My fingers tighten around the phone 42

Aria’s POV
The interrogation room’s harsh fluorescent lights flickered intermittently, casting shifting shadows across the rogue wolf’s
defiant face. I had rushed here the moment I heard they’d captured one, hoping this might finally give us answers about
the increasing attacks. But three hours later, we were no closer to the truth.
The rogue sat handcuffed to the metal chair, his matted fur a stark contrast to the sterile room. Despite the presence of
multiple Alphas, he maintained his stubborn silence. The air was thick with frustrated Alpha energy, making the small
space feel even more claustrophobic.
I shifted my weight, fighting the urge to massage my temples as waves of their dominating auras crashed against each
other. Even without my wolf powers, I could feel the tension building to suffocating levels. Ethan stood in the corner, his
forest-green eyes dark with barely contained rage as he watched the proceedings. Every few minutes, his gaze would drift
to me, leaving a trail of heat across my skin that had nothing to do with the room’s temperature.
“We’ll continue this tomorrow,” David finally announced, his voice carrying the weariness we all felt. As the others began
filing out, a young she-wolf’s voice cut through the shuffling of papers and scraping of chairs.
“Could you ask your Northern friend to stop sending those moonflowers to the training facility?” Her words dripped with
barely concealed disdain. “The scent is… distracting.”
Several other she-wolves snickered in agreement, their pointed looks making their implications clear. The silver moonflowers Leo had brought were apparently becoming quite the topic of gossip. I kept my expression neutral, refusing
to give them the satisfaction of a reaction. But I couldn’t miss how Ethan’s jaw tightened at the mention of Leo’s gifts, his
knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of the table.
“Aria.” Ethan’s deep voice froze me in my tracks just as I reached the door. “Stay.”
The single word carried all the natural authority of an Alpha heir, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine. The
others quickly dispersed, leaving us alone in the interrogation room. The air grew thick with an inexplicable tension,
making it harder to breathe. Each inhale brought his scent – pine needles and mountain air, mixed with something
uniquely male that made my pulse race despite my best efforts to remain unmoved.
I forced myself to turn and face him, maintaining the professional distance I’d worked so hard to establish. He remained
seated, but even in that position, his presence dominated the room. The way his forest-green eyes tracked my movements reminded me of a predator studying its prey.
“You and Leo seem close.” His voice was deceptively casual, but something darker lurked beneath the surface. The
fluorescent lights cast shadows across his sharp features, highlighting the tension in his jaw.
I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze directly. Even without my wolf powers, I refused to be intimidated. “Is that a problem?”
“No problem.” He rose from his chair with fluid grace, his Alpha presence filling the room like a physical force. The way he moved reminded me of that night in the hospital – all controlled power and barely leashed intensity. “Just you’ve
forgotten something.”
I instinctively stepped back as he advanced, but my retreat was halted by his grip on my wrist. The touch sent unwanted
sparks of electricity through my body, his skin burning against mine like a brand. Memories of that night flooded back –
his hands on my skin, his mouth trailing fire down my neck, the way our bodies had fit together so perfectly.
“What are you talking about?” I fought to keep my voice steady, trying to ignore how my pulse quickened at his
proximity. The small interrogation room suddenly felt too confined, too intimate.
Without warning, he pulled me against his chest. The familiar scent of pine needles and mountain air overwhelmed my
senses, bringing back memories I’d been desperately trying to suppress. Even without my wolf powers, his Alpha aura was overwhelming – a potent mixture of power and masculinity that made my knees weak.
“This.” His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, his breath hot against my ear. One hand slid to the small of my back,
pressing me closer until I could feel the hard planes of his chest through our clothes. “You owe me this.”
His lips crashed down on mine with bruising force. Unlike the desperate passion we’d shared in the hospital, this kiss was
pure dominance – an Alpha marking what he considered his. His tongue swept into my mouth, demanding and
possessive, drawing a helpless whimper from my throat that seemed to fuel his aggression. One hand tangled in my hair,
tilting my head back to deepen the kiss while his other hand splayed across my lower back, pressing me against the hard
planes of his body.
Beneath the punishment was something darker, more primal – a desperate hunger that echoed the ache building low in
my belly. His teeth grazed my bottom lip before his tongue soothed the sting, the contrast of sharp pain and pleasure making me shudder. The taste of him – pine and winter air and pure male desire – flooded my senses until I could barely
remember why I should resist.
My fingers clutched his shoulders as our tongues tangled in a heated dance of dominance and submission. The world
narrowed to just this – the wet heat of his mouth claiming mine, his hands branding my skin through my clothes, the
intoxicating way our heartbeats thundered in perfect sync. When his teeth scraped along my pulse point, my knees nearly
buckled.
With every ounce of willpower I possessed, I shoved against his chest, finally breaking free. Fury and frustrated desire
coursed through my veins as I wiped my mouth with trembling fingers, trying to erase the lingering sensation of his kiss.
My lips felt swollen and tender, my body humming with an awareness that refused to be denied.
“Touch me again,” I spat, my voice trembling with rage and something far more dangerous, “and you’ll regret it.”