Page 140 of Inside the Sun

We’re still looking at each other, and it’s weird. Ragnar’s energy has shifted so much I almost don’t recognize him, like there’s a whole different man standing in front of me.

"Even if I knew something about Summer… Anzo would be the last person I’d ever tell."

Ragnar doesn’t move. His voice is flat.

"Even if it costs you your only shot at getting out of this place?"

I scoff bitterly.

"You really think Anzo would keep his word? Because I don’t. History proves it. None of his ex-boys came out of here unharmed. So I don’t wanna delude myself."

"You’ll never know unless you try," he says, still in that same flat tone.

"Ragnar, even if Anzo were keen on letting me go, Rocco wants me for himself. So he won’t let it happen. That’s the whole point of what I told you just before. Anzo is weak. He resets himself to a default beta mindset the second Rocco manifests his sexual energy. I’m doomed here either way."

Silence falls. Yeah. Kinda hard to respond to that.

Neither of us speaks for a long time. Ragnar stares out the window, and I stare at him. I take in the sharp lines of his face, the sheer bulkiness of his shoulders. There’s something magnetic about him; an energy I can’t quite define. I feel like I know him. Deep down, like I’ve always known him. And yet, there’s this wall between us. Unbreakable. Uncrossable.

A wall made of secrets.

Is he a cop? An agent?

Is he running some kind of operation here? He’s dodged too many questions. Brushed them off. Deflected.

But there’s no fucking way a purple alpha would just… decide to randomly be Anzo’s gardener, in this hell. That makes zero sense.

Who is he,really?

Enchanted, I watch the strong lines of his profile, the solid muscle that knots beneath his shirt. I catch his scent, not pheromones, just grass, soap, and man. That ache for escape flares up again. I want to melt into him. Let myself forget everything. Even if he’s hiding shit from me, he still feels like freedom. Like relief. Like… pleasure.

The silence stretches. And then I say it. I just push it out.

"Will you fuck me again?"

My tone is almost bitter.

Ragnar turns to me, and there’s something strange in his face. Hunger, but also compassion.

"Sun… are you sure? Won’t it hurt you? Did he—"

"Even if it does, I know I can turn it into something good with you."

I lift my hand and place it on his bare bicep, where the gyrfalcon spreads its wings on the tattoo.

Gosh, my whole body immediately shudders with pleasure. My cock twitches. Ragnar’s skin is hot, electric. I want to dissolve into him, disappear inside his strong aura.

Yes…

"When I was locked in that cage… so many of my thoughts were about those moments with you," I whisper. "They’re the only times I still feel alive. Every other second, I’m alreadydead," I add, while my fingers gently trace along his arm.

Making an immense effort, I try to catch his pheromones again, something to cling to, but all I feel is the heat of his skin. And even that pulls me in. I want to touch him, to become a part of his power.

Ragnar slowly tilts his head, gazing at me.

"Kiss me, Ragnar… so I can pretend there’s something between us. Something that matters."

His gaze changes subtly, slightly softening.

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