Page 59 of The Heart of Winter

A surprising wave of pleasure washed over me at the thought, unwelcome but intense. My grip tightened around my still-hard cock, my body demanding action.

No.

That was too much.

My mind clawed its way back to the edge of that vertical wall, regaining focus, forcing itself into control.

I ordered myself to stop. Let out a slow breath. Sat up, abandoning any thought of jerking off.

Instead, I went to my home gym and started running.

Fast.

Lately, jogging had become my new escape. Playing bass had stopped working that well, since I could still drift into unwelcome, inappropriate thoughts. And here, on the treadmill, I could go for an hour straight at a solid pace, burning off the restless energy tearing me apart. Physically, I was in great shape. But mentally? That was another story.

And why? Because of some kid I had met only a handful of times?

Was there something more to this?

Was this ridiculous, impossible attraction trying to tell me something I wasn’t seeing?

What about that shock when he touched me? That weird, electric jolt that shot through my body?

It couldn’t mean anything. Betas didn’t experience theFirst Touch. Only alphas and omegas did. Betas had no easy ways to recognize their True Mates, an extremely rare phenomenon, even if they were standing right in front of them.

So what the hell was that? Maybe I was going through some kind of mid-thirties crisis?

That would honestly make sense, because in any normal situation, I would never be interested in an alpha.

My phone beeped again.

"And? Still the silent treatment?"

Another text message from Finn.

For fuck’s sake, why was he so persistent!

As I stepped into the shower, cold water streamed over me, washing away the sweat from my run. But my thoughts wouldn’t let go.

They dragged me right back to Sariel.

But this time, they were much more grim. My face returned to the usual stern expression, my brows furrowed.

There was a very real possibility that, to him, this was all just a game. A stupid little game of cat and mouse.

Maybe he was just toying with me?

Taunting me. Pushing exactly the right buttons, provoking me into the trap.

And once that thought lodged itself in my brain, it refused to leave.

He could be one of those alphas… the ones who always got what they wanted, no matter the cost. He remembered that I had rejected him months ago, and most likely hated me for it. He knew I had complained about him to his father, and it added even more hate.

What if this was all just his revenge? What if I let something happen between us, and then he laughed in my face?

Said something like, "Well, well, look at that. You didn’t want me then, but now you’re hard as a rock for me, huh, beta?"

It wasn’t impossible.

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