Chapter 104: Chapter 104; Am I in love?
Ragnar’s POV
I stood outside the door of Boca’s quarters, taking a long, deep breath to steady my nerves before I raised my hand and knocked.
"Come in," Boca’s voice called out from the other side.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside, keeping my hands resting casually in my pockets. The second Boca saw me, his entire body tensed up, a look of absolute dread washing over his features. "Don’t tell me... the goddamn spell wasn’t broken?"
A genuine, relaxed smile broke across my face, and I let out a soft chuckle. "Don’t worry, man. I am definitely not overly in love with you anymore."
An immediate, massive wave of relief washed over Boca. His shoulders dropped, and he let out a long breath he’d clearly been holding for days. "Jesus... that is so much better. So, if you’re back to normal, why exactly are you here?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, my expression turning serious as I looked him in the eye. "I came here to personally apologize to you, Boca. I’m sorry for the completely inappropriate ways I acted toward you over the last few days, and I am really sorry for making you so uncomfortable."
Boca nodded slowly, accepting the gesture with a shrug. "Hey, I understand. It was the potion. It’s not like you are really gay or anything, so it’s fine."
An awkward, slightly strained smile pulled at the corners of my lips. I cleared my throat, shifting my weight. "Actually, Boca... I am gay. I really do like men. I’m honestly a little surprised you didn’t already know that."
Boca blinked, his eyes widening in sudden realization. "Oh. Oh, wow." He scratched his cheek, looking a little caught off guard. "Well... if that’s the case then, I guess I hope you find a good boyfriend."
I smiled, tilting my head. "Sure. Thanks, Boca."
With that, I turned around and left his quarters, heading straight out to the rogue training grounds to clear my head. But the second I stepped onto the field, the guys stopped what they were doing. A collective smirk broke out across the group, and they immediately started throwing taunts my way.
"Hey, look, it’s Ragnar!" one of them shouted. "Where the hell is your Boca? The absolute love of your life?"
"Not funny, guys," I muttered, rolling my eyes as I grabbed a pair of training blades.
Daniel immediately stepped forward, dramatically pressing his hands against his chest and mimicking my voice in a ridiculous, high-pitched tone. "Oh, Boca! I love you so much! You are the absolute only one for me! I will literally die right here if you don’t kiss me right now!"
The entire training section burst into a loud, roaring fit of laughter, guys doubling over and slappings their knees.
I stared at them blankly. "You guys aren’t ever going to let this go, are you?"
"Never!" Daniel laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Yeah, fuck you guys," I said, though I couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at my own lips.
I didn’t let their relentless teasing affect my focus. I jumped right into the drills, throwing myself into the physical exertion until my muscles burned and the sun began to set over the horizon.
Once evening fully arrived, the jokes stopped, and the real work began. We had a critical mission tonight: a massive drug distribution drop. But when we arrived at the coordinates, we realized the exchange site was heavily surrounded by Aiden’s enforcers. They were armed, locked down, and waiting.
Suddenly, a presence shifted beside me, and Boca crouched down in the brush right next to my shoulder. "We take them from behind," he whispered, his tactical gaze scanning the perimeter.
The second his deep, gravelly voice vibrated right next to my ear, my heart gave a sudden, violent thud against my ribs. A wave of intense heat rushed directly down my spine, and for some inexplicable, fucking reason, my dick was instantly getting hard. My breath hitched, my heart racing even faster than before as the heat pooled in my groin.
"Did you hear what I just said?" Boca whispered again, turning his head slightly toward me.
I couldn’t even force words out of my throat. I just quickly nodded my head, keeping my eyes locked on the target ahead to hide the sudden panic flaring through my system.
Within minutes, we executed the move. We moved like ghosts through the shadows, launching a brutal, coordinated ambush on Aiden’s men before they could even raise their weapons. We eliminated every single one of them, clearing the area completely. Boca smoothly gained access to the primary vault, and together we quickly distributed the product to our waiting buyers, securing the massive duffel bags of cash in return.
But just as we packed up the money and prepared to clear out, a blood-curdling, echoey chorus of wolf howls pierced through the night air.
My blood turned to ice. "We have to go right now!" I yelled, the sheer volume of the howls indicating a massive force. I turned to the remaining rogues and screamed, "Run!"
We bolted into the dense forest, running at a breakneck speed. But the enemy pack was closing in on us incredibly fast. There were far too many of them for us to even attempt to stand our ground and fight.
I pushed my legs to their absolute limit, leaping over fallen logs and navigating the dark terrain. But luck wasn’t on my side tonight. My foot caught a thick, hidden root, and I went flying forward, crashing brutally against the hard earth.
"Fuck this!" I cursed loudly, coughing as dirt filled my mouth.
I scrambled to push myself up, desperately reaching for a nearby tree branch to pull myself to my feet. But the moment I tried to move, a terrifying numbness washed over my lower body. I couldn’t feel my legs at all. I tried to command them to move, but they wouldn’t budge an inch.
"No... no, no! Fuck this! Fuck!" I panicked, clawing at the dirt as the heavy thud of paws neared.
A massive, snarling wolf burst through the bushes, its teeth bared as it sneered down at my helpless form. It coiled its muscles, preparing to sink its fangs directly into my throat.
Enf!
Out of nowhere, Boca violently tackled the beast mid-air, throwing the massive wolf entirely across the clearing and crashing it into a boulder. Before the rest of the pack could emerge, Boca lunged down, scooped my massive frame up securely into his powerful arms, and took off running at an insane speed.
I rested my head against his shoulder, my gaze completely fixed on his sharp, determined jawline as he carried me through the dark forest. The wind whipped through his hair, his muscles flexing powerfully beneath my weight. For some strange reason... he looked absolutely mesmerizing to me in this moment.
My heart was hammering against my chest like a trapped bird, a heavy, profound warmth spreading all through my body.
What the hell does this mean? I thought, my mind spinning into complete chaos as I stared up at his face. Is the potion still working... or am I actually in love with Boca for real this time?
