Bethel's Pov
The word *punish* hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, stripping the oxygen from the room.
Before I could process the threat, Allari moved. It wasn’t the slow, deliberate approach of a teacher; it was the predatory strike of something that had been waiting in the shadows. He crossed the distance between us in two long strides, his hand shooting out to wrap around the back of my neck, fingers tangling brutally in my hair.
He didn’t ask. He didn’t warn.
He yanked me forward, crashing his mouth onto mine with a violence that stole the breath from my lungs. It wasn’t a kiss; it was an invasion. A claiming. His lips were hard and demanding, tasting of mint and danger, forcing my mouth open until I had no choice but to surrender to the sheer force of him.
I tried to pull ba
