chapter sixteen

Nikolas' POV:

"I brought you here because you are mine," Caspian said, his voice firm, unyielding.

My breath caught in my throat. His words echoed in my head, loud and consuming, sending a jolt of something dangerously close to fear or was it something else? through my body.

"No," I hissed, shoving at his chest, trying to create distance between us. "I do not belong to anybody! Get off me!"

I pushed him with all the strength I had, but Caspian barely budged. His body was solid, unmoving, as if my resistance was nothing more than a light breeze against him.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "You're fighting me," he said, his voice a dangerous mix of amusement and something darker. "But your scent tells me something different."

I froze.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I demanded, shoving at him again, harder this time.

Caspian let me push him back just enough for me to breathe, but not enough for me to escape. His gaze never wavered, piercing into mine with an intensity that made my stomach twist.

"It means," he said slowly, deliberately, "that no matter how much you fight it, you feel it too."

My pulse hammered in my ears. I clenched my jaw, refusing to give in to the strange heat creeping up my spine.

"You're insane," I spat. "I don't feel anything for you."

Caspian's smirk vanished. In a blink, his hands released me, and I stumbled forward, caught off guard by the sudden lack of resistance.

He took a step back, his expression unreadable.

"Then run," he said simply.

I blinked at him. "What?"

"If you truly feel nothing if you don't belong to me then run, Nikolas."

He stood there, arms crossed, watching me, daring me.

I wanted to. I should have. But my legs wouldn't move. My body stayed rooted in place, my instincts screaming at me that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Caspian tilted his head, eyes darkening with something dangerous. "That's what I thought."

My hands curled into fists. "You're insane," I said again, but this time, my voice wasn't as steady.

Caspian took another slow step toward me.

"Not insane," he murmured. "Just claiming what's mine."

My breath hitched. I needed to get away from him. I needed to get away from whatever this .

"You know I can't run," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. "You'll just catch me and drag me back."

Caspian's smirk deepened, like he was pleased I'd figured that out on my own. "Smart boy."

I swallowed hard and glanced around, desperate for something anything to focus on besides him. My gaze swept over the vast training grounds, the warriors moving with lethal precision, their bodies hard with muscle, their movements disciplined and powerful.

"Why so much training?" I asked, hoping to distract him. "These guys are huge."

Caspian let out a low chuckle. "We're Lycans, Nikolas. Strength is everything. Only the strongest survive."

My stomach twisted. Lycans. So that's what he was. Not a mutant, not a monster. A werewolf.

Before I could dwell on that revelation, Caspian placed a firm hand on my lower back and guided me toward a massive building. The moment we stepped inside, I realized it was no ordinary space it was a luxurious office, grand yet masculine, filled with dark furniture, towering bookshelves, and a desk that screamed authority.

"This is my office," Caspian announced, shutting the door behind us. He turned to me, his golden eyes gleaming with something possessive. "Feel free, love."

I stiffened. "Don't call me that. I'm not yours."

"Oh, but you are, babe."

Before I could protest, he moved.

His fingers skimmed my jaw, his grip firm but not forceful. He leaned in, and my breath caught as he placed a slow, lingering kiss on my forehead. My heart slammed against my ribs, but I couldn't move I could only feel.

"Your face is mine," he murmured.

Then, before I could react, his lips were on mine. The kiss was brief, but firm hot and demanding, leaving me breathless.

"Your arms," he whispered, tracing his fingers down my biceps before gripping them tightly, pulling me closer. "Mine."

I opened my mouth to protest, but the words died when his hand suddenly slid lower so much lower.

"Your dick," he said in a husky voice, his fingers wrapping around me through my pants, giving a slow, deliberate squeeze. "Mine."

A strangled gasp left my lips.

I should have shoved him away.

I should have punched him, cursed him out, done something—

But all I could do was stand there, trembling, as heat pooled in my stomach and my mind screamed at me to fight.

A sharp gasp tore from my lips, my entire body going rigid as Caspian's fingers pressed against me. Heat exploded in my core, a mixture of anger, confusion, and something far more dangerous curling in my gut.

I sucked in a shaky breath, my hands flying up to shove him away, but Caspian didn't move. His grip tightened, his presence overwhelming as he loomed over me, his golden eyes dark with possession.

"Let me go," I hissed, my voice raw, but even I could hear the tremor in it.

Caspian tilted his head, his expression smug yet strangely tender. "Lying to yourself won't change the truth, Nikolas." His thumb grazed over me through my pants, slow, deliberate. "You feel this."

I jerked back, slamming into his desk as I tried to put space between us. My breath came in sharp, uneven gasps, my body betraying me in ways I couldn't even comprehend.

"This isn't real," I spat, trying to ignore the heat still lingering on my skin. "You're messing with my head."

Caspian leaned against the desk like he had all the time in the world. "Am I?" His eyes flicked over me, taking in every inch of my disheveled state. "Or are you just too afraid to admit what's happening between us?"

I clenched my jaw, my hands curling into fists. "Nothing is happening between us. I'm not yours."

Caspian chuckled, deep and knowing. "Keep telling yourself that, love."

I was shaking. With rage, humiliation, frustration I didn't even know anymore. I just needed to get away.

"You can't keep me here," I said, forcing my voice to steady. "I'll find a way out."

Caspian pushed off the desk, stepping closer, and I instinctively backed up until I hit the bookshelf behind me. He caged me in with his arms, his scent dark, wild, intoxicating surrounding me like a trap I couldn't escape.

"You are mine, Nikolas," he murmured, his lips mere inches from my own. "And no matter how much you fight it, your body already knows it."

His fingers trailed up my throat, forcing me to meet his eyes.

I hated it.

I hated that my body reacted to him, that his presence pulled at something deep inside me something I didn't understand and didn't want to. I hated the way his golden eyes pinned me in place, stripping me bare with nothing more than a look.

And worst of all, I hated that part of me didn't want to run.

"Get out of my head," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Caspian's lips curled into a smirk, but there was something softer beneath it something dangerous. "I don't need to be in your head, love. Your body speaks for you."

I gritted my teeth, shoving at his chest again. "I am not your love, and I sure as hell don't belong to you."

His eyes darkened. "You keep saying that, but the bond says otherwise."

"The bond?" I scoffed. "You're insane."

Caspian's gaze flickered with something unreadable before he suddenly took a step back. The loss of his warmth should have been a relief, but instead, my skin prickled as if missing his touch.