl rumbled from Darius’s chest. “Oh, you’re adorable.”
Ethan bristled. “Excuse me?”
The air snapped tight with tension.
“Ethan, listen,” Seraphina said quickly, stepping back. “This isn’t what you think—”
But Ethan had already gone into full protector mode. “I don’t care who you are. If you’re threatening her, back the hell off.”
Darius arched a brow. “Threaten?” He laughed softly, mockingly. “No, boy. I dominate.
Ethan’s fists clenched. “Is that a threat? Because I’ll kill you.”
Seraphina barely had time to react.
With a sickening crack, Darius’s body began to shift—bones snapping, muscles twisting, black fur erupting from his skin. The transformation was brutal and magnificent.
When it was over, a massive black Lycan stood in Darius’s place. Golden flecks shimmered in his fur, and his molten eyes still burned. Power radiated from every inch of him.
Ethan screamed.
“WHAT THE f**k?! WHAT IS THAT?! SERAPHINA, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!”
Darius took a slow, deliberate step forward. His claws sliced into the floorboards—silent and lethal.
Ethan stumbled back, wide-eyed with panic. “No. No, no, no. That’s not—what is he?! That’s not possible! That’s not real!”
“STOP!” Seraphina cried, darting in front of Darius, throwing out her arms. “Please, don’t hurt him. He saved me.”
Darius froze, golden eyes locked on hers.
Seraphina turned to Ethan, desperate. “Ethan, please—he’s my mate. You don’t understand. The bond makes him... possessive.”
“You’re damn right I don’t!” Ethan’s voice cracked. “What the hell is going on? You—you live with me, under my roof. I helped you, and you didn’t tell me anything about that. Are you one of them?”
“I didn’t know this would happen,” she whispered. “I swear. I didn’t—I thought I got away from that life.”
Ethan let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, that’s rich. You *didn’t know*? Answer me—are you a goddamn animal too?!”
“I’m not!” she shouted, tears stinging her eyes. “I mean... I don’t—I’ve never—”
Darius growled, then shifted back, slowly. Power rippled through his form. Fur gave way to flesh. Bone snapped back into place.
And then he stood before them—naked, dangerous, and utterly unbothered.
Seraphina turned her head, face burning. Ethan stared, shell-shocked.
Darius smirked. “Enough. Just forget about me and her. We need to go.”
“Forget *you*?!” Ethan snapped. “You just turned into a damn monster in the middle of my living room! I’ll be lucky if I *ever* sleep again!”
He turned to Seraphina, voice trembling. “And you—you were going to kiss that monster. Right here. In my house?”
“I wasn’t—I...” she faltered. “It’s complicated.”
“No kidding.” Ethan’s voice turned pleading. “Do you feel something for him? After everything? After me?”
Her throat tightened. “It’s not like that. I love you.” She stepped toward him, but stopped when Darius growled.
“Then what is it?” Ethan demanded. “Because I watched you fall apart in my arms. I picked up every broken piece and held them together with mine. Now he walks in, growls a little, and you’re just his?”
“Ethan—” Her voice cracked.
“No. I don’t want to hear it. Whatever this is—this—it’s not love. It’s not you. You were the first person I believed in after everything. And now you’re not even real”
He turned, storming toward the back room. Moments later, he returned with a pair of sweatpants and shoved them toward Darius without meeting his eyes. “Here. Put something on. And get out of my house.”
Darius chuckled, amused, and slipped into the sweatpants. “You’re lucky she likes you, human. Or you’d be dead.”
“For f**k’s sake,” Ethan snapped. “You’re pathetic. You don’t deserve her.”
Darius turned, his smirk still in place. “And you—a human—think you deserve her? You have no idea what she’s destined to become.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched.
Seraphina stood frozen, caught between two worlds. One familiar and safe. The other dangerous... and undeniably hers.
Then Darius turned to her. “Let’s go.”
“I can’t—” she looked at Darius’s stern face and knew she wouldn’t win this fight. She gave in. “—I need my stuff.”
“You won’t need it where we’re going.”
Ethan was already on his phone, muttering under his breath. “There’s gotta be a number. A hotline... someone who handles this supernatural crap. You’re not taking her.”
Seraphina opened her mouth to respond, but Darius gently touched her arm, guiding her to the door.
She looked back one last time.
Ethan stood there—betrayed, devastated, helpless.
And then she followed Darius into the night.
Outside, silence stretched between them as they approached the northern treeline. Moonlight painted the world in silver. The scent of pine calmed her nerves.
Darius glanced sideways. “So... Ethan?”
Seraphina’s violet eyes snapped to his. “Don’t. He was the best thing I had in my entire life.”
Darius didn’t reply. He’d ask more later—when the wounds weren’t so fresh.
“Time to shift. We’ll cover more ground that way.”
She stopped cold.
He turned. “What is it?”
Seraphina lowered her gaze. “I... I don’t know how.”
Darius stilled.
“I’ve never shifted before,” she whispered, shame curling around the words like smoke.
Darius blinked, stunned. The teasing died on his lips. Something gentler took its place.
- Writer
