Ruby's POV
I kept rambling, even though deep down I could see the more I spoke, the more convinced he became that I'd lost my damn mind. Mom always joked that if I were ever kidnapped, my captors would give up and toss me out just to avoid the cost of feeding me because food and talking were my two favorite hobbies.
"You know," I started again, trying to sound casual while he loomed over me, "since we're both clearly on the same page about releasing me, maybe you could get off me?"
His gaze sharpened in warning.
"Personal space is sacred, you know. You're in my bubble. And if I had a choice, I definitely wouldn't be in yours. So, logically, you should remove yourself from mine. It's nothing personal. I just think we both benefit if I walk away right now. You just need to move first. Not saying you're heavy or anything, but "
"Stop talking, woman!" he growled.
I clamped my mouth shut instantly, my breath catching as his command settled in the air like a physical weight. His voice struck something inside me some primal part that recognized him as someone with power over me. Someone... dangerous.
"I'm not letting you go," he said coldly. "You might as well accept that. Because the chances of you ever walking out of here alive... are slim."
His voice was calm, like he hadn't just threatened my life. Like it didn't mean anything. But it meant everything to me, to my wolf. Especially because this was the same man who had called me mate not that long ago. My chest tightened, the sting of betrayal cutting deeper than the fear curling in my gut.
One of his hands fisted in my hair, yanking me closer until his breath brushed against my face. I shut my eyes, trying to keep my body from trembling. But the rush of emotions fear, longing, confusion, anger were too much. I didn't know what to do with them, couldn't tell which one to believe.
He inhaled sharply, a low groan rumbling from deep in his throat. It sent a jolt down my spine, instinctively making me shift my legs beneath him. My body was reacting to him even while my mind screamed to run.
"As tempting as the perks of a mating bond are and I know that's exactly what they want I won't kill you," he muttered. "I don't know who I am to you, or who you are to me. But I'm not falling for their trap. I won't mark you. I won't mate you. For all I know, you could be one of them. You could slit my throat while I sleep."
His words were like blades. Each one sliced deeper.
My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, snarling at the idea that our mate thought we'd betray him. She was hurt, trying to mask the ache he'd left behind, but I could feel it. We both could. It was a hollow, raw pain like something inside me had cracked open.
"I don't know what any of this means," I whispered, my voice barely holding together. "But if you don't want me... just let me go."
The silence that followed was heavier than anything he'd said.
In our world, mates aren't just some romantic concept. They're destiny. Sacred. To reject your mate is to rip your soul in half. And there's always one who feels the break more than the other. He had the strength to survive without me. But me? If he truly walked away... I'd probably disappear into the forest and never come back. Just curl up and wait for the end.
He shifted, his voice deeper now, drawing my eyes open.
"Whether you're one of them or not, you were meant for me," he said, his voice thick with something I couldn't name. "And if you are with them, I'll show you why you shouldn't be. If you're not... then I'll change your mind anyway."
There was heat in his tone now. A dark, magnetic promise that made my breath catch.
"But you're not leaving," he finished, final and sure. "Not ever."
My blood felt like it was boiling, every nerve firing at once. Rage mixed with something I didn't want to name. One second he was pushing me away, the next he was claiming me like I was his prize. I didn't know what was more infuriating his arrogance or the fact that part of me wanted to believe him.
"Why?" I snapped.
He didn't answer. Just stared at me with those sharp, feral blue eyes. There were so many questions piling up in my head who did he think I was working for? What did he mean by trap? Why wouldn't he just reject me if he didn't want me?
But I swallowed them all and asked the only one I thought he might actually respond to.
"What's your name?"
He paused, his features shadowed by something unreadable. Then a smirk curved his lips, sharp and dangerous.
"I'll humor you," he said. He leaned in close, his voice brushing against my ear like a dark whisper.
"You can call me... the Zephyros."
I froze.
The Zephyros.
My heart stopped. My breath vanished.
With adrenaline screaming through my veins, I shoved at his chest. Hard. He let me. Didn't fight it. He rolled off me and lay beside where I'd just been, like this was all a game.
I scrambled off the massive silver-sheeted bed, my legs tangling beneath me as I hit the ground and rushed toward the door. Panic flooded every inch of me, wild and shaking.
"Oh my God... Oh my God... This cannot be happening!"
My wolf stirred inside, clearly unfazed. The traitor. I slammed a mental wall between us before she could submit to him fully. I couldn't risk her slipping control away from me and throwing herself at him.
Because if I didn't fight back, I wouldn't survive this mate bond.
Not with him.
I was such an idiot.
How did I not piece it together sooner? Everything was right there laid out like a damn puzzle with all the edges already done. The moment I opened my eyes, I should've known. But the way he looked at me, the way his expression twisted, it threw me off. I let it distract me.
Stupid. So stupid.
The room was massive. A large bed hugged the far wall, and the center of the floor had been cleared out, the wooden panels removed like someone had been preparing for a ritual or... something worse. The walls were painted a suffocating black, and the furniture had all been shoved to the edges. I scanned the space with growing panic until I spotted a door. Hope lit up in my chest. I bolted for it.
Locked.
Of course it was.
I spun around, my heart hammering, only to meet the eyes of the man no, the beast who lounged casually on the bed like he owned the world. Arms crossed beneath his head, he watched me, gaze sharp and calm.
His calmness rattled me.
Past him, I spotted another door, one that looked heavier, maybe an exit. Maybe.
He sat up.
And in that single movement, he silently dared me. I saw it in his expression. Go on. Try it.
I looked down, only now noticing my bare feet. What the hell?
Didn't matter.
I pushed the thought aside and sprinted toward the dark, towering door, ignoring his presence. I reached for the handle so close but then a shadow loomed, and before I could even gasp, I was slammed into the door. My body met the wood with a dull thud, the breath whooshing from my lungs.
"No " I gasped out.
But I couldn't move.
Strong hands clamped around my wrists, dragging them above my head and pinning them there. His body pressed against mine, hard and unyielding. I felt the solid wall of his chest behind me, the heat of him, the power that rippled off him like a thunderstorm about to break.
His hips ground into my lower back, trapping me in place.
How tall was he?
I squirmed, and that only made it worse. His legs slipped between mine, forcing them apart, holding me still. I was spread out like some ridiculous starfish on a door, and if I wasn't scared half to death, part of me might've found the position... indecently interesting.
He adjusted behind me, and I felt the dip of his head near my ear. He had to crouch to get that close good.
Small victory.
But the rough pressure of his grip was too much. My skin burned beneath his fingers, and I yanked against him. Useless.
He made a low sound behind me. A tsk. Like I was a disobedient child.
"How reckless of you, Ruby," he murmured.
I froze.
He knew my name. My eyes widened, not once, not twice, but three times over.
One he knew who I was.
Two his free hand slid down to my waist, fingers grazing my shirt, settling too close, too comfortably against my side.
Three I wasn't facing the door anymore. I was facing him. And his chest. Which was annoyingly perfect.
Before I could process how quickly he flipped the situation, I found myself back on the bed. Flat on my back. Pinned.
He was above me now.
Sweet moon.
He was huge.
How had I not noticed this earlier? Maybe because he hadn't been on top of me then. I swallowed hard. My head barely reached his chest. The black shirt he wore clung to his muscles like it was praying not to be torn apart.
Lucky shirt.
I kept my eyes trained on that chest, refusing to look up. My body was buzzing, on edge, desperate to fight, flee something.
"I'll admit, I respect your tenacity," he said, voice deep and infuriatingly amused. "But that's not the door you're looking for. Stay away from both. Understood?"
He was smug. So smug.
"Okay, listen," I started, my voice shaking as I forced some sarcasm into it. "Mr. Zephyros God great meeting you, really. I've heard all sorts of charming stories. But now that I know who you are, I'm like... 129.1 percent sure this is just one giant misunderstanding."
He didn't flinch.
"I mean, whoever brought me here was probably high. You and I, we're not even on speaking terms, let alone..." I trailed off, struggling for air and composure. "Honestly, you've got more important things to do, right? You probably have people to kill or kidnap or I don't know terrorize. So maybe just let me go? Save us both the trouble."
I tacked on a nervous smile he couldn't even see.
No response.
Instead, he leaned in and nuzzled the top of my head like he knew what he was doing to me. His chest pressed in closer, and I had to fight back the instinct to nuzzle him back.
My wolf stirred.
"I'm going to let you go now," he said.
A breath of relief left me.
"Physically," he added. "But make no mistake you won't be leaving this room without me."
My relief died a quick, painful death. My feet hit the floor, released, but I didn't move.
He walked toward a door I hadn't even noticed. Great. Another escape route I'd failed to spot. But I didn't chase him. I didn't trust myself. I didn't trust him. And I definitely didn't trust the way my knees trembled or the heat lingering where his body had pressed into mine.
I kept my eyes locked on an outlet in the wall like it held all the answers to life.
"Just so we're clear," he said, pausing near the door. "If you're working for them, sending messages won't help you. And if I find out you're in contact with them goddess help you, Ruby it won't end well."
Them?
Who the hell was them?
I heard the door creak open, and something in me snapped. I looked up. For the first time, I met his gaze those piercing, mixed shades of blue that looked like a glacier and a storm all at once.
We stared at each other, and I couldn't read his face. But I knew what mine looked like pale, confused, exhausted.
He made a decision in that silence. I could feel it.
"You can call me Zaliver," he said. The words were final, carved in stone, and then he left, shutting the door behind him.
"Zaliver..." I whispered, tasting his name like it belonged to me.
Zaliver.
The Zephyros god .
My mate.