Chapter thirteen — Paranormal Realm 11
"What's your name, little mate?"
"Rowan."
"Rowan? Such a nice name, befitting of my mate," he said, eyeing me like he was pleased with what he saw.
If I wasn't in a tricky situation now, I would've given a little twirl to show him more. Not to be narcissistic, but I love getting praised. No, focus, Rowan. Get it together. With or without Nyphrin.
"Uhm… there must be a mix-up somewhere. I'm definitely not your mate."
A low, warning growl rumbled from him.
Did he just growl at me? That's so sexy… No, idiot, it was a warning. What do I do?
"Are you rejecting me, little mate?
"No! No, I'm not. . . just… I think there may be a mix-up."
His hands rose slowly to my face, casual but careful, like he was trying not to startle me. His palms brushed my cheeks. The rough callus of his fingers grazed my skin, but it wasn't painful. Strangely, it felt grounding, almost gentle, like a giant afraid of breaking something small.
"Don't you feel it? The tingling under your skin? The pull to be with me? To touch me? To mark me, claim me as yours?"
"I. . . don't think you should be this close to me," Rowan said, standing abruptly, chair scraping softly behind him.
The air shifted almost immediately after the words left my mouth. His grip tightened, guiding my face closer, it wasn't painful, but forceful. He dipped toward my neck, breathing me in, his forehead nearly brushing my jaw.
"Why can't I be close to you? You smell nice. And most importantly… you belong to me," he said, voice low, warm, and dangerously calm.
My mind fogged. My pulse kicked into a sprint. His scent hit me like a wave, distracting, addictive, confusing. My skin felt too tight, too warm. My lungs forgot how to work normally.
"Please…" I choked out. I didn't even know if I was begging him to stop or… to keep going.
"You feel your body heating up? Your senses sharpening and scrambling at the same time? You want me to continue, don't you?" His voice dropped further. "You want me to take over. You want me to take you, right and right now, to bend you over and have you.
"I. . . I don't know what's happening to me," Rowan whispered, stepping back again, palms raised slightly like instinct told him to create space.
"You're entering your heat," he said simply, like that explained everything.
Heat?! Is that why I feel like this? My brain says run, but the rest of me says stay, like this is exactly where I'm meant to be. Around him. Under him. Even if I don't understand him.
"Let me help you."
"Help me? How?" Rowan asked, eyes wild, suspicious, and overwhelmed.
'You're the one doing this to me. You're the one making my thoughts fuzzy!'
His lips hovered a breath away from mine. His eyes were ocean blue , calm on the surface, storm-deep underneath. Something flickered there. Control slipping. Panic hidden. Desire roaring under a fragile leash.
He laughed under his breath, short, rough, almost disbelieving.
"Still innocent, hm? Good. I'd hate to find out someone else touched what was meant for me." His eyes sharpened, sometimes red, sometimes blue. "Thanks to the moon goddess, you're still untainted. Still mine to ruin." A pause. "But only if you let me."
Rowan didn't know that Damon was in his Rut( just like omegas experience heat, alphas experience Rut). He didn't know what Rut felt like for an alpha. He didn't know the danger he was standing in front of. But he felt it. The tension. The storm. The impossible urge..
So he closed his eyes and did the one thing his instinct demanded, he allowed it to cloud his logic.
He kissed him.
Messy. Unsure. Experimental. Like every thought in his body screamed, do it now.
He smoothed his lips against Damon's, then nipped gently, trying to pull a reaction out of him, trying to make him take over.
Damon let out a low, husky chuckle, head tilting slightly like he was impressed and amused.
"That's not how you kiss someone you're rejecting," he murmured.
And Rowan froze, breath caught in his throat.
That was the moment it clicked.
This was going to happen, he'll finally loose his V-card.