Chapter : Electric Pulse

Silence stretched between them after Althea's departure, thick and suffocating.

The fire crackled low, its dim glow barely illuminating the storm brewing in Nathaniel's golden eyes.

Rain sat rigid, his breath uneven, his mind a whirlwind of fragmented thoughts.

A curse. A bond meant for destruction. A connection that would consume him completely.

His pulse pounded.

He didn't know what terrified him more—the thought of fighting it or the thought of giving in.

Nathaniel moved first. The Alpha turned slowly, his gaze locking onto Rain, burning with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine.

He stepped forward, and Rain instinctively shifted back, but his body betrayed him—heat pooled low in his stomach, his throat tightening as the air between them grew electric.

Nathaniel stopped inches away, his presence overwhelming, his scent curling around Rain like a slow, suffocating embrace.

"Is it true?" Rain forced out, his voice hoarse. "That if we don't resist this, we'll be bound in more than just name?"

Nathaniel didn't answer immediately. His jaw tensed, his fists clenching at his sides.

"It doesn't matter," he finally said, low and firm. "Because I will never let it control me."

Rain swallowed hard, but he didn't miss the sharp way Nathaniel's breathing had turned uneven, nor the way his pupils had dilated—like his wolf was straining against the chains of his will.

"Then we should keep our distance," Rain murmured.

Nathaniel exhaled sharply, a sound that was more frustration than agreement. "It's not that simple."

No, it wasn't.

Because the moment Rain had suggested it, his body had already rebelled against the idea.

A slow ache built in his chest, spreading like wildfire through his veins. His fingers twitched as a wave of dizziness struck him, and his breathing hitched when Nathaniel's scent became too much.

His vision blurred.

His wolf howled.

Then, suddenly, the world tilted, and Rain collapsed.

Nathaniel caught him instantly.

Strong arms wrapped around him, heat sinking into his skin as his body trembled against the contact. A violent shudder wracked through him, a whimper escaping his lips before he could stop it.

Nathaniel stiffened.

"Rain," he ground out, his voice strained. "What's happening to you?"

Rain gasped, clutching onto the fabric of Nathaniel's shirt as his body burned from the inside out.

"I—I don't—" His voice cracked, the bond tightening around his very soul, twisting and pulling—

Nathaniel cursed under his breath, his grip tightening. "Breathe," he ordered, but his own breathing was ragged now, his control slipping.

And then it hit him.

The bond wasn't just reacting.

It was demanding.

Nathaniel's muscles tensed as realization set in, his pupils blown wide.

This wasn't just heat.

It was need.

And it was getting worse.

Rain's fingers curled against his chest, his body trembling as he buried his face into the crook of Nathaniel's neck, unconsciously seeking relief from the unbearable tension flooding his system.

Nathaniel went still.

A sharp inhale. A barely restrained growl.

"Rain," he warned, his voice dangerously low. "Stop."

But Rain didn't stop.

He couldn't.

The bond had snapped too tight, the hunger between them a living, breathing force neither of them could control.

And in that moment—

Nathaniel broke.

His hand shot up, tangling into Rain's hair, forcing his head back as his golden eyes darkened to something primal, something raw.

"You don't understand what you're asking for," Nathaniel rasped, his breath hot against Rain's skin.

Rain barely processed the words. His entire body ached, his mind clouded with nothing but Nathaniel's scent, Nathaniel's touch, the deep, thrumming pulse of their bond demanding more—

Nathaniel exhaled sharply, his grip tightening before he shoved Rain back against the wall, caging him in with his body.

The heat between them was suffocating.

Nathaniel's breath ghosted over Rain's lips, his hands braced on either side of him, his restraint hanging by a fraying thread.

"If you push me any further," the Alpha murmured, his voice like a warning, like a promise, "I won't be able to stop."

Rain's heart pounded.

His body screamed for him to close the distance, to end the unbearable ache, to give in.

But Althea's words rang in his mind.

You won't just be mates.

You'll be bound in blood. In body. In soul.

And there would be no turning back.

A single choice.

A single moment.

Nathaniel's golden gaze burned into his.

"What do you want, Rain?"

The question hung between them.

And Rain had no answer.

To Be Continued...