I had come out here for peace,for fresh air, for space, for a moment to breathe without feeling watched. And yet, there he was. Ramon Sincarra. Alpha. Wolf. The man I couldn't escape no matter how hard I tried.

His eyes flicked over me slowly, like he was measuring something. Like he always did.

"Watch your mouth, lady," he said calmly, pointing a finger at me.

That did it.

I stopped walking completely and turned to face him fully, my heart pounding, my hands clenched into fists.

"Or what?" I challenged. "What are you going to do to me?"

I stepped closer, daring him. "Lock me up again? Tell me I'm bound to you? Remind me that my life doesn't belong to me anymore?"

He smiled.

That damn smile.

It wasn't cruel nor angry. Just... amused. Like he already knew how this would end, and I was the only one still fighting it.

"You can't control me," I said, my voice shaking with anger. "I see beneath the mask you wear for your people, and you can't fool me. Not for one second."

His eyes darkened slightly, but he didn't raise his voice.

"Can you just be quiet for once?" he said. "You have too much noise in your head. Why not come to me and we talk, peacefully?"

"Fuck you," I hissed, venom dripping from every word.

The air between us thickened.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" I added. "I only came out here for some morning air."

"I saw you leaving," he replied. "So I just..."

"You just what?" I interrupted. "Followed me? You think I'll run away again?"

He didn't answer.

He just looked at me.

And that look, steady, unflinching, made my skin prickle. Like he could see straight through my anger, through my fear, down to the truth I refused to admit.

I kept talking, my words spilling out faster now, sharper. "You think because you're the king of this place, you get to decide where I go and who I am. Well, you don't."

Still, he said nothing.

That irritated me even more.

Then suddenly, his expression changed.

It happened so fast I barely had time to react.

His hand shot out, gripping my wrist firmly. Not painful, but strong.

"Quiet," he whispered.

Before I could protest, he pulled me sharply toward him and moved us behind a thick tree. My back pressed against the bark, his body blocking me completely.

"What are you..." I started.

He covered my mouth with his hand.

"Not a sound," he murmured close to my ear.

My heart slammed against my chest.

I couldn't see anything. Couldn't hear anything except my own breath and his.

His eyes were fixed on something beyond the trees, his body tense like a drawn bow.

I followed his gaze, but all I saw was forest.

"What is it?" I whispered.

He didn't answer.

His hand tightened around mine slightly, grounding me, steadying me. And that was when I noticed how close he was.

Too close.

His breath brushed my cheek. His chest pressed against my back. He smelled... intoxicating. Earthy. Warm. Wild.

Damn it.

Talia, what does he have over you?

My body reacted before my mind could catch up. My breath hitched. My pulse raced. My skin burned where he touched me.

I shifted nervously, but he held me tighter.

"Stay still," he whispered.

I trembled, and he felt it. I knew he did.

Slowly, carefully, he leaned closer, his mouth near my ear. "There are eyes on us," he murmured. "And not all of them belong to my pack."

A chill ran through me.

I swallowed hard.

I turned my head slightly, trying to see his face. "What the fuck is..."

I didn't finish the sentence.

Because his mouth crashed into mine.

All thoughts vanished.

It was nothing like the first kiss. This one wasn't controlled or cautious. This was hunger. Frustration. Weeks of tension exploding all at once.

His lips moved against mine with urgency, like he was afraid to stop. Like he had been holding himself back for too long.

My hands came up instinctively, gripping his shirt.

I felt dizzy.

His tongue brushed against my lips, asking, and I answered without thinking, opening to him, letting him in.

Heat spread through my body, fast and overwhelming. My knees weakened, and if he hadn't been holding me, I would have collapsed.

He groaned softly, the sound vibrating through me.

The forest disappeared. The danger disappeared. There was only him.

Ramon.

His hands slid to my waist, pulling me closer, like he needed to feel every inch of me against him. Like distance was unbearable.

I melted into him, my anger forgotten, my fear drowned beneath the rush of sensation.

God, I wanted him.

That truth hit me hard.

I wanted him more than I wanted freedom. More than I wanted answers. More than I wanted to hate him.

And that terrified me.

Just as my body leaned fully into his, just as my heart surrendered to the moment....

He pulled away abruptly.

Just like the first time.

Like ripping himself from a fire.

I gasped, my lips tingling, my breath unsteady. His forehead rested against mine, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Damn it," he muttered.

I could feel his heartbeat increasing.

"I had to stop you from talking, he said very softly. I saw some strange faces and I didn't want to take any chances".

None of what he said made any sense to me.

Did he have to stop?

I pushed him and got up, dusting my clothes.

I was desperate, confused. I couldn't help but ask,"Why did you stop?"

He caught my wrists gently but firmly.

"Because if I don't," he said hoarsely, "I won't be able to stop at all."

His eyes met mine, dark and blazing with things he wasn't saying.

Just like that.

Leaving me cold. Shaken. Wanting.

"You're not ready," he said quietly. "And I won't take what you haven't chosen to give."

I stared at him, stunned, angry, aching.

"You don't get to decide that," I snapped weakly.

He smiled sadly. "I already have."

"Come on, let's go back and you must always let me know when you're leaving the house, okay?"

I followed him without saying a word.

One truth echoed painfully in my mind:

No matter how hard I fought it...

No matter how much I hated him for taking my life from me...

I was already falling.

And I wasn't sure I could stop.

Chapter 7 UNDER HIS GAZE.

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