The moon had risen high above the treetops, casting its silver glow across the forest clearing. The quiet hum of nature around them was the only witness to the storm brewing between Theron and Noah. It wasn't the wind rustling the leaves it was the friction, the tension, the heat building between two bodies that had been dancing on the edge for far too long.
Noah stood with his arms crossed, jaw tight, breath shallow. His heart pounded like war drums in his chest, and every inch of his skin felt too tight, too aware of the Alpha standing only a few feet away. Theron, gods help him, looked like a beast barely leashed hair tousled, chest heaving, golden eyes burning with something wild and possessive.
"You don't get to play both sides," Noah snapped, voice low and laced with the sting of betrayal. "You don't get to protect me one minute and push me away the next."
Theron didn't answer at first. He just stared, every muscle in his body wound tight like a predator ready to pounce. "I've tried," he growled finally, voice raw. "Fuck, Noah I've tried to stay away, to keep control. But every time you look at me like that, every time you breathe near me, it's like the moon itself dares me to take what's mine."
Noah's eyes widened, breath caught somewhere in his throat. "I'm not"
"You are mine," Theron said, stepping closer, slow and deliberate. "And I'm so goddamn tired of pretending you're not."
The words hit like a punch to the gut. Noah staggered back a step, but Theron followed, crowding into his space until there was nowhere left to run.
"You don't mean that," Noah whispered, but his voice betrayed him shaky, hopeful, craving.
Theron reached out, fingers brushing Noah's jaw, then trailing down his throat with a reverence that sent shivers across his skin. "I mean every fucking word," he said, voice dark and reverent. "You drive me insane, Noah. Your scent, your voice, your stubborn fire it haunts me. You think I don't want you? I burn for you."
And then he kissed him.
Gods, it wasn't gentle. It wasn't sweet. It was possession and desperation and a thousand nights of restraint breaking all at once. Their mouths collided, teeth clashing, tongues tangling. Theron gripped Noah's waist, pulling him flush against his body, and Noah gasped into the kiss, his fingers tangling in Theron's hair.
There was no room for hesitation now. No logic. No fear.
Only need.
Noah whimpered as Theron's mouth trailed down to his throat, teeth grazing the sensitive skin where his mating mark would someday be. He didn't bite not yet but the threat of it, the promise, made Noah's knees buckle.
"You don't get to keep hiding behind anger," Theron murmured against his skin. "You want this too. Say it."
"I…" Noah's voice cracked. "I hate how much I want you."
Theron chuckled, low and dark. "Good. Hate me all you want, mi omega. Just don't lie to yourself."
Fingers slid beneath Noah's shirt, tracing the ridges of muscle and bone, setting his nerves ablaze. Theron was touching him like he'd memorized every curve, every shiver, like he'd fantasized about this exact moment a thousand times and gods, maybe he had.
Noah was trembling by the time Theron's hand cupped his cheek again, eyes searching his face with something almost tender beneath the hunger.
"You still want me to stop?" he asked, breath ragged.
Noah looked up at him, pupils blown wide, lips swollen from kissing. "If you stop now, I'll hate you forever."
Theron growled and then there were no more words.
They tumbled to the forest floor in a tangle of limbs and heat, mouths finding skin, hands exploring every inch. Clothing was pushed aside in frantic motions, skin against skin, heart against heart. Theron's control cracked, and Noah welcomed the storm. Every kiss, every touch, every growl carved something permanent into them both.
They weren't just playing with fire anymore.
They were becoming it.