For a second, Kaelith just blanked and stared at her. His brain totally glitched. It was like she'd just dumped a bucket of ice water over his head after they'd been wrapped in a damn warm blanket. His mind was racing a million miles a minute, trying to find the plot twist he'd missed.
He frowned, opening his mouth like he was gonna say something… he wanted to, but nothing came out. What the hell was he even supposed to say? Her sudden coldness was a physical slap.
One minute, they were in this deep, intimate moment, it felt real, you know? Actually real. And the next, she was looking at him like he was some random guy who'd bothered her at a bar. His mind was racing, trying to catch up.
Isaldora's lips curved into this dark, icy smirk, playing on her lips as she watched him. Oh my god, he looks so lost, she thought, a flicker of pure amusement lighting her up. Doesn't he look like a lost puppy? How fucking cute.
"Aww…" she cooed, her voice soft but laced with sarcasm. "Did the big bad wolf really think I was starting to feel something for him?" She let the words hang, letting their poison sink in. "Isn't that just adorable?" She let out a short, mocking laugh.
The words hit Kaelith right in the gut. His jaw got tight. Her words hit way harder than she could know. For one, fleeting moment, he'd actually let himself believe it. He thought he'd finally cracked her, gotten through her that she'd let him see a piece of the real her. Now he just felt stupid.
She leaned back in her chair, the picture of cool composure, her eyes glinting with something sharp and cruel. "It's truly a shame, I mean, I feel sad for you." Only her face showed that she didn't mean it; she sighed, as if bored.
"I was just playing nice, listening to your boring sob story to calm your anger down. Can't have the mighty Alpha losing his cool and wrecking the furniture, now can we?" Her tone was all tease, but it was the kind that left bruises.
Kaelith's eyes went flat and dark, a low, visceral growl rumbling deep in his chest. The air around him shifted instantly, his surprise replaced by something predatory and dangerous. His wolf was going apeshit inside him, claws scraping at his control, pissed off at the disrespect. He was screaming at him to dominate, to make her submit, to put her in her place.
He didn't give a damn about mate bonds right then; Mate or not, no one talks to us like that. But he knew one thing: she was already the exception to every rule.
Isaldora didn't even blink. She didn't flinch or look away. She just sat there, cool as a cucumber. Her eyes held that same amused glint, like she was watching an exciting play. She watched the muscle in his jaw twitch, the tension corded in his neck, and loved every second of it. Did he really think a few soft words would make me drop to my knees? She mused silently.
Sure, for a single, weak moment, she'd slipped. She'd felt something, but it was just momentarily. Moreover, it was just more like a strategy—a way to calm a dangerous animal.
"We should discuss my conditions," she said aloud, her voice cool and flat, her posture deliberate. Already, most of my time has been wasted on his drama, she thought, leaning back.
Kaelith's hands clenched into fists at his sides, his nails biting half-moons into his palms as he sank back into his seat. His dark eyes locked onto hers as he remembered her offhand comment about conditions. He'd brushed it off then, thought it was meaningless. But the realization that she was dead serious, that she believed she could dictate terms to him, was so arrogantly stunning it was almost admirable.
A slow, dangerous smirk touched his lips, not reaching his cold eyes. The storm inside him wasn't just confusion, hurt, and anger anymore. It was the fierce, possessive excitement of a hunter who has just found the one prey worth catching.
———
"I'm sorry… for not believing you. About you being with the pups the other night." Isaldora heard Kaelith's words cut through the quiet office. His voice was firm, but gave nothing away.
They were still in his office, but the air had shifted—it was less explosive now, more… controlled. Kaelith looked more composed and in control now, though his pride was still sore. Which, honestly, was becoming a usual thing for him now.
Isaldora had laid out her conditions for staying in his pack a moment ago. And did he take them well? Hell no. Not even a little bit.
Her first condition was non-negotiable; she'd keep running her business, whether he liked it or not. That alone had him grinding his teeth. Like, hello? Did he think she'd just abandon the multi-million dollar company she built from scratch?
The rest? Oh, those had really gotten under his skin. She told him to keep his distance, to keep his hands to himself, and to never, ever pull that Alpha dominance crap on her again.
Did he agree? Pfft. Not exactly. He'd dodged it instead of giving her a clear answer.
Now, leaning back with a sly glint in her eye, she asked, "So… did you only believe me after you ran to the pups and asked them yourself?"
Kaelith didn't answer. Instead, he shrugged. His face was a blank slate, playing her game.
She put her hands on his desk. "Let's cut to the chase, Alpha. Do you agree to my terms or not?" She came off sounding irritated because she was. His mocking silence was pricking her.
For a second, Kaelith looked at her almost blankly. Then, remembering their earlier conversation, his expression hardened, eyes sharpening on her.
"Well, I agree with you to keep handling your company matters. Even if it makes me uneasy, I can… understand that."
Isaldora scoffed, rolling her eyes so hard she saw her own brain. As if I needed your permission.
"But the other stuff…" His voice dropped, roughened, carrying that low, dangerous edge that usually made people piss themselves. He gave a chilling smirk.
"You can set all the rules you want, but it doesn't change anything. This bond between us? It's gonna pull us together no matter how hard you fight it. You can't stop it."
He stood up and walked over to her, with slow, steady steps, until he stopped right beside her. He leaned against the desk right next to her, and the heat from his leg burned against her bare skin. His eyes darkened as he looked down at where they touched.
His jaw clenched. His wolf was raging inside him, possessive and pissed off. The memory of how Adrien had looked at her—had lusted over what was his—sent a fresh wave of brutal aggression through him.
The urge to claim, to mark, to make sure every single wolf on the planet knew she was taken, was almost blinding. He took a sharp breath, forcing the animal back under control.
Isaldora could feel the heat coming off him. Her heart started pounding, a traitorous rhythm in her chest. But she pushed up from her chair too, standing tall, meeting him head-on.
"I don't care," she said, her voice firm, though it betrayed her with a slight waver. "Those are my conditions. Either you respect them, or I'm out of here. For good."
A deep growl rumbled in his chest. His eyes locked on hers with an intensity that made her stomach flip. Then his hand came up, and she felt his knuckles brushing her cheek, tracing her jawline, pausing to press gently against her lips. She stiffened, hating—absolutely hating—that her body chose that moment to flare to life, heat pooling low in her belly. Damn it. Why now?
Kaelith's smirk deepened, smug and infuriatingly sexy, full of arrogant triumph. He saw her reaction, felt the slight tremble she tried to hide, and a dark, thrilling amusement surged through him. His voice dropped to a low, taunting rumble that vibrated right through her.
"You act like you know so much about us, sweetheart… so you should know the mate bond isn't something you can deny. No matter how hard you try," he murmured, his voice a husky, taunting caress that did more to her than his touch ever could.
"Although I must say, I'm impressed how you're fighting it as a human, and you can deny it all you want up here," he said, tapping his temple.
"But your body?" He murmured, his eyes raking over her, full of heat, and she felt a shiver running down her. "Your body tells me everything I need to know."
Her breath hitched. Damn him. Damn him straight to hell. He was right, and she knew it. It was only a matter of time before the ache became unbearable, before the bond won.
Isaldora mentally cursed herself to eternity, forcing her face into a mask of cool composure, burying the storm he'd ignited.
Kaelith's smirk just got wider, filling his eyes with a dark, thrilling amusement. He pushed off the desk and in one swift, sudden move, his arm snaked around her waist. He pulled her tight against him, erasing every last inch of space between them. His thumb brushed her lower lip again, and she tensed, every nerve liting on fire.
He leaned in, his breath hot against her ear, his voice dropping to a predatory whisper that made her want to melt in his arms.
"Do yourself a favor, sweetheart. Next time, wear something more decent that doesn't make me want to lose my mind—" he teased.
"Of course, unless you want me to go full caveman and remind you exactly who you belong to."
And then, with a wicked, triumphant glint in his eye, he brushed a quick, searing kiss against her cheek and released her, stepping back like he hadn't just set her entire world on fire. You want to play with fire, little mate?Let's play then. He thought, a dark thrill coursing through him.
Isaldora stood frozen in her spot, her mouth literally hanging open. Her mind went completely, utterly blank. Her heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
She just stood there, eyes wide, staring at Kaelith like he'd lost his damn mind. Wasn't she the one who rattled him? And now?
She looked at him, and the bastard? He only shot her a smug, victorious smirk, topped it off with a devastating wink that made her traitorous heart skip another beat, and then he just… left. Strutting out like he'd just won the goddamn championship.
"Cocky bastard," she finally muttered under her breath, a whole string of sharper, more creative curses following it. Her jaw was clenched so tight it ached. But then—slowly—her lips curved into a deadly smirk of her own.
"You want to play games, Alpha?" she whispered, her voice low and burning.
"Two can play. And I promise you this—" her eyes darkened, glinting like steel. "I'll win."
——————
And the game begins now.....
So... who's playing who? Was that a moment of genuine weakness or a masterful bit of acting? Plus, who's gonna bend first? I'm taking theories in the comments.
And guys, I need all your support. Please help me get through, you are the one who can push me to continue.