Chapter 5. The storm

Kael slowly leaned in closer to Amara, as if testing himself, still fighting something inside of him. So close now that she could feel his heavy, hot breath scorching her skin even through the robes. Kael had faced down enemies on the battlefield, stared into the eyes of death more times than he cared to count, and yet nothing had prepared him for the sight of the woman before him. Amara was unlike anyone he’d ever encountered. Even now, as she sat perched on the edge of the bed, firelight dancing across her features, she looked as though she belonged to the wild, untamed forests she’d come from, not the confines of any cage or castle.

Her hair, dark as midnight, tumbled in unruly waves around her shoulders, catching the flicker of the flames in a way that made it seem alive, almost defiant. A strand clung to her cheek, damp with sweat from the heat coursing through her, and he had to stop himself from reaching out to tuck it behind her ear.

Her eyes—those eyes—were what truly held him captive. They were a molten amber, burning with a ferocity that the drug couldn’t dim, a challenge that sparked even now, when her body betrayed her. He felt their pull like gravity, and though they glared at him with defiance, he couldn’t look away.

Her skin glowed in the firelight, flushed and damp, her cheeks tinged with a color that wasn’t just from the heat. The curve of her jaw, the arch of her brows, the delicate slope of her nose—everything about her was sharp and striking, a contrast to the soft, full lips that pressed together in frustration.

But it wasn’t just her beauty that mesmerized him. It was the way she held herself, even now, even like this. Her shoulders were squared, her chin tilted up in quiet rebellion, as though daring him to acknowledge the power she still held over herself, despite the drug. Despite him.

She was fierce. Beautiful and wild in a way that made her feel untouchable, and yet, here she was, sitting just a breath away.

And her smell… so intimate, light as a haze. Bitter-spicy, earthy and woody, enveloping in its sensual richness. It filled the room with her presence, demanding his attention, making it impossible to think of anything else.

And it was maddening.

The firelight cast shifting shadows across her face, accentuating every curve, every line, every flicker of emotion that crossed her features. Her hands gripped the edge of the bed, her knuckles white, and he could sence the tremor in her fingers. She was fighting—fighting the drug, fighting him, fighting the fire consuming her from within.

And gods, how that fight tempted him.

Kael clenched his fists at his sides, forcing himself to stay rooted where he was, though every fibre of his being ached to move even closer. The pull was undeniable, a magnetic force that tugged at him with every breath she took, almost insufferable. He could see the way her small accurate breasts rose and fell, her breaths shallow and uneven, her lips parted as though she was trying to find the strength to speak.

She was temptation itself, wrapped in defiance and fire. Truly, an Omega like no other.

Her voice, low and trembling, broke through the haze. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Kael swallowed hard, the tension in his chest tightening further. He didn’t know how to answer her. How could he explain what she did to him, how her very presence seemed to crack the armour he’d spent years building?

Because she wasn’t just beautiful. She was alive in a way that no one else had been in a very long time.

Because she burned brighter than any fire, and he couldn’t look away. And now he was coming closer and closer to his own bane as a stupid moth falls for a lamp. Her amber eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed together as though she didn’t believe him. But the way her breath hitched, the way her fingers curled against the bedspread, betrayed her. She felt it too—that unspoken tension, the charged air between them that neither could seem to sever.

“I can’t help it,” he murmured somewhere under his breath, his words disappearing somewhere in her collarbones as he leaned in. Amara gasped and let out a hoarse “ah” as he inhaled her scent heavily, running his nose along her damp neck. It seemed like he was trying to sniff out and suck out her scent, to dry up its source with his breath.

She tried to move away, but the alpha put his hand on her neck, holding it in place. In a husky and commanding voice he purred to her ear, “Stay still,” and lightly bit her earlobe.

Amara let out a short moan, and immediately bit her lip. She was definitely still fighting it. She was a storm he couldn’t escape, a wildfire he couldn’t extinguish.

And gods help him, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. Right now he just wanted to burn himself in it.

Kael’s lips hovered near Amara’s ear, his breath hot and ragged as he struggled to maintain the last shreds of control. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to take, to claim, to let himself sink into the intoxicating pull of her. Her scent, rich and complex, wrapped around him like a drug of its own, filling his senses and drowning out every rational thought.

He could feel her tremble beneath his touch, her body caught in the same unbearable tension as his own. Her defiance still burned brightly in her amber eyes, even as her lips parted with unspoken protests. But that momentary moan, that fleeting crack in her defences, echoed in his mind, feeding the fire roaring within him.

Kael’s hand on her neck was firm but not harsh, his thumb brushing the soft skin at her jawline as though to soothe and command at once. His lips brushed against the edge of her jaw, the faintest graze that sent a shiver through both of them. “Amara…” he murmured, her name rough on his tongue, a plea and a warning all at once.

Her breath hitched, her hands gripping the bedspread tighter as if it were her only anchor. “This… whatever this is…” she began, her voice trembling but still sharp with defiance. “It’s not real.”

Kael froze for a moment, her words cutting through the haze of desire like a cold wind. She was right. Whatever they’d given her, whatever had been done to her, it wasn’t fair. She didn’t choose this. Neither of them had.

But gods, the way she looked at him, the way her scent filled the air, the way her body reacted to his touch—it was impossible to ignore. And it was driving him mad.