I need him. The bond makes sure I can’t forget it, this constant awareness of his absence like a missing tooth my tongue keeps finding. But admitting defeat and crawling back to him now would ruin all the fun I’ve been having. So I grit my teeth and ride out the discomfort, telling myself I can handle a few more days, a few more games.
Icheck the calendar I have pinned inside my locker in the locker room at the gym, toweling off sweat from my neck as I squint at the screen. The date stares back at me, circled in red with a little note I’d added weeks ago:Suha’s rut.
I’d timed it carefully, counting back from our first encounter and cross-referencing with what I’d observed during my stalking phase. Dominant alphas like Suha tend to have predictable cycles, and I’d made damn sure to track his.
The bond has been pulling at me harder these past few days anyway. It’s like an itch I can’t scratch, a restlessness that settles deep in my bones and won’t let go. I’ve been irritable as hell, snapping at Wooil over nothing, unable to focus during sparring sessions. Even Hansol noticed, asking if I was coming down with something.
I lean back against the lockers and sigh, running my hand through my damp hair. Well, I think, this is going to hurt. But there’s no helping it.
The bond won’t let me stay away forever, and honestly? I’m getting tired of fighting it. The thrill of the chase has been fun, but my body is screaming for relief now. I need what only Suha can give me, even if it means facing his fury.
I finish getting dressed, pulling on my usual ripped jeans and a sleeveless shirt, lacing up my combat boots. My reflection in the mirror shows the fading marks from our last encounter, the bite scars on my neck still visible, the bond mark permanently raised on my shoulder. They’ll be fresh again soon enough.
The thought makes heat coil in my gut.
I wait until well after dark to make my move, slipping through the shadows toward Suha’s mansion with the same stealth I used to escape it. The guards are still patrolling in their predictable patterns, and I time my approach carefully, scaling the outer wall when their backs are turned.
The gardens are quiet, moonlight casting everything in silver. I move quickly across the lawn, keeping low, my bare feet silent on the grass. I’d ditched my boots at the wall since they’re too loud for this kind of infiltration.
I locate the right window, an identical trellis beneath it like the one I’d climbed down from, clinging to the side of the mansion beneath Suha’s bedroom window. I climb it carefully, testing each handhold. The window is unlocked, because why wouldn’t it be? Suha probably has never had to worry about things like that.
I slip inside and pad across the plush carpet to the walk-in closet, settling myself in the shadows behind a rack of expensive suits. Then I wait.
My heart pounds steadily in my chest, anticipation mixing with genuine nervousness. I’m about to face a very angry, very possessive alpha in the throes of his rut. An alpha I’ve been taunting and evading for two weeks. An alpha who probably has a very detailed list of punishments planned for me.
I should be terrified. Instead, I’m half hard already.
The bedroom door slams open maybe twenty minutes later, making me tense. I peer through the gap between suits and watch as Suha storms in, his movements jerky and aggressive. He’s still in his work clothes, but they’re disheveled, his tie hanging loose, his shirt half untucked. His face is flushed, a sheen of sweat on his brow, and I can see the tension in every line of his body.
His rut has definitely set in.
He yanks at his tie, cursing under his breath, tossing it aside before working at his belt with fumbling fingers. His hands are shaking slightly, and when he finally gets his pants open he shoves them down just enough to free his cock.
I watch, fascinated, as he wraps his hand around himself and starts stroking roughly, almost violently. His other hand braces against the wall, his head dropping forward as he makes these angry, frustrated sounds deep in his throat. He’s trying to get himself off, but it’s clearly not working, his hand moving faster, harder, his breathing getting more labored.
It won’t work. Not during a rut. Not without a partner, without someone to dominate and claim and knot. Especially not with a bond pulling at him, his body demanding his mate.
I step out of the closet, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Need some help there?”
Suha’s head jerks up so fast I’m surprised he doesn’t give himself whiplash. His eyes lock onto me, and I watch fury blaze across his features, so intense it’s almost beautiful. He doesn’tlook surprised to see me, though. If anything, he looks like he was expecting this.
“How dare you,” he snarls, his voice rough and animalistic. “How dare you show your face here now.”
I shrug, pushing off the doorframe and sauntering closer. “Well, this is when I’m supposed to be here, isn’t it? When you need me.”
His hand is still wrapped around his cock, forgotten, as he stares at me with something between rage and hunger. His pheromones are already flooding the room, thick and overwhelming, making my knees want to buckle. They’re stronger than I remember, amplified by his rut, and my body responds instantly, heat pooling low in my belly.
“You think you can just waltz in here whenever you feel like it?” Suha snarls. His hand is still wrapped around his cock, knuckles white from how hard he’s gripping himself. “You think you can play your little games and then come crawling back when it’s convenient for you?”
I shrug, trying to look unbothered even though my heart is hammering against my ribs. “I mean, yeah. Pretty much.”
His eyes flash dangerously. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to decide when you want to be here and when you want to disappear. That’s not how this works.”
“Isn’t it, though?” I take another step closer, watching the way his jaw clenches. “We’re bonded. Which means eventually I have to come back. And eventually you have to take me back.”
“I don’t have to do anything,” he spits. “I can handle my own rut just fine without some bratty alpha pet who thinks everything is a fucking joke.”
I let my gaze drop pointedly to where his hand is still wrapped around himself, his cock hard and leaking despite his anger. Then I look back up at his flushed face, the sweat beading at histemples, the way his chest is heaving with each breath. “Really? Because it looks like you need me pretty badly right now.”
