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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

SYLUS

H er scent is everywhere. Sweet and heady, laced with a wildness that sinks its claws into my chest and refuses to let go. It wraps around me, drags me under, until I can barely breathe for the sheer force of it. My wolf surges forward, snarling against the fragile leash of control I’ve kept him on for so long now.

It’s unbearable.

It’s intoxicating.

The omega sprawled across my bed— my bed —is a storm I’m desperate to tame. And yet, every inch of me burns with the knowledge that I shouldn’t. That I can’t.

“Nova,” I bite out, my voice a ragged growl. “Get. Off.”

Wrong choice of words, pup.

She doesn’t move. She stretches instead, deliberately pressing her fur deeper into my bedding like she’s staking a claim. My wolf growls low, vibrating against my rib cage. Her scent twists into something bright, sweeter—submission mixed with challenge, the kind of thing designed to drive an alpha insane.

I take a step forward, then another, the movement stiff and jerky as I wrestle with myself. My wolf wants to run to her, to cover her, to knot her so thoroughly that no other alpha would ever dare lay a claim.

But I’m not a beast. Not like my father. I won’t lose control—not over her, not over this.

“Nova,” I try again, harsher now. “Get the everloving fuck off my bed.”

Her pale blue eyes meet mine, wide and liquid, and my wolf lunges inside me. The connection between us sizzles with primal electricity, and my breath catches. I can’t tell if it’s her wolf or mine that pushes it, but the tension between us vibrates like a bowstring, ready to snap.

Then she does the unthinkable.

She rolls onto her side, baring her neck to me.

It’s the single most submissive gesture an omega can offer. And it hits me like a sledgehammer.

My vision tunnels, the edges going dark as my wolf howls inside me. He wants to take, to claim, to bind her to us in a way that no other male could ever undo. My fists clench so hard my knuckles pop, but the effort does nothing to stop the shift clawing its way to the surface.

Her scent grows thicker, warmer, and I stagger back a step, the last thread of control snapping.

The shift rips through me like wildfire, burning away skin and bone as my wolf takes over. Fur bursts through my skin, claws replacing nails, and my body contorts, snapping and twisting until I land on all fours. My wolf snarls, shaking off the remnants of my fae form as he lunges onto the bed beside her.

Her omega scent hits me like a wave, and I can’t stop myself from pressing my muzzle to her fur. She smells like the woods after rain, wild and free, but there’s something softer underneath—something so sweet that drives me mad. I rub my jaw against her, growling low as her scent sinks into my fur, marking me as thoroughly as she’s marked my bed.

Her wolf shivers under my touch, tilting her head to give me more access to her neck. My teeth graze her fur, a warning and a promise, and she lets out a soft, whimpering sound that shoots straight to my cock.

Mine.

The word isn’t mine—it’s my wolf’s. A single, brutal demand that overrides everything else. He wants to claim her, to knot her, to make her ours in every sense of the word.

But deep inside, the part of me that’s still fae, claws its way back to the surface. She’s not ours. She’ll never be ours.

I jerk back, snarling at my wolf to stand down. He fights me, pacing inside my head, his growl reverberating through my chest as he stares down at her.

The omega blinks up at me, her eyes glowing with something I can’t name. My breath comes out in ragged pants, the ache in my chest unbearable as I force myself to step back, to put distance between us.

But it doesn’t help. Her scent is in my fur, in my lungs, in my very fucking bones.

Her wolf tilts her head, confused. Or maybe amused.

And then, to my utter horror, she nuzzles closer, pressing her face to my fur.

My wolf howls.

I rear back, snarling, but it’s no use. Her scent, her presence—everything about her is a pull I can’t escape. My claws dig into the mattress, ripping through the fabric as I fight the need to get closer.

Take her. She’s ours. She’s waiting. Begging for it.

She’s not ours. She’ll never be ours.

You can smell it. Feel it. She belongs with us. To us.

The omega molds her body flush against mine, and my wolf growls in triumph. Her warmth seeps into my fur, her scent wrapping around me like a vice. My teeth clench so hard it feels like my jaw might break. This isn’t happening. I won’t let it.

You can’t stop me, my wolf sneers, his voice dripping with arrogance. You don’t want to stop me. And when we’re rutting her, you’ll thank me. When she’s coming all over our knot, you will beg me for forgiveness.

I slam the mental barrier between us, but it’s a flimsy defense. He’s too strong right now, too loud. And he’s right—I don’t want to stop him. Not entirely.

The omega shifts again, her muzzle brushing against mine, and a low whine escapes her throat. She’s all submission, all invitation, and my resolve shatters a little more.

She rolls onto her back, baring her belly to me—a gesture so primal, so inherently trusting, that my wolf nearly breaks free again.

She’s begging for us. Look at her. Sink our cock into her. Fill her with our alpha come.

She doesn’t know what she’s doing. She doesn’t understand.

She understands everything. You’re just too much of a coward to take her.

I snap at the air, trying to claw my way back to reason, but she doesn’t flinch. If anything, she softens further, her eyes glowing with an unbearable blend of innocence and desire.

My muzzle brushes against her fur again, unbidden. I growl low, the sound more frustrated than anything else, but my wolf pushes closer, triumphant. Good. She likes it. She wants it.

No. This ends now.

With every ounce of strength I have left, I push off the bed, putting distance between us. My chest heaves, my claws scrabbling against the floor as I fight to regain control. But I manage to shift into my fae form, breathing heavy, fingers tight on my knees as I bend over.

Her wolf whines, a mournful, heart-wrenching sound that makes my wolf snarl in response.

You’re hurting her, he accuses, his voice a razor in my mind. She needs us. Comfort her. You’re rejecting her.

She needs me to walk the fuck away.

But I can’t. My legs won’t move, rooted to the floor as her gaze latches onto mine. The connection between us is tangible; a living, breathing thing that refuses to let me go.

“You don’t even know what you’re asking for,” I growl, my voice shaking. “You don’t understand what this means.”

Her wolf tilts her head, curious, unbothered by my anger. She stretches out on the bed again, her fur catching the pale moonlight filtering through the window. The scent of her submission, her need, floods the room, and I stagger under the weight of it.

She’s perfect, my wolf whispers, his voice reverent now. She’s ours.

She’s not ours. She’ll never be ours.

But even as I think it, I feel the lie in my own words. Because deep down, buried under all my anger and fear and denial, I know one undeniable truth.

She could be.

I shake my head to clear that thought. My breathing is rough, my entire body trembling from the strain of fighting my wolf. I rake a hand through my sweat damp hair, stepping as far away from the bed as the room allows. “Nova,” I manage, my voice rough. “You need to shift back. Please.”

Her wolf lifts her head, eyes locking onto mine with defiance. She doesn’t move. The low whine that escapes her is like a match to kindling.

Why are you running? my wolf snarls, pacing at the edges of my mind. She’s ours. She’s waiting. Take her, coward. You see the way her fae looks at you, she wants this, too.

“Shift, Nova,” I try again, forcing authority into my tone. “If you don’t, I’ll?—”

I never get the chance to finish.

The moment my hands drop to my sides, my wolf surges forward, shattering my control. Pain rips through me as the shift overtakes my body once more, my bones snapping, muscles contorting. The next thing I know, I’m back on all fours, claws scraping against the floor as a guttural growl rumbles from my chest.

Her wolf rises from the bed, ears perking as she watches me. There’s no fear in her eyes, only curiosity—and something else. Something far more dangerous.

She knows, my wolf purrs, his focus entirely on her. She’s waiting. Breed her. She’ll feel so good on our knot. Her tight, untouched pussy will take us so well. Rut her. Rut her now!

I don’t want this. Not like this.

But I do.

Her wolf lets out a soft whimper, turning her head to bare her throat to me.

The sweetest, most torturous scent fills my nostrils as she perfumes the air. I’m fucking drunk on it.

Ours, my wolf growls, satisfaction lacing the word as he lowers us over her, our teeth grazing her exposed neck. She’s ours.

Stop! I roar internally, thrashing against the mental prison my wolf has constructed. You can’t do this! I won’t do this!

You don’t have a choice.

The heat radiating off her is unbearable, pulling me deeper into the haze of instinct and need. My teeth graze her again, firmer this time, and she responds with a low, inviting growl. Her scent spikes, her omega submission flooding my senses, and the last thread of my resolve snaps.

I’m lost. So fucking lost and drowning .

Just as my wolf moves to claim her, the door explodes open.

“Sylus! Nova!” Tai’s voice sears through the fog, his incubus coercion commanding.

My head whips toward the intrusion, a snarl tearing from my throat as my wolf bristles at the interruption. Tai stands in the doorway, his shadows writhing around him, ready to strike. Callum is just behind him, his eyes wide, hand braced against the frame.

And then there’s the professor—a stern-faced fae, whose presence fills the room with authority. Professor Imantu.

“Get back!” the professor commands, his words laced with power as he steps forward. “Now!”

Nova’s wolf snaps her teeth in warning, her growl low. My wolf answers with a snarl of his own, stepping protectively in front of her as if to shield her from the intruders.

They’ll take her from us, my wolf growls, his hackles rising. I won’t let them.

Stand down! I demand, fighting to wrest control from him. You’re going to get us both killed!

The professor raises a hand, a glow forming in the air around him.

Tai steps closer, his magic shimmering like heatwaves as he speaks. “Sylus, you have to shift back. Now. This has gone far enough.”

I can feel my wolf’s defiance, his refusal to yield. But the sheer force of their combined magic bears against us, a suffocating weight that leaves him no room to resist.

With a final, furious snarl, my wolf retreats, the shift ripping through me once more as I collapse onto Nova in my fae form, trembling and drenched in sweat. Nova’s wolf lets out a mournful howl, her eyes filled with confusion and betrayal as she looks at me one last time before slumping onto the bed.

“Off,” the professor orders. “Now.”

I scramble off the bed and onto the floor.

Tai stalks forward, his magic already weaving around her as Callum hesitates, his jaw clenched. Dragging my stare to the floor, I can’t bring myself to look at either of them. Shame burns through me, hotter than any fire, as I sit there, staring at the rug beneath me, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.

Because no matter what just happened, no matter how much I want to blame my wolf, I know one thing for certain.

I wanted it, too.