Chapter : Golden & Possessive

Rain's breath was uneven as he gripped the fabric of Nathaniel's coat, his body struggling to steady itself beneath the invisible weight pressing down on him. Something inside him churned—something unfamiliar and terrifying.

His vision blurred for a moment, but he forced himself to focus on Nathaniel. The Alpha King's golden eyes burned with an intensity that sent a pulse of heat through Rain's body, different from anything he'd felt before.

Nathaniel didn't look away. His hand slid up, brushing against Rain's jaw, his touch deceptively gentle despite the fury thrumming beneath his skin.

"Tell me what you're feeling," Nathaniel commanded, his voice dark and low.

Rain swallowed. His throat was dry, his pulse hammering.

"I don't know," he admitted, his voice hoarse. "It's like…" He hesitated, searching for the words. "Like something inside me is waking up."

Nathaniel's grip tightened. His jaw clenched as if he was barely restraining himself.

"I need you to focus," he murmured, his thumb grazing the side of Rain's throat, feeling the rapid beat of his pulse. "Whatever this is, whatever just changed in you—it's not something we can ignore."

Rain's lips parted slightly, the warmth of Nathaniel's touch sending a strange sensation through him. It wasn't just possessiveness.

It was something deeper. Something ancient.

Something in their bond had shifted.

Nathaniel must have felt it too, because his pupils dilated, his breathing sharpening. His hand slid lower, pressing against Rain's chest, right where the dull ache pulsed beneath his skin.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Nathaniel whispered, his voice rough with something unspoken.

Rain shivered. His body betrayed him, leaning into the warmth of Nathaniel's touch before he could stop himself.

"I don't—" He tried to step back, but Nathaniel wouldn't let him.

"You do," Nathaniel countered, his voice dark and knowing. "And it terrifies you."

Rain's breath caught in his throat.

Because he wasn't wrong.

Whatever was happening inside him—whatever had awakened—it wasn't normal. It wasn't something he could control.

And the way Nathaniel looked at him now… it was like he had just become something even more irresistible.

More dangerous.

Nathaniel's fingers curled against his skin, his thumb brushing over the rapid pulse at the base of his throat. The warmth between them was thick, suffocating.

Rain knew he should push him away.

But he couldn't.

Because despite everything…

Nathaniel was the only thing keeping him grounded.

The only thing stopping him from unraveling completely.

A slow smirk curved Nathaniel's lips, dark amusement flickering in his golden eyes as he leaned in, his breath ghosting against Rain's ear.

"I wonder," he murmured, his voice pure seduction, "how long you can fight this."

The heat between them coiled, thick and intoxicating.

And for the first time…

Rain wasn't sure if he wanted to.

His breath came out shallow, his body caught in the fire of Nathaniel's gaze. The Alpha King wasn't just looking at him—he was devouring him, peeling him apart layer by layer, as if he could see straight into his soul.

And that terrified him.

Because for the first time, Rain wasn't sure what Nathaniel would find.

His body ached—an unfamiliar, primal need curling inside him, something not entirely his own. It was the bond. He knew it. He felt it in the way his skin burned, in the way his pulse refused to settle beneath Nathaniel's touch.

Nathaniel's thumb traced over his jaw, his voice dropping into a near whisper.

"Still fighting it?"

Rain sucked in a sharp breath.

Nathaniel's smirk deepened. "Admirable."

He moved closer, heat rolling off him in waves. Rain tried to resist, but his traitorous body leaned in, drawn to the warmth, to the undeniable pull between them.

Damn this bond.

Damn the way it made him crave things he shouldn't.

"You don't want to admit it," Nathaniel murmured, his lips barely brushing against the shell of Rain's ear. "But you feel it, don't you?"

Rain's throat tightened. He wanted to deny it. Wanted to shove Nathaniel away, put distance between them before he lost himself completely.

But the words wouldn't come.

Because it was true.

He did feel it.

The way Nathaniel's presence wrapped around him like a storm, the way his voice sent shivers down his spine, the way his touch set his blood on fire—everything was too much. Too consuming. Too dangerous.

He hated it.

And he wanted more.

Nathaniel exhaled a soft chuckle, his breath teasing against Rain's skin. "You're trembling."

Rain gritted his teeth. "I'm not."

"Liar." Nathaniel's fingers ghosted over his throat, resting against his collarbone, pressing down just enough to remind Rain of his strength. "How long are you going to keep pretending?"

Rain swallowed hard. "This isn't real."

Nathaniel's eyes darkened. "Isn't it?"

A sharp jolt pulsed through Rain's chest, the bond tightening like a vice. He gasped, his body tensing, but Nathaniel didn't let go. If anything, his grip tightened, his other hand sliding down, pressing against the small of Rain's back.

A trap.

A dangerous, intoxicating trap.

And Rain was falling straight into it.

Nathaniel tilted his head, his lips dangerously close to Rain's. "Say the word, and I'll stop."

Rain's nails dug into the fabric of Nathaniel's coat. He wanted to say it. Needed to say it.

But his lips wouldn't move.

Because a dark part of him—the part he'd tried so desperately to bury—didn't want him to.

Nathaniel chuckled again, the sound low and knowing. His fingers flexed against Rain's skin, his grip firm but teasing. "That's what I thought."

The air between them crackled, thick with heat, with the unspoken battle raging between them.

Rain hated this. Hated how easily Nathaniel could unravel him, how effortlessly he turned his body against him.

But most of all…

He hated that he didn't want it to stop.

Not yet.

Not when he was this close to breaking.

And Nathaniel knew it.

Knew exactly how far he could push.

How close he could bring Rain to the edge—

And how much further he could make him fall.