Two

The dim lights of the nightclub swirled around me, casting a haze over the already spinning room. The sharp tang of alcohol lingered on my lips, and I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. I had never intended to drink this much, but here I was, sloshed and teetering on the edge of my own control, feeling lighter than I had in weeks.

The music throbbed through the dimly lit club, the bass vibrating in my chest. For the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to relax. I danced with Lily, my body swaying to the rhythm, the worries of my life momentarily pushed aside. 

I wanted to live. And I knew that once I was given to Alpha Ethan, my life would nothing but be subjected to his will. 

Lily leaned across the bar, her face flushed from laughter. “One more round, Sage!” she called over the pulsing music, grinning from ear to ear. 

I shook my head, giggling despite myself. “I think I’ve had enough.”

Lily’s eyes twinkled mischievously, a side of her I didn’t see often. “You’re not done yet. I’m getting you another. Be right back!”

Before I could protest, she was gone, slipping through the crowd towards the bar. I leaned back against the booth, the world spinning slightly as I took in the colorful chaos around me. I had to admit, it felt good to forget for a while. Forget Marcus, forget Alpha Ethan, forget the impossible choices ahead of me.

Just as I was settling into the warmth of the alcohol, I felt someone approach. My senses, though dulled, sharpened just slightly, enough to make me aware of the presence now lingering beside me. A man.

I turned my head and met the gaze of a stranger—a tall, strikingly handsome man with dark, tousled hair and piercing eyes. There was something magnetic about him, something that made the noise of the club fade into the background. His eyes were fixed on me, intense and unreadable, as though he could see straight into my soul.

He looked like danger wrapped in temptation, and I found myself unable to look away.

“Mind if I sit?” His voice was deep, smooth, but there was an edge to it. A danger I couldn’t quite place.

I nodded, unable to speak for a moment. My heart thudded loudly in my chest, whether from the alcohol or his presence, I couldn’t tell. 

He sat down and his body was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him. “You seem… different,” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I don’t think I have met you before.”

I blinked, trying to focus on his words. “Different how?” 

“Smart,” he replied simply, his gaze unwavering. “You carry yourself like someone who doesn’t belong in a place like this.”

A rush of warmth spread through me. It wasn’t often that someone noticed beyond the surface, especially in a place like this. “I could say the same about you,” I shot back, feeling a bit bolder under his gaze. “You don’t exactly fit in either.” He was well-dressed, a little too much for a night club actually. 

He smirked, the corner of his mouth tugging upward, and I couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was—dangerously so. “Maybe I’m just passing through. Maybe I’m looking for something.”

There was a flicker of something deeper in his eyes, something that made my pulse quicken. His gaze was unrelenting, and despite the alcohol swirling through my veins, I felt as though I was being studied, appraised.

Lily hadn’t returned yet, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted her to. Something about this stranger’s presence had me hooked, as though he had captured me in a web of intrigue I couldn’t escape.

He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering as if sharing a secret. “You’re far too smart to be here, drowning yourself in cheap liquor. What’s a woman like you running from?”

My breath caught in my throat. How did he know? How could he see so much with just a few words? 

“I’m not running,” I said, though the lie felt heavy on my tongue.

His eyes darkened, and he tilted his head slightly, as though calling me out. “Everyone’s running from something, whether they admit it or not.”

I wanted to push him away, to get up and leave. But I couldn’t. There was something about him that made it impossible to tear myself away. He was right, of course. I was running—from my fate, from Alpha Ethan, from Marcus, from everything. But I didn’t want him to know that.

I opened my mouth to respond, but the moment was shattered by a loud voice nearby. A man, clearly drunk, had stumbled onto the dance floor, bumping into people carelessly. His eyes were on me now, and without warning, he swaggered over.

“You there!” the drunk man slurred, his eyes glassy. “Dance with me, sweetheart.”

I recoiled, but before I could react, the handsome stranger beside me was on his feet, his entire demeanor shifting in an instant. 

“She’s with me,” he growled, his voice laced with a dangerous authority. His hand wrapped around my wrist, pulling me to my feet and guiding me toward the dance floor, away from the intruder.

The drunk man sneered but backed off, muttering under his breath as he disappeared into the crowd. My pulse raced as the stranger led me deeper into the throng of dancers. The music pulsed around us, but all I could focus on was the man in front of me. His hand was still on my wrist, warm and possessive.

He spun me around to face him, his hands moving to my waist. “You alright?” he asked, though there was something else in his voice. Concern, yes, but also a possessive edge that sent a shiver down my spine.

I nodded, not trusting my voice to hold steady. The alcohol had dulled some of my senses, but not enough to miss the heat in his gaze. It was intense, consuming.

We started to move to the rhythm of the music, and it felt like we were the only two people in the room. His hands were firm on my waist, guiding me, and I followed without thinking. The tension between us thickened with every step, every brush of our bodies.

As the song shifted into something slower, more sensual, I found myself pressed against him, our bodies swaying together. His face was close to mine, his breath hot against my skin.

“I could get lost in you,” he murmured, his voice barely audible over the music. 

My heart raced, and before I could stop myself, I found myself drawn to him.

His eyes flared with something dark and dangerous. He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against my ear. “No names. No strings. Just tonight.”

I knew what he was offering. A night of passion, of forgetting everything. No consequences, no attachments. For one night, I could lose myself, and escape the fate looming over me. And at that moment, I wanted it more than anything.

I met his gaze, my voice barely a whisper. “Just tonight.”

***

We stumbled into the dimly lit room above the club, our hands tangled in each other’s clothes, lips meeting in desperate, heated kisses. I had never felt more intimate, more aware of everything that skittered over my skin.

His hands were everywhere—hot, demanding—and I gave in to every touch, every kiss, letting him pull me deeper into the haze of desire. It was reckless, it was dangerous, but for the first time in so long, I felt alive.

The night blurred into a whirlwind of passion, our bodies moving together in perfect, primal rhythm. No names, no promises, just the raw, unbridled need to feel something real.

There was some degree of tenderness to his touch, at the same time, he was rough and raw and real. "Take me," I whispered. 

He had no second thoughts, clutching the tops of my shoulders and plunging his freed length deep into me. I moaned from the deeply submissive sensation of it, not to mention my current position, spread wide and still bound by him. He groaned, pulling back slightly and slamming forward with all his frustrated energy. 

Every single thrust was forceful and deep, testing the bonds while the bed jolted and rocked, sometimes banging into the wall behind me. But when it was over, when we lay in the aftermath of our passion, something shifted. 

The air between us grew cold, and I saw it in his eyes—shock, disbelief, and something darker. He stiffened, pulling away from me as though burned.

“No,” he whispered, his voice harsh and strangled. “This can’t be happening.”

“What?” I asked, my heart pounding. “What’s wrong?”

His eyes bore into mine, and the truth hit me like a freight train. 

“Mate,” he whispered and his voice was filled with horror. “But I can’t…”

How was it even possible? I was wolf-less and it was impossible…

“I reject you.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, shaking his head as if it was such an absurd idea. “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but you cannot be my mate.” 

The words struck me like a blade to the heart, and before I could respond, he was gone, leaving me shattered and alone in the dark.