TOO CLOSE TO DENY
1198 Words
The first thing I noticed when I woke up—
Was him.
Not physically.
Not in the room.
But there.
---
The bond had changed again.
It wasn’t just something I felt when he was near anymore.
It was constant.
Low.
Steady.
Like a second heartbeat that didn’t belong entirely to me.
---
I lay still on the bed, staring at the ceiling, my fingers lightly resting against my chest as I tried to steady my breathing.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
---
But inside me—
Nothing was calm.
---
You’re awake.
---
The voice slid into my mind without warning.
Low.
Familiar.
Dangerous.
---
My breath caught.
“Kael…”
I whispered his name before I could stop myself.
---
The bond reacted instantly.
A slow, heavy pulse that spread through my chest.
Not painful.
Not violent.
---
But aware.
---
“You’re in my head now?” I muttered under my breath, pushing myself up slowly.
---
You felt me before I spoke, he replied.
---
That wasn’t an answer.
---
“That doesn’t mean I like it,” I said.
---
Silence.
Then—
A low, almost amused sound brushed against my thoughts.
---
You’re adjusting faster than I expected.
---
My jaw tightened.
“I’m not adjusting to anything.”
---
The bond pulsed again.
Stronger.
Correcting.
---
I exhaled sharply.
“Stop doing that.”
---
Doing what?
---
“You know what.”
---
Another pause.
Longer this time.
---
Then—
Say my name again.
---
My heart skipped.
“What?”
---
Say it.
---
My fingers curled slightly against the fabric of the bed.
“No.”
---
The bond tightened.
Not painfully.
But firmly.
---
A warning.
---
I swallowed.
“You’re impossible.”
---
Say it.
---
My breath became uneven.
And I hated that it did.
---
“Kael.”
---
The moment his name left my lips—
The bond reacted.
Not violently.
Not painfully.
---
But intensely.
---
Heat spread through my chest, slower this time, deeper, settling somewhere beneath my ribs.
---
And for a second—
Just a second—
I forgot to breathe.
---
Better, he murmured.
---
My cheeks warmed.
Annoyance.
Nothing else.
---
“Don’t do that again.”
---
We’ll see.
---
---
I didn’t stay in my room long.
I couldn’t.
Not when the walls felt like they were closing in on me.
Not when every quiet moment gave my thoughts too much space.
---
The Lycan fortress was different during the day.
Still cold.
Still imposing.
---
But alive.
---
Lycans moved through the corridors with purpose, their presence heavy, controlled, disciplined.
Every step precise.
Every movement intentional.
---
And every single one of them—
Noticed me.
---
Not openly.
Not disrespectfully.
---
But carefully.
---
Like they weren’t sure what I was yet.
---
Or what I would become.
---
That thought lingered longer than it should have.
---
“You’re out early.”
---
The voice came from behind me.
Deep.
Close.
Too close.
---
I froze.
---
The bond reacted instantly.
Stronger than before.
---
I didn’t need to turn.
I already knew.
---
Kael.
---
“Do you always move like that?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.
---
“Like what?”
---
“Silent.”
---
I turned slowly.
---
And there he was.
---
Closer than I expected.
Closer than I was ready for.
---
My breath caught.
Again.
---
It was becoming a problem.
---
His gaze locked onto mine instantly.
Sharp.
Unmoving.
---
“You didn’t sense me?” he asked.
---
I hesitated.
---
The truth?
---
“I felt something,” I admitted.
---
His eyes darkened slightly.
---
“But I didn’t know it was you,” I added quickly.
---
A mistake.
---
Because something shifted in his expression.
---
Not anger.
---
Something else.
---
“You should know,” he said.
---
My stomach tightened.
---
“I’m not used to this,” I replied.
---
“Then learn.”
---
Of course.
---
Always that tone.
That command.
That expectation.
---
And yet—
I didn’t argue.
---
Because the bond didn’t let me.
---
Or maybe—
I didn’t want to.
---
---
He stepped closer.
---
Not rushed.
Not sudden.
---
Deliberate.
---
And just like before—
My body reacted.
---
A sharp inhale.
A slight shift forward.
A subtle pull I couldn’t control.
---
I hated it.
---
But I didn’t step back.
---
And that—
That was worse.
---
“You’re not resisting anymore,” he said.
---
My heart skipped.
---
“I am,” I replied quickly.
---
Lie.
---
Weak.
---
Unconvincing.
---
He tilted his head slightly.
---
“No.”
---
The word landed.
Simple.
Certain.
---
My fingers curled at my sides.
---
“I just… understand it better,” I tried again.
---
Another lie.
---
Because I didn’t understand anything.
---
Not him.
Not this.
Not the way my body reacted every time he got too close.
---
His gaze dropped briefly.
---
To my lips.
---
Then back up.
---
And that single movement—
That tiny shift—
Made something inside me tighten.
---
“You feel it,” he said.
---
Not a question.
---
A statement.
---
My breath faltered.
---
“I feel the bond,” I said carefully.
---
His expression didn’t change.
---
But his next words did.
---
“It’s not just the bond.”
---
My heart slammed.
---
“No,” I said immediately. “It is.”
---
He stepped closer.
---
Too close.
---
Close enough that I could feel the heat of him again.
---
Close enough that my thoughts began to blur.
---
“Then prove it,” he murmured.
---
That again.
---
My pulse quickened.
---
“How?”
---
His hand lifted.
---
Slow.
---
Intentional.
---
And this time—
I knew what was coming.
---
I should have stepped back.
---
I didn’t.
---
His fingers brushed lightly against my wrist.
---
And everything—
Everything—
Shifted.
---
The bond flared.
---
But not violently.
---
Not painfully.
---
Something deeper.
---
My breath hitched.
---
My fingers twitched slightly—
Then—
Without thinking—
I held onto his wrist.
---
Silence.
---
Heavy.
---
Still.
---
Kael didn’t move.
---
Didn’t pull away.
---
Didn’t speak.
---
He just—
Watched.
---
And I realized—
Too late—
What I had done.
---
My grip tightened slightly.
---
Not out of fear.
---
Not out of resistance.
---
But something else.
---
Something I didn’t understand.
---
Something I didn’t want to name.
---
My breath became uneven.
---
“I didn’t—”
---
“Don’t.”
---
The word was quiet.
---
But it stopped me instantly.
---
His eyes held mine.
---
Dark.
Focused.
Different.
---
And for the first time—
There was no distance between us.
---
No command.
No resistance.
---
Just—
Awareness.
---
And something dangerously close to…
---
Want.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD