931 The demon of the West\u00a0<\/p>\n
93 The demon of the West\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene\u00a0<\/p>\n
If anyone saw me like this, they would think I was so in love with Adrian that I couldn\u2019t even control myself, but I wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fuck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heat had worsened, reacting violently to his presence. Not because he was special, not because I wanted him, but because of the mate bond, that cursed instinct making him harder to resist than anyone else in the room. It made my body betray me, no matter how detached my mind was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unaware of what was truly happening, Adrian leaned even closer, his voice low and possessive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what you think you\u2019re doing,\u201d he said harshly, \u201cor if you believe pulling this stunt will make me more interested in you, but listen carefully.\u201d His eyes burned into mine. \u201cI\u2019m never rejecting you. You\u2019re my mate. You\u2019re mine, whether you like it or not. Is that clear?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The heat hit me harder, crashing through my body in a suffocating wave that made my vision blur, and I glared up at him through it, fury burning brighter than the haze crawling under my skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damn him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who did he think he was, standing there and claiming me so casually, as if my will meant nothing, as if I were some object he could simply decide belonged to him. The arrogance of it made my chest tighten, my nails digging into my palms as I fought to stay upright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside my head, Mira\u2019s voice cut through the fog. \u2018Get out of here, Selene. You can\u2019t control yourself anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed and nodded faintly. She was right. I could feel myself slipping, my control unraveling, and if I stayed here any longer, things would spiral beyond what I could contain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gathering what little strength I had left, I placed my hand flat against his chest. The contact made my skin prickle, and my body reacted traitorously. Adrian\u2019s gaze dropped to my hand before lifting back to my face, confusion flickering across his expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shoved him with all my strength, but he didn\u2019t even budge. My voice came out low and strained, raw with frustration. \u201cGet lost, Adrian.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He frowned, clearly not expecting that. \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned back against the wall for support, my breath coming in short, uneven gasps as heat pooled low in my body.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI said get lost,\u201d I repeated, my voice sharper now. \u201cGet away from me, are you deaf or what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His grip on my wrist loosened, uncertainty creeping in as he tried to understand what was happening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you-\u201d He stopped mid-sentence, inhaling sharply, and I saw the exact moment realization hit him. His eyes widened, shock flashing across his face. \u201cFuck,\u201d he muttered. \u201cYou\u2019re in heat.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I bit down on my lower lip, frustration and dread twisting together in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ah. He knows.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The surprise vanished quickly, replaced by a surge of anger that made his presence feel even heavier. \u201cAre you insane?\u201d he snapped. \u201cHow could you come to a place full of men while you\u2019re in heat? How could you dance with an alpha like that? Do you have any idea what your scent could have made him do to you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words barely registered. All I could think about was getting away, putting distance between myself and everyone else before my scent grew any stronger. Summoning every ounce of strength I had left, I shoved him away from me. He stumbled back a step, clearly not expecting it, and I turned, intent on leaving immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t get far.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against him, and the sudden contact forced a gasp from my lips. I twisted in his hold, glaring up at him despite the way my body reacted against my will.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you out of your mind?\u201d I hissed. \u201cGet your hands off me right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t loosen his grip. Instead, he held me tighter, his voice dropping, tense and possessive. \u201cI\u2019m not letting you go. If you walk out there like this, do you know how many men will sense you? How many will want you?\u201d Moonborn or not, you\u2019 re still a woman. They won\u2019t control themselve\u00a0<\/p>\n
Successfully unlocked!\u00a0<\/p>\n
I scoffed weakly, irritation cutting through the az And your think you\u2019re my better?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He shrugged slightly, unapologetic. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t matter. What matters is that I\u2019m your mate.\u201d His eyes locked onto mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
931 The demon of the West\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I won\u2019t let any other man even look at you like that. You\u2019re mine, Selene. You will stay with me tonight. With my scent on you, no one else will dare come close.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart dropped in my chest as his words echoed in my ears, and all I could think was how desperately I needed to get away, before he crossed a line.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I would rather die than let this bastard touch me again in this lifetime.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just the thought of his hands on me, after watching me die, after standing by while I was destroyed in every life, made bile rise in my throat. Disgust crawled under my skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him, my voice coming out hoarse but firm. \u201cLet me go, Adrian, I don\u2019t want to spend the night with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer. Instead, his hand slid into my hair, sweeping it aside to bare my neck. His grip was firm, leaving me no room to turn away. Panic surged through me as his eyes darkened, something cold and possessive settling into his gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now, I\u2019ll mark you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched in horror as his fangs lengthened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart plummeted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
gods.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was really going to do it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fear coursed through my limbs, making them heavy and unresponsive. I tried to move, and fight, but my body betrayed me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t even hear Mira anymore, she was weak too, overcome by the heat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I thrashed weakly as he leaned closer, my breath coming out in broken gasps, dread clawing up my spine. I couldn\u2019t stop him. I couldn\u2019t-\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must have a death wish trying to mark her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The voice was deep, and cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes flew open at the familiar voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian\u2019s eyes widened too. \u201cWhat-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He never finished the sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the next instant, his body was ripped away from me and hurled across the garden like he weighed nothing at all. He slammed into the wall with a thunderous crack, stone exploding behind him as the structure partially collapsed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stumbled forward, staring in shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Impossible. There was only one man strong enough to throw him like that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Slowly, I turned, and there he was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Standing tall and broad, crimson eyes glowing faintly in the dark. His presence alone was commanding, and terrifying in a way Adrian never had been.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The demon of the West.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My executioner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alpha Damien of the Crimson Pack was standing right in front of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hope Is Not Optional \u2014 Manuel Flores 93 931 The demon of the West\u00a0 93 The demon of the West\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-ruthless-tycoons-obsession-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27887\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}