And then he grabs my throat, casting a shadow over me. Thank God. My eyes flicker shut as I savor the feel of his rough hand against my throat, wishing he would fuck me right here.
“Back off, brother. Unless you’ve got millions of dollars to buy her, someone else will be touching her in three days,” Thiago says, shattering the moment.
Matias growls and releases me, spinning on his brother. Immediately, I grieve the loss of his heat and nearness.
Taren steps toward him. “Control yourself,” he demands.
Matias snarls again like an animal, but I hate that he backs down and stands beside his brother. Once by his side, he fixes his gaze on me, and I feel like he’s trying to tell me something.
“Now resume balancing on one foot,” Taren instructs.
We’re back to training in a flash. All I want is to be able to speak to Matias.
Luna almost falls over again.
“How are we supposed to sell you if you can’t even follow simple instructions,” Taren growls, and a vein protrudes from his forehead. “Again,” he barks.
Luna glares at him as she moves back into position.
The physical pain from balancing on one leg is the least of my worries. It’s impossible to stop thinking about the auction, the fear of being sold to some unknown bidder, and the anguish of being separated from my friends.
But what scares me the most is the realization that I may never see Matias again.
I hate myself for craving his attention, for yearning for the very man who’s part of my kidnapping. But I can’t help it. The thought of never feeling his rough hands on my skin again, never seeing that dark, possessive glint in his eyes, makes my chest ache.
How did I let myself get so tangled up in this sick game? How did I allow myself to develop feelings for a man who’s the epitome of cruelty?
I focus on maintaining my balance. Still, my mind keeps drifting to Matias as I steal glances at him, my heart racing every time our eyes meet. There’s something in his gaze, a hint of the same desperation and longing that I feel.
But it doesn’t matter. I’ll be gone in three days, sold to the highest bidder. And Matias will be nothing more than a haunting memory, a dark yet addictive chapter in my life that I’ll try to forget.
The thought brings tears to my eyes, and I blink them away furiously. I can’t let Matias see me weak or let him know the power he holds over me.
As the session ends, I feel hollow in my chest. I’m terrified of what the future holds, of being ripped away from everything familiar, including the twisted connection I share with Matias.
But I have to be strong. For myself, for my friends, for the hope of somehow surviving this nightmare, even if it means leaving a piece of my heart behind with the man who’s both my captor and my darkest obsession.
10
MATIAS
Islam my fist against the concrete wall, the pain barely registering through the haze of rage clouding my mind. Three days. I only have three more days with my girl before she’s ripped away from me and sold off to the highest bidder.
The thought of another man’s hands on her makes my blood boil. She is mine. I was the one who claimed her, who tamed her spirited defiance until she submitted to me. No one else has earned the right to possess her.
I pace the small room like a caged animal, my muscles taut, fists clenched. How could Ileana do this? Kali was meant to be here for at least another month. I need more time to break her, to bind her to me so completely that she can’t function without my touch, my voice commanding her.
Taren and Thiago’s plan to overthrow Ileana can’t happen soon enough.
A growl rumbles in my chest as I think of Kali’s soft skin, her scent when fear and desire war within her. I want to tear through this compound until it’s one me and her, lock her away where no one else can touch what’s mine. Being without her makes me feel unhinged—more unhinged than normal. I’ve never wanted to possess someone like this.
Ileana’s rules still bind me, even as I strain against them like a wolf gnashing at a chain. Patience has never been my strength. I must imprint myself onto Kali so that no matter where she goes, she’ll never be free of me.
I stop pacing. Tonight and every night left until the auction, I’ll go to her and remind her of the power I hold over her. I’ll make her beg for my touch, plead to stay here with me. And when I deny her, the loss will break something deep inside. She’ll be ruined for anyone else.
Kali belongs to me. The man who buys her won’t understand her light and darkness like I do. They only see fragile beauty, whereas I see the steel in her soul. I created that darkness within her. It makes her mine.
When she’s taken away, Kali will be shattered, missing a vital piece of herself. And I’ll know that only I can fill that hollow place. My little rabbit will find a way to come running back to her wolf, unable to resist what we’ve awakened in each other. And when she returns, I’ll never let her go again. I’ll keep her here, bound so tightly she’ll forget any life before me.