The night wrapped the city in darkness, thick and velvety, the kind that made every shadow seem alive. Lila couldn't shake the lingering tension from that morning. Kaden's presence had left her breathless, grounding, undeniable—but it hadn't erased the pull of Dorian. That dangerous, intoxicating connection had a life of its own, threading through her veins like wildfire. She could feel it, persistent and hungry, tugging at her even as she tried to ignore it.
Her apartment felt suffocating. The walls seemed to close in with every heartbeat, as though the very air remembered Dorian's touch. Her phone buzzed—a single message. No words, just a warning, an echo of the bond: "I know you feel it, Lila. You can't fight me."
Her stomach twisted. He knew. Of course he did. He always knew. And no matter how hard she tried, the pull she felt toward him was irresistible.
By the time the evening arrived, Lila was restless, pacing her apartment, fingers brushing against the edge of the counter. She should call Kaden. She should focus on the man whose bond was true, whose touch felt like home. But every rational thought collided violently with the raw, magnetic energy that Dorian exuded—even unseen, even absent.
And then he appeared.
The door to her apartment hadn't opened. She hadn't heard him enter. But there he was, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. His presence filled the room like a storm ready to break.
"You can't stay away," he murmured, voice low and velvety, dangerous. "No matter how hard you try."
Lila froze. Her pulse hammered against her ribs, her stomach twisting in both fear and anticipation. "Dorian... you can't just—"
He stepped forward, smooth, deliberate, closing the distance until the space between them was charged, electric. "I can," he said, his eyes dark, magnetic, claiming her with a look that left her trembling. "Because you feel it too. I know you do. The bond doesn't lie. And neither do your desires."
She wanted to run. She wanted to resist. And yet, the second he moved closer, warmth radiating from him like a living thing, she found herself rooted to the floor. Every nerve ending screamed, every instinct battled with her heart, every fiber of her being trembled under the weight of his presence.
"I... I shouldn't," she whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling. "I... Kaden—"
Dorian's hand lifted, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face, thumb grazing her cheek. The touch was gentle, almost tender, and yet it set her body ablaze. Heat pooled low in her belly, twisting her insides into knots she didn't want to untangle.
"Kaden isn't here," he said softly, almost a whisper, yet every word was a demand. "And right now, it's just us. Just this... connection. You can fight it, if you dare. But I know you won't. Because you already belong to me. At least... part of you does."
Her knees nearly gave way. She wanted to resist, to deny it, to run. And yet, when his hand brushed her cheek again, when his gaze locked with hers, when his proximity pressed against her like a magnet, she realized she couldn't. Not entirely.
Her body responded against her will, shivering as warmth spread from her chest to the tips of her fingers. Pleasure and guilt collided in an almost violent storm. She wanted to melt into him, to surrender, to let the tension and desire consume her. But the thought of Kaden—steady, grounding, her true mate—tore at her conscience, leaving her heart raw and conflicted.
Dorian's hand traced the line of her jaw, then down her neck, each touch a masterful balance of danger and seduction. "You feel it, don't you?" he murmured. "The pull. The need. The desire. You can't fight it. And I won't let you."
"I... I shouldn't..." Her voice was breathless, trembling. "I... I can't... not with... Kaden—"
He silenced her by pressing a finger against her lips, warm, commanding. "Kaden isn't here. And right now, this is about me. About the bond we share. It's wrong, yes. Dangerous, yes. But intoxicating... yes. And you can't pretend it doesn't exist, Lila. Not when it's already inside you. Not when every part of you feels it, as I do."
The honesty in his voice, the raw intensity, left her reeling. Her body betrayed her once more, responding with a heat she couldn't control, a tremor she couldn't suppress. She felt caught between pleasure and conscience, between desire and loyalty, between the seductive shadows of Dorian and the grounding, inevitable pull of Kaden.
Dorian's lips brushed her temple, a whisper of warmth and power. "You're trembling," he murmured. "Your body knows the truth, even if your mind fights it. You want this. You want me. And I... I want you."
Lila's hands trembled, clutching the edge of the counter. She wanted to flee, wanted to resist, wanted to call Kaden. But every instinct that told her to run collided violently with the primal pull of Dorian's presence.
The room seemed to shrink, the world outside disappearing. There was only him, only the heat between them, only the electric, intoxicating tension that made her body ache. Her pulse thrummed in time with his heartbeat—or perhaps it was the bond, pulsing through her veins like a living thing, demanding attention, claiming her with every beat.
"I... I can't," she whispered again, voice breaking. Her chest heaved. "I... this isn't right. I... Kaden—"
Dorian's fingers traced a line down her arm, slow, deliberate, possessive. "Right and wrong don't matter, Lila. Not when the bond exists. Not when desire is this strong. You can fight it. You can resist it. But it won't go away. And you know it."
Her body responded anyway, betraying her with every shiver, every gasp, every heat-fueled tremor. Pleasure and guilt collided in a chaotic storm, leaving her dizzy, breathless, and achingly aware of the dangerous pull of the man before her.
"You belong to me," Dorian whispered, voice low, hypnotic. "Even if you try to fight it. Even if part of you is elsewhere... part of you is mine."
Lila's lips parted, gasping for breath. She wanted to argue, to deny, to flee. And yet, the moment his hand brushed hers, the spark ignited again, fierce and undeniable, pulling her closer, making her ache in ways she hadn't imagined possible.
She staggered back slightly, pressing her palm to her chest, trying to calm the fire burning inside her. "This... this isn't just about desire," she whispered. "It's... it's wrong. I... I shouldn't... Kaden..."
Dorian's gaze softened for the briefest moment, almost tender, almost... real. "Desire isn't always right," he admitted. "And yet, it exists. It's there. You can't pretend it isn't. You feel it. You know it. And no matter what you do, it's mine to claim. Or at least... part of you is."
Her pulse raced, her chest ached, and a tremor of frustration ran through her. She wanted to resist, to flee, to cling to the pull of Kaden. And yet, here, now, Dorian's presence consumed her. His words, his gaze, his touch... they made her ache, trembling in a delicious agony of guilt and longing.
The night stretched on, heavy with desire and unspoken tension. Dorian pressed closer, yet never crossed the line that would fully betray the conscience she clung to. He was teasing, claiming, drawing her in, masterful in every subtle movement, every whispered word. And she, trapped between pleasure and conscience, couldn't tear herself away.
Finally, her knees weakened, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "Please... I... I need to... I can't—"
Dorian's lips brushed hers in a whisper of a kiss, just the edge, teasing, dangerous. "Then let me in your mind," he murmured. "Let me in your body. Let me remind you that part of you... belongs to me. Even if your soul belongs elsewhere."
Lila shivered violently, torn, broken, and alive in a way that terrified her. Pleasure and guilt collided in a storm inside her, and for the first time, she realized just how intoxicating, just how consuming, just how dangerous this wrong bond truly was.
Even as her heart ached for Kaden, even as her soul whispered that Dorian's claim was false, intoxicating shadows wrapped around her like silk and steel, and she couldn't resist.
Because the pull... was too strong.
And the seduction had only just begun.