Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Breaking at the Edge
RAMON’S POV
There was a dead body rotting away somewhere in my pack. The body of a messenger from my enemies’ pack.
A direct threat on my sister had been established. Ivy was presently doing her best to ensure the success of the full moon celebration, overseeing decorations, coordinating the servants, and keeping the pack’s spirits high even as danger loomed.
My beta and omega were out there in the shadows, hunting for the head of another rival alpha. A death that could possibly ignite another war. Members of my pack were scattered across every corner, doing everything they could to tidy up and prepare until it was time to celebrate under the moon’s watchful eye.
All of these critical things were happening simultaneously, pulling at the threads of my leadership. Yet here I was, the alpha of the great Bloodmoon Pack—staring into the eyes of the most beautiful woman in the world. A woman I had sworn to use in every way imaginable, but never in a way that included giving her my heart.
I was looking into her eyes, and all I wanted was to kiss her until the world went blank. To lose myself in the softness of her lips, the heat of her body, the way her scent wrapped around me like a drug I couldn’t quit.
But I couldn’t.
Regrettably, I had made a bet that ensured I needed to hold back, at least until the full moon was well and truly over. How could I do that, though, when she was on my bed, and had even kissed me first? Her wolf panted in anticipation for my reciprocation, the sound vibrating through the bond like a siren call.
I could feel the heat emanating from our bodies, thick and electric. An exchange was occurring, and when fire mixed with fire, there was bound to be an explosion of some sort.
Yet I had to hold myself back. I had to pretend I didn’t want to rip off her dress and take everything that belonged to me, her body, her surrender, her everything.
"What is it?" she asked in a dangerously seductive voice, low and breathy.
I could see she didn’t mean for it to come off that way. What she didn’t understand, clearly due to her naivety, was that the full moon’s effect could be very persuasive. It made you do the kinds of things you usually wouldn’t. It amplified every instinct, every buried desire, until resistance felt like fighting the tide itself.
My eyes drifted down her body, and I instantly regretted that action. From the thin dress she was wearing, her nipples pierced through the fabric like invitations. They were rock hard, flushed, and clearly in need of a good munching, my mouth watering at the thought of sucking them until she arched and moaned my name.
"Let’s go!" I jumped to my feet in alarm, my thoughts having wandered into dangerously tempting territory.
It was either I removed myself from the situation, or I gave in and dealt with the regret later. That would be a lot of regrets, and I didn’t want to put myself through it. Not when the full moon was already clawing at my control like a beast demanding release.
"Why?" she asked, almost painfully. As if any moment now, she would drop a tear.
It made my wolf cloudy with need. It made me want to drop every restraint and give her what we both obviously wanted, hard, deep, and without mercy.
"We just have to leave," I said instead, my voice rougher than I intended. I would take her back to her home, and wouldn’t have to deal with the temptations anymore. Distance. That was what I needed. Distance before I lost the bet and everything else.
"You’re being a coward," she said, causing me to blink in surprise.
"Where did that come from?" I asked, clueless as to why her entire demeanor had suddenly changed. The shy, hesitant Sonia was gone, replaced by something fiercer, hungrier.
"You’re fighting a losing battle, you know?" She rose to her feet and came to me, her movements graceful yet deliberate, like a predator closing in.
Hadn’t we been over this already? I stand up, she follows me, we talk, an argument ensues in between. I throw her to the bed, and she returns the favor by kissing me. We were going round in circles. An unfortunate rollercoaster of desire and denial.
"You’re being a coward," she repeated and stopped right in front of me, so close I could feel the heat radiating from her skin.
I folded my arms instantly. Any longer without them bound, I would have reached out to those perky breasts and pushed them into my hungry mouth, tasting her until she begged.
"I’m not a coward," I scoffed. "Far from it."
"Then prove it," she threw back at me in a challenging voice, her eyes bright with defiance and something darker—need.
"What do you want me to prove? How do you want me to prove whatever it is you want me to prove?" My forehead creased in confusion, my control fraying at the edges.
"Don’t run away. Don’t send me away. Stay with me through the night. It’s what you wanted, right? You said I needed to rest."
"Yeah, I did. Then I realized you were right. You can rest in your own room."
"I don’t want to go to my room." She shook her head stubbornly, her hair swaying with the motion like dark silk in the low light.
She was being fierce. She was talking back. She even held my gaze firmly, unflinching. It was getting closer to full moon day, and her boldness increased with every breath, every heartbeat. The bond was pulling her under too, making her as restless as I was.
"What would you have me do, Sonia? I can’t give you what you want."
She snickered, a soft, bitter sound. "You talk like you don’t want the same thing. Have you even thought of me? This is all so new to me. Save for the time you forced your beta to take a piece of me, I’d never been with a man!" She screamed, and the suddenness of it all made me take a step back.
"You’re losing your mind," I said, giving her a once-over. As if I just needed to pay closer attention to her to understand what the heck was going on in her head.
"You’re absolutely right, I am. My wolf is burning. She’s itching, and desperate to put her claws on you. Do you understand what is happening to me? Because despite the books, I still don’t know!"
"I can’t give you what you want, and I’m not sorry that I can’t," I replied aggressively, my jaw tight.
"I hate you, Ramon!"
"What are you talking about?" I asked, watching her eyes grow with raw hatred in them, hatred mixed with something hotter, more desperate.
"I hate that you took me from the one place that, in hindsight, protected me from monsters like you. I hate that you treat me like crap, and all I do is bear it, because it’s not in my nature to rebel. I hate how much my wolf craves you, but you disappoint her again and again. I hate it all, and I hate you!" She stomped her foot, the sound sharp on the wooden floor, and moved to walk past me.
My control shattered in that moment, and I came undone.
She couldn’t hate me. I simply couldn’t let her hate me.
Pulling her back with a growl, I pushed her onto the bed and leaped on top of her, my body covering hers completely. The mattress dipped under our combined weight, the sheets tangling around us like chains.
"You hate me? Then I hate you too," I snarled, and attacked her lips.
The kiss was savage, teeth clashing, tongues battling for dominance. I poured every ounce of frustration, desire, and buried need into it, devouring her mouth like a starving man. My hand moved instinctively, sliding up her side to grab the breasts I had wanted nothing more than to touch all day.
They were full and soft in my palm, her nipples hard peaks begging for attention. I pinched one lightly, rolling it between my fingers, and she arched beneath me with a broken moan that went straight to my cock.
I was moving to rip the dress open completely when I heard a loud knock on the door.
"Alpha Ramon, it’s Blane."
I froze, because unfortunately, it was time for business. The full moon waited for no one, and neither did the blood I had promised.
