Chapter 11
Ehlian’s throat clicked at the sharp alarm ringing through the prison, signalling curfew. The cell door swung shut, but it hadn’t locked yet.
The silence that followed was almost worse than the clashing metal and brutal roars of the fight a month ago.
Hayce’s presence was impossible to ignore, looming large even from the other side of the cell.
His form dominated Ehlian’s vision, even when he only risked a cautious glance from the corner of his eyes.
But it was the quietness, the oppressive, unbroken silence that was the hardest to endure. The air was heavy with impatience and frustration, and he abruptly realised it was coming from his core.
As if sensing it, Hayce cast him a glance. He said nothing, but Ehlian felt the intensity in his dark eyes.
It was almost unbearable.
Ehlian stood at the floor-to-ceiling window. It was the coldest part of the cell and had the best view of Arox, but he had spent little time watching his home planet shining below the orbiting prison. This time, though, it strangely gave him some comfort.
Hayce turned over a glass at the bar, the burble of pouring drink filling the place. He set the bottle back down, the sound against the wooden counter resonating through the cell. “Grasson wants to claim you.”
Ehlian spun around, a cold shiver shooting up his spine. “He can’t claim me. I’m part of your pack.”
“He thinks I don’t want you. Or that I’ve already grown bored,” Hayce took a gulp from his drink, his expression impossible to read. “He wants to trade. His omega for you.”
Ehlian’s throat tightened. “Did you accept it?”
Hayce took another lazy gulp from his drink, then abandoned the glass on the bar and stepped before Ehlian.
Ehlian’s telepathic senses tingled and twisted, stimulated under the long line of heat from Hayce’s body and the weight of his power.
He hated how easily his power reacted to Hayce’s, picking up on it like a pleasant scent floating in the air.
Hayce’s gaze burned through him. “I can, if you want me to.”
The crackling sexual energy under Ehlian’s skin was electric, colliding and merging with Hayce’s. His nails dug deep into his own palm, fighting back the soft sound that threatened to escape his lips.
The soft pad of Hayce’s fingers slid down Ehlian’s arm, his thumb brushing lightly along the inside of Ehlian’s wrist. “Is that what you want, Ehlian?”
The tension in Ehlian’s fingers eased, his nails withdrawing from his skin.
“I won’t ever obey you.” His voice cracked, barely more than a whisper. “You can’t—can’t control me.”
Hayce traced another slow circle on Ehlian’s wrist. “When have I ever controlled you?”
“The first time we met.” Ehlian swallowed hard, yanking his hand away from Hayce’s fingers. He couldn’t think straight when Hayce was touching him. “You put me down on my—” He swallowed again, the words catching in his throat. “And you—with 665—the way you so effortlessly—”
Ehlian cut himself off. Even if he wanted to say more, he wouldn’t have been able to force the words past his laboured breathing. His chest rose and fell in a wild, uneven rhythm. And then, abruptly, his breath caught.
It wasn’t the dark lust coursing through his veins that stopped him. It was the terrifyingly knowing glint in Hayce’s eyes.
Shame burned through Ehlian, and in a moment of panic, his gaze darted towards the door. It wouldn’t lock for another ten minutes. This was his last chance to escape—to step out for a minute, break the spell, and preserve the final shred of dignity before everything inevitably came crashing down.
He moved. One, two, three steps—
‘Stop right there.’
His body froze, halted by a will that wasn’t his own.
Hayce followed, matching his steps—one, two, three—before stopping just behind him.
‘Turn around.’
Ehlian’s body obeyed. His vision filled with the sight of taut skin where the top two buttons of Hayce’s dark uniform lay casually undone.
‘On your knees.’
The moment Ehlian’s knees hit the floor, a scorching wave of lust tore through him. The controlling power lifted from his body, but he stayed there… willing. Hayce’s crotch was only a breath away, the outline of his cock straining against the fabric, making Ehlian’s mouth run dry.
Hayce’s fingers threaded through Ehlian’s hair. “You really know how to drive an alpha insane,” he murmured, voice low and quiet. “You sleep in my bed every night like you belong there. You let me touch you—but don’t let me have you.”
“I don’t belong to you,” Ehlian breathed, a final, feeble attempt at denial.
Hayce hummed darkly, the sound vibrating through the charged air between them. “Me or Grasson?”
“You.” Ehlian hated how easily the word slipped out. Too instinctive. Too natural.
“Loyal to me. I like that.” The warmth in Hayce’s voice slid across the pack bond, and Ehlian’s breath caught as the alpha’s approval surged through, like a heated caress—soothing, yet intrusive, curling around his core with breathtaking intensity.
“You like that?” Hayce’s voice was a quiet growl.
Ehlian shook his head, lips shaping a voiceless, weak ‘no.’
“Can’t even fool yourself,” Hayce said, fingers tangling tighter in Ehlian’s hair. He pulled, firm and guiding, and Ehlian followed, swaying forward.
His lips closed over the clothed bulge, mouthing the length, the hardness beneath.
The encouraging strokes in his hair only fed his hunger.
He traced over every inch with a boldness that surprised even himself.
He’d always loved sex, but he’d never let himself get this lost in the feeling. Never this easily.
His hands slid up Hayce’s thighs at an infuriatingly slow pace. They halted at the waistband, resting there, while his breath left damp patches over the fabric covering Hayce’s cock.
His fingers crept up to the top button, flicking it open with ease, then the second, third, fourth. His slightly trembling hand slid inside Hayce’s underwear and met warm, soft skin. His palm curled around the hardness, tugging gently, freeing it from the confining layers.
The moment his mouth closed around the head, Hayce’s fingers tightened in his hair, pleasure surging through the pack bond.
Ehlian moaned, his eyes slipping half-closed.
It was so rare that Hayce let go, even slightly, allowing a crack in his composure.
Ehlian craved more. His tongue swirled around the tip, sucking slowly before his lips sank lower, lower, taking in as much of the thick length as he could manage.
He moved unhurriedly, savouring the spike of Hayce’s pleasure.
He glanced up, locking eyes with Hayce’s dark, heated gaze, and in that instant, Ehlian felt powerful. He felt the thrill of having an alpha like Hayce on the brink of losing control. Spurred on, Ehlian quickened his pace, his head moving faster, more eagerly—
The waves of Hayce’s pleasure cut off abruptly.
“Enough.”
Ehlian sat back on his heels, waiting, unsatisfied, aching for the feel of Hayce’s lust flowing through him again.
“Stand up.”
Ehlian rose, swaying just a little closer to Hayce but stopping short of touching.
Hayce’s eyes dropped to his lips. They must have been red, a little swollen, and for a fleeting moment Ehlian thought Hayce might kiss him.
A muscle ticked in Hayce’s jaw, his gaze tearing away from Ehlian’s mouth as he slowly circled him, making a half-turn before stopping right behind him.
It was a clear, deliberate effort to put space between them, as though Hayce were forcing himself to stay composed, pulling back from temptation.
Ehlian should have felt relief, really. Even if he’d reached the point of crossing the line, of letting Hayce have him, any emotional attachment was out of the question. He might give Hayce his body, but he would never give him even a fraction of his heart.
Hayce’s hand entangled in his hair, and slowly, he tilted Ehlian’s head to the side until his neck strained, exposing the vulnerable skin.
A soft kiss landed on his neck, near his bond point, and it was so unexpected, so gentle, that for a moment every thought flew from Ehlian’s head.
A delicate warmth spreading across his skin, down his arms, over his chest. It wasn’t how Ehlian had imagined it.
He had pictured Hayce taking, biting, leaving teeth marks behind—making it abundantly clear who Ehlian belonged to.
There was a second of stillness, no touching, no kisses.
A sound escaped Ehlian’s throat, half a gasp, half a bitten-back moan, when Hayce’s lips pressed down hard, sucking at his skin harshly.
It was rough, possessive, imprinting his ownership on Ehlian’s skin.
Ehlian’s fingers instinctively reached back, threading through Hayce’s dark hair, gripping it desperately, his nails scraping against his scalp.
An intoxicating heat bloomed in his belly, sinking lower, pooling between his legs with a throbbing, undeniable need.
The current of their powers clashed somewhere between them, the sensation seeping through every lick and bite. He could feel Hayce’s power pulling his in, merging, fitting perfectly like opposite sides of a magnet.
He could feel Hayce—feel the alpha, his commanding presence, his enticing strength.
Hayce licked the sensitive, bruised skin. There was a faint pain, but Ehlian’s body reacted in a way it shouldn’t—a throb of pleasure running through his veins, setting his blood on fire.
He couldn’t take it anymore and reached for his own trousers, pulling them down.
They stuck somewhere under his round ass cheeks, but it was more than enough.
He arched into Hayce instinctively, his cheeks brushing against Hayce’s hot bulge, grinding, inviting.
A deep groan rumbled against his neck, sending shivers down his spine.